Acuterra Engineering & Construction Services

Met with Accutera at job site. Was helpful.

Very well. Any problems were quickly resolved. (sprinkler damage) I highly recommend this firm.

The company did not return my call.

I am so pleased. I am so happy. I'm just glad. It looks nice. They had to dig a trench to put the pipe down to the side walk level. Now the water just flows out to the side walk. They did a lot of work. He had to put the drain in my front lawn but he did it where you cant even see it. Russ and his workers were so nice. They are very good. It was worth every penny because now I am happy. I would refer him to anyone.

Mr. Pogue gave me tremendous peace of mind - he assured me that my house was in good condition, and the small signs of potential foundation problems were normal for a home as old as mine (built in 1979). He explained everything in a way I could understand. Very personable also. Most importantly, he was not trying to sell me something that I didn't need.

Russ analyzed our situation and sent us some information on what to do about it.

It didn't. Due to Russell's lack of response to our calls we have given up and will be looking for a company that feels customer service - or at least customer contact - is important. Certainly Russell can choose which jobs he want to do, and at any point he could have told us that he did not want, or would not be able to do, our job. Honesty upfront is always easier to take than repeated excuses or just flat ignoring a customer. Be careful. This is an update of our 11/5/16 review. Mr. Pogue came to our home once after that date, assured us that his company never left a job undone, and mentioned that his company was very busy with a large job in La Jolla CA. We told him we understood and that we would wait for him to contact us with a plan for our repair. We never heard from him again. Today - 3/29/17 - we hired another company, one whose business practices include doing what they say they will do. As a correction to our original review, please note that while we paid $100 for Mr. Pogue to come to our home to diagnose our leak problem, we were unable to hire Acuterra due to Mr. Pogue's lack of interest/follow-up, and that no services were performed.

Russell Progue spent an incredible amount of time with me on the phone regarding a crack in a sim wall (I sent photos of the crack). He explained the purpose of the sim wall (the house is on a raised foundation) and his opinion as to whether or not it was a structural issue. He was very informative, patient, and honest! He easily could have charged my clients hundreds of dollars for a formal inspection. Instead, he provided his opinion, advised his fees for a formal inspection and repair, and left it up to my buyers to decide how they wanted to proceed. He even offered to talk with my buyers about the crack, free of charge! As a realtor, I am always looking for professional and honest contractors. Acuterra (especially Mr. Progue) has earned my trust and I will call them again when the opportunity arises.

Russ was kind enough to take a look at our inspection report and give us his opinion on the severity. Russ got back to me in a couple of days and spent some time going over the report. He was a great help, he sounds extremely knowledgeable and was very professional. He took his time to discuss the matter with me before I spent extra money ordering further inspections. All of this great service at no charge. I called Russ after trying to make appointments with other structural repair companies with no luck. Russ answered his phone and was great to work with. I would definitely use Acuterra in the future.

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I live in La Jolla where the soils are very poor and everyone has concerns about sliding and erosion issues. In preparation for the upcoming winter, I contacted Acuterra to consult what would be needed to improve my situation and hillside. Russ is the ultimate in class. Instead of sensationalizing things and playing on my fears, he was very level head and walked the perimeter of my job and thoroughly discussed the condition of my house and the slopes in the backyard towards the canyon. In essence, my fears were not founded and he assured me that I have already done what needs to be done and no further works is needed. I strongly believe, if it was any other contractor, he would have submitted a proposal in the thousands of dollars for un-necessary work.
I fully intend on using him for any issues that may arise in the future and have already recommended him to my neighbors for foundation and drainage issues. Thank you Russ for being so ethical and moral with your work and your company

Russ was very professional and detailed in his approach.  The estimate he provided was 10 pages with photos, explanation of the issues and the proposed solution.  He was bidding against another contractor, and although Acuterra's estimate was slightly more, we are very happy we chose Acuterra.  All work was performed by highly qualified and well-trained technicians.  Russ visited the job site several times.  We changed the work plan several times during implementation, and Russ was very accommodating.  I highly recommend Acuterra for their quality of service and professionalism.

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I have never been so impressed with a contractor in my life. Russ was quick to respond to my inquiry and took the time to explain our situation and provide options for us -- including options that meant his company wouldn't get the work! His company's mission is to do what is best for the homeowner. After talking to Russ on the phone, it is clear that he truly believes this and practices what he preaches.
After we move into our new home, we plan to have Acuterra give us an estimate for the work we need done and I am more than confident they will provide an accurate and honest assessment of our needs.

unknown

The owner came out. He was super helpful, and very knowledgeable. I didn't need the service, and he was telling me why I didn't. He was very honest.

