Dawson Foundation Repair

Dawson was a pleasant company to work with from the first encounter. The salesman explained their process, provided a drawing of where he would place the piers and an estimate. Dawson's proposal was within good price range compared with estimates given in 2012 and harmonized with recommendations from the engineers given in 2014. The office staff have been consistently responsive and pleasant to work with. Scheduling was easily accomplished and on the agreed to date, Dawson crew showed up on time. This is hard work. The men worked well and cleaned up the work area each day. We chose NOT to have our landscaping saved so, I cannot say anything about plant protection. The pile of dirt they dug for 19 piers covered 3/4 of my long driveway. I was impressed to see an independent engineering firm was brought in by Dawson to check the depth and character of the holes for the piers before the concrete was poured. That engineer was responsible to provide an inspection letter to our city inspector. The dirt to be discarded was picked up after all the piers were dug by a company that Dawson called in. That company left our driveway free of dirt and well hosed off. They came the next business day after Dawson called them. Dawson creates piers from poured and reinforced concrete not pressed piles so there was a 2 week period while the concrete cured when no activity was going on. You will have to be patient! At the scheduled date for the leveling, the crew came out and quickly and safely completed the lift. The foreman David was informative and explained the impact on our house of the leveling and guided us to make good decisions about how close to "perfect" to try to get. Dirt was brought in whenever needed to refill holes where the piers were placed as the dirt settled. Dawson has a company come in to do a leak detection test on the under-slab sewer lines. We did have to have leaks underneath our slab. I am convinced two of the three leaks were present prior to the foundation work based on their distance from the foundation repair. The resulting tunneling to get to the leaks fixed was an undesired extra cost but to keep the warranty intact, you have to get the under slab leaks fixed. My real estate friends say is not uncommon in 30 year old homes to have under slab leaks. We took bids for the leak repairs from several plumbers but determined to go with the company that Dawson hired to test for leaks. That went well. (Always look up your plumbers license on the State of Texas Examiners of Plumbers site.) Dawson prefers to do the tunneling and backfill work to assure it is done correctly. We agreed to contract with them again for the two tunnels, one 4 ft, the second 24 ft. From what I observed, they followed the engineer's letter for this work. Again, the workers came on time, cleaned up their area and worked diligently. They dug the tunnels by hand. When it was time to back fill, they filled by hand the first day then used mud-jacking the second day. Communication between the plumber on when the tunnels would be ready was entirely handled by Dawson schedulers once I told them I would be using American Leak Detectors. Permits and engineer letters again were posted and the city informed when work was ready for review. Dawson supervisors came by this job as they did with the piers. The dirt from that work was picked up the day after the tunnel back-fill was completed. I am putting only the cost of the foundation work for 19 piers below as the tunneling, tho it was the best price also, may not be an issue for other homeowners. Overall, an experience I had put off for years was made tolerable by the people at Dawson. I heartily recommend this company.

Perfectly. Yes, they are more expensive, but you will quickly see the difference in the communication and professionalism when the job begins. But really, I spoke to many structural engineers, and Dawson's product has no competitor in Houston. The kind of pier that Dawson uses, and their installation, is leagues above the piers offered by their competitors. Even before Martin comes out to check out your house, do your research on the different kind of piers-- you'll see it is a no-brainer. Also, my house had foundation done before with a previous owner, with a transferable warranty. Guess what? The work and warranty meant nothing. The business closed up shop and was gone, so much for the lifetime warranty. Dawson, after 40 years, isn't going anywhere. His son is taking over. That is worth a lot to me.

Ok. Work was messier than it need to be, residual effects on yard were not trivial, house not brought to absolute level. Attention to detail was not there. Extra charge for using a credit card not mentioned up front.

performed all work required and cleaned up after.

Very well. Repairs performed as expected

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One day while sitting in my living room I heard a loud pop noise. I went outside and saw the front of my house had a 1 inch wide crack at the corner from the ground all the way up the wall on two sides. Like the entire corner was about to fall off the house. I made a few phone calls and someone came out and said my brick footing had broken and I'd need to get it repaired before I could repair the front of the house. They recommended Dawson Foundation Repair so I gave them a call and called a couple other places just to compare. Dawson came out and explained bell bottom piers to me and the other guys came out and explained how they were going to press blocks into the ground until they couldn't press them anymore. Needless to say I had Dawson come out and drill 12' deep holes and pour rebar reinforced concrete. I went ahead and had them do the entire perimeter of my house so I wouldn't have to worry about the rest of the house sinking and breaking. After the job was complete the dirt they backfilled with settled a few times and left dips around the house. I'd call and within a week they'd show up and put more top soil in. A few months after Dawson poured the piers and leveled the footing I called Restoration Brick and they took all the bricks off the corner of my house and rebuilt the walls. 6 years later and you can't tell anything ever happened. I highly recommend Dawson Foundation Repair. Yes they were more expensive, but I don't ever want to hear that pop noise again. They guaranteed for life that I won't.

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The consultation meeting was very informative.  I received lots of materials to look over and discuss with my husband.
Was not sure how expensive this would be but was very happy with the quote.  
The crew was very nice, arrived on time, explained what they were going to do and cleaned up after them selves very well. 
I was very pleased with the service.

