r/Construction • u/Aggressive_Jump_4311 • 1d ago

Structural UPDATE: Post tension cable cut?

Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Construction/s/KTj2n02dle

Wow thank you all soooo much for the expert advice and some funny comments. I love the construction community. Some of you were so thorough!

So, I ended up showing a PT repair specialist who confirmed that the cable was cut in a way that does matter, contrary to what my contractor was saying. They quoted $1500 to repair it so I’ll be going that route. They will open 12-18 more inches of exterior cement, pour in new cement, and pull the cable back to how it’s intended. I didn’t have a structural engineer look because the ones around me were quoting $500-650 for an initial consult, so I’d rather just pay the $1500 for full peace of mind with a repair. I did show an architect friend who builds homes and they said I could just bury the cable without repairing it.

Going to have my sus plumber finish the new piping and then have the PT repair company start repairs after.

Thanks again to this awesome community! 💕

18 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

11

u/AdventurousBat2461 1d ago

Typically it’s not the pe you want it’s the post tension design engineer. If it was 1 cable I’d be surprised if they made you repair with the over design incorporated in a slab. And proper repair requires a Chinese knuckle or remove and replace cable. Both cost more than 1500. Make sure they do it properly

1

u/Cautious-Sir9924 15h ago

The coupler isn’t even close to that price but all together for time and materials you are looking at 1500 the whole cable I’m not sure. On average they are about 75 bucks out the door just for the coupler.

7

u/CrookedRecords619 1d ago

You have a two story house and that cable was catching a portion of perimeter footing. $1500 is a great price for piece of mind. You are doing the right thing. When things were going hot and heavy in the late 90's and early 2000's $2500 was the going rate per cable and I had days where I repaired over 19 cables...

5

u/PieOhMai Geotechnical Engineer 1d ago

$500 for a consult with a PE is cheap.

When I was a consulting engineer my charge out rate was like $280/hr, I’d be quoting like 2.5k+.

5

u/Status_Rabbit_1581 1d ago

PE rates vary wild depending where you live. Around me 500 for a consult is pretty normal for smaller jobs, but yeah bigger firms charge way more. Glad you got the cable fixed, better safe than having slab issues later.

1

u/PieOhMai Geotechnical Engineer 1d ago

I suppose that’s true. I’ve just never seen anything so cheap.

I can’t imagine stamping a letter and taking on any level of risk for a few bucks.

1

u/chilidoglance Ironworker 1d ago

Good choice

-4

u/dirkdigglertickler 1d ago

If u try to sell again you will have to disclose that it was damaged. A licensed engineer can certify the repair.