Plano Reelects Mayor

On March 6, 2017 Plano voted to give Mayor Harry LaRosiliere a second term.  He won with 52.25 percent of the vote beating out candidates Lily Bao, Douglas Reeves and Bill Lisle III.

Along with the Mayor's reelection, several other positions and bonds were voted on.  Kelsey Samuel's post in the Plano Courier states:

Mayor Harry LaRosiliere wins second term

Incumbent Plano ISD school board trustees Tammy Richards and Nancy Humphrey maintain their spot at Place 1 and Place 3, respectively. Angela Powell will represent Place 2 and Greg Myers will represent Place 6 over incumbent trustee Marilyn Hinton.

Also, the first five items of the 2017 bond referendum were supported by Plano voters, all except Proposition 6 which would preserve Collinwood House. Eleven percent of Collin County voters come out to the polls.

The largest part of the bond referendum, $90.27 million, will be spent on street improvements in the city like alley reconstruction, sidewalk constructions, screening wall reconstruction, traffic signalization, as well as street reconstruction, lighting and new right-of-ways.

Also among the bond items was three new public safety facilities. Plano Fire Rescue calls for $15 million to fund the design and construction of a new fire training facility on the northwest corner of McDermott Road and Robinson Road. This proposal also includes $12 million to include a northwest Plano Police substation, and a $2 million renovation to the Parkway Fleet Service Center, where Plano Fire Rescue and Plano PD service and repair department vehicles. The three projects total $29 million.

There’s also a $78.85 million proposal to fund recreational trails and multiple park improvements such as new sidewalks, trails, trees, playground expansions, lighting, restrooms and more. Other parks receiving similar upgrades includes Jack Carter Park, Harrington Park, Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve, Arbor Hill Nature Preserve and Windhaven Meadows.

The parks proposal also includes a new maintenance facility, $2.5 million for athletic field improvements and $12 million to add a new drainage channel, new lights, new irrigation, larger restrooms, trees and additional parking at Carpenter Park.

The bond has $12.5 million dedicated to recreation center improvements like Oak Point and High Point Tennis Center. The bond would fund a large outdoor pool added to Oak Point Rec Center, as well as a $2.5 million for tennis court renovations at High Point. There’s $10 million dedicated to library expansions at Davis Library and Harrington Library.

Read the full story here...

Be sure to check out the Plano Courier or the Plano section of the Dallas Morning News to keep up with the latest information in Plano, Texas.

Don't forget, if you are looking to sell your house in Plano and have foundation damage to get it looked at and repaired by professionals.  Check out our information on foundation repair at: http://plano.texasfoundationpros.com/foundation-repair/

Check out the full story here: Plano Reelects Mayor

Will Insurance Cover My Foundation Repair Costs?

One of the most pressing questions we hear about is whether insurance will cover the foundation repair cost. Unfortunately, for many people in North Texas and especially Plano, the answer is probably no. The reason for this is because the most likely cause of foundation problems (the expansion and contraction of soil around the foundation) are often excluded from home owner's insurance policies.

While this may be disheartening to many people, there are some additional things to consider. Anne Balogh, a contributor to ConcreteNetwork.com points out several additional considerations in her post:

DOES YOUR HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE COVER FOUNDATION DAMAGE?

Do you have a warranty?

If your foundation problems are caused by defective construction or the use of poor materials, your homeowner’s insurance won't be of much help. However, some builders offer foundation warranties that cover labor and materials and structural defects for up to 10 years. If your home is fairly new, check to see if you have a warranty that’s still in effect, and read it over carefully to find out what’s covered.

If you’re buying a home, be sure to have the foundation inspected by a professional. You could save thousands of dollars and a lot of headaches by having any problems identified and addressed before you assume ownership.

Adding supplemental coverage

Depending on where you live and your exposure conditions, it may be worth purchasing supplemental insurance for perils not covered by your basic homeowner’s insurance policy. Most major insurance carriers will let you purchase a dwelling foundation rider to cover specific, limited perils, such as damage caused by a burst water pipe or water seepage. Most policies also offer supplemental coverage for damage caused by earthquakes, flooding, and sewer backups. However, foundation damage caused by settling, shifting, or earth movement is generally excluded.

Read the full story here....

