# How should repairs to a post-tensioned foundation slab be planned? > Plan post-tensioned slab repairs around tendon locations, structural design, controlled access, ground conditions and inspections. Plan your next step. URL: https://valleyfoundationrepairnorthlasvegas.com/guide/post-tensioned-slab-repair/ Identify the slab system before choosing openings, support work or a lifting objective. Repairs involving a post-tensioned slab need to start with the slab’s structural role, tendon layout and the cause of movement. Cutting, drilling, excavation or lifting can affect an engineered system. Establish the design and access requirements before choosing a repair method or treating a visible crack as an isolated surface defect. [Valley Foundation Repair](https://valleyfoundationrepairnorthlasvegas.com/) offers and manages residential and commercial foundation repair in North Las Vegas, fulfilled by licensed and insured contractors. Where post-tensioning may be involved, the assessment defines the need for records and independent professional input. The repair scope must address the actual slab rather than assuming that every concrete floor is constructed alike. ## What is different about a post-tensioned slab? Post-tensioned concrete uses tensioned steel tendons to introduce compression into the concrete. The tendons, anchorages and concrete work together as an engineered system. That construction can influence how the slab responds to loads and ground movement, but it does not make the building immune to every support or soil problem. The slab may have details that are concealed by finishes or buried services. A building’s age or exterior appearance cannot establish the exact tendon arrangement. Even where a construction marking identifies post-tensioning, it does not supply a complete map of safe access locations. The first task is therefore identification. Relevant foundation drawings, structural plans and records of earlier alterations can help define the system. They should be checked against the actual construction and the area being disturbed. A drawing for another phase or an assumed standard layout may not answer the repair’s specific access question. ## Why must openings be planned before the repair is priced? A proposed repair might require access through a floor, an excavation at the perimeter or work near a buried utility. Those openings can interact with tendons, reinforcing and the concrete carrying loads. Choosing an opening solely because it is convenient can create a structural conflict that changes the repair sequence and restoration. The responsible professional should establish what information and investigation are required before the opening is authorized. Appropriate location work may be part of that preparation. Do not cut, drill or expose a suspected tendon as a do-it-yourself investigation. Identifying the system after damage has occurred is not an acceptable planning method. The proposal also needs to describe the finish surfaces affected. Tile, flooring, cabinetry or paving may limit access or require removal. State who provides that access and who restores each surface. Those details affect the practical scope even when the engineered support method remains the same. ## Does a slab crack mean the tensioning system has failed? No single visible crack establishes that conclusion. Its location, pattern, change over time and relation to the structural system need interpretation. A crack may be associated with movement or another condition, and the state of concealed tendons cannot be confirmed from a surface photograph. Start by documenting what can be observed without disturbing the building. Existing records may show earlier repairs or known openings that are relevant to the evaluation. If the concern involves the structural behavior of the slab or possible tendon damage, clarify the need for a qualified structural evaluation before selecting material treatment. A crack injection or surface repair does not automatically restore a damaged tendon or stabilize the supporting ground. The [structural crack comparison](https://valleyfoundationrepairnorthlasvegas.com/guide/structural-vs-nonstructural-cracks/) explains why a material repair must be matched to its purpose. The proposal should identify the defect it addresses and the issues remaining outside the work. Define the next step for your property. Share the property location, what you have noticed and any existing reports. Start with the concern so the assessment can be defined. [(725) 999-4951](tel:+17259994951) ## How do settlement, heave and voids change the plan? Settlement is downward movement, while heave is upward movement. A relative floor difference can involve either, or can reflect an older construction condition. A single elevation survey helps describe the shape but does not establish every cause or prove that movement continues. Ground conditions can control the repair even when the slab itself is clearly identified. Loss of support, wetting of susceptible ground or chemical volume changes require different reasoning. A regional soil map cannot identify the specific layer or mechanism beneath the property. The investigation should address the uncertainties affecting the proposed repair. Ask how the slab relates to perimeter support and