DOUGLAS FOUNDATION REPAIR

They added a lot of new beams to my foundation and replaced a rotted beam.

On the day of the scheduled work, the workers arrived and proceeded to work. In the afternoon, the workers appeared to be packing up to leave. No leveling of the house had occurred. When I questioned the workers, they said that they did not have any of the equipment to measure the elevations plus they were afraid to cause damage to the house. I called and spoke to Rick. He had Carlos (head foreman) come the next day to discuss the issue. Carlos explained the situation & offered to provide more stability to the house by inserting some spare piers that he had in the back of his truck. The workers returned on Saturday to add the piers. The following day, my husband went under the house to check to see what had been done. The work that was done was good, but there was a small section that could use three or four more piers and one additional beam. He spoke with Rick on Wednesday, January 29th & Rick said that he would send us an estimate for the additional work by e-mail. We waited a week, but we didn't receive the estimate. I called Rick on February 5th and left a message on his voicemail. Rick never responded. Carlos or someone with his expertise should have been at our worksite at the start of the job. Although I have been assured that my house has been stabilized, all of the elevations inside our rooms are exactly as they were before the job was done.

He was very professional and made recommendations on what I could do to avoid issues in the future.

Douglas's crew arrived one work day after our original date due to a winter storm delay at the job before ours. One man immediately measured where each hole around the house perimeter would be dug while the crew unloaded a large number of foot-long cement cylinders and their tools. About six laborers started digging 4X4x4 square holes at each marked location. The digging was all done by hand, and a tarp or sheet of plywood was placed next to each hole for the dirt removed. I was amazed at the speed and efficiency of the men digging the holes. Almost all of the19 holes dug through dirt were completed on Day 1. On the first day they also started driving the concrete cylinders into the bottom of the holes. This was the scary part, as they used a hydraulic press to drive the cylinders down, and the press was braced against the bottom lip of the foundation. When the last concrete cylinder required 10,000 psi to go deeper, they stopped. However, in some places, the cylinders stalled with as little as 6,000 psi of pressure. When that happened, and it did probably a dozen times, the foundation would "shiver" or "burp" as the cylinder refused to go down further. We could feel each of those from inside the house. On Day 2 the crew began jack-hammering out the concrete in our driveway, back patio and front porch for four more holes, and taking boards off the back deck for one more hole. By the end of Day 2 all the holes were dug and all the 46 concrete piers were in place going down 7 to 12 feet under the foundation. On Day 3 a different man came whose job was to use the computerized level and direct the actual foundation leveling process. Working in four to six holes simultaneously, the crew would crank small hydraulic jacks in unison under the direction of the man in the house who watched and listened to the walls, rafters, doors, countertops, and seams in that part of the house. My wife called him the "house whisperer" after he asked her to take the telephone elsewhere to answer a call so he could hear any popping or cracking. We were very impressed with this gentleman's slow methodical process. He took new readings on his level repeatedly as he and the outside crew worked together in their coordinated effort to slowly raise the different sections of the foundation, without bringing on undue stress that would crack walls, plumbing, or the granite countertops that line one exterior wall in the kitchen. This gentlemen encouraged us to be present in the room with him and kept us in the conversation to decide when the foundation had been raised as far as it was safe to go in each area. The upshot of the leveling process is that our foundation still has a slight downward slope from the center of the house in a couple of areas, but those slopes are well within the acceptable range, and not now noticeable. The sheetrock cracking was not worsened, and we are waiting another few weeks to have a painter repair and repaint the cracks. One inside and all three exterior doors are noticeably more level. The last part of the work was for a plumber, who Douglas selected, come out and test for new plumbing leaks. He did that by plugging our sewer line, taking a commode off, and filling all the pipes under the foundation with water from the faucets. He then simply watched the water level in the commode pipe to see if it dropped over a thirty minute time of observation. We were nervous about this part, and greatly relieved that the water level remained constant - no leaks under the slab! The plumber also had to add an extension to the steel gas line pipe at the meter as we raised the level of the house at the spot where the meter sits outside the house. The work on the gas line was $170 at our expense, not part of the contract with Douglas. On Day 3 the crew refilled the holes in the dirt, but had to return on Day 4 to repair the concrete holes in the driveway, front porch, and patio, and replace the wooden deck board All work went well. Our only minor issue was that my wife was not overly pleased with how the digging crews handled the shrubs and rose bushes they had to remove and replace. Otherwise, the crews were very diligent and helpful. As a point of interest, each day all but one of the crew spoke only Spanish, and one day the only English speaker on the crew was a digger and not the foreman. So on that day, when I had questions regarding the varying psi points at which they stopped driving each concrete stack of cylinders, I had to speak through an interpreter to the foreman. But that was not a problem. I was surprised at the number of different employees of Douglas who worked in different capacities on our job. Each specialized task was done by a different man who was here just for that part of the job. To me that reflected a professional firm that knows the value of experience at the key points of the job, especially the man who was the "house whisperer" and led the actual raising and leveling segment of the work.

