HOME BUYERS BEWARE !! |
 HOME BUYERS BEWARE!!
Expansive soils and heaving bedrock are present in all areas of the US, with some states exhibiting extremely
high concentrations of these potentially damaging soil compositions. While many homebuyers in the higher risk areas
are aware of this problem to some extent, few are aware just how serious this problem can be, or of the extent of
damage that can be caused by reactive soils.
WHAT IS REACTIVE SOIL?
Generally speaking, reactive soils can be defined as any type of soil that, when
exposed to certain physical or geological conditions, will undergo changes in shape and structure.
These soil changes can lead to serious foundation and structural damage
to both residential and commercial buildings, if appropriate preventative measures are not taken in both the pre-construction
and post-construction phases.
NO SMALL PROBLEM...
It's estimated that approximately one half of the homes built in the United
States today are constructed on reactive soils. Nationally, structural damage caused by reactive
soils is estimated at $6-$11 billion each year. Due to its widepread occurrence and overwhelming
damage expense, reactive soils rate as the highest of any geological hazard, and during this century
these losses have been twice as great as those from floods, earthquakes, hurricanes,
and tornadoes (Jones and Holtz, 1973). Therefore, reactive soils are a serious concern to anyone
looking to buy or build a home.
HOW DO YOU KNOW?
There are several methods to identify reactive soils, including Appearance, Drilling & Laboratory Analysis, and
Inspection of Existing Structures. The most common type of reactive soil is expansive clay, which, following changes in moisture level, has the
ability to shrink or swell. Some expansive clay can expand or contract up to 15 times its original size,
thus releasing an extreme amount of stress upon the surrounding environment, including the foundation of your
home or other building structure.
BUILDER'S CHECKLIST FOR AVOIDING DAMAGES IN YOUR NEW HOME...
As a homebuyer, you should be confident that your builder is reputable and knowledgeable with regard to proper foundation design,
where expansive soils are a potential problem. To gain this assurance, you need to ask many questions and investigate for yourself
that your builder performs in accordance with accepted practices.
When selecting a builder, make certain that they:
 |
Require thorough soil test sampling per individual site, and retain the test results |
|
Use only registered, engineered foundation designs, appropriately suited to the soil types or conditions |
|
Select only the proper quality concrete construction tools, forms, and materials, designed to enable the correct construction by design |
|
Employ professional, reputable sub-contractors and ensure that they perform in accordance with the established policies and methods, including...
 |
Conformance to city and county inspection |
|
Conformance to drilled pier specifications
Drilled Pier / Foundation Designs should include:
 |
SureVoid system that correctly isolates the complete concrete structure from potential damage
|
|
System submittals that conform to engineered specifications and void requirements |
|
|
Conformance to steel certifications |
|
Conformance to concrete certifications |
|
|
Maintain a regimented and rigid foundation inspection procedure throughout the construction process, based on the foundation design |
|
Have a working knowledge of how landscaping and drainage can affect the foundation system after construction is complete |
|
Offer a reasonable performance warranty program for the structural foundation, and are concerned about minimizing future liability to the buyer |
HOW CAN SUREVOID HELP?
|
SureVoid has over 50 years experience in concrete construction, specifically where expansive soils exist. |
|
SureVoid Products, Inc. is an industry leader in carton form systems, resulting from many years of research and development concerning
damage from expansive soils. |
|
SureVoid provides consultation and presentations on the proper selection and placement of their void products. |
|
SureVoid products are manufactured in several locations and available nationwide, through a network of dealers and construction professionals. |
In this site, we present extensive information to assist the homebuyer in the selection process
of purchasing a new home. Explore the items in the menus to the left of this screen. Then, if
you'd like additional information, explore the technical side of the SureVoid site, designed
for Construction and Technical Professionals.
|
|
