The Dallas-Fort Worth area of North Texas, is the center of foundation damage in The United States. Spinning out North,
East and South you will also find areas of highly expansive soils. In these areas foundation companies abound.
At any given time in North Texas
over 200 foundation companies will be attempting to “fix your house”. In any given year fifteen
to twenty percent of these companies will go out of business often resurfacing under another name to avoid warranty work and
lawsuits. More companies will pop up with inexperienced and undercapitalized operators. This
is a real problem for owners of homes or small commercial buildings.
Piers
Add to the above the fact: over fifty percent of the foundation companies, often big advertisers, use repair,
or piering, methods that have large failure rates. Of course they all offer “lifetime warrantees”
which when read and understood mean very little. Lifetime warrantees, in the foundation repair industry,
are usually written to provide adjustments for vertical settlement only, which is the cause of less than half of foundation
repair failures.
More
about foundation repairs and failures: The Company is the key! If good piers are installed, on a home that
has settled, If they are installed by a good company, if the company educates the owner in proper maintenance. And
if the customer uses proper maintenance, the repairs should work. In this situation the problem is the number and cost of
piers. Foundation companies sell piers. The more they sell and the more they charge per pier, the more the salesman makes
and the more the company makes. Don't buy more piers than you need and don't pay more per pier than you have to. Let
me help. Saving you one un-needed pier will more than pay my fee.
If the structure has heaved or lifted above grade, piers are not the answer and most foundation repair
companies do not address heaving.
Last Note: settlement is the cause of less than half of all foundation
problems in areas of expansive soils!
If you need help, and you do, with foundation problems, contact an expert! That would be
me.
Richard Rash
817-308-8186
email