We encourage people to check with both their home builder (if they purchased new) or their insurance company to determine if they have an existing warranty or whether they are able to purchase additional insurance coverage.

Foundation Repair Warranty- Moving Forward

If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of needing foundation repair, don't be too alarmed.  Many great companies like GL Hunt offer flexible financing to assist you in making the costs affordable.  Check out our page on foundation repair at: http://plano.texasfoundationpros.com/foundation-repair/ to learn more about what services we can connect you with.

If you decide to go with a company who performs professional foundation repair and you know that your insurance poilcy will not cover the costs, we cannot stress the importance of getting a warranty on the work enough.  Foundation repair is expensive and you need to make sure the work that is performed is covered by a lifetime transferable warranty.  Call  469-909-1827 to schedule an estimate with GL Hunt and learn about their warranty program.

Check out the full story here: Will Insurance Cover My Foundation Repair Costs?

Foundation Problems Caused by Poor Drainage

There are many causes of damage to foundations. One of the most common issues we see is damage caused by foundation drainage problems. This is an often overlooked issue but Generosity Foundation Repair Inc discussed some of the common causes:

Can Poor Drainage Damage Your Foundation?

Gutters

A gutter system is designed to take the rain that falls onto your roof and carry it away from your foundation where it can do no harm. When gutters are clogged, damaged or missing altogether, that rainwater pools near your home’s foundation or on the roof.

Landscaping Irrigation

Poorly designed landscape irrigation causes problems with many foundations. Over watering and sprinklers placed too close to the foundation are often the source of many foundation problems since water that does not immediately soak into the ground pools near the foundation.

Incorrectly Sloped Lot

Sometimes, a home is built on an improperly sloped lot or on a hill that causes water to drain towards the home’s foundation instead of away from it.

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The reason that foundation drainage problems cause damage is that when the soil around the foundation is consistently wet, it can cause movement of the slab in that areas of the house.

What to do if you have foundation drainage problems

If you have these issues, don't worry.  In some cases the fix will be as simple as installing gutters and leveling out your soil.  If the problems have not been allowed to go for a long time then it is likely that is all you will need to do.

In some instances more significant drainage solutions are needed such as french drains.  These can help more serious problems.

If the problems have been allowed to continue for a long time, more must be done.  If you notice signs that your foundation may be damaged, you should immediately contact professionals to assess the damage and repair it before the problems get worse.  Read our page about how to identify foundation damage and what we can do about it at: http://plano.texasfoundationpros.com/foundation-repair/

 

Check out the full story here: Foundation Problems Caused by Poor Drainage

How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost? Less Now Than Later

One of the most common questions we encounter is "how much does foundation repair cost?"  Full disclosure, we cannot give you an estimate without knowing the particulars of your situation as repair can be a huge range of costs depending on the extent of damage.

However much your it may cost to have your needed repairs, having the problems diagnosed and solved early will almost always save you time and money later.  Check out John Whitman's story and related gofundme page to see how bad things can get when problems go un-resolved:

Roff Home Foundation Repair

Foundations are meant to be deep. Unfortunately, when the Roff family built their home in 1868, they only dug a one-foot foundation under the front parlor. In 2016, as the owner of Roff Home, I suffered the consequences of that decision — an unanticipated $53,000 in expenses to build a new, deeper foundation and to repair the damage that a weak foundation had caused.

By early 2016, the front walls of this Victorian Italianate home were at risk of collapsing because the foundation was sinking. The mortar had completely cracked and disintegrated. Bricks were falling out of the walls. No contractor would work on the foundation with the walls still in place.

In the summer of 2016, contractors ran steel beams under the house and built temporary walls inside. They then pulled down a wall and a half, dug a new foundation, and rebuilt the walls with concrete block and covered it with a facade of original brick.
Read the full story here...

John's costs were estimated $58,000 of repair which is substantially more than the average single family home in the Plano, TX area, but his story demonstrates what can go wrong when poor construction meets lack of early repairs.

Check out this other example of a house with some serious foundation problems:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-fzDCP_vyY

Early Diagnosis by a Professional

Unfortunately, there is no getting around the fact that foundation repair cost is high in some situations.  The best way of controlling your costs are to looking for the signs of foundation damage and contact a professional early to assess.  By doing this, you can have the problems fixed before they become huge.

 

Check out the full story here: How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost? Less Now Than Later