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Avatar for HUNEKE ENGINEERING INC
HUNEKE ENGINEERING INC
4.6(
51
)

Serving Columbia, IL and surrounding areas

Approved

In business since 2005

Emergency services offered

Customers say: Super punctual

"I highly recommend Huneke Engineering. They are very honest and know what they are doing. They saved me a lot of money when a foundation company tried to bid me something that didn’t even need to be done. ALWAYS get a second opinion! I started noticing cracks around my windows in my living room. The windowsill was visibly not level and when I put a level on it, the bubble was very far to the left. I have a bowed foundation wall directly below my living room which has been stabilized by wall anchors before I moved into my house 9 years ago. Long story short. I needed to replace my foundation sill on the bowed wall. You can feel the sill from the outside and it’s hanging off the wall, so all the floor joists were not sitting at the same level. The first structural engineer that I hired before Huneke didn’t even notice this. The company that installed the wall anchors said that my right side of my house was sinking and they gave me a bid for $7,000 to install 5 foundation piers. I asked them if we should use a laser level to be sure and the guy said he used one on the outside of the house. I was with the guy most of the time and was only away from him for a few minutes. There is no way he used a laser level. You are supposed to use the laser level on the inside of the house anyways in the basement for a better measurement. They also said they felt a slope walking into the master bedroom. Liars! I called around trying to find a structural engineer who would be willing to use a laser level in my basement to confirm if the right side of my house is sinking or not and most of the companies I called said they did not do laser levels. The engineers at Huneke Engineering said they could use a laser level so I hired them. They used the laser level in my basement and showed me that the right side of the house is NOT sinking. It’s in code. They noticed my floor joists were uneven. Some of them only measured 3/4 of an inch between the foundation wall and the floor joist, when they should all be at an inch in a half. They also pointed out that my original sill was hanging off the foundation wall on the outside. You can’t see it because of the siding, but you can feel it and see it with a camera. They recommended I jack up my house and place a new pressure treated 2x4 on top of the foundation wall as the sill replacement. They said it was ok to leave the old one on there. They took plenty of time to explain everything to me as I had a lot of questions, so I really appreciated that. I first got a bid from a company to replace the sill but they wanted to charge me $4,000 and I couldn’t afford it at that time. They did use a laser level in my basement and said the right side of my house is NOT sinking. That is two separate companies who confirmed the right side of my house is NOT sinking, so ALWAYS get a second opinion! I installed the new foundation sill with my brother-in-law and his cousin. It required 3 bottle jacks but we got it done and all of the floor joists sit at the same level. The window in the living room is a little more level. It's not perfect, but it's more level than before. Thanks, Huneke Engineering, for your recommendation to replace the foundation sill and for your honesty!"
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+6

1 neighbors recently requested a quote
Recommended by91%of homeowners
Avatar for Kimberlin Construction Co Inc
Kimberlin Construction Co Inc
4.6(
44
)

Serving Columbia, IL and surrounding areas

Approved

In business since 1996

Free estimates

Warranties offered

"It went perfect. Gary and his crew are our go to contractors for everything. They have done work on our house and landscape many times. I would trust them with everything. My kitchen pipe under the sink rusted out on New Years Eve one time. I called Gary and he was at our house and went to Home Depot just before it closed, for the parts and fixed it that night. Best Contractor ever. Very helpful and knowledgeable."
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Kitchen remodel

+17

2 neighbors recently requested a quote
Recommended by100%of homeowners
Avatar for Advanced Foundation Repair & Replacement
Advanced Foundation Repair & Replacement
5.0(
30
)

Serving Columbia, IL and surrounding areas

Emergency services offered

"I am writing this review to let other homeowners know that if they are unfortunately in need of foundation repair that the best company capable of handling the job is Advanced foundation repair & replacement. I have a two story home. The entire back and side wall had settled over six inches ( a total distance of seventy five feet). At the side of the house we have a masonry fireplace that had settled significantly as well. Then owner Frank Matyiko hooked up his exclusive unified jacking machine. Frank provided us with a licensed structural engineer that stamped all fazes of construction. He assured me that our house would be a piece of cake. He was right. Advanced leveled the back of my house along with the fireplace with his unified machine. Not a crack in the house. Not a crack in the fireplace. His team was polite courteous and most importantly fixed our problem. Price: $13,500. Thank you Frankie!!!!!"
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+2

Recommended by100%of homeowners
Avatar for Alliance Contracting Solutions
Alliance Contracting Solutions
4.4(
38
)

Serving Columbia, IL and surrounding areas

In business since 1989

Free estimates

Emergency services offered

"With a slight delay due to COVID, the work was very well done. Plaster repairs were completed, all furniture was moved away from the walls, the floors were covered. The colors were exactly as I requested, including the crown molding. The work was completed in the time quoted and for the estimated cost."
Recommended by83%of homeowners
Structural Engineering questions, answered by experts

No, it’s not legal for unlicensed individuals to conduct structural calculations for buildings or building repairs. Not only do licensing requirements prevent DIYers from tackling this project, but mistakes can also be extremely dangerous and put your property and anyone inside or near it at risk of severe injury or even death. You should always hire a licensed and certified local structural engineer to make structural calculations.

It's safe to assume that all exterior walls are load-bearing, or at least have load-bearing characteristics. Some older homes feature porches or bump-outs that don't rest on the home's foundation. However, they still must carry the weight of the roof section they support. Walls containing floor-to-ceiling glass or other non-structural elements must use post and beam configurations to meet load-bearing criteria.

If you’re building new construction or adding onto your existing home, hiring a structural engineer is not only worth it but it’s probably required by your local building department. Structural engineers will ensure you aren’t making your home unsafe in the building process, which is crucial from a safety perspective but also a legal one. It’s also worth hiring a structural engineer if you’re making changes to structural components, like removing a load-bearing wall.

Yes, you can build over a stump if the roots are no longer alive. Living roots will continue to grow and may damage your new construction over time. Similarly, you should also remove rotting stumps because they may continue to attract pests and even cause new structures (especially those made from wood) to decompose as well.

No, a structural engineer is not the same as a builder. A structural engineer is an expert in all things related to the structural integrity of a building. The structural engineer is responsible for calculating the correct materials in terms of load-bearing capacity and overall structural safety. Structural engineers do not perform the actual building of the house or other structures. Rather, the builder executes the plans and designs specified by the structural engineer.

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