I have a SABS house (but not really) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is a total disaster - it has completely failed. The contractor Strata licensed bastardized the formula and I am left with a roof that is cracked throughout...the exterior walls have horizontal and vertical cracks over the entire building and the interior leaks, leaks, leaks and the walls are also cracked. The builder is a crook...has 23 judgements against him. I am trying to have his license pulled. The "quality control" person from Strata came ( at MY expense) to take core samples....then produced a report on the degree of failure (huge) and even though I have paid for a SABS house that I DON 'T have... ...they at Strata will only help me for even more money. Take a chance on SABS if you like, but please fully understand that Strata won,t help you if anything goes wrong. I had a reasonable expectation that I would have a SABS house...and I don't. I cannot get a cert.of occupancy...nor can I sell the house......

Beth,

Have you consulted an attorney that specializes in construction?
 
Does the SABS warranty not go into effect until the home is completed to their specs?

Hi All,

I designed the home for Beth in Santa Fe.  I will share with you my experience with the builder and Strata. 

1.  Strata and the builder would not provide me any specifications or details to include in the construction documents when I requested them.  I was told to submit the design drawings to Strata via the builder and they would provide all the necessary additional documents for permit and construction. I consulted with a local structural engineer who had reviewed all of the Strata materials and personally discussed the product with Strata.  Since he approved of the system, I moved forward with the design drawings.   However, because I had no knowledge of the system and was not provided the necessary materials, I had no choice but to include on my drawings the specification requiring a qualified SABS engineer and licensed New Mexico structural engineer to monitor and approve the design, specification, manufacturing, storing, installation and finishing of all structural materials for the project. 

2.  During construction when I notified Beth of design errors (windows incorrectly placed, walls incorrectly placed, non-load bearing beams incorrectly placed, roof drainage plan changes, ...) there were no funds to correct the issues as a large portion of her budget had been spent by the contractor on the many attempts to formulate the SABS coating and application process in an effective manner.  Surprising, since he had paid several thousand dollars to STRATA to be trained and certified.

3.  When Beth notified me of the many issues that prevented her from having a completed, sound, livable home I again became involved in an attempt to help her.  She had made several calls to Strata (Greg Martin and Nasar Saiebi) pleading for their assistance to no avail.  It was not until she paid for a plane ticket for Greg Martin, did Strata agree to visit the project.   Mr. Martin visited the project and took core samples for analysis.  During the visit, Beth showed Mr. Martin the play sand the contractor used. I was surprised when he said it was not necessary for him to have used the silica sand as specified in the ES Report ESR-1638.  Given this mode of operation, I suggested to Beth she not do anything until a recommendation with specifications from Strata was provided.

4.  While waiting for the Strata report, I asked Greg Martin for a copy of the SABS Construction Manual, Version 9.1, dated July 2007 and the SABS Quality Control Manual, Version QCM-1.002, dated February 2007.  Since these are the documents listed in the ESR report, I was going to review them to hopefully gain insight into what the contractor did and meet with subcontractors for their input on possible solutions.  Mr. Martin promised to e-mail them to me.  I am still waiting and it has now been several weeks.

5.  Beth recently received the Strata report.  The first comment in the cover letter states that Strata prepared the plans for the project but was unaware that the project was undertaken until differences arose between Beth and the contractor.  I find this surprising since they had her home listed on their website until just recently. I also was told they had a representative attend the meeting with the financial institution  when Beth was securing funds for construction.

I hope sharing my experience with you all is helpful.

  

Hi.....Oh yes, I have been to a "regular" construction attorney who eventually suggested that I needed bigger "guns" so I went to a litigation/construction lawyer. I began this legal inquiry after a year and 4 months of construction! I think I was quite patient......More months were gobbled up as we corresponded with the contractor's lawyer and with the Strata Group and their lawyer. then more time went into the core sample analysis and the generation of the report on the condition of my house. Strata will fix the house...all I have to do is pay even more. Also there is additional complication with the local contractor I used..it is too much to go into here. I just want to alert people that all might not be hunky-dory with SABS and Strata......

Is the main issue that there that the proprietary GFR cement mix cracked? Your contractor didnt follow specs? Trying to figure out if there was a problem with the sABS system itself or a poor contractor issue? I think Greg martin posted on the forum a couple of times. Would be good for him to weigh in. THis is the the concern of a new system that has promise, unfamiliar contractors and low real world application experience. I guess that's why many newer systems start building in lesser developed countries to get experience and track record.

Good luck getting your issues resolved, I'm sure your dream home turning into a nightmare is very frustrating.

Beth,

Has StrataUS given you any suggestions as how to correct for the cracks?  Do they suggest that another coat of GFRC can be added on top of the existing coat or do they want the original coat removed?

Hi....There is an extensive report...from Greg Martin and Nasser S. Basically everything has to come off the roof and the exterior walls. I am new to this computer stuff but I am confused as to why I am receiving questions from folks about the situation which I have already outlined at this site. also now I see that my architect has posted even more info. Anyway it is a terrible mess...with lots of blame to go around. I just want people to know some of the risks in choosing this building system.

Beth,

I think we are all concerned that something like this has happened.  We all want this problem resolved quickly.  Please share with us as much as you can without harming your interests.

Feel free to use my e-mail address listed below if you want to talk more privately.

I am a General Contractor and Construction Consultant in Mexico, working on a large project. This thread is very timely, in that we are now looking for a structural system that is fully insulated and very light-weight. GFRC applied to EPS seems like a great solution from all I am reading. My research has of course led me to the Stratus website, and  this thread is a concern.  I would very much appreciate direct contact with the parties involved so that I may understand the issues, causes, and proposed solutions. Cindy & Beth, if you are willing, please contact me directly at:  [email protected]

Thanks!
Bill Doyle

Hi Bill,

I am unavailable for a few more days but will e-mail you soon.  Sorry for the delay.

