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Pasco wants firmer footing for new houses

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BY CARL ORTH

SUNCOAST NEWS ASSISTANT EDITOR

Published: February 4, 2009

NEW PORT RICHEY - House foundations aren't all they're cracked up to be, Pasco County commissioners discussed this week.

Cracks in walls and ceilings caused by settling foundations still spur sinkhole damage claims, driving up homeowner insurance rates for all Pasco residents, commissioners said.

So the county intends to raise construction standards for builders when they pour the foundation for a new house.

At the same time, state lawmakers based in West Pasco will introduce a bill this year to dovetail with stricter county rules, Commissioner Michael Cox said.

The proposal would require insurers to recalculate and lower premiums in counties that adopt the higher standards for foundations. State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, and state Rep. John Legg, R-Port Richey, are backing the legislation.

Builders would have to pay about 20 percent more to pour a foundation if Pasco follows through with changes, according to Cynthia M. Jolly, the county's development director.

The firmer foundations, however, would add only about 3 percent to the overall cost of a new house of about 2,500 square feet, Jolly estimates. Some builders already lay higher-quality foundations on their own, she noted.
Commissioner Ted Schrader would like to see builders return to adding steel reinforcement for home foundations. The practice petered out as higher grades of concrete were developed.

"To me that's when things seemed to go awry," Schrader said.

Cracks in foundations rarely are a problem for commercial building projects, Jolly noted. Firms apparently exercise greater caution and have contractors order more soil testing before creating foundations for commercial buildings.

Carl Orth can be reached at 727-815-1068 or corth@suncoastnews.com.

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