The Cross Timbers Gazette (Flower Mound, Tex.), Vol. 30, No. 8, Ed. 1, August 2004 Page: 3 of 20
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THE CROSSTIMBERS GAZETTE
PAGE 3
The Real Estate Corner by:
Gary Kuhatschek
Understanding Your Home’s Foundation
Understanding what is involved in caring for your homes foundation is critical in North Texas. With
our hot and dry summers, along with our wet fall and spring, your home’s foundation can really get a
I work-out if not properly cared for.
First, let me say I am not a structural engineer. My knowledge of foundation maintenance comes
: from 19 years of selling homes in the area and observing hundreds of inspections and almost as
1 many repairs. In North Texas, and primarily in the area north of Dallas, the soil is comprised of
mostly sand and clay. In and around Lewisville/Flower Mound it’s more clay than sand. The clay acts like a sponge.
When it gets extremely wet, it swells to almost twice its size and when it dries out, it contracts back to its original
size. In our area we mostly see homes built with foundations called “Post Tension Slabs”. Before the concrete is
poured, cables housed in plastic are laid in a crisscross pattern so that they are centered half-way between the top
edge and the bottom of the slab. About 24 hours after the concrete is poured, the builder will attach a devise at the
end of each cable and pull tension (note the “post tension slab”). In addition, to help insure that the slab won’t settle,
some builders will drill pier holes as deep as 25 feet into the ground, then fill them with concrete beneath the slab
(kind of like legs of a table). The post tension slab is designed by a structural engineer to allow for a slight amount of
movement caused by our soil.
You may have heard REALTORS, inspectors or engineers make comments about the need to water your foundation.
What they mean is that the moisture content in the soil under your home must remain constant. In order to achieve
this, you must first insure that the drainage around the home is good, making sure there is no standing water
anywhere near the foundation, either after a rain or after the sprinkler has run. During dry times of the year,
particularly in the summer, you must insure that the soil stays moist. This can be accomplished with a sprinkler
system or a soaker hose laid around the perimeter of the house about three feet out from the foundation. In most
cases it doesn’t matter how good the foundation is, if the drainage is not right you are going to have problems!
If you think the foundation is settling or rising more than it should, then I recommend having a structural engineer (not
a foundation company) evaluate and make recommendations as to what repairs might be needed. You should choose
an engineer who is both qualified to inspect residential foundations and is familiar with our area.
Gary Kuhatschek is a broker at RE/MAX Cross Country REALTORS located at 1990 Justin Rd. in Highland Village.
He can be reached at 972 317-9401. or by email garyk@rmccdfw.com.
God Bless America,
My home sweet home.
As a proud resident of
Double Oak, I look
forward to helping you
with your next home
mortgage, or refinancing
your current home.
Experienced
Knowledgeable
Reliable
Respected
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BARTONVILLE
CANYON OAKS
COPPER CANYON
DOUBLE OAK
LANTAIN
HOMES ON THE MARKET
12
4
16
37
27
HOMES SOLD
2
1
4
5
5
PENDING
0
1
0
1
2
HIGH SALE
$595,000
$388,000
$810,000
$437,500
$372,680
LOW SALE
$272,000
$388,000
$204,462
$192,000
$223,000
MEDIAN
$433,500
$388,000
$345,250
$395,000
$248,000
AVERAGE
$433,500
$388,000
$426,241
$349,900
$269,336
AVERAGE PRICE PER SQ. FT.
$114.41
$ 104.47
$136.62
$ 98.18
$93.62
AVERAGEDAYS ON MARKET
AVERAGE % OF LIST TO
210
61
132
71
260
SALE PRICE
Statistics for the month of July 2004
91%
95%
94%
98%
98%
Information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed
Cont from page 3 Double Oak Council June 21, 2004
all members, including Bartonville Water
Supply Corporation. This would be passed
on to customers via increased rates. It was
possible the Board could decide to have
two rate structures. As the water plant in
the north had not yet been constructed, it
was premature to have two cost centers.
Mr. James responded the district had
always had a unified rate structure but only
one service area. He felt the original
contract spoke to future subsidy that would
be offset by multiple cost centers. Until
now, growth had paid for the expansion of
the system. It was unknown if the Harpool
treatment plant would be viable on its own
or would have to be subsidized. Flower
Mound was asking for reimbursement back
to the last rate increase in October 2003.
Miller motion, Donnelly second that the
Town of Double Oak not take a public
position on the legal issue at this time but
to reserve the right to consider again at a
future time. AYE: Donnelly, Miller NAY:
Mize, Pidcock, Dondrea. Motion Failed 3
To 2
Mize motion, Dondrea second to table the
item. AYE: Mize, Pidcock, Dondrea,
Donnelly NAY: Miller Motion Carried 4
To 1.
