“A home is only as good as the foundation”, we have
all heard this. 
We use only fully engineered rebar foundations as the base of our homes. Our area of the Coastal Bend has a lot of clay soil, which expands and contracts according to the moisture content. Wet clay soil swells, dry clay soil shrinks dramatically. This soil movement is very hard on a foundations and tends to cause cracks and separation. Rebar is the engineer’s choice on the sandy areas of the coast, also. Most builders use a post tension cable foundation. This puts the slab under stress from the beginning. Post tension cable foundations are significantly less in cost to construct. This is one reason it is so popular with other builders. Phoenix Homes believes “A home is only as good as the foundation.”
Framing
is another area where we “put more meat on the bones”. All builders have to conform to the building
codes and frame the walls on 16” centers.
But that is where most builders stop.
The ceiling joists and roof rafters are changed to 24” centers, or the
minimum to stay in compliance with the building code. Phoenix Homes continues with 16” centers on the ceiling joists
and rafters. This is the frame needed
for the weight of a tile roof, for example.
The benefit for the homeowner is a stronger structure.