adjoining construction. A proposed lift should consider how those elements and connected utilities respond. [Underpinning and slab leveling](https://valleyfoundationrepairnorthlasvegas.com/guide/underpinning-vs-slab-leveling/) are different objectives; neither should be selected without explaining what will be supported, moved or left unchanged. ## What does the local special-inspection policy mean? Clark County’s post-tensioned slab-on-grade policy sets conditional triggers for concrete special inspection and identifies a design-professional documentation responsibility. It also distinguishes cases where those conditions do not require the related inspection agreement. It should not be summarized as a rule that every post-tensioned slab receives exactly the same inspection package. The [official county post-tensioned slab policy](https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/adobe/assets/urn:aaid:aem:4c0b0296-48e1-49c0-a73f-1decb6da5cd1/original/as/BD-PP-218-Post-Tensioned-Slab-on-Grade-07-2026-Final.pdf) is a jurisdiction-specific reference. A property in North Las Vegas follows its applicable city process, rather than automatically inheriting the county procedure. Confirm the parcel, repair plans and required inspections with the responsible designer and authority. That confirmation belongs before the construction agreement is treated as complete. Identify who prepares the required plans, who arranges any special inspection and what records demonstrate completion. These are separate responsibilities from simply providing a contractor license number. ## What should a written post-tensioned slab repair scope contain? The scope should identify the existing system as established, the affected area and the supported explanation of the problem. It should describe any required investigation, designed openings and proposed support or material repair. Where lifting is included, state the objective, observation requirements and limits. Include utility precautions, access responsibilities and the sequence that maintains support during the work. Concealed conditions may change the required design. The agreement should explain how those findings are evaluated and how a changed scope is authorized, rather than assuming every opening reveals the expected condition. Completion requirements should include the design-specified records and required inspection documentation. Finish restoration needs its own clear limits. Keeping those elements together helps a future owner or professional understand the repaired area without relying on a general invoice label. ## How should you start the budget conversation? The published structural slab-foundation planning band is **$5,200–$18,500 per project**. It is not a special fixed rate for every post-tensioned slab. The necessary investigation, engineered access, support work and restoration determine the project being priced. No automatic percentage surcharge is assigned for post-tensioning. Use the [slab-foundation cost guide](https://valleyfoundationrepairnorthlasvegas.com/guide/slab-foundation-repair-cost/) to organize the questions, then request an estimate with the property address, visible concern and available plans. Establishing the system and the cause gives the repair team a useful starting point without asking you to diagnose concealed construction yourself. ## Questions about this work. ### Can I identify every slab tendon from an exterior foundation marking? No. A marking or visible anchorage may indicate a post-tensioned system, but it does not locate every tendon or establish a safe opening. Relevant plans and appropriate investigation are needed before cutting or drilling is planned. ### Does Clark County require the same special inspection for every post-tensioned slab? No. The county policy contains conditions that determine when concrete special inspection and the related agreement apply. Confirm the project jurisdiction, approved plans and applicable conditions with the responsible design professional and building authority. ### Does a post-tensioned slab make a floor-leveling proposal automatically structural? No. The system affects how work is planned, but the proposal still has to identify the affected element, movement cause and intended treatment. A change in floor elevation is not by itself proof that the structural foundation has been stabilized. ## The repair behind the explanation. [How much does slab foundation repair cost in North Las Vegas?](https://valleyfoundationrepairnorthlasvegas.com/guide/slab-foundation-repair-cost/)[How do I evaluate foundation problems before buying or selling a home?](https://valleyfoundationrepairnorthlasvegas.com/guide/buying-selling-foundation-problems/)[How do caliche and collapsible soils affect foundation repair?](https://valleyfoundationrepairnorthlasvegas.com/guide/caliche-and-collapsible-soils/)[How do chemical heave and sulfate exposure affect foundation repairs?](https://valleyfoundationrepairnorthlasvegas.com/guide/chemical-heave-and-sulfate-foundation-damage/)[How do you plan foundation repair in an occupied commercial building?](https://valleyfoundationrepairnorthlasvegas.com/guide/commercial-repair-planning/) Slab foundation repair Understand the assessment, the method choices and what belongs in the written repair scope.