Every year, expansive or swelling soils, like clay and benonite cause more damage to U.S. homes than floods, hurricanes and earthquakes combined. In Colorado, this type of soil makes up more than 80% of the area that Front Range homes are built on. The foundation damages can cost homeowners thousands of dollars to repair.
For that reason, throughout the month of June, Peak Basement Systems is raising awareness about the problem with a series of events to educate homeowners, home inspectors, realtors, and their own personnel.
Starting with a Realtor Education Seminar in Denver at the beginning of the month, (and weekly workshops for their crew and sales force) the initiative includes distribution of door hangers and informational brochures throughout the region. A public education booth will also be open at the Springs Spree—a local street fair and community event in Colorado Springs, from June 20-21 (http://springsspree.org/
The Peak Basement Systems team has been studying expansive soil in depth during the last two weeks to brush up for the event. Each member of the team has been studying to pass their qualification quiz in the office before they can man the booth and raise public awareness.
Paul Sutton, owner and project manager, has been working for six months to complete a carnival-style game that illustrates just how much pressure expansive soils are exerting on a home’s foundation. This game is called “The Wall Anchor Challenge”, and it pits your brawn against the pressure of expansive soil as you try to generate enough muscle power to straighten a bowed foundation wall. Much like a traditional High Striker game, you strike a target with a mallet to get the bell to ring, but the new part of this game is that your power translates to a pounds-per-square-
Homeowners that do not live in Colorado, or cannot attend to the Springs Spree event, can also learn about the problem by downloading a free copy of the company’s e-book Foundation Technology – A Guide to What Goes on Under Your Feet, available at http://www.uniflip.com/
