Peace of mind comes from proactive maintenance.
About 50% of Texas, including the state's major cities, is covered in expansive soils, so the majority of the state's homes are vulnerable. It is estimated that 15% of the foundation damage in the US is from Texas second only to California with its earthquakes. (See WSJ article)
More than half of all home buyers consider foundation issues a "deal-breaker" so the homeowner who doesn’t pay attention to this issue could end up with high repair costs, a loss in home equity, and a challenge in selling the home.
So, if damage is likely and repairs usually aren't covered by homeowners' insurance or warranty policies (WSJ article), then it just makes sense to get proactive about foundation maintenance. Be SlabSure.
Every system comes with a (1) SlabSure Foundation Monitor that captures and sends the data from the home to our servers via a secured cellular gateway. (2) One In-Ground Utility Box, and (3) One SlabSure Sensor Cartridge that contains the sensors inside a tube in the required length. The standard lengths are 100ft, 150ft, 200ft, 250ft. We can do any desired length up to 1,000 with engineering approval and at a custom rate. We can add on more additional SlabSure Sensor Cartridge without engineering review and up to six per system with approval from engineering.
Just like a check engine light in your car is on or off, only the summary status is available for the homeowner at this time. You can see when the readings were taken and the result of our analysis of the data – light was on or off. We are here to crunch any and all number for the homeowner at any time so that you can have peace of mind.
As long as the “check foundation light” is green, you don’t have to do anything. We compare all the readings to the ASCE guidelines for foundation maximum allowable deflection of L/360. We do this daily for all homes with an active subscription. This is the “maximum deflection that typically will not result in excessive damage to cosmetic finishes” and mirrors the International Code Council International Residential CodeTM. (See ASCE document attached, page 12)
If the light turns yellow, we will reach out to the homeowner and advise what type of condition has been observed, where it is happening and what can be done about it. For example, we may advise that the northwest corner of the home is lifting based on a sensor that is 17 feet from the corner. Rainfall data indicates that lift tends to mean excess moisture for this home. This would enable the homeowner to search for a root cause for excess moisture 17 feet from the northwest corner. We can also advise how many days remain before the guideline for allowable deflection will be exceeded. If experts are needed, we can help the homeowner with that as well. Ultimately, the homeowner must perform the maintenance or have it completed. As repairs are completed, we can provide feedback that the deflection is trending back to baseline readings or not.
Yes. Only homes with an active monitoring contract may have their foundation monitored. We want every home owner to have long term peace of mind. If something is preventing you from having that peace of mind, please reach out to us and we will do our best to mare sure you get peace of mind about your home foundation. Don’t hide from the truth, don’t hope things get better, be certain about your future; be SlabSure.