Edge Homes responds after homes slide down hillside in Draper
DRAPER, Utah (ABC4) — Edge Homes, the company that originally built the two homes that slid down a hillside in Draper on Saturday, released a statement Monday afternoon that raised more questions than answers.
“The events of last Friday night and early Saturday morning were shocking,” stated the release. “As a company, we have never experienced such devastating events with our homes. More than anything else, we are incredibly grateful that no one was injured.”
However, the company admitted it does not yet know what caused the collapses to occur.
“Was this a design failure by engineers?” stated the release. “Was this a construction failure by the excavators and retaining wall companies? Was this a combination of both, or neither? We simply cannot answer those questions today.”
Two homes, both on E. Springtime Rd., slid off a hillside last Saturday. Officials say the dangerous conditions were caused by “earth shifting,” causing the homes to slide and the foundations to break. Last November, the Draper City Council forced residents to move out of the homes, calling them “unfit for human habitation and occupancy due to dangerous conditions.”
At the time, Edge defended the homes and called the evacuations unnecessary. In today’s release, Edge stated it “became evidence in December 2022 that the homes were continuing to move and that evacuation of the homeowners was the correct decision.”
Edge stated that it had bought back one of the homes and paid the owners for “various additional expenses related to their relocation.” A similar result is expected with the owners of the second home, stated the release.
Edge defended the firms that designed and constructed the retaining walls near the homes, noting they are “long-standing companies with proven track records and years of combined experience.” It noted that Draper City officials gave a thorough review of the process during construction.
Edge stated they had hoped to perform a controlled demolition of at least one of the homes, but winter conditions, including saturated soils, made things difficult.
“The remediation, hillside stabilization and beautification will now be our focus,” stated Edge. “We will see this situation through to the end in order to protect our homeowners, their families and the community.”
Edge stated it is also in contact with other homeowners and is paying them for relocation, storage, and temporary housing expenses.
“We will fairly compensate them for the disruption and inconvenience they are experiencing,” they stated. “Regardless of who is at fault, it is our company policy to stand by our homeowners and not leave them stranded.
Source: ABC4.com
