Let’s say you’re a real estate agent or a homeowner who has recently discovered foundation issues. Who you gonna call?

You may think this is a job for a foundation repair company. But it’s not.  Instead, call an independent foundation repair engineer. Below I’ll explain why using a structural or foundation engineer vs. a foundation repair contractor is the appropriate option. 

Choosing a Foundation Engineer vs. a Foundation Repair Contractor

Most homeowners and realtors faced with foundation problems call foundation repair contractors. But why?

1. The first reason is they are easy to find. Why? Because they spend a lot of money on marketing to make themselves known.

2. The second reason is that they’re cheap. They offer “investigative services“ for free or for a very low price. This is because they hope to sell a bigger job at some point.

I know this because I was a foundation repair contractor for 35 years and I made these same arguments.

The main difference between using a foundation engineer vs. a foundation repair contractor is that an independent engineer is unbiased. You pay the engineer to do the job and the job is done with no ulterior motive. Whereas a foundation repair contractor has an agenda. Every “problem” they diagnose is an opportunity for a money making sale. 

On the other hand, if your home is within the statute of repose (the period of time for which a builder is responsible), you would call the home builder. The main reason for this is, again, because it’s the cheaper option. 

The problem with this solution is this: The builder will first send out his service manager to look it over. That manager will tell you that it’s often nothing. If you are persistent,  he will eventually send out his engineer. This is the same engineer who designed the home in the first place! 

They do this because the builder and his engineer want to mitigate repair costs for the homebuilder.

This is why you also need an independent foundation engineer vs. a foundation repair contractor, or the engineer in service of the homebuilder. 

Why Homebuilder Investigations are Flawed Too

The investigations of a foundation repair contractor, or their engineers, are flawed because of their motivations.

Carl Sagan‘s excellent analysis of the fine art of baloney detection points out the first rule: Get independent confirmation of the facts from non-biased sources. It’s a great video and well worth watching if you’d like to check it out:

The “investigators” (sales people) from a contracting company are not conflict-free. They both have an axe to grind. Their bread is buttered by somebody else, as I mentioned above. 

So, when it comes to using an independent foundation engineer vs. a foundation repair contractor, wouldn’t you want the guy with no skin in the game? 

Using a Foundation Engineer vs. a Foundation Repair Contractor Eliminates Conflict of Interests

There are many more reasons to ensure that the investigation of your foundation issue is conflict-free. I outline these in my latest book, Foundation Repair Secrets.

For instance, I explain in detail the difference between foundation engineers vs. foundation repair contractors and sales people.

Here’s an Example: 

Sometimes foundation repair contractors will even tell you that they will have an independent engineer “look over” their “report” to “make sure everything is good” when they pull permits for the work. This, by definition, cannot be true. 

Engineers are not allowed to sign off on a report (seal it) that they did not personally investigate or oversee the investigation directly. 

In other words, a report from another company cannot be sealed by an outside, independent engineer. They can seal the permit, but not the original report. This means that the original assumptions about the problems and their solutions go ignored. I have numerous examples of this kind of situation and I can tell you firsthand that they were disastrous.

Another issue is that  foundation repair salespersons will retort (with much bravado) that they are better than engineers when it comes to foundation repair. My book, Foundation Repair Secrets, now available on Amazon also outlines the many reasons why this is completely untrue, and even laughable. 

Ultimately, when it comes to avoiding a conflict of interest,  you have to choose an independent structural, or foundation engineer vs. a foundation repair contractor and their teams.

Geotechnical, Structural, and Construction Engineering Matters

In addition to the conflict-free requirements, as noted above, when it comes to a true independent foundation engineer vs. a foundation repair contractor, the engineer is the only expert. These engineers must have experience in geotechnical, structural, and construction engineering in order to complete a responsible data-driven report.

They must also be focused on forensics as opposed to new construction design. This is a fairly uncommon set of skills and very few engineers outside of foundation repair engineers fit the bill.

Often a homeowner or agent will call someone they trust (a relative or friend who happens to be a civil engineer) to help them. This is a mistake because it’s likely that the engineer is not a specialist in forensic investigations, nor is he or she an expert in a combination of geotechnical, structural, and foundation construction engineering.

In other words, it requires a special and specific set of skills to be a qualified foundation engineer. Other types of engineers don’t fit the bill for these types of services. 

Foundation Repair Secrets Will Guide Your Process

Because your average person doesn’t truly understand the difference between a specialized, independent foundation engineer vs. foundation repair contractors and their teams, they make costly mistakes. 

People may have friends and relatives in the building industry, or leave it up to their contractor or others, to guide them to the right foundation repair solutions.  Again, these people, including home inspectors, are unqualified to do a detailed foundation repair investigation.

This is why I wrote my book.  I wanted to use my years of experience and subsequent expertise to help people avoid these costly mistakes. 

Foundation Repair Secrets  outlines 17 important things that need to be carefully examined in order to produce a good independent forensic foundation report. It also explains why they should be done by someone with expertise and everyday experience in these matters.

A good independent foundation engineer vs. a foundation repair contractor may be a little harder to find, unfortunately.  However, in the end, it will be worth it to get your foundation repair job done, and get it done right!