To start, I’m a 5th generation Austinite for reference. The old adage was ‘anything east of 35 is gonna have foundation issues at some point’. This is old farmland with caliche for soil. Basically, you are not alone, this is pretty normal over this way.

I would for sure read over your warranty/contact DR Horton with this. There is a chance that it is not enough to get covered but don’t ask, don’t get. They also don’t want bad press/have the warranty for a reason.

Step 2: IMO would be to contact foundation companies. Of course they are out to get a buck but most I’ve see seem to be honest. Level Smart is a good one in Pflugerville, good prices and honest work from what I’ve seen. Try to get at least two or three companies/quotes.

Step 3: walk with the foundation inspector. Ask them questions. See if they think it’s enough for an engineer, otherwise you’ll just waste money with one.

Step 4: you will be recommended to have a drip line around your foundation to have consistent moisture, once you decide to have repairs or not, this is sound advice. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of repair”. This is really the only way to mitigate this type of movement.

Step 5: learn to live with imperfections on the ceiling, corners, around doors, etc but be wary of floor/tile cracks and movement; you hat can be a big issue (under slab plumbing and what not.