Houston Foundation Analysis & Repair

Analysis of a wall to determine if it was load bearing

the structural engineer visited our home and surveyed the lot. He noted where external influences could be affecting the foundation. The engineer went through the home and measured the elevations of the floor to within 0.1". He created a plot and should how the outside influences were affecting the foundation. A short time after his visit, he e-mailed a 16-page report with a detailed description of the survey, the plot of the elevations, and a written description of the ongoing effects on the foundation and home. He noted how previous foundation repair was negatively affecting the foundation. He noted how to correct the deficiencies and prescribed a chronological list of remedies to return the foundation to fully functioning. Thanks for his hard work and thorough assessment of the foundation. I am avoiding needlessly wasted money on unnecessary foundation repairs.

The work proceeded reasonably well, timewise. Results were not up to par. They covered my pool with a tarp, but when cleaning up, several bricks that they tore out fell to the pool bottom, producing chips in the pool plaster where the underlying concrete shows through. Though it is mostly cosmetic, they are not doing anything to fix it. Next, most of the flagstone have grout residue around the stones that is totally crappy-looking, and they sealed it with sealer. Further, they have not come out to do anything about it after several phone calls and originally agreeing to come out and pressure-wash it. The patio is not something I am proud of now, and I am now having to deal with stripping off the sealer and then getting rid of the haze of the grout. I'm also seeing signs of cracks between some sections of grout and flagstone. Cleanup was not complete as they left some grout on my driveway that was not noticeable until it dried, long after they left. Another thing, there is an 8" slope from patio to driveway that they sloppily did on two different days with differently shaded grout. Bottom line - I feel this was an unprofessional job.

Great they really worked hard. A little aggressive trimming but in fairness I didn't tell them what I wanted.

The drainage work and the flagstone patio work was fairly well done and I am happy with the level of work done. The gutter work was done well but was fully outsourced. The cement work was sloppy. They ruined a few landscaping lights and bent up the existing landscaping border and made zero effort to clean it up. The also must have dumped some of their clean up water around a tree where I had to work to clean up the cement residue. The turf piece of the work turned into a total nightmare. They installed the requested turf in the wrong location. Upon questioning, I was told our request would have impaired drainage, which is understandable but that should be a discussion prior to changing the plans... as you can't really move the stuff once its been cut and installed. Mike, the foreman agreed to do one thing to fix the issue by installing some leftover sections to balance the way it looked and ended up using 5 scrap pieces that don't fully match. The 5 pieces we also now realize were not installed with the right under layers of sand... and are now sinking. When we tried to get the work fixed (and I was willing to pay at least a little) the owner was completely unhelpful and basically said he wouldn't do anything other than a full cost fix and claimed that Mike didn't even have the right to make the agreement to fix it. I had picked Earth Ideas based on a recommendation from a friend and had read the A reviews but unfortunately had not read the D and F reviews, as I know really see that this is a bit of trend on parts of jobs that don't go well. Unfortunately I had paid for the work before fully getting this last bit sorted out... and that was the biggest error, since I had no leverage to make anything happen to fix the work at that point.

