A friend of the family is down-sizing and has put his home up for sale. He and his wife have too much house and are looking to move into a condo. A real estate agent was engaged and the process started.
The home inspector said there was a “dome” on the floor of the master bedroom. Nobody else could see what he was talking about, but a foundation repair company was called to check the concrete slab. The inspector for the repair company didn’t find a problem with the master bedroom floor, saw no “dome” but thought the house could use 9 piers. He had used a Compulevel or similar tool according to my friend.
Wanting to verify the need for piers and having good sense, the real estate agent called a different foundation repair contractor who sent out an inspector we’ll call “Bob.” Armed with similar tools, “Bob” came to a different conclusion. No need for piers.
The real estate agent then called a third foundation inspector who, it turns out, knows Bob and respects his work. “If Bob says there is no problem and no need for piers, then you can take that to the bank”, said inspector number three who was also willing to sign disclosure forms giving the foundation a good to go status.
The lesson here is to always get at least three inspections and bids from foundation repair companies. You may not get the happy ending my friend did, but you won’t be relying on the word of just one contractor.
When it comes to your home it is always a good idea to get multiple opinions, and bids. While many contractors may agree you have a problem, they may have different approaches to fixing that problem. How they go about those fixes is where a majority of the cost and time differences come from.