Foundation Repair of CA

We had a surprisingly difficult and frustrating end to our experience with Foundation Repair of California (FRoCA), despite a very pleasant beginning. Unfortunately, because of what we learned in the process, we advise others to be very wary of working with this company. We had hired FRoCA to do a foundation inspection when we purchased our new home in 2021, and their inspector and sales team were very easy to work with. When we decided to retrofit our home to be earthquake-resistant in 2022, we called FRoCA. They came, did a crawlspace assessment, sent our build plans and diagrams off to their engineering department for retrofitting, and pulled the permit. We paid a deposit on a 10K project and permit fees. The day before the retrofit was supposed to begin, FRoCA sent out their site manager for a final check before construction could begin. We moved our schedule around to accommodate, and they showed up three hours late. When the site manager arrived, they overlapped with a meeting we had moved to accommodate them. Upon finding this out, they were very curt and unprofessional, and we didn't realize until later in the day that they had left without letting us know a status update. Later that day, we got a call from FRoCA saying that the site manager had banned anyone from FRoCA from going into our crawlspace, and said that all the insulation needed to be removed before they could continue the project. At this point they'd said they could remove the insulation for an additional fee. When we expressed surprise at this, our sales rep told us that the site manager had actually broken out in hives from being in our space. This was a surprise to us, as we had 1) replaced the insulation based on FRoCA's recommendation when we moved into the house, 2) had not been told that the insulation needed to be removed and replaced after multiple site visits by FRoCA, and 3) had multiple plumbing/electric contractors in our crawlspace, and didn't want to expose anyone to a hazardous environment. We put the project on hold and called three separate companies that specialize in either crawl space inspection or foundation inspection to check on the status of our crawl space. All came, performed an analysis and inspection, and came back with a clean bill of health. After all this, we were ready to share the inspection reports with FRoCA, but before we could do so, our sales rep said that they couldn't do the retrofit work as promised anyway, as their chosen materials were incompatible with a section of the foundation. We were surprised by this, as FRoCA had done multiple designs and checks, had their engineering team review it, and then sent it to the city to get approval and pull a permit. We asked how engineering had missed it, and FRoCA essentially shrugged it off. At this point, months had passed from when we were first approved for the EBB grant, and time was running out for us to finish our project. We started looking for another contractor to help us out, and asked for our deposit to be refunded from FRoCA, which they initially didn't want to do and tried to convince us to keep them on retainer, citing the rising costs of materials. We refused and insisted on our deposit back. FRoCA said that they would refund our deposit, but that we would need to pay the permit cost. We paid them for the permit, but in order to transfer the permit the local government needed the plans that were drawn as well. FRoCA refused, stating that the fee was technically only for the permit. We were really unhappy with this arrangement, as they pulled a permit based on plans that wouldn't work, and submitted a permit release that, without plans, couldn't be released. This is extremely frustrating, as we paid $900+ for a permit that couldn't be used. We had to pay for another permit when we hired a new contractor to work on our retrofit. In the meantime, we found another independent contractor who made the process SO EASY. He proactively worked with EBB to help us get an extension. Within three weeks of us contacting him, he had a new permit pulled, plans designed, and one more week later, was bolting down our crawlspace. Seeing how easy GrandView Builders made this process really shone a light on FRoCA's inadequate business practices. Summary: FRoCA pulled out of our project 24 hours before it was due to start, citing reasons that were discredited by 3 independent companies. They then claimed that the project wasn't feasible because of an incompatibility between our home and their materials that they had missed during several site visits, after submitting plans and pulling permits. After we insisted on a refund of our deposit, they provided a permit release but not the plans necessary to the local government, without which we could not transfer the permit to the new contractor, costing us $900 for no discernible reason.

Poor communication. Multiple contract revisions. Continuous miscommunications. Overall horrible experience

A great experience through the whole process. Chris Hardy was the first person to come and take a look at our project. He was super informative, took his time, answered any questions I had on the spot, and came up with a thorough "rough draft" plan for our foundation repair/leveling. James Nicolas was next to come up and perform his tasks and was kind, thorough, and made sure everything was correct prior to the engineering portion of the job. Engineering went smoothly and the communication through this process was great. I even resubmitted a couple portions of the drawings for update and Zack Lavely was very helpful to discuss and update the plan. When all was said and ready to rock, Aveena Lewis was helpful in getting me scheduled and confirming that I was set for the job after reading about what I needed to do in order to be prepared. When the crew arrived on Tuesday morning, Gabriel Leyva, Octavio, Antonio, and Antonio (yeah, 2 awesome Antonios!) were all ready to rock. Each of them are kind and super hard workers. Watching them work was like watching a finely tuned machine. Their synergy was awesome. Gabriel was so kind and knowledgeable and even explained a couple things we'd need to tackle in order to not have a big bay window break, along with making sure inspection passes. Lastly, Lindsey (spelling?) was amazing to speak with over the phone. She is who I communicated with to make payments and will be coming out to do the final walkthrough and inspections to ensure everything is done right and up to code. So kind, so helpful, truly a delight to speak with. I would happily recommend Foundation Repair of CA to folks in our area and hope they get the same team we had. Top notch!