Earth Ideas is not a company you want to invest over $13,000 in. In the first week of May 2017, we hired Earth Ideas Landscaping to install a sprinkler system, new beds in our front and back yard as well as a row of 7 trees as a privacy barrier along our back fence. We met with Mike twice and had all our decisions made for installation within a few days. Getting the work contracted and scheduled through the office with Jennifer was quite difficult. She was non-responsive to email and phone calls. She would promise to send documents, but nothing would deliver. Finally, I had to call and let her know that if I did not get anything to start the installation, we would be going with a different company. We received the contract that afternoon. After the work had completed and all payments made, we began to see that one of the trees we purchased started dropping a lot of leaves. We were instructed to water each tree twice a day using a hose rather than just the sprinkler so the root structure would get plenty of water. On may 23rd I sent Mike a message with a concern about this single tree that was surrounded by other trees not shedding leaves: ***May 23rd - 5:55 PM - (ME) - Hey there Mike one of these trees are shedding all of its leaves. Is there something I should be adding to the soil to prevent this from happening? (MIKE) - Let me check with a couple of my nursery managers and see what they have to say I will get back to you first thing in the morning (Me) - Ok Thanks, I could not find anything online. (MIKE) - The job were working on tomorrow its not far from you so I may stop by with a couple of guys and will pull the whole thing back up out of the ground and take a look at the root ball. (ME) It still has leaves but definitely looks ill. Mike did not come the next day but I did receive a text on the 25th. After this conversation, Mike called me on May 25th to ask if the tree was dropping green leaves or were they brown and then dropping. I told him they were green leaves falling and nothing was brown on the tree. He then said he would be out to make sure nothing was wrong with the sprinkler and to STOP WATERING the tree manually as this was an indication of TOO MUCH WATER. 6 Days later I contact MIKE. ***On May 31st at 4:04 I had heard nothing back and sent another message: (ME) - Mike, Not sure if y'all were able to come by while I was away. I got back this afternoon, and the tree looks pretty much dead. Are y'all coming by to look at the sprinkler this week? Still heard nothing by this point: ***June 1st 7:30 PM (ME) Mike, can you call me tomorrow regarding this tree. We need to know if it needs to be replaced or if it has something to do with the sprinkler. (Mike) S*&T I;m sorry, I just now saw your text from yesterday too. I can definitely stop by tomorrow after five. (Me) - Sounds good Thanks. ***June 2nd 7:30 PM (MIKE) Been trying to get finished up over here as quickly as possible to make it over there Mr. C (ME) That's cool. If tomorrow is better I am here. (Mike) Thanks for your patience and understanding I will touch base with you here in about a half hour. (Me) No Problem I did not ever receive a call from Mike and then sent a follow-up message asking if I could just buy a tree. ***June 6th 9:20 AM (ME)Hey there. Can you let me know what it is going to cost to replace this tree? It is dead. But before anything else is planted I want to make sure it does not happen again. (MIKE) I feel bad about it so I'll put it in at cost $625 (ME) That works. I just want to make sure it won't happen again. ***June 12th 10:27 (ME) He there Mike. What do I need to do to get this tree scheduled? (MIKE) I 'll have Jenifer call you and get that worked out for this week. ***June 22nd (4:40) (ME)Hey there. I have not heard from anyone on when this tree is scheduled. I have sent a couple of emails. Do you know when this will be scheduled? (MIKE) I will follow up at the office in the morning I would say definitely within the next couple of days. Finally, ON June 14th I received an agreement from Jennifer for installing this tree and checking the sprinkler, 23 days after I initially brought the issue to Earth Ideas attention. On June 26th the owner of the company Brian came to my house to look at the sprinkler and the tree. He met with my wife and indicated the tree died because it was not watered enough and we should have been watering it correctly. He also scolded my wife and said we should have called the office and not gone to Mike. There was no mentioning of when the tree would be installed. After this meeting with my wife, I decided that since the company was incapable of corresponding via phone, messages or text, and seemed to tell us different reasons for the trees death I sent an email with my unhappiness and that any further discussions were going to need to be in writing. The owner Brian called me while I was out of town and wanted to talk to me over the phone. I responded to his message with another email requesting that correspondence would need to be in writing and that if this were not resolved, I would be going to the BBB. He then called me again with a rather hostile message and specifically said: "If you are going to go through the BBB than I am not going to waste my time trying to solve this with an email." At this time we have hired another landscape company to install a new tree and correct any mistakes that Earth Ideas has done. The representation of the company is less than ideal and far from having any real integrity. Earth Ideas is a company that will take your money, drop plants in the ground and not concern itself about any issues that may arise while hiding behind contracts and false warranties. Mike at least tried in the beginning but its ownership represents the company. Brian is not equipped with the customer service needed and the business integrity to deserve a rating of A+

Initially our experience with the company went well. We were pleased with the estimate we received from the sales director and we were pleased with the landscaping that was installed. However, at the conclusion of the work, there was one part of the job that was not completed in the backyard. We spoke with the sales director who had confirmed in our initial meetings that this work was part of the job, and he assured us someone would get out to do this work. However, the owner refused to honor this commitment and began to nickle and dime us and insisted charging us extra to do the work. When they finally came out to the do the work for the fee, they didn't have the enough material and insisted on increasing the cost to complete the job, which at this point we declined. Ultimately we cannot recommend this company because they will not honor the word of their employees and address any outstanding issues once they leave your home.

