In Texas, everything starts at the foundation, but the ground itself is often the enemy. The Blackland Prairie—stretching from north of Oklahoma through Dallas-Fort Worth and down to Houston—is packed with high-plasticity CH clays. These “bad soils” are notorious for shifting, swelling, and cracking. When the soil moves, the house moves. Traditional methods like post-tension cables and concrete piers attempt to reinforce the structure, but they don’t address the root cause: the volatile soil chemistry.
StabilTech provides the “cheapest insurance policy” for your most prized possession by treating the ground before the concrete is even poured. Using STX90, a proprietary, food-grade ionic solution, we modify the soil at the molecular level to permanently stop the swell-shrink cycle. This deep pressure injection reaches up to 15 feet, providing unmeasurable stability that traditional engineering alone cannot match. It’s not just about building a house; it’s about ensuring your family’s “safe nest” stays level for a lifetime.
Texas Soil: The Blackland Prairie Problem
The Blackland Prairie contains some of the most expansive clays in the world. This soil type reacts violently to moisture changes, leading to the “shifting and swelling” that destroys foundations.
“In Texas, there’s some bad soil, and that causes so much shifting and swelling and contrast.”
The Limits of Post-Tension Foundations
Post-tensioning uses steel cables tightened after the concrete is poured to “hold the foundation in.” While effective for structural integrity, it does nothing to prevent the soil underneath from moving.
“That does help the foundation from moving some… but the one thing they have not done is look at the benefits of the soil stabilization.”
Pier and Beam vs. Soil Injection
Engineers often recommend drilling piers deep into the ground. While smart, these piers often sit on top of shifting layers without addressing the “voids” or “heave” caused by wet clay.
“You’ll pour your beams that just sit on top of the piers… those piers will actually help from the shifting, but they haven’t looked at the benefits of soil stabilization.”
STX90: Molecular Change, Not a Band-Aid
Chemical injection is a proactive “insurance policy.” By injecting STX90 before foundation work begins, we create a stable “data bed” that prevents future $60,000 repair bills.
“We are giving you the cheapest insurance policy that you can get for the most prized possession that you’ll ever buy.”
Protecting the Foundation Center
Most repairs only address the perimeter of a home. Soil stabilization happens before the pour, protecting the foundation from the center out—where traditional repairs can’t reach without a jackhammer.
“We’re protecting it from the center out… you’re not getting to the center of that unless you jackhammer that concrete foundation.”
Leadership: Guiding vs. Micromanaging
In construction and business, a strong foundation isn’t just physical. Effective leadership requires guiding people and allowing them to take ownership of their “personal pride” in a project.
“What I have found to work the best is guiding… don’t make them follow you. Help guide them down the correct path.”
The Value of the “Grind”
The construction industry is built on dedication. Success isn’t a bank account number; it’s the refusal to quit when a “mountain” looks like an obstacle.
“You climbed it because you didn’t quit. And now it’s an anthill. That’s all it is.”
Transparency in Soil Testing
We don’t inject for the sake of a fee. If the soil test shows stabilization isn’t required, we tell the homeowner. Peace of mind comes from data, not sales pitches.
“If it doesn’t recommend an injection, then we will not inject your soil, sir, and we will give you that peace of mind.”
The Safe Nest
A home is more than a structure; it’s a safe nest for families. Ensuring that nest is built on a permanent foundation starts with the dirt itself.
“It’s your house, it’s your home, and you want to make sure your home is safe. It’s your safe nest for your kids, for your family.”
Read Full Transcript
0:25 Introduction to Texas Build Lab
Tim Miller: Okay, so here we are. This is the very first podcast episode for Texas Build Lab. I’m here with David Abbott. Why don’t you tell me about yourself a little bit and your history and how you got to the construction industry, so to speak, right?
David Abbott: That is correct. So going back to about 12 years old, I got into the construction industry doing house foundations with my stepdad during the summer and then just continuing through the construction industry throughout my life. When I moved to Texas 23 years ago, I got into the heavy highway construction, and that opened my eyes to a whole different line of construction that you would not even believe existed. I spent about 22 years doing that, and we learned everything from how to put conduit in the ground to working in bridges as they’re being poured to run the electrical conduit to make the lights work in the bridges, which is really a unique task.
1:39 Transitioning Back to Housing
David Abbott: That was a lot of fun that I’ve had in that industry. My time ended as the company sold and went in different directions, and I found myself back into the housing market, something that I really enjoy doing. When you build a house for somebody, it’s very easy to say, “I’m a house builder”. But do you really get to sit there and say that you build somebody’s home where they walk in and they’re happy to say, “Wow, this is my home”? That is what I like. It’s your family’s safe nest. The smile on people’s faces, the text messages, the videos, the phone calls, and the emails letting you know how great of a job you did is something that is awesome. That is a feeling that you cannot replace with anything else.
2:43 Soil Issues in Texas
Tim Miller: Very cool. What was the next phase?
David Abbott: Once we started doing the homes, I had realized that in Texas and across a lot of the southern southeastern United States, there’s some bad soil that we’ve run into.
Tim Miller: To piggyback off of that, there is this whole area called the Texas Black Prairie land. It starts up just above Oklahoma and goes down through Dallas-Fort Worth and on into Houston. That’s the worst clays that there are.
David Abbott: Yes. And that causes so much shifting and swelling and contrasting of the soils. As we started to build some of these homes, we realized there’s a lot of issues that you have with the foundations, and you’ll hear a lot of builders say, “Oh, well, we’re just going to do a post-tensioned foundation”.
3:45 Understanding Post-Tension Foundations
Tim Miller: Can you explain what is a post tension?
