Q: Can you direct me to what foundation repair contractors are best?
There are a ton of contractors doing foundation repair work these days and it is tough to sort them out. I will give you several general rules to live by. First, you should decide what repair plan you want on your own or through advice of an engineer before you meet with a contractor. Different contractors will push different products. Those are the repairs they think are most effective. Reality is no one can really predict what repair will be most effective because to do so you would have to fast forward ten or twenty years ahead and see what the house looks like then. If you want to underpin your house, find a contractor that specializes in those repairs. They will be happy to work with you and since that is their primary work you are more likely to get a better price and quicker service. If you want to grout your house do not go to an underpinning specialist as they will talk you out of grouting and try to talk you into underpinning. So figure out what you want first and then find the right contractor for you, don’t let the contractor tell you what you to do.
Other things I would consider includes how long the company has been in business and how many repairs they have done. Almost every day I hear of a new company popping up and I would be especially careful and do your research in those cases. Some are simply off shoots of other companies and are managed by experienced contractors. Others are simply people who heard you can make money doing this work and now you are the test dummy for their work product. This also means that these companies are more likely to be out of business by the time you need to call in your warranty. I would also suggest a company who is properly licensed and bonded and check with the Better Business Bureau as well. You can even ask for referrals from former customers. Finally, it may be helpful if you doing cosmetic repairs to the house as well to find a foundation repair company that also has a construction department so you can have one company do all the work.