We've used Foundation Repair of California in the past to have some foundation support posts installed because the previous owners had done a terrible job. They came and it was great, no problems. So we called again a few months ago to have them come out to discuss a problem we've been having over the past couple years of water seepage into the basement. Our basement has a dirt floor and over the past two years the dirt has gotten progressively more and more damp. It was now so bad that the entire basement's dirt floor was damp. Not real muddy (not enough for a sump pump), just damp. Damp enough that it was very humid and crystals had began to cover 75% of the dirt, with bits of the mud getting tracked into the house. The man who came out was an idiot. Nice guy, but clearly he had no clue what he was talking about. When we repeatedly asked about finding the source of the water seeping into the basement, he actually told us that we didn't need to fix the water issue and that basements were always wet (sure, maybe in some states but not in the central valley of California... and both our neighbors have dirt basements as well and theirs are bone dry). He told us we should just cover up the foundation walls and floor with the plastic waterproofing and the problem would be solved. He actually, straight face told us to continue to allow the water to seep into the basement and just cover it up. Then he quoted us $20,000 to essentially put a bandaid over the problem. It quickly became clear he was just trying to make a big sale. We smiled, said thank you and will never call them again.

- Son of owner came out to get an estimate. In process he mentioned that he wanted to start a subsidiary company and needed $150,000 to get started and solicited me for a loan/investment. Unprofessional - Signed up for them to replace sidewalk in front of house and raise a concrete slab in the back yard. Estimate roughly $7k with cost split between two jobs. - When I got the online estimate he raised the price $350 - After almost 4 weeks of no communication, we finally called them. It took another 2 weeks to get tmem out. - Sales rep/owners son had ME go to city hall and get the specification from the city to do the sidewalk. - They came out took out the sidewalk and put rough forms in for pouring concrete the next day. Then found out that they did it incorrectly and it didn't pass inspection. - Job sat for two weeks as they sorted it out. - They came out two weeks later to do slab in back yard and broke through an adjoining area where there was a flagstone patio. This will now have to be completely redone. - Finally sent out a supervisor who was apologetic. He would send out a crew to 'finish' the sidewalk (extra cement/debis and forms). had to call him weeks later to remind him. Finally finished to our satisfaction. - We negotiated to have the bill cut in half. Which is fair but took two months for a 4 day job.

Initial visit was on time and when it was scheduled. After that, nothing. After 3 weeks of waiting for their proposal, I called the office. I was told that the Director of Sales and the consultant would both be notified and that I would receive a call that day. Nothing….. Apparently they have more business than they can handle. I'm very surprised since they had previously done drainage work in my crawl space and everything went well, on schedule and they did everything they agreed to do with good follow up. Maybe they have "growing pains"…???

Received the estimate for repair, but haven't done any repair yet.

.

unknown

They sent 3 guys out that started the work, and the last 2 guys that came out did a great job. So far things have been good.

We were very happy with the work done on our retaining wall. The only alternative we were given prior to meeting with Ray Anderson was to replace our very large retaining wall at a cost of about five times what the repair cost. Ray explained the repair process using CarbonArmor. We were impressed by the product and the warranty The installers, Dan Bowen and Steve Cabral, were at our house right on time and went right to work. Everything was completed and cleaned up as expected. The CarbonArmor process was a great alternative for us.

It went flawlessly. I was worried at first because I've never had to have this done before, but they made it super easy. They were extremely punctual and professional. I talked to a few companies before deciding on using them, and I'm so glad I ended up with their company.

Service was fast and accurate everything went exactly as planned and under the accurate time frame 

No problems at all. They kept us informed. On time every step of the way. They gave us lots of info & explained why it was necessary to do each part of the project. When it came to doing the work the crew was very professional. We received daily written updates. They even finished the job a day early.

