Seismic Technologies

OK, but when asked about his evaluation in writing he said he wanted more money. Do not recall he ever stated that written statements cost more. Not sure I would have gone with him. He was a bit crusty.

Jay Kushner came out to our home, took a few measurements and promised to provide an electronic report of beams and column sizes to be used because of load bearing wall removal. He DID NOT provide these promised documents, DOES NOT return phone calls. It has nearly been one month since "service date" and has cashed our check and disappeared. This guy is a scammer and should NOT be trusted!

We hired Jay to come to our home to help address concerns with various cracks that were appearing throughout our home. Jay was very professional and polite. He didn't mind having me follow him around the house while he inspected everything. The good news is that Jay didn't believe we have any kind of major structural issues. The piece of mind I now have made this money very well worth spent. I will keep his card in the event I need his services in the future.

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Jay did a very thorough job and was generous with his time.  He showed an understanding of the evolution of house design, i.e. that our house was designed in the 60s and had the problems of a house of that age and in this location.  He also clearly understood the properties of the region and soil where our house was sited. He listened well and clearly understood that we cared about costs.  He gave us multiple options for making the necessary repairs at different price points and offered suggestions for ways we could accomplish them ourselves if we desired.  He noticed additional potential problems and gave us a sense of how they should be prioritized.  All of this gave us hope that we could accomplish the needed repairs within our budget.  It was money well spent.

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Jay is excellent.  It took him approximately 5 minutes to diagnose the source cause for cracking in our basement wall.  It took me less than that to realize that he is a very intelligent person and extremely qualified in his line of work.  Jay easily laid out a variety of courses of action for our foundation cracking, including ballpark estimates on the costs associated with each.  He also pointed out how the previous owner had attempted to remediate the cracking and why it was not the correct approach given the nature of these particular cracks (specifically, the previous owner had treated for water damages when the source problem was tree roots that were growing into the basement wall).  Jay also walked the rest of the house and pointed out other structural issues without me prompting him to do so. He didn't do this in a condescending or discouraging way; rather, he stated the facts and was able to articulate simple and cost-effective strategies to remediate the issues.  In one case, he actually pulled out graph paper and drew exactly how to fix a beam that had been cut and where to go for the most cost-effective and reliable materials.  He probably saved me $500-600 in doing so. A few days after the inspection, he called me to tell me about a free seminar that was being held in Portland that was relevant to something I was dealing with in my business ventures; he didn't have to do that, but I was very appreciative of his thoughtfulness in doing so.  I would highly recommend Jay to anyone with structural issues in their home; he is a true professional and goes above and beyond the call of duty.  Thanks, Jay!

Subject: Angie's list

Because we were concerned about the safety of our garage floor, we did some research and found out that the expert to call is an engineering consultant. I then went to Angie's List and read all the reviews. Seismic Technologies stood out with the most and the best reviews.  I called and   made an appointment in less than a week .  The engineer's name was Jay Kushner.  Jay  was wonderful!  He took his fancy tools and his many years of experience and did a thorough inspection.  He listened patiently about our concerns of possible compromise of our garage floor. He  examined a crack in the floor and  explained that it  was due to a tree outside. He used a laser and measured the floor and said it was rising rather than falling.  He checked the foundation surrounding the garage and found no structural damage to the foundation. He advised us to do nothing and assured us that the floor would continue to be structurally sound.  He even sat around the kitchen table after and once again answered all of our questions and concerns.  We found him to be a very pleasant,  honest and trustworthy person.

 

Obviously, Seismic Technologies was more focused on the scientific evaluation than on trying to drum up foundation work. Jays' experience and credentials were excellent as was the quality of his work. We recommend Seismic Technologies.   The money we paid was well worth it. I would advise anyone who is looking for peace of mind to contact him. 

