Slab Foundation Repairs San Antonio

Frequently Asked Questions

1. QUESTION:
   Break in water supply line where pipe enters the concrete foundation.?
   I,m in Texas (San Antonio) can I , the home owner, cut into the supply line. Cap all the pipes in the foundation. Go up the wall and make all my “cold water ” and “hot water” supply lines drop down from the attic. Can this be done legally or do I have to break the foundation and search for the leak?

   • ANSWER:
     There is no problem capping all your lines and running them overhead assuming your main feed doesn’t branch under the slab. You could cap one at a time and refeed to its outlet to determine if you need to do them all. Start with the one you think is most likely leaking. If you can isolate certain lines with valves, you can cut individual lines off and see if your meter stops running.

     Keep in mind that unless you use something like CPVC or PEX tubing, you cannot make drops from the attic on exterior walls unless you tear into the them for access. Internal wall drops are easier but in all cases make sure you watch out for electric lines when you drill your wall top plates. Copper pipe would require a lot of cutting and couplings. Electrical fish tapes can be used to pull PEX and would save a lot of wall repair and ultimately time and expense.

     Remember that only 2 fixtures should be fed off 1/2″ pipe so you will need to run some 3/4″ and then branch to feed certain areas like a bathroom cold side (3 fixtures). Or you can do a “home run” with PEX and run 1/2″ from a central header. Depending on the size of your house, you can do some plumbing research and with a decent helper repipe in a day or 2 saving about 00. With the savings it would be wise to invest in some pipe insulation for both the hot and cold lines in your attic. The hot lines will cool quickly in winter and the cold lines will get warm in summer in Texas.

     Good Luck!

2. QUESTION:
   Should I have my slab foundation fixed?
   Two-story home built in 1992 – San Antonio, TX (extra-dry)

   I had my foundation inspected by a foundation repair company last week. It’s not as bad I initially thought. .2-.4 off-center in most of the house. Worse spot was .7 off.

   When is it imperative to get th foundation repaired?

   • ANSWER:
     what do you mean 2-4 off center,out of level, or square? i agree someone is trying to get your money slab footing are fine unless cracked

3. QUESTION:
   Question on Buying a Forclosed Home in San Antonio, TX?
   I am NOT looking to buy a forclosed home in cash (ex. forclosed auction).

   I’m planning to get pre-approved for a loan first and then try to shop around and find a home to buy…preferably a forclosed home in order to get a bigger bang for my buck.

   How exactly do you shop around for a foreclosed home? Is there a website just listing them all for my area (San Antonio, TX) or do I need a realtor to find them for me?

   Once I find a foreclosed home I am interested in (ex. 0,000) will the bank just sell it to me immediately as soon as I offer the 0,000? Can I haggle with them to lower the price? Is it a first-come first-serve or do I have to compete with other offers after I already made my initial offer?

   Aside from a home inspection is there anything I should check on?

   Aside from getting pre-approved for a loan amount I’m basically looking for a Start-to-Finish process I should follow when buying a foreclosed home. Thanks in advance!

   • ANSWER:
     Contact any local Realtor. Virtually all foreclosed homes are listed in the MLS and all Realtors have access to that. I did extensive business with Century 21 Manor Realty in Universal City and would check with them first if I was in the San Antonio market again.

     Banks may haggle a bit on their REOs. Put in your best offer, subject to inspection. Note that you may have to have utilities turned on at your expense for any inspections and you absolutely never want to buy any home without an inspection, especially a foreclosure.

     Government held foreclosures (FHA, VA, Department of Agriculture, etc.) are typically sold on a sealed bid basis. They collect all bids submitted up to a date specified in the listing. Highest bid at or above the asking price wins. If you want an inspection you’ll have to have the utilities turned on at your expense if they are not on. If no bids above the asking price have been submitted they may accept a lower bid or reject all bids. If a property has been re-listed twice with no satisfactory bids (typically these are in pretty bad shape) they may open it up to highest bid.

     Don’t expect any real bargains on foreclosures. All places will sell for roughly market value. Most foreclosures need work, hence the lower prices. I’ve seen some with holes in the walls, dead livestock in swimming pools, missing plumbing fixtures, missing A/C units, you name it.

     I lived in San Antonio for a number of years and battled the foreclosure market there in the late 80s and early 90s when they had a major market collapse that put hundreds of homes on the market and depressed values on all homes. I wound up buying from owner-occupiers in the end as the places were move-in ready and in my preferred neighborhood.

     One thing that you want to be VERY careful with in the San Antonio region is foundation problems. The soils in the area – caliche they call it – tends to expand and contract a lot as it gets wet and then dries. If the subsoil is not properly treated when the slab is poured it can fracture, sometimes decades later. Foundation repairs can run thousands! Been there, done that! It’s definitely no fun having the floors chiseled up in your home to lay additional reinforcement into the slab and drilling holes to mud-jack the slab back level and then treat it with lime to prevent a repeat.

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