When you have a foundation problem, the person who comes to inspect your house may not be an engineer. They may be a salesperson working for the company that wants to sell you the repair.

I’ve seen firsthand how little oversight there can be in the foundation repair industry. And when the person diagnosing the problem is also the person selling the solution, there is an obvious conflict of interest.

Before you accept a diagnosis or a $20,000, $40,000, or $80,000 repair proposal, here are 10 questions I would ask.

1. How Are They Paid?

Most foundation repair salespeople work on 100% commission. A few get a small salary plus commission, and fewer still are on straight salary — but even a salaried salesperson who misses quota won’t last long.

So ask yourself: if they’re being paid to give you an “objective” evaluation, and that pay depends on selling you something, how objective can it really be?

I’ve written more about how foundation repair salespeople are compensated and the incentives they face here.

2. Will an Engineer Seal the Diagnosis and Repair Plan?

Most engineers working for a foundation repair company only perform the pier-spacing calculation required for permits. They generally can’t ethically opine on a diagnosis or repair plan based on data gathered by someone else — a salesperson from their own company, for instance. An engineer who signs off on another person’s investigation without doing the work themselves risks their license to do it.

I’ve written more about what foundation repair permits actually cover — and what they don’t — here.

3. If Your House Needs Something They Don’t Sell, Will They Still Recommend It?

If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem starts looking like a nail. Grading and drainage fixes can resolve a lot of foundation problems, but most foundation repair companies don’t offer them — so they rarely bring them up. And if they do offer them, it’s not really a moneymaker for them, so they will push what they can make more money on.

I’ve written more about whether foundation repair salespeople are actually qualified to be design specialists here.

4. Do They Diagnose Heave as Well as Settlement?

Many foundation repair salespeople don’t understand soil heave well, often because they have no product to sell for it. Heave, caused by expansive soil movement, isn’t the same as settlement, and it can be just as damaging and just as common.

If they can’t reliably tell the difference, how will they accurately diagnose the problem with your foundation?

I explain the differences between settlement and heave in more detail here.

5. How Will They Decide If Your House Needs Repairs?

Homeowners report salespeople using made-up thresholds to justify a sale. Most foundation repair salespeople aren’t trained in the engineering standards actually used to evaluate a foundation problem — such as percentage of tilt, deflection, and radius of curvature.

If they don’t understand those standards, how objective can their evaluation really be?

I explain more about engineering allowables here.

6. Does Their Warranty Cover Faulty Design?

Most foundation repair companies offer lifetime warranties on their products — but only where they installed them. If the salesperson misdiagnoses the movement or places the product in the wrong location, there’s usually no warranty coverage.

I’ve written more about the truth behind foundation repair lifetime warranties here.

7. How Will They Determine Whether the Foundation Will Keep Moving?

Forensic geotechnical engineers have real tools and methods for this. Most foundation repair salespeople have none of them, and lack the training to interpret complex subsurface conditions with any accuracy. For them, it’s usually a guess — and if they’re trying to sell you a product, you can guess which way that guess leans.

I explain more about how to determine whether your foundation will keep moving here.

8. Who Hires the Inspector Overseeing the Work?

Most city and county inspectors aren’t trained in foundation repair. Jurisdictions typically require a “special inspector” — a local engineer familiar with this type of work — and code requires that this inspector not be hired by the contractor.

Yet almost always, they are. That’s a conflict of interest. The inspector’s loyalty should be to you, not to the company they’re overseeing.

I’ve written more about city and county inspectors and foundation repair inspections here.

9. Who Decides, Objectively, If Extra Work Is Needed Mid-Project?

Running into “unknown conditions” that require more work and more money is common on foundation repair projects. As a homeowner, you’re not equipped to evaluate whether that claim is legitimate.

An independent special inspector — ideally the one who designed the repair plan in the first place — has the knowledge and the neutrality to make that call fairly.

I explain more about the problem with free foundation repair analyses here.

10. How Will the Foundation Performance Evaluation Be Done, Years Later?

Usually, the same foundation repair company that did the work comes back to evaluate its own performance. How objective is that likely to be?

Will they show you the installation data behind their claims, and who’s qualified to evaluate it? This is exactly where an independent engineer’s foundation performance evaluation earns its cost.

I’ve written more about the limitations of state contractor boards when it comes to foundation repair here.

The Bottom Line

Have you received a costly proposal to repair your foundation? $20,000, $40,000, or even $80,000?

Before you spend a dime, get a second opinion.

And I don’t mean another foundation repair contractor. Get an evaluation from an independent, licensed engineer. Someone who doesn’t have a financial interest in selling you the repair. Otherwise, you’re just getting another opinion from someone with the same conflict of interest as the first contractor.