We've used Douglas on two occasions. Once, several years ago, they did a quick stabilization (two piers) on our slab porch. This was quick and reasonably priced. You don't really know a foundation company, however, until you have your entire foundation replaced. We had 35 cedar tree trunks from 1929 replaced with cement piers, while leveling the house, last fall. Douglas Foundation was awesome. Our job was fairly complex since it involved several revisions to the engineered plans and heftier piers than normal. Not to mention working around our free range chickens and an array of delicate landscaping. The crew, led by Carlos, was extremely efficient, knowledgeable, and professional. They even worked through multiple weekends to keep us on schedule after several days of heavy rain. Amazingly, they managed to keep almost all of the stucco skirt of the house intact and all our exterior doors functioning beautifully through the repair, saving us a ton of money. Communication with the office and managers -- Steve, Lisa, Rick -- was always prompt and helpful.

We had a few different companies come out to review our foundation before selecting who we wanted to hire for the job. Douglas was the first company to come out. They were able to get out to us quickly. Their evaluation of our foundation was informative and professional. Even more - they were able to write up our bid right then and there (something no other company did). As they were the first company to come out, I didn't have all my questions ready. As other companies came out to do their evaluations and offer up their bids I had more questions.When I called to ask my additional questions everyone I spoke to from the person who answered the phone to the gentleman who came to do the inspection were helpful and seemed to really listen then give complete answers. Douglas was not the least expensive company (they were only more expensive by about $500) but they were the company I felt had the highest integrity just from my experience with the various evaluations, getting bids, calling companies back with questions - Douglas seemed the most open and willing to listen. My husband and I had the evaluation done in August. We decided 100% we'd go with Douglas but wanted to save up to pay for the services without a loan. So we saved and saved. By the time we were ready to do it, there was a promotion for a free iPad. Great timing for us! We got our foundation fixed AND a nice little gift. The foundation repair started on Jan 16th. It took one day longer than expected (only because we have incredibly hard ground when it comes to digging). They finished up on Jan 20th. They were professional, they leveled our foundation, and they left our property in good condition. I would confidently recommend Douglas Foundation Repair to friends and family (and you, too)!

I highly recommend them. They have great service. They are very professional.

I highly recommend them. They have great service. They are very professional.

Thomas arrived on time and explained to me what he was going to do for the inspection. He was very professional and went straight to work. A short time later he provided his assessment. We were fortunate because our house settling did not require any repairs. We appreciate his honesty and professionalism and would call them in the future should we have foundation issues.