David Abbott: A post tension foundation is a foundation that you use steel cables in—that is the best way to explain it. You place them in the foundation, and then after it’s poured, you have the manufacturer come back out with a special tool that measures the strength and pulls and tightens those cables. That makes those cables tensioned. It helps hold that foundation in. Engineers have also come up with pier and beam systems where you drill piers underneath the foundation and pour beams that sit on top of the piers.
Tim Miller: So when you say a beam, are you talking about like a square concrete area?
David Abbott: Yes, sir. Those could be anywhere from a 12 by 12, a 12 by 24, or 24 by 24 inch concrete beam. Those just get placed and poured in place on top of those piers. They don’t get tied to the piers. The one thing they have not done on the constant level yet is look at the benefits of soil stabilization.
5:34 Stable Tech and Soil Stabilization
David Abbott: When you actually inject the chemical that we have, which is the SKS 90—it is specially formatted and is food degradable.
Tim Miller: So to preface all this, the company that you’re working with now is Stable Tech Soil Stabilization?
David Abbott: That is correct.
Tim Miller: And their proprietary solution is called SKS 90?
David Abbott: That is correct. We actually inject that into the soil before you do any foundation work. It is the cheapest insurance policy that you can get for the most prized possession that you’ll ever buy. It’s your house, it’s your home, and you want to make sure your home is safe. If you inject the soil and still go and do what the engineers show you to do, you have added stability that is unmeasurable for your home’s foundation. That is why I teamed up with a few partners and we have created Stable Tech, and now I know that your foundation is started strong.
7:12 The Cost of Foundation Failure
Tim Miller: We’ve had foundation problems in our house and multiple engineers come out, and they’ve made multiple suggestions. One quote we had for lifting our entire house was about $60,000.
David Abbott: When you mentioned $60,000 for a foundation repair, you’re talking a sixth of that, maybe a tenth of that, depending on the size of the house. And you did that before you poured your foundation. We’re protecting it from the center out. Unless you’re going to jackhammer that concrete foundation or drill through it, you’re not getting to the center of that. Soil stabilization before you build is just the cheapest insurance policy. If you think about a one-time minimal payment to protect your home and the foundation, you’re safe, you’re done, and you don’t have to worry about that foundation.
10:06 Leadership and Business Foundations
Tim Miller: Let’s make a transition now. In the same vein as foundations, something that is super foundational in building any business or just life in general is leadership. We had talked about the difference between effective leadership and ineffective leadership.
David Abbott: Leadership is very interesting. What I have found to work the best is guiding people—don’t make them follow you. Help guide them down the correct path. A good leader is someone that will explain the task and give you advice. You need to give that person trust. I was on the job site a couple weeks ago and a gentleman said, “Let me just get in there and I’ll do it myself”. I pulled him aside later and told him you never correct somebody in front of people. You lost all your leadership points. Let them make the mistake and then help them understand why they made the mistake.
12:56 Empowering Teams for Success
David Abbott: When you allow other people to lead and be their boss, they will be more successful. They buy in because now they have their own personal pride involved. Great leaders will have that person say, “Hey boss man, I did it my way. I failed, but I think if we would have done your way, it would have succeeded”. You did not ruin that ego or that pride; you kept the morale up. And you have to admit when you’re wrong as a leader.
15:49 Defining Success
Tim Miller: I’m reminded of a story from Zig Ziglar about an accountant who made a huge mistake and tried to resign, and his boss said, “No, that was a $12 million lesson for me that I learned”.
David Abbott: That’s the difference between a good and a great leader. A lot of people ask me what is success. I don’t know if there’s a true measure to that. You need to measure your own success. I thought once a bank account hit a certain amount of numbers, I’d be successful. Then I got married, and then I had my first son and my first daughter. Everybody’s meaning of success is totally different. Jocko Willink has a video about pushing the rock up the hill—when he gets to the end, he says he’s going to push it back down and do it again.
18:49 The Vision for Texas Build Lab
Tim Miller: Alex Hormozi has an analogy that success is like a game where the only way you can lose is if you stop. You have to understand that the goalposts are only there to give you something to shoot for, but they’re constantly moving. We should all be getting better at our craft, our relationships, our families. This podcast was created specifically for the construction industry. My goal is to take Texas Build Lab and highlight these industries and leaders so people can know who they are. I want to highlight that modifying the soil can make a permanent fix to the solution.
24:58 Honesty in Contracting
David Abbott: In Texas, if you walk outside and see a crack in the ground, that soil should be injected. But we’re not just going to come out and inject your house just to charge you. We’ll get the soil tested before we put anything into the ground. We want to be part of something positive here where the average homeowner is not seeing another contractor take $100,000 and disappear. Just because we’re an injecting company doesn’t mean we’re going to come out and inject your house; we want to make sure we’re doing it the right way.
28:56 Advice for Young Leaders
Tim Miller: Growing a brand new business is the entrepreneurial dream, but what is the one mistake young leaders make that will harm the entire team?
David Abbott: I think hustle and dedication is not the same as it used to be. The older generation had the drive, the dedication, and the heart. A lot of the younger crowd feels entitled and doesn’t have that same work ethic. It’s about getting up every day and going into the grind. Young leaders are not staying in the game. Tom Brady won Super Bowl after Super Bowl because he didn’t quit; every day they watched film and put in that grind. Building a company from the ground is not easy. Stable Tech has the opportunity to pass down this business to multiple generations.
33:30 Closing Thoughts
David Abbott: A lot of the millennials I’ve talked to think it’s more important to have time with the family than it is money. My grandpa worked six or seven days a week and provided for the family. We’re in the middle of a balance shift. Hopefully, this podcast can help other contractors and companies. If you come with us with an open mind, we will listen.
Tim Miller: Well, David, this has been really cool. I’m excited for the future. This wraps up this podcast.