Worth every penny.
We purchased our house a little over a year ago. At the time of inspection, there were some issues with the chimney and the fireplace/firebox that were addressed and fixed by the owner before we finalized our purchase.
Several weeks ago, we noticed new cracks and issues with the fireplace and some cracks in drywall on either side of the fireplace. We called the company who had done work several years ago to stabilize the chimney for the previous owner. They came to our home, assessed the situation, and then delivered a subtle yet pointed sales pitch based a bit on fear.
We wanted a structural engineer to visit our home to review the fireplace, the chimney, the cracks in some of the drywall, etc. and give us an unbiased opinion. We saw Jay's high rating, and we liked his witty, logical replies to the few less-than-stellar reviews. He made very valid points. We noted that NO ONE seemed to take issue with his knowledge or work ethic. Jay was also recommended to us by two realtors who have used him to inspect foundations, etc. for buyers.
Jay was on time. He was friendly, had a warm sense of humor and was very easy to understand. He spent 3 hours examining our property, looking at the crawlspace and chimney/firebox, taking measurements and answering every one of my 6,547 questions with great patience. His knowledge about the Portland area and our neighborhood in particular was very impressive. He noted that the "fix" suggested by the other company would not likely be a suitable one over time based on the jacks they would use and the type of soil in our neighborhood. He gave us some very practical advice, and when we asked (only when we asked), he referred us to some tradesman who could help us with some necessary projects.
We have two large, rather obnoxious dog who, although crated during Jay's visit, barked at him with ferocious intensity any time he walked by them. Jay was very kind to them and didn't seem bothered at all.
Based on this visit, we are considering hiring Jay to do some seismic retrofitting on our house.

I am a 66 year-old woman in escrow for a lovely home precariously perched on a hill above a creek. The generic "home inspection" by another professional raised questions that needed a greater level of expertise. I have no skills or experience in sorting out such issues, and found this foreign content area intimidating. I nervously committed to Jay's fee, without really knowing what I was asking for.
Now that it's all over, I can shout IT WAS A BARGAIN! 
Jay did a thorough examination, pinpointed the issues, and provided clear, concise suggestions for correction.  I understand it and I know what to do next. AND, the corrections are affordable. 
He patiently walked me through the entire process, teaching me a great deal, and increasing my comfort level immeasurably. His knowledge is deep and wide, and he is very easy to work with.
I endorse him without reservation!

This was largely an assessment of the structural issues of the property. We conversed easily and there was a clear understanding of the recommended actions to correct the deficiencies, whether through Seismic Technologies, another recommended contractor, or ourselves. I am currently awaiting for an estimate for the earthquake retrofitting work and I need to contact the other contractors for other identified issues.

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After reading all the positive reviews on Angie's List, I decided to have Jay inspect my foundation as we had noticed some new drywall cracks.  It was very easy to contact and schedule the work and the quoted price was reasonable.

I was very impressed with Jay's depth of knowledge.  He is very personable and explains everything in an easy to understand way which is always appreciated.  Jay was able to eliminate our concerns about the foundation and in fact we worked our way up and determined the new cracks are more likely the result of a heavier roof installed a few years ago and do not present any structural concerns.

I would not hesitate a second to recommend Jay.

It went well. He was very knowledgeable and experienced. We live in Vancouver 10 min. from 99th St I-5 exit. We were charged an extra ~$75 that I thought was excessive, but he had good angieslist.com reviews, so we went with him.

He was very personable and knowledgeable. He did what I asked and resolved the issue I was concerned with.

I was satisfied.  They came on time.  They were attentive to my concerns.  They spend a lot of time going through the house looking thoroughly at the house.

Jay was great.  He is friendly, personable and very knowledgeable.  I was able to walk with him while he looked at various parts of the house and he answered all of my questions.  I learned a lot about my house and know what to look for in the future in what to be concerned about.  It was worth the fees to have peace of mind.

Jay is very experienced aond I as a realestate agent use him whenever a home has questionable signs structurallyy. My clients loved him and felt very confident in his insoection & review afterwards. Experience is key in this field, and no one has more then Jay!

