If you notice any profound defects in your foundation, then you may have a foundation problem that requires some timely evaluation. Foundation repair work is definitely not something a novice can handle easily. In case your foundation needs repair, it would be sound to go in for evaluations by at least four licensed foundation repair contractors before you can select one. But, how can you decide which is the right foundation repair contractor for you? Before going in for the services of a foundation repair contractor, make sure you find out how experienced they are, what their reputation is, whether they are locally owned and managed and many other factors.
Experience
As a general rule, the company that has the most experience is probably the most successful, since they have seen the ups and downs of the economy. You might want the benefit of their years of hard work, examining thousands of houses and buildings, and handling the variegated foundation failure issues. Find out whether the foundation repair contractor, whose services you intend to hire, has licensing or not, since licensing protects the consumers from unscrupulous contractors that actually do not have any experience in the field.
Reputation
Find out what the reputation of the foundation repair company, whose services you wish to avail, is. You will want to check on the internet and with your neighbors or relatives what they have heard about the company. Are there any big complaints against them on the internet? Is the company reputed? Is the company staff responsive and professional? You might also want to find out whether they handle the customer complaints properly and whether they respond to customers politely and professionally. Also find out whether the company screens its professionals for criminal records and whether it runs drug tests on its employees.
Professional written contract
A contractor should offer a proper written contract with a list of all the services being provided and outline the limitations and the exclusions of the company and not give you everything written on a small ticket. Mostly all contracts have a list of exclusions. You must however watch out for broad exclusions such as “the contractor is not responsible for any damages that are outside the house” that would result in huge repair costs for you.
Respect
Find out whether the contractor is respectful or not, since the “one size fits all” approach is no longer valid. Your foundation repair contractor should try to help you with your needs and requirements rather than trying to sell his other products and services to you that may not be of any use to you. Sometimes, this implies that the foundation repair contractor is only trying to provide you with the information you need to do the job yourself, so that he need not do anything at all. The contractor should in fact be respectful of your time and home by arriving punctually and cleaning up after the job is done.
Comfort
Find out whether the contractor from the foundation repair company will be able to do work around your time schedule rather than his own and whether the contractor works on the weekends or not.