Cindy

Hi Bill...sorry for the delayed response but so much of my time goes to fighting this SABS mess. I will contact you directly if you still want me to. But I still want people to know the possible pit-falls of working with StrataUS. Attached to the report on the disaster that is my house...was a cover letter from Mr. Siebi. His opening line was an untruth. He alleged that Strata did not know my house had been started. I paid them $9,000 for the Design Analysis, their licensed contractor purchased product from Strata (enough for a house my size...), a representative from Strata attended a meeting with my credit union that funded the project and my house was on the Strata website. Hmmm....seems odd that they now say they did not know. I would advise against working with a company that cannot even tell the truth. If you need Strata they will not support you. While all the details about SABS sound fabulous....be assured if things go wrong...they go VERY wrong. I have talked to Cindy Urban, my architect, and I know she is planning her own response to you. Hope this helps....there's more if you need it..the best, Beth

Bill,

Tried to e-mail you but it was sent back undeliverable. 

Cindy

Aloha Beth,

I am a SABS builder here in Hawaii. Please check us out at our web site at greenbuildershawaii.net . None of the houses that I have built here have any of the problems that you seem to be having. It seems to me that your contractor didn't  follow the quality control set forth be Strata to build a structure. Unfortunately a lot of contractors do not have enough integrity to build a dog house let alone a residential home. Had your contractor followed Strata's quality control manual instructions, I think you would have had a very different outcome. It is my understanding that your contractor did not purchase the proper ingredients that they recommneded to be used as well as making certain that the foam walls and roofs were celan form dirt and oxidation.  

All of the SABS structures that I have built including the one that my wife and I live in are everything that SABS is supposed to be. None of the homes we built using SABS had any cracks or leaks and we save considerable electricity costs. The last structure we built in Honolulu ( a 2,000 sf addition with a 3 ft overhang on the roof )  took only 11 days to complete the shell (with only 3 men) and 6 days to coat the gfrc (with 8 men). There was not a single crack or leak in the whole sructure. This was accomplished under the new procedure of gluing the whole structure first and then coating it with gfrc. The other house shown in our website took 7 months to finish because we had to pre-coat the gfrc on the rool panels first before installing the roof. In Hilo, due to high humidity, the gfrc took a long time to dry before we could turn it over and spray the other side and then took more time coating the joints together.  Thank goodness, Nasser changed this procedure.

If any problems come up with using SABS, it will be the fault of the contractor for either not following the procedures set forth by Strata regarding installlation and/or products to be used or both. By way of example, if you build a wall using CPU ( masonary blocks) and the wall collapses, perhaps due to inferior grout or wrong alignment in the construction  by a poor contractor, you can not tell the world that CPU products are not good for building walls. You unfortunately used a contractor that apparently failed to follow the the quality controls when building a house using SABS. 

SABS is the newest 21st century building system and in a few years, this system will be the choice of construction due to its hurricane, fire and earthquake resistance and ease of contruction.


Aloha and good luck in going after the contractor.


Michael Bedsaul
VP of Operations
Green Builders Hawaii
greenbuildershawaii.net

I want to be sure that visitors to this site see my reply to you. I guess you are a major stockholder or are the public relations arm of StrataUS.....since your posting showed you were drinking the SABS kool-aid. I don 't care how wonderful you think the system is....it in no way negates the horrible mess my house is in. Just how do you know the Strata licensed contractor used inferior/unacceptable materials?? He did indeed bastardize the formula, rendering the house a total failure.My going after the contractor would yield nothing, as he already has 23 judgements against him. However, Strata did not fulfill any of its responsibilities as outlined in its own Quality Control Manual. I do not need to be told what I can and cannot do- as you indicated - so, yes I can tell the world about this company that refuses to stand by my failed house. Nobody should ever have to go through an experience like this and thus it is my obligation to alert others . And I am not finished. Also, be sure to take a look at a recent opinion put forth by the Texas Supreme Court ( no, I am not going to help you find it! ) and you may sing a different tune. Here I will say hello to the folks at Strata as I am sure they watch this GreenBuilding site. BETH

Hello Everyone,

This is Gerret Martin, a technology specialist, with Strata Int. Group Inc. I have been involved with this product for over 6 years. I have personally been a part of the successful completion of over 40 SABS^TM projects around the world with some of the largest builders in the country and worked on SABS^TM projects designed by Pritzker Prize winning architects. The validity of this product when installed in accordance with ESR-1638 is proven not only from our extensive testing background and code approvals but our extensive track record.  If anyone would like a detailed report on the events of this New Mexico situation please contact me at [email protected] and I would be happy to provide them.

Sincerely,
Gerret Martin

due to high humidity, the gfrc took a long time to dry before we could turn it over and spray the other side

I can't help but wonder about a comment that indicates that concrete "dries" and that humidity and not drying quickly would be anything other than beneficial. I'd be running sprinklers to make sure it doesn't dry.

On the other hand, I wouldn't judge a system by a bad builder - the wrong builder and lack of oversight can screw up any building system. Not even training or licenses can completely prevent that.

Jonr..............Is your comment re: gfrc actually in reference to SABS? If you had a house that was cracked, leaky and falling apart you might not be so quick to dismiss the elements, and the people, involved.

so quick to dismiss the elements, and the people

I'd say that someone picked a poor contractor without adequately checking background (or using a performance bond). I sincerely hope that you are successful in getting licenses and certifications revoked.

Well i think you should stop wasting your time here and consult a professional to get more and deep insight of your problem....

Has anyone heard the outcome of the building of this SABS home?  Knowing the results could be helpful to a lot of people.