Post-Tension Slab Repair in
Mesa, Arizona
A cracked post-tension slab or a blown cable is a specialized repair — and a dangerous DIY. We locate the tendons with GPR, repair the slab the right way, and put the scope in writing before anyone cuts.
Many Mesa tract homes built from the 1980s onward sit on a post-tension slab — a concrete foundation reinforced by steel cables that were tensioned after the pour and are still under enormous force. That design makes for a strong, crack-resistant slab, but when a cable corrodes, breaks, or a slab cracks, the repair is nothing like patching ordinary concrete. Those tendons are live, and cutting blind into one is genuinely hazardous. This is a job for a crew that maps first and repairs to the system’s engineering — which is exactly how we approach it.
What Post-Tension Slab Repair Actually Fixes
Post-tension slab repair restores a foundation that relies on tensioned steel cables. We locate and evaluate the tendons, repair or re-anchor broken and corroded cables where feasible, seal and reinforce slab cracks, and stabilize the slab so it carries load the way it was engineered to. The work respects the tension in the system — every cut and every repair is planned around where the live cables run, not guessed at.
Why it's not ordinary slab work
A post-tension tendon holds thousands of pounds of force. A cable that has corroded at the anchor or blown out has released some of that tension, which is why cracks or a raised spot in the slab show up. Repairing it means knowing precisely where the tendons are, working safely around that stored energy, and restoring the load path — not just filling the crack on the surface and hoping.
The Post-Tension Problems We See Across Mesa
On Mesa’s post-tension homes, the trouble usually shows up as one of these:
- Cracked slabs — cracks in the floor or slab edge where tension has been lost.
- Blown or broken tendons — a cable that has failed, sometimes with a bulge or blowout at the slab edge.
- Corroded cables & anchors — moisture reaching the steel and weakening the tendon or its anchor.
- Popping or raised spots — localized slab movement where a tendon let go.
- Cracks the builder can’t explain — damage a homeowner is unsure is cosmetic or structural.
Why Post-Tension Slabs Fail in Arizona
Two forces are usually at work. First, the soil: Mesa’s expansive clay and caliche swell and shrink with irrigation and monsoon cycles, moving the slab and stressing the tendons and anchors. Second, moisture and steel: water that reaches a cable or its edge anchor corrodes the steel, and a corroded tendon can lose tension or fail outright. Because these slabs were poured across Mesa’s big tract-home boom from the 1980s through the 2000s, plenty have now had decades of soil movement and moisture working on the cables inside them.
How We Repair a Post-Tension Slab
We map before we cut — the whole repair is built around knowing exactly where the live cables run.
Locate with GPR
We scan the slab with ground-penetrating radar to map every tendon and anchor before any work begins.
Assess the Tendons
We evaluate which cables are broken, corroded or intact, and confirm the source of the cracking or movement.
Repair & Reinforce
Broken cables are repaired or re-anchored where feasible, and slab cracks are sealed and reinforced to spec.
Stabilize & Verify
We stabilize the slab, confirm the repair restores the load path, and document what was done.
Tendon Repair vs. Slab Replacement
A failed cable sounds like it means replacing the whole foundation. It very rarely does.
We only point toward replacement when a slab is genuinely beyond repair — and after GPR mapping and assessment, we’ll show you exactly why.
Post-Tension Slab Repair Cost in Mesa
Cost depends on how many tendons are affected, the extent of cracking, and the GPR mapping required. An honest range:
A single cable repair with crack sealing sits at the low end; multiple failed tendons with extensive slab cracking runs higher. Most repairs land in the middle after mapping.
We never quote sight-unseen — you get a written estimate after we scan and assess the actual slab.
Not Sure How Bad It Is?
Get a straight answer. We inspect, diagnose, and send a written estimate — no pressure, no scare tactics.
Why This Is Never a DIY Repair
Post-tension cables store thousands of pounds of force, and cutting or drilling into a live tendon can release it violently — it is a real injury hazard, not a caution. Beyond the danger, sealing a post-tension crack on the surface does nothing about the lost tension underneath, so it comes right back. Safe, lasting repair requires GPR mapping to find every cable and the training to work around the tension in the system. This is squarely professional, specialized work.
Protecting a Post-Tension Slab Going Forward
Keep moisture stable and off the slab edge: grade soil away from the foundation, extend downspouts, keep irrigation and drip lines back, and fix plumbing leaks quickly. Steadier soil moisture means less swell-and-shrink stressing the tendons, and drier slab edges mean slower corrosion at the cables and anchors.
Why Mesa Homeowners Call Us First
Post-tension slab repair is precise, high-stakes work — and it’s exactly what our Mesa foundation crew does week in and week out. You get an honest diagnosis, a right-sized repair matched to what your home actually needs, and a written estimate before anyone digs — no scare tactics, and no pressure to buy the biggest system on the truck.
Recent Post-Tension Repairs Around Mesa
Post-Tension Slab Repair FAQ
We scan the slab with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to map every tendon and anchor before any cutting or drilling. Nothing is cut blind — the entire repair is planned around where the live cables actually run.
In most cases, yes. A broken or corroded tendon can often be repaired or re-anchored, and the slab cracks sealed and reinforced. Full slab replacement is rare and only recommended when the foundation is genuinely beyond repair.
Many Mesa tract homes built from the 1980s onward are. Signs include a stamp or note in your build documents, cable-end anchors visible at the slab edge, or a home inspector’s note. We can confirm it with a GPR scan.
Most repairs fall between about $1,500 and $8,000 depending on how many tendons are affected and the extent of cracking. You get a written estimate after we scan and assess the slab.
For a homeowner, yes — the cables are under enormous tension, and cutting into a live tendon can release it dangerously. That’s exactly why we map with GPR and use trained crews rather than treating it like ordinary slab work.
We provide an honest inspection and a written estimate — not a ‘free inspection’ that becomes a sales pitch. You get a clear, mapped read on what your slab actually needs.
Other Foundation Repairs We Handle
Epoxy injection, stitching and carbon fiber for stair-step, slab and stem-wall cracks.
Sunken driveways, patios and walkways lifted with foam or mudjacking.
A written diagnosis of what’s moving and why, before you spend a dollar.
Post-Tension Repair Across Mesa
Post-Tension Repair In Your Mesa Neighborhood
Get Your Post-Tension Slab Assessed
A written, no-pressure estimate from a Mesa foundation crew that does this work every week — and tells you honestly when a smaller fix will do.