Jay showed at the appointed time and he had booties on the second he walked into the house. I showed him where the entrance to the attic was and he jumped into his suit and mask and climbed up in the attic. He spent quite a while up there so we were kind of scared it was major. When he came down and got out of his outfit he showed us pictures of what he saw up there, we were lucky here. He said that nothing was structurally wrong and we can have the ceiling repaired, he did however tell us that one of the cracks may come back because it is not supported, he showed us with a laser where that was. One thing that stood out with Jay was the fact that he remembered our names and used them when he was talking to us.

We hired Jay to inspect our basement, after a skim coat on our basement walls had started to flake off.
Jay gave us a clear, easy-to-understand outline of our alternatives, and recommended the least expensive (a $250 dehumidifier!) for at least the next few years.  He gave us a recipe for a skim coat that would stick better to the basement walls than the coat that had been applied ten years ago, and was now coming off in large chunks.
We have basement walls from the year 1910, and he told us that we will need to have some significant work done on them - eventually - and he told us how to watch for signs that things were getting more urgent, and what our options would be when we reached that point.
We've lived in our old home for over ten years and we intend to retire here.  One day, we will do the major repair work but it was a relief to know that a) it didn't need to be done right away, and b) it won't cost as much as we were afraid that it would when we do get it done.
One more thing:  I had reservations about calling Jay because of the negative reviews here - but please don't let them dissuade you from calling him if:  1) you recognize that Jay's expertise is worth paying for - in fact, from that perspective, he's a great value - and 2) you're not looking for a quick fix.

He was super friendly and helpful. He took the time to make sure I understood what was going on and was very personable.

I initially contacted a different company regarding some cracks I began noticing around our home. I thought the cracks had to be due to foundation issues, since our home is built on a pretty good slope (2 stories in front and 4 in the back). The company I had first called had sent out a representative who took some measurements and then disappeared for over a week.  During that time, I decided it wouldn't hurt to call a civil engineer to get an unbiased opinion on what may or may not be happening with our home. I called Jay on Thursday and we made an appointment for him to come out the following Tuesday. He explained that for him to come out it would be $275, and if we wanted a written report of his findings it would be $495. Since he is not selling a product, but is selling his time and expertise, I was absolutely fine with this.

When he came out, we took him around our home pointing out all of our concerns.  He spent 3 hours going over everything, inside and out, in living spaces and crawl spaces. He even went over the blue prints the previous owner had left, and explained to us how the house was built, pointing out that the home was built to withstand winds of up to 80 mph (code at the time the home was built) and that it meets current earthquake code (and is even anchored per code).

He took the time to spell out exactly what was happening and why, and put my fears to rest. Bottom line there was no movement and foundation is perfect with no cracks.  The cracks on the upper floors are on the south and southwest sides of the house and are wind related.  These are surface issues only due to flexing of the walls.

We had initially said we wanted a written report, but in the end because there were no structural issues, he pointed out that since we were only wanting the report for when we sold the home in the distant future, that I should just make notes on what he said. He explained that a written report is only valid for 18-24 months, and so would be useless if we sold the home after that time period. That impressed me because he could have easily said nothing and made an additional $220 for the written report.

My husband and I found Jay easy to talk to and extremely knowledgeable. I would highly recommend him to any of my friends or family.

I called Jay Kushner to set up an appointment and he was able to come within several days.  He spent a couple of hours, looking at the cracks in various rooms and then going into the attic and the crawl space.  His inspection was very complete and he was knowledgeable about the structure and was able to find two problems with minor fixes.  I completed one of the fixes right away and will be doing the other fix in the next several weeks.  I am relieved that neither fix is expensive and that the house is basically sound - which is well worth the $275 to find out.

The work was done cleanly and to our satisfaction.  The crew was efficient, tidy and pleasant.