PowerLift Foundation Repair - Raleigh

Foundation Repair. We have had opportunity to use PowerLift twice in the past. Once in 2005 and once in 2009. The situation was that the clay soil in the Charlotte area expands and contracts with temperature and moisture. What had happened in 2005 was that cracks had appeared in the north side of the brick on our home. I contacted Jim McCown who came out and did a thorough inspection of the foundation. He found that piers were needed around the north west corner of our house. We had the repairs completed and were pleased with the result. They even repaired the cracks themselves so the brick was sound. Fast forward to 2009. We found that we were having problems with some of the interior and exterior doors operating correctly. I again called PowerLift, ready to accuse them of warranty issues with their work. As it turned out, the repairs done previously were fine, but the west side of our house, under the deck, needed remediation. PowerLift came out, dismantled the portion of the deck that was in the way, and stabilized the foundation in that area. Again, the cracks were repaired and the house stabilized. Fast forward to 2023. We're preparing to sell our home, so had Jim come out and verify that the piers were still doing their job. He verified that we were still in good shape. Are there other companies who do foundation repair? I suppose so, but we were so pleased with working with PowerLift in general and Jim McCown in particular that we could see no benefit in going anywhere else. I strongly recommend PowerLift if you need foundation repair work.

They came to inspect, then described what wound be needed and gave me an estimate, which was what they charged in the end. They called in the required state engineer to approve their recommendations and got the required permit. Due to backlog, it was a month before they could start work. Once started they moved right along. Work was completed in a day and a half. Everyone was courteous and professional. Good cleanup job.

It went very well. They were much more professional, communicative and explained what they were doing, how they were going to do it and why compared to the competition. They were a bit more expensive, but they went to bedrock not just a number of feet down and again were much clearer on their service.

Jim was very helpful. He assess the situation and determined that my chimney was stable. He taught me the techniques to be able to monitor this and made some other very helpful suggestions about other foundation issues in my home

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The reason I went with them over another company is that the guy was more knowledgeable. I felt like he really understood what had happened and what had caused the sagging of the foundation. The price was better. It turned out that they charged me per foot. They give you up to so many feet of steel before they start to charge you extra. There's so much per pair. They charge you and you get 30-feet off that. They charge you so much extra per foot that they have to drive back here into the ground before they hit rock. In my case, they had to go for 35-feet to hit rock. It cost a lot more than what we expected. In the end, they worked with me to come up with a good solution that kept the price close to what they originally estimated. They basically reduced one pair. They felt like it would be fine for my case. They worked with me to keep the price in check when we had the unexpected expensive metal required for them to drive into the ground. They gave me more for my money. I was happy. They did a good job. We had it done in less than a day. They left with the area around the house looked almost untouched when they were done. They worked behind the hedges. They didn't damage them. I was pleased with their service.

The Jim McCown from Powerlift Foundation Repair/Bolin Enterprises Inc came out, he was thorough, told me I didn't need him, and then told me what I did need. He referred me to another guy for my foundation work. I was impressed he spent so much time with me, well over an hour. He educated me a lot about soil expansion/contraction and moisture. Jim is a licensed architect and he was fantastic. I think their solution is one of the best in the market place. He explained to me that if I needed them they would come around to install jacks around the foundation of my house and simultaneously connect them to pneumatic machine to activate them which completely levels the house all at once. Those jacks remain in the ground on the foundation forever. I can say enough about Jim McCowan and I highly recommend Powerlift Foundation Repair/Bolin Enterprises Inc.

After noticing that one of my doors was no longer closing properly and also observing some wall cracks in the area of the door, I contacted Powerlift Foundation Repair to evaluate the problem.  Jim McCown, with the Raleigh, NC office, responded promptly to my call for assistance.  Jim conducted a thorough inspection of the areas of concern that I noticed, and then proceeded to inspect the entire house, including the crawl space.  He discovered a crack in the foundation that appeared to be the cause of the problems I had observed.  He recommended, as confirmed by a professional engineer, the installation of two steel piers in order to stabilize the existing foundation.  Jim was very patient in explaining the technical reasons for the problem, as well as the method of repair.  He took a great deal of time to make certain that I fully understood the process.  
Jim gave me direct contact information for Darren, the crew leader who would be handling the logistics of scheduling, obtaining the necessary permit for the work, etc. Darren called me and kept me fully apprised of the scheduling.  On the scheduled date, Darren and his crew arrived promptly at the agreed-upon time and worked diligently, taking just one short break for lunch.  Darren answered all of my questions and kept me posted on the progress of the work throughout the day.  
While I obviously would have preferred to not have to deal with a foundation repair, I felt that Powerlift Foundation Repair made the process as painless as possible.  From the beginning of the process, I felt that I was dealing with a capable and professional company that knew what needed to be done and was prepared to deliver a competent repair in a timely manner and at a very reasonable price.  
As a former North Carolina Special Deputy Attorney General (now retired), I have heard a lot of horror stories about home repair companies.  My experience with Powerlift was extremely positive and productive, and it is my pleasure to recommend their services to my fellow Angie's List members.  

My call was returned at 6:46pm, definitely after most companies hours! The man patiently explained that what I needed was repair to floor bracing, not foundation work. He also took the time to warn me about the number of people who do substandard work of this type. He referred me to Dwayne Fails of Failssafe Construction, who had been referred to me by another similar foundation company. EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE!

THEY TOOK MEASUREMENTS AND SIGHTED THE AREA WITH SEXTANTS SO THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING. THEY GUARANTEE THEIR WORK, EVEN IF THE HOME IS TRANSFERRED. THEY DID CHIP A FEW BRICKS AND THE PRICE WAS HIGH, SO I WOULD SHOP FOR A LOWER COST.