The Foundation Works

This was the second project I had Foundation Works help me with. As the first time, this was one of the best contracting experiences in my memory. I cannot speak highly enough of the company. I rarely go to this type of language in recommending a company but they do deserve it. Highly recommend.

Absolutely wonderful company to work with. They responded immediately to my inquiry and were able to get the job done in one day. Price was way better than competitors as well. Everyone I had contact with was friendly and professional. Highly recommend.

Work was done in a very professional manner and was done on the date and time scheduled.

Very well. Very thorough inspection. Identified another issue (further support needed under living room and attic area). Minor repairs done to foundation, bolted, and cripple walls strengthened. Passed inspection easily.

We set a date with the office, and we were contacted 24 hours in advance to confirm. The crew arrived promptly and gave us an estimate of how long it would take. They received permission for the area of the garage and driveway to use for construction. The crew cleaned up after the work was completed. And I was shown the job. The lead person explained the city approval process. At each stage of the job, if I didn't understand something it was explained fully. Also, my husband called during the day to ask questions, and his questions were also answered fully. A profoundly positive and professional experience.

VERY well. done on time, and except for some associated noise under the house, no disruption. Eric came at the beginning and end of the work; he noticed some minor damage/cracks in the stucco near where the team had done some serious work. Foundation Works made all the repairs to the stucco, including matching the texture and painting the patch (I had paint already on hand from previous repair work). I was referred to Foundation Works by neighbors.

Everything went exceptionally smoothly. They advised when they would be at the job and how long the job would take. They followed up and did exactly what they said they would do and when. The workers could not have been more professional and I was impressed every step of the way.

Very professional service. Easy to communicate with.

Honest answer: don't need foundation bolting.

Found a lower bid from a qualified contractor.

Finding a good foundation contractor is like looking for a good mechanic. You want some knowledgeable who won't rip you off- but it's also hard for you to understand what needs to be fixed and if it will be done properly whether it is the lowest or highest price. Looking via yelp and Angie's list, I had 3 companies come out and give me assessments that ranged from 5k-27k, all with different things they mention needing to be fixed. No one would give me a diagram so I could compare more closely how the repairs were different, so I was left trying to interpret reports that mention X number of spots needing repair. Foundation Works rep Keith was very nice and had the lowest cost, with what they were calling a "remedial" repair- they also mention that we did NOT need a permit for their work. They referred me to their sister company to inquire about drainage issues, and that estimate ended up 100k. (!) Throughout the process, the owner Tom and the Keith were very responsive via email and proactive. However there were a few things that really disagreed with me about their approach. Because I was getting such varying reports, I decided to consult with a structural engineer. Foundation Works seemed to actively discourage me from doing my own research because it would only end up more confusing to me. And that an engineer would end up offering a pricey solution. While I understand the latter, in that an engineer would offer a solution that is more fool-proof and absolutely to code-- there shouldn't be any reason I should not find out what the "best" solution is as opposed to picking the most remedial solution. I totally agree that a contractor with a lot of experience is highly valuable- they do not have the same educational background of an engineer. I think that actively discouraging knowledge seeking is a huge red flag. I'm in the healthcare profession-- and while I am alarmed about what health misinformation lands on the internet- I think that patients have the right to look up things and ask questions, and I have a duty to explain things to my best ability to help them understand what treatment plan is best in my opinion (backed by evidence and scientific literature), and then we work together to find the best solution. Sometimes it is a compromise, but it's always a partnership. After my month long investigation, when I ended up asking if they would still bid on the project, they declined citing they were "troubled" to see that I would not be working with the drainage company on the 100k fix, and they felt I was being "selective" with repairs-- and that they did not want to follow someone else's prescription-- I was actually just asking them to look at some wood damage that I personally saw when I crawled down their myself-- and remove some debris in addition to what the proposed before, but they were still caught up with why I investigated engineered plans in the first place. I don't think they really read my email carefully as their minds where made up. When they initially sent me their proposal, there was no mandate for me complete drainage fixes. Overall, felt although at first they were very nice, enthusiastic in the beginning- but towards the last communications-- it felt a bit condescending as they were unwilling to do anything other their own recommendations. So if you're the type who wants to leave you car with the a mechanic and trust they would do their best than this company may work for you, but that could be said about many other places. But if you are the type who wants to know what is wrong exactly and make any different suggestions, then go elsewhere.

Amazing. Professional - provided solutions and an honest assessment. My foundation didn't need a repair; upgrades were suggested to make more secure. Would hire again- they were great

Scheduling, repairing the foundation, and retrofitting our home with a raised foundation.

These guys are great. They know their stuff and are great to work with. I would highly recommend working with them if you want the job done right and without worry.

We called for an inspection because we noticed that the trim pieces around some of the windows and doors seemed to be spreading farther and farther apart. Also, there was an existing crack above a door that seemed to be getting worse as well. Tom was awesome. He came out for the free inspection as listed on Angie's List and brought Kent - one of his repair guys that he was training to do inspections. They were very thorough and walked us through the house with them - explaining everything he was looking for and what the different little things around the perimeter of the rooms might mean in terms of the foundation. They then crawled under the house to inspect the foundation itself. They took several pictures of the issues and very clearly explained what they meant. All of the issues were minor - not something we had to address immediately. The trim and cracks were settling and weather related - not the foundation. He really helped us feel a lot better about the whole process. In addition, they also noticed and took pictures of some other problems (cracked sewer line, disconnected dryer vent line). Thanks to them we avoided a major plumbing catastrophe and a lint fire. Their price was very fair and well below what we thought we were going to have to pay. Some other inspections used scare tactics to try and force us to make a decision immediately. They explained the issues they found before they left and then sent us a detailed repair list and cost via email a couple of days later. We moved forward with the repairs for peace of mind and because the cost was reasonable. We scheduled the repairs about a week and half later (after we had the plumbing and dryer issue fixed.). The guys that came out to make the repairs were great - on time and done in a few hours. Highly recommend!!