No call no show!! Awarded the work to another company

I had Earth Ideas help me take back my front yard and add a little curb appeal to my home. Mike came out and provided me a quote the next day. With all the rain we have been getting things were delayed a few times. The owner personally contacted me to reschedule around the weather issues, but as soon as the rain broke they were out there working away. My wife and I could not be more happy with the work, not to mention the cost was very competitive with the other bids I received. I would definitely recommend them.

Mike and his team were awesome from the beginning and all the way through installation. When I first called Mike for an estimate he met me at my house that same day and gave me an informal estimate on the spot. I had a formal estimate emailed to me the following morning. He was straightforward and not pushy. His prices were comparable to some other estimates and much cheaper than a few. What sold me on the company was Mike's professionalism. He followed up quickly with phone calls, text messages, and emails all the way through the process. He and his team installed new gutters with mesh guards on the entire house. The backyard used to turn into a lake every time it rained. He and his team also installed inlets and 4" PVC on both sides of the house and tied the rain gutter downspouts into the drainage system. His installers were professional and left the yard as neat as when they arrived. The grass was pealed back and replaced after the PVC was installed. I can't even tell that a trench was dug. We had a heavy rain two weeks after the installation was performed and we did not have a lake in my backyard afterwards. I am sold on Earth Ideas Landscaping and will definitely use them for our next project.

I was extremely happy from first conversation to last. Earth Ideas was very prompt in getting back to me whenever I called or needed to discuss any part of the project. Even at last minute request by me, they fulfilled HOA standards and replaced plants and foliage per strict standards. I cannot thank Mike, Jennifer and their crew enough for all of their hard work, high quality customer service, their excellence and professionalism. They also called back to make sure we were satisfied with the job. I will DEFINITELY use them again.

It didn't rain for weeks after they finished so I put off writing the review, then forgot to do it. So this review is way overdue. In the meantime, we've had plenty of rain and the drainage seems to be working well. Had to tweak it a bit in the front of the house and have some standing water in the catch basins (mosquitos) but overall a good design and good job. The best part is the patio. I love it! Very well done! Nice guys. A good crew that worked well together and seemed to know what they were doing. Mike came by several times to check on progress and Brian came by as well.

A salesman arrived at my house at the designated time for the quote and was very knowledgeable about what needed to be done and why other options were not feasible. He was very concise on the work that needed to done. The work was scheduled to be completed 3 days after the quote. The crew arrived at my home at the designated time to perform the work and completed by the end of the day. The work site was left very clean. The entire experience was very professional and the work was completed in a surprisingly timely manner. Description of work: Installed 3 drains in my yard connected to a pipe (buried below the surface) to remove the flooding areas. The yard was graded to ensure that excess water would be funneled to the 3 drains. The 2 gutter downspouts on the side of my house where the flooding was occurring were also tied into the drain pipe. The drain pipe was laid from the backyard to the curb in front of the house to drain to the street. The curb was removed, pipe installed, and the curb was replaced with new cement. For any areas that had grass, the grass was removed and then replaced once the pipe was installed. All ground ares that were disturbed were tamped down to ensure that the original look of the yard was maintained.

Mike Gavin arrived at my house at the designated time for the quote and was very knowledgeable about what needed to be done and why other options were not feasible. He was very concise on the work that needed to done. The work was scheduled to be completed 3 days after the quote. The crew arrived at my home at the designated time to perform the work and completed by the end of the day. The work site was left very clean. The entire experience was very professional and the work was completed in a surprisingly timely manner. Description of work: Installed 3 drains in my yard connected to a pipe (buried below the surface) to remove the flooding areas. The yard was graded to ensure that excess water would be funneled to the 3 drains. The 2 gutter downspouts on the side of my house where the flooding was occurring were also tied into the drain pipe. The drain pipe was laid from the backyard to the curb in front of the house to drain to the street. The curb was removed, pipe installed, and the curb was replaced with new cement. For any areas that had grass, the grass was removed and then replaced once the pipe was installed. All ground ares that were disturbed were tamped down to ensure that the original look of the yard was maintained.