The Council recessed at 8:30 p.m. The
Council reconvened into open session at
8:39 p.m.
Agenda item #1 was moved in the agenda
order.
1. Consideration and action on an
ordinance amending the
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance,
of Chapter 14 (“Zoning”) of the
Code of Ordinances to rename the
Business Office Park district to
the Business District, to provide
for changes in use regulations, area
and height regulations, buffer zone
requirements and masonry
exterior requirements; providing
for changes to the Specific Use
Permit district regulations to
repeal day care centers from the
list of uses for which a SUP is
required and to add a new
category for any use that is not
detrimental to the town or
surrounding neighborhoods
Mr. Oscar Burchard, Chairman of the
Planning and Zoning Commission, reported
the Commission recommended approval.
Pidcock motion, Dondrea second to
approve the ordinance as presented. AYE:
Mize, Pidcock, Dondrea, Donnelly, Miller
NAY: None. Motion Carried Unanimously.
1. Consideration and action on
various drainage and pothole
projects
Town Engineer Jeff Crannell presented a
list of projects for consideration. Once the
Council had specified projects to be funded,
the bid package would be designed and
advertised.
Miller motion, Pidcock second to bid for
permanent solutions to items 1,2,3 and 6,
engineering fees for items 4, easement
acquisition for item 5, temporary solution
to item 8 and to include $5,669 for pothole
repair. AYE: Pidcock, Dondrea, Donnelly,
Miller, Mize NAY: None. Motion Carried
Unanimously.
4. Consideration and action on an
ordinance amending Chapter 4
(“Business Regulations”) to add a
new Article 4.400 entitled
“Sexually Oriented Businesses”
providing for uniform regulations
for sexually oriented businesses
Pidcock motion, Donnelly second to
approve the ordinance as presented. AYE:
Dondrea, Donnelly, Miller, Mize, Pidcock
NAY: None. Motion Carried Unanimously.
5. Consideration and action on
Holding Regular Council Meetings
on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the
Month
Pidcock motion, Miller second to develop
an annual calendar for Council meetings
for the fiscal year and continue meeting
on Monday. AYE: Donnelly, Miller, Mize,
Pidcock, Dondrea NAY: None. Motion
Carried Unanimously.
6. Consideration and action on
authorizing an expenditure up to
$4,000 for lawn equipment for
Town Hall
Miller motion, Dondrea second to reject
the expenditure. AYE: Miller, Mize,
Pidcock, Dondrea, Donnelly
NAY: None. Motion Carried Unanimously.
7. Consideration and action on having
Citizens Comments appear only
one time on the Council agenda
Council Member Pidcock stated at
previous meetings, people had spoken
during the opening Citizens Comments,
again on various agenda items and then
at the closing Citizens Comments.
Pidcock motion, Mize second to allow
citizens to sign up to comment at the
beginning and end of the meetings for only
non-agenda items or on agenda items but
not both
Mr. Jerry Lamel, 210 Cedarcrest Lane,
asked for a point of clarification asking if
the Town of Flower Mound would have
been limited to 3 minutes.
Ms. Phyllis Meyerson, 133 East View
Court, stated the comments at the end of
the meeting were very helpful to people
who could not arrive prior to the start time
of 7:00 p.m.
Mr. Bill Wilkinson, 140 North Forest, stated
he was disappointed in the Council. If the
Council was trying to get people to be
involved, this was the wrong thing to do.
Ms. Laura Wilkinson, 140 North Forest,
spoke stating she also was disappointed.
She did sign up for Citizens Comments
for non-agenda items but during the
meetings if an item came up, she would
like to be able to give her input at the end
of the meeting.
The Council discussed having citizens
notify the Town Secretary via email,
telephone or fax of their intention to speak
if they were unable to arrive prior to the
meeting to sign up to comment. These
comments would then be heard at the
closing of the meeting.
Mr. Mize withdrew his second of the main
motion.
Pidcock amendment to motion, Mize
second to allow Citizens Comments only
at the beginning of the meetings for non-
agenda items if the citizens signed up or
to allow citizens to speak on agenda items
Pidcock amendment to motion, Mize
second that there would be two sign sheets
— one for agenda items and one for non-
agenda items.
Pidcock amendment to motion, Mize
second to limit Citizens Comments to 3
minutes before, during or after the Council
cont. on page 6
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Johnson, LaRue. The Cross Timbers Gazette (Flower Mound, Tex.), Vol. 30, No. 8, Ed. 1, August 2004, newspaper, August 2004; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth885302/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Flower Mound Public Library.