They didn't do the job but they came over and gave us recommendations. There were no unexpected issues. They were at my house for about an hour. I felt like he was extremely helpful and very honest and gave us very good advice, very knowledgeable. We didn't have to do the work but I'm sure he does great. He has great reviews on Angie's List that's why I called them. He was completely honest, I could tell that. He has a lot of information, a lot of experience with these things. The estimate seemed expensive. If we needed something done, I would use him.

My husband and I were looking for a home and discovered a issue with the foundation during our home inspection.  We needed a contractor to give us an assessment of the extent of the work that would need to be done to fix the foundation.  I called Russ, with Acuterra, and he was fantastic.  He spent a ton of time up front speaking with me about what could be going on with the house, and then was able to come out the very next day to perform an inspection.  This was crucial because we needed to make a decision on what we were going to do with the home quickly, and we were bumping up against the Thanksgiving holiday.  
Russ came out and performed a thorough slab and foundation inspection.  He gave us a full run down of what we would need to do to properly fix the home, and spent all the time we needed to answer our questions and address our concerns.  
Further, he even followed up with me after the inspection, when my husband and I had had time to discuss what we'd learned, gave us his opinion, and made himself available for any additional questions.  
In a society where everyone always seems to be in a rush and hurrying to the next job, Russ made us feel like we were his number 1 clients. Ultimately, we decided not to go through with the purchase of the home, but had we done so, we would have hired Acuterra to perform the work.  I'd highly recommend them!

Russ was incredibly helpful. I needed input on drainage issues at a property i am currently in escrow on. He provided detailed and insightful consultation and I learned a lot from him. He was incredibly honest and knowledgeable in his assessment of the work that needed to be done. We came up with a long term solution that I will absolutely be using his services for in the future. He did not push for work to be done immediately or use scare tactics. He was very generous with his time and again, very honest in his assessment of the problems. I would highly recommend Acuterra to anyone who needs foundation work, or drainage work. I plan on using them in the future for all of these needs, as his experience and knowledge seem invaluable for anyone encountering foundation or drainage issues.

I had a very unusual moisture problem and Russ Pogue was able to come up with an ingenious solution.  They built a well on the uphill side of the water-vulnerable wall and installed a pump to remove whatever seepage may accumulate in the future.  The workers were professional and the site was cleaner after the job than before.

Russell Pogue is the owner of Acuterra Drainage and Foundation . The most important reasons I would recommend Russell's company if you have questions regarding your foundation or drainage are:
1. Russell will not tell you that you have a problem just to get a nickel out of you.
2. Russell does not make excuses if one of his employees drops the ball (i.e.; appointment scheduling miscommunication, service issues, payment/billing issues) He is the owner and he takes full responsibility for his business and who works for him.
How refreshing to meet a friendly, professional business owner with integrity!
Highly recommend you call Acuterra Drainage and Foundation for a quote and if you have any issues....call Russell Pogue, he stands behind his company.
Robin P Fournier,ABR
www.RobinFournier.com

My husband met with him and  said he was friendly, he came on time, he called back right away so I imagine his work would also reflect this kind of quality. Maybe it doesn't seem like an important quality but today, when contractors don't call you back and blow you off or try to charge you for things that don't need to be done, this was most refreshing. Kudos to you!! Just goes to show that honesty and diligience don't go unnoticed! If we ever do need our foundation repaired, they'd be the first company I'd call.

They are an awesome company.  They have done four jobs for me.  They have the highest quality and standards in the industry.

Left a voice mail and a message and no one was able to even return the call to schedule an inspection.
Could not imagine hiring a company that can't even return a call

This was a very pleasant surprise.  Russell Pogue was the representative from Acuterra. He arrived at our scheduled time and evaluated the problems we had with the crawlspace.  He provided us with a variety of options, including one option that would cost us very little in the way of creating ventilation for the crawlspace.  He impressed me with his knowledge and his integrity. He could have opted to propose a major drainage project, which we thought might happen, but instead his suggestion was to do this piecemeal. In other words, he suggested we first start with a more conservative approach and that it would probably go a long way in eliminating the dampness.  After several months or a year, if the dampness was not eliminated, we could then move on to the next plan which would be to excavate under the house and either go with a sump pump or dig out under the foundation and direct the drainage farther away form the house, a much more expensive proposition.  He explained that the problems we had were not serious enough to require immediate large scale remedies and we are very happy with this more conservative approach. He asked us to send email to let him know what the bids were on the ventilation (we need lots of it) and he would work with that. I am very impressed with this company and Russell is a true professional.  We will have the ventilation openings installed very soon and plan to use Acuterra for future issues.