.Keith come by and took a look at my foundation's "issues". He did not think they were serious. Explaining that the house was on bedrock and would be stable. He did suggest that I could install a "Simpson Strap" across one of the cracks for reinforcement myself (presumably not a big enough job to make it worth the company's time) and that I improve the drainage around the house, which is on a hillside. I felt that his professionalism and frankness was worthy of a positive review here, even though I did not end up hiring them for any work

I liked my experience with Foundation Works so much I almost wish there was a problem I could use them for. I had a large crack on the front of my house that had erroded the plaster and looked like it was coming from my foundation. Keith took one look at the crack and pointed to a large tree growing near the house. Based on the angle of the tree, he could tell it was pushing on the house and causing the damage. A 3 minute check under the house with a flashlight confirmed that there was a small hairline crack in the foundation, but that all I would need to do to remedy the situation would be to remove the tree. After being told by one company yesterday that in order for them to even begin to open the grate to my crawl space to look under my home it would be 2k, and told by another company this "foundation repair" would be 6K, I can't begin to express how grateful I am for Foundation Works honesty. It goes so far in business, and I will hands down recommend this company to anyone looking for a company who will provide an honest assessment of structural or foundation work.

This was an excellent experience. Got an appointment quickly. Myron arrived right on time. He was pleasant, honest as the day is long and provided a detailed explanation of options for reinforcing my foundation, first verbally on site and followed up the next day with a detailed written report. Very very impressed. I highly recommend this company.

I wouldn't wish foundation issues on my worst enemy. But I'm grateful that a company like The Foundation Works exists. We just bought a house and the general inspector found some issues that needed to be fixed. Matt walked me around the house and explained everything that needed to be fixed and what didn't. Everyone from Matt to the actual crew doing the work were very professional, responsive, and did exactly what they said they would and in a very fast manner. I highly recommend them.

The company was great from the start! Called me back and Cathy (I believe) was very friendly on the phone. We set-up an appointment that was 2 weeks away. Matt showed up early (a rarity in LA!) and was extremely friendly and professional. He was honest and made us feel less worried about our house. He recommended that we hire a drainage company in preparation for the winter and to preserve the foundation which we are absolutely going to do. A really great experience and we will definitely call them back to do work if we ever need it!

They were great-- professional, knowledgeable, straight-forward, and didn't try to sell me anything I didn't need. I would use them again

Great experience start to finish. So patient and responsive to my questions about estimate. Work crew was fabulous--on time, friendly, and super thorough. They left my property so clean, despite 5 days of foundation dust. Just a pleasure to work with them. Highly recommended.

Myron came in April, inspected the interior, exterior and foundation of the house. He educated us what was going on with our foundation and recommended a handyman that could install a dryer vent for us. We hired the handyman and got the dryer vent installed. Then we called the Foundation Works again in mid August and said we would like to do the repairs and retrofit. They honored the estimate even though it was past 45 days, and scheduled the job for the following week. The job was done in a day in a half. Ryan kept us informed how the job was going and times that they would arrive and finish. Everything went smoothly.

This company is top notch. They are professional, knowledgeable and reasonable. First, their inspector, Matt, really took his time inspecting our property, inside, outside and underneath. He wrote a detailed report, explained problems with earthquake and water damage and patiently answered all questions. He gave us a reasonable estimate within 24 hours. We hired Foundation Works to do the job because we were impressed with their honesty, dependability and professionalism. The job foreman and crew came on time and worked diligently from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on a very hot day. They did not complain and they all worked really hard until the job was done. They did a great job cleaning up too. The five-man crew were all pleasant, well mannered and professional. I highly recommend them and I would definitely use them again.

I feel like this company tried to use scare tactics on me. I was delivered 'good news and bad news' by their inspector, Keith. The good news was the cost of the retrofit- exactly in the price range I expected. The bad news was that the retrofit would not pass inspection without a costly repair to the portion of my foundation that is masonry. When I asked later about modifying the extent of the repair in order to get it to something more affordable so that I could get the desired retrofit done, I was told we could forget the repair all together, but the cost of the retrofit then increased almost 25%. This left me with a really bad taste in my mouth. On the positive side, I contacted the company and the owner called me back the same day. We spoke on the phone, and naturally, he defended his company and attributed it to a misunderstanding of the terms they were offering. But, I was there and my perspective was quite different. This experience was a disappointing one, as I have been dreaming about getting a seismic retrofit done on my house for a long time, and of all the companies on Angie's List, The Foundation Works was at the top of my list because of all their rave reviews and the reasonable prices. I ended up getting a bid from another company and going with them. The price for the retrofit was almost exactly the same and I was assured that although I need the masonry repaired, it was not necessary for passing inspection on the retrofit. This was correct, as I had the work done and the inspector signed off without the repair.