Hi there,
I have a single family home rental property in Casselberry, FL that we noticed cracks in the wall. We had 1 foundation company come out to do the estimate and we were quoted $35k for the project. The issue seems bigger than I thought and I like to request some more estimates from other foundation companies. Does anyone have recommendations for reputable foundation companies? Do I need to also get a structural engineer's involvement and does anyone have good contact for one?
Thank you so much for your help!
@Nhu Pham we've used alpha foundations for a project we have up in Jacksonville. It was an off-grade home and needed some additional supports underneath and I think it was like $20k+. So from my limited experience, foundation work is not cheap but can escalate quickly and become worse if not tackled promptly.
We've never used a structural engineer, but I can't say whether it would be a good idea or if it would be an unnecessary cost.
I would definitely get 3+ quotes and meet them on-site so you can ask them questions and pick their brains. I oftentimes will find I pick up a unique perspective or thought from one company and not another and it might change how we look at a problem. Also, different companies might have different solutions to the same problem which then vary in cost and reliability. Don't be afraid to ask "dumb" questions or ask them to repeat or rephrase things until you understand what they're talking about. I used to not do this very early on and I will now ask the same question 5 different ways until I feel like I understand enough what they are trying to explain.
Also, I would call out the expensive-looking company and the "one-off guy" who does it all themselves because they will probably interact with you differently and you might glean more insight through different view points and perspectives. Or they might tell you the exact same thing and you can have greater confidence in what they are both saying. You don't have to use the expensive company, but they might have equipment a small shop or guy doesn't have that can solve a problem differently.
I did a quick google search and found several options on the google map pack, one of which is alpha, so I would start there if you don't get any other referrals, and maybe just try calling a structural engineer and just ask them if they think a job like this is something they should get involved with or is a foundation company enough. If they know they don't need to be involved, good chance they'll just tell you and move on.
@Nhu Pham we've used alpha foundations for a project we have up in Jacksonville. It was an off-grade home and needed some additional supports underneath and I think it was like $20k+. So from my limited experience, foundation work is not cheap but can escalate quickly and become worse if not tackled promptly.
I've had clients use Alpha because they do a free inspection, which is likely what you will want. I will say that each time they tend to come back with seemingly over the top quotes for "potential" problems, but the guys are very timely and helpful especially if you ask questions during the inspect. Which you definitely want to do as @Chris Grenzig mentioned.
Another company I've used is LRE Foundation Repair. Free inspect. Happy to answer questions and didn't come back with a crazy quote. Good luck! And if you go with another company besides these, you should totally update us on your experience for future reference!
As mentioned by others, get a quote from alpha foundations. Also get one from ram jack.
Hi there,
I have a single family home rental property in Casselberry, FL that we noticed cracks in the wall. We had 1 foundation company come out to do the estimate and we were quoted $35k for the project. The issue seems bigger than I thought and I like to request some more estimates from other foundation companies. Does anyone have recommendations for reputable foundation companies? Do I need to also get a structural engineer's involvement and does anyone have good contact for one?
Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Nhu,
Florida Elite Foundation Repair (407-537-3168), O-Town Foundation Repair Co (321-204-0950), and Alpha Foundations (407-956-2585) are all great options to get additional estimates and compare pricing. I’d also 100% recommend bringing in a Structural Engineer to inspect the property before moving forward with any repairs—they can provide an unbiased assessment and ensure you address the root of the issue.
As a licensed General Contractor in Florida, I’d be happy to help you navigate this situation and coordinate with the right professionals. Let me know if I can assist in any way!
The big Foundations companies (like several listed in this thread) don't fix the underlying problem, they basically quote to put in a new foundation - put new pilings deep into the ground under the house and that is why they are all so expensive. They are not interested in assessing root cause of your problem. When I had what I thought were foundation issues, I was able to find a small contractor that specializes in issues under the home. They found that my AC drain was disconnected (the joys of investing in rental properties long distance) and so there was constant water getting under the home and some of the beams were rotting. They were able to shore up the beams and fix the problem for a few thousand, instead of the 25k+ I was quoted from multiple of the Foundation companies listed in this thread who had no interest in trying to figure out what the problem was and solve it economically.