Consumer Beware – Consumer Tips for Hiring a Foundation Repair Contractor

Every year we are reminded on how important it is to practice “Due Diligence” when hiring a contractor.  I often hear the “horror” stories from clients who have made mistakes they regret.  Does any of this sound familiar?

• “I hired them because the company I was referred to by a neighbour was so busy they couldn’t see me right now.  These guys could see me today”
• “The guys I should have hired were booked for 4 weeks”
• “They were cheaper”

All too often during our busy season, I’ll see ads pop up online (Kijiji etc).  While a lot of reputable people use this medium, there are also all too many who use it’s anonymity  to their benefit and take advantage of consumers who want someone quick, cheap and easy.  Here are a couple of examples of what we were called in to fix after a client had hired someone else who was quicker and cheaper.  In both cases the client was now paying twice for the same repair.

Case # 1:  Client had called us originally and was told that due to call volume it would be 4 weeks before we could repair their basement.  They chose to look online for someone else.  They found someone on Kijiji who could come out right away.  This fellow performed his repair by gluing on a garbage bag, charged the client $1000 then left.  When the repair failed, the client tried getting ahold of the “contractor” with no luck.  After some checking, it turned out that the “contractor” they hired had no Business License, no insurance and no office.  He was just trying to pick up some quick cash.  They called us and we scheduled them for a proper repair.  Our foundation repairs are completely guaranteed in writing.

 

Case #2:  Once again the “quick, easy and cheap right now contractor” swooped in and charged a client for an incorrectly performed repair.  We were called in and provided a detailed written estimate, scheduled a proper repair and performed the work with success.

CHECK OUT YOUR CONTRACTOR:   There are many tools in our website to help you with this process.  Please feel free to use our consumer tips when comparing contractors for any service at your home.

“Our Basement & Foundation Repair Guides”

 

Foundation Replacement breathes life into old house

Aquarian Renovations Ltd retained Abarent Construction Ltd to replace the foundation under a stately old historic house in Glenora.  The existing foundation had failed.  The owner wanted to add an addition on to the house and completely renovate the remainder of the house, but was wise enough to start with foundation repair.  Abarent raised the house on steel beams and proceed to demolish the existing foundation and excavated for installation of a new basement.  Abarent has been specializing in this type of project for well over two decades and has many difficult projects such as this one to be proud of.  After the basement was successfully replaced with a new concrete 9 foot high basement, Aquarian took over and worked their magic on the balance of the renovation.  Another project well done.  Call Abarent Construction Ltd when considering your options on your old basement.  Replacement is not always necessary, but the pros at Abarent would be happy to tell you what options are available to you.

Read article by Aquarian Renovations Ltd:

Beautiful Stately HIstoric Homes

Floor Lowering Project adds new Usable space to old historic house

Abarent Construction Ltd. teamed up with Aquarian Renovations Ltd. to create a new space in an old historic houses’s basement.  Prior to Abarent’s involvement the 1800 sq. foot basement had less than 6 feet of head room.  The new owner of this property wanted to be able to develop the space and make it a functional, usable extension of their home.  Abarent set about designing an Engineered Interior PWF Wall System that enabled them to effectively lower the basement floor.  When this basement floor lowering project was complete there was 7’10” of head room and a new concrete floor.  All Engineering Inspections complete, Abarent turned the project over to Aquarian Renovations Ltd who developed the basement space and renovated the remainder of the house.  What transpired created a beautiful home that the current owners enjoy with their growing family.

Read the article by Aquarian Renovation Ltd in the Renovation Magazine (Click for PDF):

Aquarian Stately Clinker Brick Home2_CW

Abarent Offers to Help Save Mundare Church

Abarent Construction Ltd. offers to assist HPS with installation of beam and piling supports to save historic church in Mundare from being burned.  To see the video and read more about the aging Mundare Orthodox Ukrainian Church repair, see CTV’s article.  President and Owner of Abarent Construction Ltd. , Kevin Braddell, thought the building had far too much historical value and was worth looking at saving.  Both Helical Pier Systems and Abarent Construction Ltd. have offered their services free of charge.

Local Business Profile

Abarent Construction was featured in a local business magazine – Renovations, Home Improvement & Design.

Read the article In Good Hands with a Solid Foundation.

Simple Basement Seepage Solutions

As a homeowner, there is a lot of preventative maintenance that you can do on your own to ensure that your basement stays trouble-free for as long as possible. The City of Edmonton has compiled a great reference booklet related to basement seepage solutions.

Topics include:

• Understanding drainage
• Why homes flood
• Eavestroughs and downspouts
• Improving lot grading
• Backwater valves, weeping tile and sump pumps
• Maintaining your home drainage system
• Other resources

Download the City of Edmonton Homeowners Guide.

Helical Piers vs Drilled Concrete Piers

This article by Ryan J. Hardesty, P.E., of Hardesty Consulting LLC discusses helical piers vs drilled concrete piers in highly expansive soil areas. We found it interesting and wanted to share.

It is well known along the front range of Colorado that extensive structural damage to lightly loaded structures can occur in areas underlain by expansive soils. In addition to the damages incurred by such structures, especially residential homes, there is a considerable amount of risk that is shared amongst the community when dealing with expansive soils.

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Foundation settlement