Wow! The crew arrived early, got right to work and worked straight through. It took less than 5 hours to get everything done, and when they left, it was neater and cleaner than when they arrived. The equipment they used was very specialized, and it was an interesting process to watch. Follow up from the company was timely. Service was great, and I recommended them to our community facebook page along with photos of the process. If you are having foundation or void problems, Douglas Foundation Repair is who you want to be there!

douglas was a court of last resort for a leaky-basement problem we've had for four years. he and i spoke by phone for almost 30 minutes, during which time i described our problem in detail and he recommended that we pursue waterproofing companies rather than foundation companies. he also suggested a couple of ways to provide another company with info that could help it diagnose our problem. finally, he suggested that i consider "maintenance" rather than "repair." basements in central texas are so uncommon that it may be best to make provision for removal of the water after the fact (with a sump pump) since it's almost impossible - given the variety of solutions we've tried, to no effect - to prevent water leaking permanently. so, in short, douglas gave me some useful suggestions about what to do next. had he suggested work he himself could do, i would've hired him in a minute.

I called Douglas Foundation after water-soaked carpet was removed and a crack in the foundation was discovered. That crack (and a very stuck front door) prompted me to have the slab evaluated. Douglas Foundation was prompt and the evaluation was thorough and VERY informative. They suggested improved drainage and gutters would be a good first step, rather than immediately going to foundation work - RELIEF!

I have been very pleased with the result. The immediate effect was that doors now open and close properly. Have a sense of relief knowing the foundation is now stable. The only reason I gave a "B" on the price is because I would have liked to pay less, but as they say you what you pay for.

They explained each step completely. My addition slab had no or inadequate rebar, so leveling it would have cracked it. They keep a sharp eye on the slab when leveling, and immediately noticed the slab was performing poorly, so they stopped right there, with no damage to the slab. But they accomplished my goal of preventing further slab movement which was causing a door to become out of alignment and cracks between the walls. I am now having Douglas look at installing Smart Piers on another home in Austin. If you have any suggestion of foundation problems, especially when looking for a home to buy, having Douglas consult will save you a lot of money. I feel their Smart Pier system is ingenious. These pairs of piers share the load.

Douglas Foundation was amazing to work with from the initial inspection to the very end. The inspector from Douglas was the only one (out of three companies) to inquire about how much we wanted to invest in the property, and understood that where we live sometimes the land is more valuable than the little cottage sitting on top of it. He presented us an estimate with several different options that allowed us to pick a repair plan we were comfortable with. I was at home the entire day of the foundation repair. Repairs were noisy (as expected) but the Douglas crew were very professional and great to work with. The initial estimate for the repair was 1-1.5 days, but the crew was done by 3pm the first day. The foreman was very knowledgeable and kept me informed during the entire process to make sure I was happy with the work being done, particularly with regards to the leveling. Our house was remodeled by the previous owner without addressing the foundation problems so we expected a good amount of drywall damage, but so far have only had some very minor cracks. The guys under the house did a quick additional inspection (at my request) and reported that everything was in good shape. The crew were very careful to leave the yard and the skirting around the house looking exactly as it had before. Overall, very impressed by Douglas Foundation and would recommend them to anyone needing pier-and-beam foundation repair.

