Dear Robin:
Dear Confused:
It can be overwhelming to have so many differing recommendations. There are many good foundation contractors but they are foundation sales people offering free advice. I recommend you hire an experienced Engineer to assess your home condition, explain the findings and make recommendations. Engineers are like Doctors, they attend college for many years, graduate, intern under a licensed engineer for an additional 4 years. Then they must pass state exams to be allowed to apply for a license to be an Engineer in the state. 99 percent of the Engineers don’t work on residential projects, rather they work in the commercial industry. Once you find a “residential” Engineer in your area, the best Engineer to evaluate, diagnose and make recommendations for foundation movement is a Forensic Engineer, Geotech Engineer and Structural Engineer or an Engineer with experience in all three fields. Research and understand the differences and advocate for yourself and your home. Ask the engineer for his CV or resume. Ask if you need to be available for 15 minutes or 120 minutes. Time with the engineer is relative and often representative of costs. If you find the “perfect engineer” and he is outside your city, pay him to travel. It will cost you some extra, but the correct diagnosis and recommendations can save you thousands and thousands of dollars. When you have the Engineer’s “recipe for repair” read it and understand it. Then give a copy to 3 of your preferred contractors, asking them for a bid for the recommendations by your Engineer. Keep copies of all the reports and repairs in a binder so you can disclose that information when you sell your house.
