Homes in Merkel, by the numbers
Merkel's homes are older, on average, than Abilene's. The Census puts the median build year at 1961, against 1975 for the city, and about one Merkel home in five dates from before 1940.
New building has been slow: fewer than one home in ten went up after 2000, so the typical house in town is over 60 years old.
ASCE's Texas guidelines point out that one floor-level survey only shows the shape of a foundation on the day it's taken. On a house of 60-plus years, some of that shape may be old, so a repeat survey months later is what shows whether it's still moving.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, via Census Reporter (Merkel profile, year built). ± is the 90% margin of error. For a town this size, read the figures as a rough picture, not a count.
Your house, your watch-list
What to keep an eye on in a Merkel home
Tell us what kind of house you have and we'll show what a survey usually focuses on.
- 01Shims and wood posts in the crawl spaceShims compress and wood can soften over time, so floors drift out of level.
- 02Bouncy or sagging floorsOften a beam or joist that needs extra support, not the whole foundation.
- 03Crawl space moisture and ventilationStanding water or damp soil under the house speeds up the problems above.
- 04Earlier repairsOlder homes may already have piers or shims from past work. The survey checks whether they still hold.
General guidance. Every house is different, which is what the survey is for.
Survey day in Merkel, step by step
Available in Merkel
Every service we offer in Abilene is available in Merkel.
Book a free survey in Merkel
Your ZIP is filled in. A local foundation specialist calls you back to set a time.
Merkel questions
Which way is Merkel from Abilene?
Straight out I-20 to the west, past Tye. At about 17 miles from Abilene, Merkel sits comfortably inside the service area.
How can I tell if my Merkel home is slab or pier and beam?
Walk the outside of the house and look for vents or a small access door near the ground. If you find them, there's a crawl space and the house is pier and beam. If the floor is concrete poured at ground level, it's a slab. Both types are surveyed and repaired.
Should I water around my foundation in a dry summer?
Many homeowners do, to stop the soil from shrinking away from the house. The aim is steady, even moisture a little way out from the foundation, not puddles against it. A soaker hose on a timer is a common setup.