Day 1- Friday: Crew showed up on time. Caleb and Felix introduced themselves as well as the Team Leader (he spoke a little English and I have forgotten his name) The crew removed several bushes and dug 10 holes for the steel piers. One hole required a jackhammer, as it was under my foundation next to my driveway. We were very impressed with the removal of the bushes. In one area, two workers felt my bushes were far enough apart that they didn't need to be removed. Instead, they crawled under and behind them to dig the pier holes. By the end of the day, all ten pier holes were dug, the steel piers were in place under my foundation and the house was ready for the lift on Monday. When the crew left at the end of the day, they cleaned up all debris, temporarily replanted my bushes in some of the dirt they had removed for the piers, placed boards over the holes that were near my front door and garage door and taped off the area. Day 2 - Monday: Crew showed up early. The rain on Friday night had filled the holes with water, which had to be bucketed out. Over the weekend, my husband and I came up with several questions about the piers and the lift. Caleb and Felix both were extremely patient and answered all of my questions. If they did not know an answer, they asked the Team Lead. After bucketing out all the water, the crew positioned a large rectangular steel plate on top of each metal pier. They then placed two jacks on top of the plate with a cement block in between. Rick Gilchrist, Operations Manager, showed up at 10:00 and proceeded to lift the house. He was very professional and took his time -- this was not in any way a rushed job. The lift was completed with ONE concrete block and shims holding the position. The crew then removed the jacks. For each pier, two additional concrete blocks were placed where the jacks once stood and then shims were used to tighten up the fit. This made for a total of THREE concrete blocks on top of the steel plate that capped off the steel piers. This was one more than shown in the pictures on Douglas' website!!! At 11:00 G&M Plumbing arrived to do our hydrostatic test (see my review for them). We FAILED! As the line was tested, water began filling two of the pier holes. G&M then arranged for a plumber to come out first thing the next day. NOTE: The failed hydrostatic test was due to a cracked waste plumbing line leading from our house to the street. It was NOT DUE TO ANY WORK DONE BY THE DOUGLAS CREW NOR DID THE LIFT CAUSE IT. The plumber's camera showed a cracked line with tree roots inside. Douglas' crew completed shimming then filled the pier holes and replanted the bushes. They also placed rebar and cement in the hole in my driveway. When they were finished, I was called out to inspect their work. I felt the bushes were not placed correctly in my garden bed. The crew RE-DUG and RE-PLANTED four bushes for me -- without complaint and each time giving me a chance to ensure I was happy with the placement. Our yard was left debris free and our garden bed was clean and level. The team that did our foundation repair was vey professional and efficient. We could not have been happier with the workers or the lift. We highly recommend Douglas Foundation Repair!

I requested bids from companies including Douglas. Douglas' price was not the least expensive, but it was not the most expensive. I decided on Douglas because of the professionalsim of the salesperson and the extensive information he gave me. The crew was at mky house bright & early each day and went right to work. Thery were friendly, bkut definitely focused on the task. My only negative comment is that I had to make a couple of follow-up calls to make the final payment and to get the warrantky paperwork. Overall I've been very satisfied the the work performed.

He came out and I didn’t have any problems with my foundation. He said I need to put gutters and I put gutters on.

Very professional and honest.

He has been honest. We haven’t had any problems at all. We would recommend him. He actually told we don’t need to do the foundation work and we had him come out again and check after a week and he fixed those things. Other companies recommended we do the foundation work but he said, ‘No! You are good, I wouldn’t do anything but I will just keep watching it and monitoring it’.

They showed up on time, completed their work on time, and did not go over the quoted amount.

They did an excellent job with the work. They were on time. There was some follow up work that was not as addresses as soon as I wanted.

It went just as they said it would. It took only 3 trips to get the job done The men that did the work were respectful and cleaned up after themselves. Darrel came out and met me and we shot interior elevations. He then figured a price and it sounded good. They came and dug the holes the first day and drove a few piers. 2nd day they finshed the piers. 3rd day they jacked and leveled and then backfilled the holes and cleaned up. I,m very satisfied with Douglas Foundations.

I thought that they were very knowledgeable about the process, and they charged a reasonable rate. Furthermore, they did an excellent job with the leveling.

Douglas Foundation was professional from start to finish. They showed up on time for the original estimate appointment. Staff spent a good deal of time evaluating the house and then sat down and drew out everything onsite and provided an immediate estimate. We decided to go with them after getting several estimates. The crew showed up 15 minutes early the first day of work and worked very efficiently. They would have been done ahead of the estimated four days of work had it not been for a small leak they found in our plumbing underneath the house. Douglas Foundation helped us facilitate fixing the leak by getting a plumber out to the site. Once the plumbing was fixed, they quickly finished the foundation repair work. The crew was prompt and professional and worked very well around all of our animals. We were very pleased with them. Only time will tell how the work holds up but with a lifetime warranty, we aren't too worried. Especially given their professionalism. Don't forget to mention any coupons from Angie's list. We forgot to ask about Angie's list specials, but they were nice and sent us a small gas card anyway as a thank you. I would highly recommend Douglas Foundation.