Mike and the crew were excellent! They did a great job and were very courteous and professional throughout the process.Their craftsmanship and materials were all excellent as well. We really couldn't ask for a better landscaping experience.

Mike and the crew did great work. They removed the grass and top soil from our small back and side yards. Installed a drainage system and then a paver patio in the back and gravel and step stones along the side yard. Installed a small screen/fence to hide the AC units and adjusted the sprinklers to suit. In the front, there was additional paver work near the curb. They showed up as scheduled and worked the project to a successful completion. Very pleased with the quality. It was a bit hard to make the initial contact, but once we got going, from Jennifer in the office, to Mike with the estimating and design and follow-up, and the crew in the field; everyone was great to work with. Highly recommended.

It went great. It took them a day longer than expected but they stuck to it until completion. They must have dug 250' of trenches. They made very little mess considering the job. They cut one wire to a sprinkler zone and would not rest until it was fixed. Super crew.

I made two appointments for them to estimate a landscaping job. The first time they called and said they had a trailor break down. Jennifer said she would call me to reschedule. Never did. I called again. Made another appointment. I had to leave work early for this appointment and I told her this. No show no call. Will never call again.

I had been trying to find a landscaper since I moved into my new home in April 2014, but found that either I received no response from the landscapers I contacted or the quotes were outrageous for the work I wanted done. This all changed when I contacted Earth Ideas. They were extremely responsive and came over to give us an estimate the next day. Their prices were very reasonable and beat other estimates we received. While other landscapers told me that it would take about a month to get on their job schedule, Earth Ideas was able to start the job a week from when we hired them. The job was done in two days, and my husband and I could not be more pleased. We're not easy to impress, but Earth Ideas really exceeded our expectations. We would definitely use them again for any landscaping needs, and have already recommended them to some of our friends.

The company was recommended by a foundation engineer that surveyed the house. He recommended two companies, I requested quotes from both. The prices were about the same. I choose Earth Ideas as they presented a thorough quote. They provided a written quote with itemized list of the work they would do and pricing for each item. When I asked for some additional work prior to showing up on site they said they would only consider this if this was in the original estimate. I thought this was good business because both parties would be working off a written agreement prior to starting any work. We agreed on the date of the work and they showed up promptly. The owner was present at the start of the job. We reviewed the job together prior to starting any work. He introduced me to the crew foreman and that I could speak with on any questions. The owner told me if there were any things that were not going to my satisfaction I could call him. That ended up not being necessary, the work was done as I expected and cleaned up properly. Since this yard had a sprinkler system installed, they guaranteed to repair any damage during digging. As was inevitable some pipes were damaged. These were repaired on on-site by the crew. One line could not be fixed in the time and early in the morning the next day a worker showed up and made repairs to my satisfaction. Overall I would use Earth Ideas again and would recommend them. They do seem a little overly cautious on having proper paperwork in place but that does avoid any problems once the work is started.

I called this company on Monday Sept 29th and ask if they do yard leveling or grading. Ms Jennifer, who is very polite over the phone says they do. So we schedule an appointment for Friday Oct. 3rd at 1PM. On Friday Ms Jennifer calls me around 11AM to tell me they can't make it and they need to reschedule the appointment. Again she is very polite. I'm not happy about it but I understand that "Life Happens" She tries to reschedule me for a week later but I'm a little persistent in wanting something sooner. She says they have an opening for Saturday Oct 4th at 12:30PM. Great I'll be there. This a rental house so I get there 30 minutes early just in case they show up before 12:30PM. I sat in my truck waiting from 12PM until 2PM. NO SHOW ! NOT EVEN A PHONE CALL. I tried calling them but it turns out they are closed on Saturdays. I call Ms Jennifer on Monday morning Oct 6th. and tell her what happened. Again she tried to reschedule me for some time later in the week but that was unacceptable to me so she said that Mike would go to my rental house that evening around 6PM. He called me from the house & quoted me $1500. I have 2 other quotes from other companies for $475 & $400. Both Jennifer & Mike seem very friendly on the phone but I got the feeling that they didn't want my business. I don't know if the job was too small or too far. If they didn't want the job I would rather them tell me up front so we don't have to waste each others time.

