Meritage Homes Signs Agreement With Tella Firma Foundations For Patented Slab Foundation Technology

Tella Firma’s slab lifting mechanisms and helical piers to be utilized throughout two new subdivisions under development in Irving, Texas

(DALLAS—March 21, 2017) Meritage Homes (www.meritagehomes.com), the nation’s eighth-largest homebuilder, and Tella Firma Foundations (www.tellafirma.com), a Dallas-based technology construction firm, announced today that Meritage has signed an agreement to incorporate Tella Firma’s innovative elevated slab foundation in 100% of all new Meritage homes that will be built in the Villas at Las Colinas and Enclave at Northgate communities in Irving, Texas.

As part of this agreement, Meritage Homes will utilize Tella Firma’s complete slab foundation system, which includes an integrated slab lifting mechanism and modern steel helical piers to elevate the foundation off the ground and provide a protective void from active clay soils. Recognized for its distinctive style, quality construction and energy-efficient homes, Meritage Homes selected Tella Firma’s patented system to provide an affordable and innovative solution with the highest level of performance for the foundations they are building in Irving.

“We are known for setting the standard in energy efficiency and in many other aspects of design and construction that make a difference in the lives of our homeowners,” said Stephanie MacLean, division president of Meritage Homes. “Tella Firma gives the home a commercial quality foundation and also includes a 10-year warranty that gives us and our homebuyers peace of mind.”

In many areas of Texas, active soils can cause foundation problems due to movement and settlement. By using a field-tested, patented process of elevating a slab-on-grade foundation using piers, Tella Firma creates a protective void between the ground and the foundation itself. This application isolates the slab from active soils and guards it from unexpected movement.

“Meritage Homes embraces the vision of applying advanced technology to alleviate some of the problems that have plagued the home building industry in Texas,” said Jim Fontaine, CEO of Tella Firma Foundations. “Tella Firma provides a complete system that includes a slab lifting mechanism and modern steel helical piers. The helical piers replace traditional concrete piers but can be installed in a fraction of the time. We’re excited to partner with a recognized industry leader on this project.”

The Tella Firma foundation system is based on commercial engineering principles in practice for over 50 years. Tella Firma foundations utilize a green installation process to avoid the need for any type of chemical or water injection into the soil under the foundation. In addition, the air pocket created under the slab provides an insulation layer between the floor of the home and the ground.

About Meritage
Meritage Homes is the eighth-largest public homebuilder in the United States, based on homes closed in 2016. Meritage Homes builds and sells single-family homes for first-time, move-up, luxury and active adult buyers across the Western, Southern and Southeastern United States. Meritage Homes builds in markets including Sacramento, San Francisco Bay area, southern coastal and Inland Empire markets in California; Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin and San Antonio, Texas; Phoenix/Scottsdale, Green Valley and Tucson, Arizona; Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado; Orlando, Tampa and south Florida; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; Greenville-Spartanburg and York County, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; and Atlanta, Georgia.

Meritage Homes has designed and built over 100,000 homes in its 31-year history, and has a reputation for its distinctive style, quality construction, and positive customer experience. Meritage Homes is the industry leader in energy-efficient homebuilding and has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence Award every year since 2013 for innovation and industry leadership in energy efficient homebuilding.

For more information, visit www.meritagehomes.com. 

About Tella Firma Foundations
Dallas-based Tella Firma is a construction technology firm that is revolutionizing the way home foundations are built. Tella Firma gets its name from the Latin words meaning “strong home.” Foundations with the company’s product have been installed in residential and light commercial projects in Texas and Colorado, and the company continues to expand into new markets throughout the region. For additional information, visit tellafirma.com.