The Leaning Tower of Padre

The most important component of your home is your foundation. Keeping the integrity of your slab supports the weight of your home and the great value that comes from what you have made of your residence. So it begs the question, “How well was my home’s foundation designed and built?” Knowing the answer can prepare you for either many headaches or a sense of relief that you have the best foundation that could have been laid for your precious family and your family’s valuable heirlooms.

Here’s an example of why this is so important. We all know of the landmark structural curiosity known as the “Leaning Tower of Pisa” in Pisa, Italy. For 840 years, that bell tower has been leaning. It started leaning during construction. The structure began sinking into the ground when construction reached the third level of the 8-level tower. They noticed it sinking and still added five more levels while trying to modify each level to keep it from tipping over. To this day the top of the building leans almost 13 feet off vertical. Structural engineers have tried many different ways to return the leaning tower to a vertical position. They seem to have done enough to stop the lean from increasing. That’s the best they could do.

We do not have to go back as far as a 12^th century structure like the Tower of Pisa to see how much damage a faulty foundation can cause. Nor do we, Texans, have to go very far, either. We have…or, had…our own “Leaning Tower of Padre” in the state of Texas.

In 2006 construction began on a 30-story, luxury, beachfront condominium high-rise on South Padre Island. The Ocean Tower was financed for 75 million dollars and was going to feature five star amenities like infinity pools, granite counter tops, Italian marble floors, stainless steel fixtures and oversized Jacuzzi tubs. It was anticipated that some of the condos would sell for upwards of $2 million dollars.

Two years into construction, everybody on the Island began noticing that the tower was leaning! Something was obviously wrong. Why would a building lean? The culprit was the foundation.

As a result, construction was halted in 2008. More than 100 of the 151 condominiums had already been sold. Engineers scrambled to figure out what to do about the failing foundation. Then, more than a year later, the developer had to do this:

The Ocean Tower was reduced to 55,000 tons of debris. Rubble. Trash. Waste. All because the foundation could not support the weight of the building.

Now, your home is likely not valued at more than $75 million dollars. But whatever you have invested in your home is still probably the largest investment you have made in your lifetime. Poor design, unforeseen shifting of the soil or changing environmental conditions can cause costly damage to your home. It’s important to care for your foundation, look for signs of damage, and have your foundation inspected if you think any damage has occurred.

Dawson Foundation Repair installs only Bell Bottom Piers for homeowners and commercial property owners. Bell Bottom Piers have far more advantages over any other method of foundation repair and we feel the homeowner should receive the best option available. Dawson Foundation Repair services homes and commercial businesses all over Texas including Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and other smaller cities. Call us for a free inspection and assessment of your home’s foundation security.