QUIRK

Michael (Quirk) provided an expert opinion on foundation cracks and installed a monitor on one of the cracks. We needed two services: First - we have in our house a couple of cracks in the foundation and also on garage floor. We wanted an expert opinion on these cracks, to help us make the right decision. In many cases people tend to contract a contractor for these kind of inspections and they end up paying thousands of dollars for un-needed work. Our view is to contract a neutral expert like Michael (architect or foundation expert) to have an expert opinion and then decide what to do. Second ? we needed a letter for insurance company proving the house is bolted. Michael showed on time and dedicated quite some time for a thorough inspection of the foundation. His explanations were excellent and in a language we could understand. He provided a written report with recommendations (nothing to worry thankfully), and one crack he installed a small monitor to be checked once a year to make sure the crack does not expand. He provided also a letter for the insurance company confirming the house is bolted and as a bonus he recommended us small fixing that needs to be done. I am happy we contracted an expert like Michael, he gave us solid advice and a confidence we needed. I strongly recommend him, he is a thorough professional, honest and charges fair prices.

The garage of my house has had some kind of settlement over the past 30 years. Since I've only owned the house for 2 years, I can't tell what's causing the issue and how severe it is. I contacted about 4-5 companies and they came up with different solutions with estimates ranging from $2500 to $9000. I couldn't decide which way to go and contacted Michael for second opinion. Since he charges for consulting and does not want to sell me anything or service, I was hoping that his opinion would be unbiased. I left him a message on his phone on a Monday and he responded on the same day. The inspection was scheduled on Thursday and he showed up within a half hour window to the scheduled time. The inspection was very thorough and he answered all my questions and solved all the suspicions, including ones related to the roof, load bearing beam, slab and drainage. He seems to be very knowledgeable and right on the point. He was also very professional, neither pushy nor indifferent. Believe it or not, a couple companies that I interviewed seemed really indifferent. I felt that they didn't want to have my business and was not responsive at all. 4 days later, he produced a 2 paged thorough report on the inspection, including all the details on the house and the discussions we had. I was amazed at how much he remembered about all the details of the visit. He provided me with all the information that I needed to make the right decision at this point and also suggested me to keep monitor to see if the settlement continues. I would not hesitate to hire him again, if I ever need consulting on structure related issue again... however I really hope that I won't need to. :-)

Overall, the project was completed within the budget and time guidelines. It went very well and we were very satisfied with the outcome. Michael Quirk communicates project updates and expectations very accurately.

Overall a positive experience. I am in the very early exploratory stage on a couple of projects and he was great for looking at the structure and offering suggestions and how to proceed.

He responded quickly with a lowish bid for the engineering work to re-design a beam that supports a free-standing garage that makes it impossible to install a garage door. We made an appointment within a week for him to look at the garage. He measured and provided several options - we decided on the best option and 2 days later he emailed detailed plans for a carpenter to complete the work.

It's a huge, sprawling project and Michael has been one of the consistently sane voices throughout. He is smart, calm, thoughtful, and eminently practical. Michael has a solid understanding of both engineering and code, as well as practical experience with remodeling and construction methods. I wish we had better understood the scope of what he could offer us from the beginning, and used his expertise more before we started.