The Foundation Expert

After emailing back and forth with Sam a few times and finally speaking on the phone, he said he'd get back to me about setting up a time to come out. Not 10 minutes later he sent an email with some refreshing advice: "Call this other guy. He's a specialist. I'm about helping people, not taking their money." The engineer he referred me to was a "building envelope" specialist based out of Loudoun County and I'll leave a separate review on the great service and advice he provided. Anyway, back to Sam. Our phone discussion about my problem convinced me that this guy knows what the h*ll he's talking about when it comes to waterproofing. He could have handed me a quote, and I was ready to write a check the same day as long as fell within my budget. The fact that he advised me against using his own company speaks to Sam's integrity. What my home probably needed was not his company's normal type of waterproofing job and he admitted right up front that going with him would therefore result in a higher price to me. So, to recap, Sam gave me: 1. timely and free expert advice 2. a great recommendation to another company with more expertise and which would be more cost effective for me Seriously, what's not to love about that?? Incidentally, Sam's gut-reaction recommendation turned out to be right on the money. The engineer who came out to inspect my problem recommended a very similar course of action. I hope I never have to mess with an actual basement leak, but at least I'll know who to call.

I waited to write my review until we had a heavy rain because we would always get water on one side of the basement after a heavy rain. I am happy to say that the basement is totally dry. We had very high estimates from other companies that either suggested digging up the basement along the exterior walls (even though we told them this had already been done) or excavating along the outside of the house. Sam Weisgal (The Foundation Expert) suggested that we put in a second sump pump in the area where the water was coming in along with a window well drain that would feed into the new pump. This was considerably cheaper than all of the other estimates we had received and made a lot more sense to us. (I should point out that we live in a duplex and that our adjoining neighbor wasn't cleaning their gutters causing the water to pour into our window well at times.) When the crew dug up that corner of the basement there was standing water. As soon as the pump was plugged in it started pumping water out. The crew did a great job and got everything done in five hours. Mr. Weisgal was very knowledgeable and pleasant and we couldn't be happier with the result.

He just told me what work I need to do get done. He show up on time. Called before they came.

I bought this big deal for an ongoing water issue in our basement. I'd gotten many quotes from various companies, many giving conflicting advice and very different approaches. I was hoping this would be an unbiased way to figure out which way to go. Unfortunately, the "expert" who came out seemed no different that any of the various salesman I've had out to assess our property. The evaluation report looked no different that a quote to do work, and the advice seemed no better. Nothing he said indicated to me he had any engineering degree or experience beyond other waterproofing companies. So, in the end, I was quite disappointed and wasted $100.

Sam conducted himself professionally calling first, asked about the problem, and gave me an estimate to when he or one of his people would be able to be on site. Sam arrived on time. Examined the crack, determining that it was not anything to be worried about, and that there was nothing for him to do. He advised me on a couple of simple things that I could to to address the crack. I appreciate that he was honest enough to not advise work if it is not needed. I would use The Foundation Expert again if I needed their services.

Sam followed up to my initial email inquiry within hours. We discussed the symptoms, and he requested photographs. These were inconclusive, so he offered to come out and disclosed the fee. I made the appointment by phone and they were very flexible. Sam showed up promptly on the appointment date. He inspected the outside foundation and assessed that it would be impossible to determine definitely without extensive excavation and difficult coordination with the city to obtain necessary permits. He disclosed up front that he would not be able to perform that work. He offered helpful solutions for interim remedies. His explanations of possible causes and reasons for remedies were clear and easy to understand. He was friendly and very accommodating to my cats and the fact that I'm on crutches for the time being. Overall a pleasant and relieving experience, and I thought a fair price for a professional assessment that i could not have made myself.

The report ended up being a quote instead of what was wrong.

We took advantage of an Angie's List Big Deal and contacted them to sked an inspection visit. Chief Inspector Sam Weisgul called back quickly and set an inspection date. The initial visit had to be delayed several weeks due to illness, but this did not cause us a significant problem and a second date was scheduled and met with no problem . Sam toured our property, inspected several small foundation cracks and provided reassurance that the structure is completely sound, with only minute, non-threatening stress cracks. We were pleased with his expertise and relieved that our house and garage are in good shape. We received a formal written report of the inspection findings. We would certainly recommend The Foundation Experts to any homeowner who needs such service.

They did a thorough review and based on their recommendations, I chose not to have any work done at this time. There was no pressure, which I very much appreciated. Although repairs were recommended, there was no urgency -- it was entirely my choice whether to proceed with their recommendations, whether performed by them or by another contractor. If/when time comes to make repairs, I will probably use The Foundation Expert.