The representative was scheduled to come Saturday January 2nd and did not show up nor called. The negative reviews on angielist and yelp start off with similar situations I experienced and now i'm hesitant to move forward with this company. When I first contacted FRC they called me the same day and we scheduled an appointment 10 days in advanced. December 23rd was the last time I spoke to someone live from FRC. I did received a booklet and a short background of the representative that was suppose to show up which really made this company stand out from all the rest. But sadly they were the only ones that did not show up and did not call to cancel their visit. A morning wasted :( 

Please do EXTENSIVE research before hiring any contractor, especially a foundation repair contractor. Don't make the mistake we did and rely on the contractor to inform you of what's necessary to repair your homes foundation. Consider working first with a Civil Engineer specializing in home foundations to assess your property and what truly is needed.

Unfortunately, we did not gain an accurate picture of Foundation Repair of CA, and have recently filed a formal complaint with the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) against them.

Since initiating our CSLB complaint, much more was learned about Foundation Repair of CA's questionable business practices.

During the work performed to my mothers home in March/April of 2014  (which was based on an initial concern with possible foundation issues in the basement area of her home), Foundation Repair of CA:

Over-engineered the project, grossly inflating the value of the job;

Required her to pay $45,000 dollars of an approx. $71,000 job on the first day they began the work. This was WITHOUT ever providing a progress payment schedule in the contract they wrote BEFORE she signed it. Instead, Foundation Repair of CA sent her the signed contract with sticky notes indicating expected payments of $45,000 day one, another $20,000 day 3/4 and the balance of the job on their last day ($6,800). They also promised a discount of 5% for cash or check payment that was never provided;

Performed unnecessary and costly "repairs." This finding is based on a later inspection by a California licensed Civil Engineer specializing in home foundation repairs;

Became unresponsive when questioned about a particular area of her home;

Promised a refund, then retracted that promise changing their story about push piers "mistaken" then "relocated" on the job without any change revisions noted;

Could not produce "as built" drawings upon request in an immediate and timely fashion;

Then when they responded to her concerns of visible movement and buckling on an attached porch several months later, they attempted to sell her more unnecessary work. This was in fact in an area of her home they damaged when they attempted to lift it.

She is a senior citizen, and put her trust in them only to be sadly taken advantage of by them. Their misrepresentation costs her a significant financial burden that was not necessary -- to the tune of several thousands of dollars.  Be diligent and don't take anything they say for granted without consulting with a Civil Engineer who specializes in foundations and other reputable contractors who take pride in running their businesses by the book.

This review will be updated upon the settlement of our case with the Contractors State Licensing Board of CA.

Things started as well as could be expected. Tim came out and did the measurements and told me what a previous inspector had stated, that our foundation had sunk about 3 inches on one side of the house. After completing all of the measurements, he have me a quote, which was lower than the first company. After we completed the process of acquiring the funds for the repair, we scheduled a date to have the repair started. I received a call asking if I minded having it pushed back from the Monday it was scheduled to begin to the Thursday. I agreed. I then received another call asking if I would mind pushing the start date back to the Friday. This time I agreed and asked if this was the last delay since I had to change my requested time off work each time this happened. I was told it would be the last time. I received a call on Friday (project start date) stating the the project engineer wanted to review my folder and that they wouldn't be starting the work until the next Monday because the safety issues tied to leaving the holes open over the weekend. As upset as I was about all of the delays, I agreed. The crew doing the actual foundation work did an excellent job. Jorge and is crew were very professional. The project was supposed to be completed on Thursday, however the city inspector did not show up to inspect the work as scheduled on Thursday (not the crew's fault). When I asked if they would be returning on Friday, I was told that they wouldn't because they did not a have a crew available for Friday. They wouldn't be returning until Monday. This really upset me because it seemed that all of a sudden the whole safety issue wasn't a problem. When the crew came to inject the poly-fill they ran over one of the neighbor's sprinkler and broke it. They sent a two-man crew out out fill the holes and pour the concrete. This took another two days. My neighbor spoke with one of the young men about her sprinkler and was told it would be repaired. I was later informed by my neighbor that a sprinkler head(wrong size) was dropped in his yard next to the broken sprinkler head. When I spoke to the office about it, the response I hit was they would contact the owner directly and just give them a credit because they couldn't afford to send a crew all the way out just to repair the sprinkler head.

unknown

unknown

one was courteous and easy to deal with. Overall an excellent experience. It is expensive. I am rating the pricing as 'fair' only because it is very difficult to get an 'apples to apples' comparison with other companies. Each company that gave me an estimate had a different solution so it's not easy to determine which is the best route. In the end, I felt the highest level of confidence with this company and picked them for the work. Although it was pricey, I felt they would get the job done right and they did.