Shrink–swell capacity

[2] This ability to drastically change volume can cause damage to existing structures, such as cracks in foundations or the walls of swimming pools.

[3] Due to the physical and chemical properties of some clays[4] (such as the Lias Group) large swelling occurs when water is absorbed.

Clay groups with a high shrink–swell capacity tend to damage crops during dry spells, as the soil contracts, by pulling roots apart.

[7] Some common structures that sustain soil damage are foundations, walls, driveways, swimming pools, roads, pipelines, and basement floors.

[8] This damage includes large cracks in walls and foundations, buckling of driveways and roads, and jamming of doors and windows.

[3] Examples of localized water sources include sprinkler systems, cesspools, leaky pipes, and swimming pools.

Maintaining a constant soil moisture is another solution, which sometimes may be achieved by allowing rainwater to properly drain away from the property, fixing areas around structures that have poor drainage qualities, fixing pipe leaks, avoiding over-watering nearby plants, and by planting trees some distance away from any structure.

[7] Materials for stabilization include cement, resins, fly ash, lime, pozzolana, or lime-pozzolana mixture,[7] depending on the site conditions and the project goals.