I liked their work and am very happy with the results. They did top-notch work in a professional manner. Their prices were competitive. I did get estimates from two other basement waterproofers and they both evaluated my situation and both suggested the same remediation. The difference between these two companies and The Foundation Expert is that they would have left me on my own to find carpenters, drywallers, painters and everything to put the basement back together. The Foundation Expert was a one-stop shop for an additional price. So I only had to deal with one company.

It went great! Our inspector showed up promptly and examined the area where we had a leak. He carefully checked inside and outside of our home. He checked to make sure our sump pump was in working order, and he showed me that it was becoming very corroded and probably would not last much longer. He recommended that we replace it before it failed, and he suggested a replacement model that was better than most home repair shops sell. He checked all around our home and offered suggestions on keeping it in good condition. He was able to give me a price quote for the leak remediation before he left. I felt that this was a very helpful inspection, and it was worth every penny.

It ended up being more of a sales pitch than anything.

I received an estimate for about $5000 worth of work. When I called to attempt to order the work, it was very difficult to reach anyone. Then the owner insisted that he had to come back to reestimate, and the prices went through the roof. Very unprofessional; blamed lower-level employees for "going crazy" and doing poor work, no follow through, and completely untrustworthy. Terrible experience all around, and a complete waste of $98.

He did an excellent job on the foundation inspection. He looked at everything and was fantastic.

It was really quite amazing. They completed the work in two days while keeping everything clean, and they did excellent work.

The employees spent about 20 minutes looking around the house inside and outside. When finished, they asked me for a check before they left without giving me a report. Initially I stated I would pay upon receiving the report. They were so upset about leaving without a check I gave them a check against my better judgement. Later that evening I wrote an email to the owner stating I needed to receive the report before noon the next day. I received the report that evening. In the report they stated "Outside the home, the grading is done properly". There was no such inspection. The deck covered the affected area. Instead, they have me a price for a new drainage system. I cancelled the check. The owner also sent me a refund check, which I ripped up and threw away. Later that week my husband and I removed the deck boards and found a significant grading issue which we fixed ourselves using soil mixed with clay. We would have prefered to pay someone to fix it for us. It was a bad experience.

They were punctual and did a great job and gave a thorough foundation inspection and gave us a reasonable quote when requested.

everything happened as scheduled; workers kept me informed and were accommodating to the needs of my dogs

Overall the experience was good. I expected a little more in depth information. The gentleman came in and inspected my basement, and then the outside of my house. I showed him cracks that I was concerned with and he gave me his opinion. There really isn't a lot to say.

Sam did the inspection. He is very knowledgable and thorough. He explained everything. He had a very good price to fix the problems he found. It is obvious, he is an expert in his field.

I took advantage of a deal with this company because I was looking for an expert who could tell me what was causing all the walls to crack and the floors shift. I think this company was more of a waterproofing company rather than a structural engineering company. The inspector determined that the basement was structurally healthy. He found water issues in the rear of the home where the concrete pad is cracked and is in very poor health and should be replaced to ensure proper drainage and minimize water infiltration issues. The cracks in the foundation are superficial and not structural in nature. I asked for an estimate from him and received it ten days later. The estimate was a bit high, I thought, however, I have not received any other estimates and I have not had the work performed.

Called for an estimate to repair a concrete patio. They called to changed the date once, no big deal - and showed up at the correct time and date that was rescheduled. Once there, Sam was borderline rude and suggested more work to be done than was necessary, at a price way beyondour budget for the job. He left, apparently not happy with what I wanted to be done, and follow up emails to him went unanswered. He never gave me an estimate for the job, and never had the decency to respond to my emails. If the job was too small, I would expect him to be professional and just say so.

The technician clearly explained the requirements based on his evaluation of our basement. He provided a detailed proposal within 10 days of inspection.

The work they did looks excellent. Lou was great and very flexible in scheduling and was able to reschedule us on short notice when we couldn't do the first date anymore. The people you want to talk to can be hard to reach immidiately sometimes, which is a little frustrating. Overall though they did excellent work quickly and fora fair price and I was very impressed.

We received the estimate shortly after requesting the inspection. We had to budget for the work and that took the greater part of a year. We asked if they would still honor the estimate and they did. They coordinated the day they would arrive and someone discussed what we needed to have moved out of their way. They arrived on time, worked diligently and cleaned their work area daily. They took less than two work days and did an outstanding job. Very professional. Outstanding communication. We would hire them again and we would highly recommend them.