We selected three contractors from Angie's List and all three bids were close to each other, so we were assured that the bids were correct. We selected Earth Ideas based on Angie's List reviews and the friendly salesman. The salesman visited the site and took some notes and some measurements. He did not go back to his office to prepare the bid for about two weeks and I assume that he had to rely a lot on his memory. He sent the bid and I said that that is not what we had in mind. He came back again. This time I prepared a detailed sketch with notes to help him define the specs and prepare the bid, I even sent him a copy by email. He revised the bid (very few details) and it looked okay. Between then and start of the job, the salesman was fired and a different person (claimed to be manager) showed up at the job site. We reminded him about our specs and sketch prior to start of the work. At the end of the day, he produced a different sketch (smaller Area) and said that their bid corresponded to their sketch which we had no knowledge of and never seen before. He went to say that they had reviewed the bid and would be able to do the job according to our specs, but would not make as much profit. Then it was constantly asking for more money and delivering less. We ended up adding about 20% to the total cost (some of it was for scope increase). But the job was not done to our satisfaction. These are some of the open items: Landscaping fabric was not (was my first requirement), The sprinkler heads were not moved, Sprinkler system left with leaking valve and pipes, We sent half-a-day selecting plants (specifically included in the contract), and that was ignored, probably planted the cheapest ones They could get on that day, A lemon tree that we paid for transplanting was completely destroyed without any input from us, The manager yelled and screamed at us repeatedly (lack of professionalism), We had enough aggregation and decided to pay them, and are now looking for another contractor to come and clean up the work. Other landscaping bids usually include sketches, measurements, pictures of what the finished landscaping would look like etc., there was none of that.

Company come on time. They worked without a break (Texas Heat) finished all jobs in 1/2 day. Excellent results.

The crew worked for 5 straight days. Very professional, daily clean up, always working hard. Crews are in house outsourcing. Very professional company. great owners, supervisors, and staff

Mike also agreed to do the front yard tree root barrier separately at his original price for that tree. I filled out the paperwork, signed it and e-mailed it to Jennifer the office secretary. I wanted the root barrier installed in the trench before the plumbing went in. I contacted Jennifer and she told me to speak to Mike directly to schedule the work. I spoke to Mike the day before he was supposed to install the barrier and he said he would come out on a Saturday in between other jobs to install the root barrier. We waited all day Saturday for Mike to show up. The appointment window was from 11am-3.30 pm. Mike never showed up. I texted and called him several times but he did not respond. It was extremely important that the root barrier went in that Saturday as the reroute company was going put down the pipes the following Monday. We finally called the owner Brian Blalock who called back and was extremely rude. He said that the work was not approved by him and we should have contacted him and not Mike to begin with. There was no mention of this job by Mike to him. He blamed us as being in cahoots with Mike and trying to get the job done for a much cheaper price which was not approved by him. He said Mike might be doing this job on the side without him being aware. He actually hung up the phone on me! The owner is extremely unprofessional, rude and short-tempered. I would never hire Earth Ideas for any kind of job in the future. This is not the way to behave with a customer. It is not my problem that Mike did not get the job approved by him. We were so stressed out that day that we started looking for other root barrier companies that are open on the weekends. We were lucky to find Rob who came out on a Sunday and installed the root barrier the next day at such a short notice. The way Earth Ideas behaved was that they did not want to the job with trench already dug. It appears that they wanted to dig again and then install the root barrier and not install the root barrier in an already dug trench.