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They do excellent work and very responsive. I was happy with the price that they did charge. They had to dig up part of the yard which is part of the job. They kept it clean and put it back the way it was. They weren't the lowest or highest, they were right in the middle. I hope that I don't have to use them again, but I would use them again.

The inspection and conversation about the bid was very informative.  There really are two very different ways of handling the problem we had.  It is important to know the details about what the problem is, what the probable cause may be and the details of how the contractor is going to fix the problem.   All the appointments were kept by the contractor and his crews.  They worked with us on scheduling when we had conflicts.  The crews arrived and got to work.  The crew foreman let us know what they would be doing and they did a good job of saving our plants.  The crew covered all the temporary holes for safety and cleaned up after themselves.  The leveling didn't take long at all and we didn't suffer much in the way of stress to our walls during the process.  From top to bottom, Dawson's was professional and courteous. 































Doing the process in the late fall probably helped us save our plants.  Going through the transplant process in the summer here in Houston, we might have had more casualties.

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We were extremely pleased with their work. They were very efficient and their clean-up was superb. Communication was always exemplary between all parties involved. We chose Dawson based on the method/system they utilize for foundation repair. In our opinion, their method is far superior to the typical power jack, etc., type of foundation system. All the Dawson employees performed their jobs with the highest level of competence and skill. We would recommend Dawson over and above any other foundation company in the market. 

Dawson is the best foundation company in Houston. I had a great experience, great service and am very pleased with the results. I wouldn't trust my foundation to anyone else.

We compared pressed pilings and bell-bottom piers, and selected Dawson to do the bell-bottom piers rather than another company for pilings, because we felt the piers were a better solution, and Dawson worked with us to provide more piers for a competitive price than the piling company had recommended.  Our house did not have major foundations problems, but we had doors that would no longer close, multiple cracks in drywall, and over 2" of settling in some places.  We were very happy with Dawson's work, and also with the contractors they recommended: one to do the hardwood floor repair where piers were put inside, and a plumbing company to do the hydrostatic testing (and ultimately needed replacement of cast iron pipe) after the foundation was repaired.

Everything Dawson told us they would do, they did.  I particularly appreciated that they worked with us in the bid process to trim the number of piers back to help with cost, but without sacrificing stability. In the end they did almost twice the piers for only a little more than the pressed pilings bid we had gotten.  In reading reviews here in advance, I read that some people said they seemed to cut corners based on what they advertise they do.  This was not the case on our job; they delivered what they promised.

We also liked that they worked with us and the floor company when locating the piers, to try to reduce or make easier the amount of flooring that would need replacement.  For example, once pier excavation began, they determined they could locate some piers so that our kitchen floor would not need to be disturbed.  They located other piers in closets.. They even eliminated a pier or two once the excavation began, when they determined they were not needed.

They did do the soil testing that was advertised, and found in a few places that they could not go the promised depth without hitting sand which would not be stable for the pier.  We were informed of every step and shown the soil tests.  An independent engineer inspected the piers before pouring and agreed with the depth decision on the "shorter" piers.

We coordinated very closely with every person and crew chief, and were on hand or easily accessible for most of the work.  That helped with things like making on the fly decisions about pier locations and depths.

We liked and appreciated the professionalism of everyone we dealt with at Dawson.  They are very busy; things did slip through the cracks, sometimes emails were not carefully read or the right hand didn't know what the left hand had promised.  But any slippage like this was immediately resolved; just be very thorough with your communication and followup.

Every crew was on time.  All crews cleaned up; the drilling crew won the prize for cleanliness, amazing considering that they were drilling and hauling yards and yards of clay out of almost every room in our house. The leveling crew was the least neat, mainly in terms of a little trash from the workers left in the yard.

Things to know:

Not including the bidding process you will have three different crews to work with, four if you end up needing plumbing replacement or repair.  Each crew has a different chief.  Get to know these guys, they were each wonderful to work with.  Double check everything you asked for or were told in advance with the crew chiefs; occasionally they were not aware of special requests made through the office.  They all went out of their way to make the experience a good one for us as much as possible.

We were told we might have collateral damage such as divots in the ceilings or scraped paint, on the inside work.  This is due to the drilling rods.  We did have this damage, though nothing major.

It was suggested that we not repair sheetrock for a few months after the foundation repair, in order to let the house continue to settle.

If you work at home or choose to be home during the drilling or leveling, invest in earplugs or good noise cancelling ear protection.   But it's very useful to be there when questions come up, if you can stand it.

Coordination between the other companies and Dawson (floor repair and plumbing) will be your responsibility, but Dawson was quite helpful in working with them for scheduling. Just check to make sure both sides know what the dates of work are.

You will be living with open holes in the floors and/or exterior beds or concrete for 10 or more days, after the piers are dug and while the concrete cures.  They provide plywood to cover the holes, but this is a multi-week process, so just be prepared for your house not to be back to normal for a while.

The work comes with a transferrable warranty and there are steps that need to be taken if you sell the house to make sure the warranty transfers.  Read the paperwork.

One last note: they provide their own form for you to review their work after it is done.  On our review we noted that, after the leveling process, we found our outdoor patio umbrella had been broken. We had no idea which crew had done it; it was the only damage that was not inherent to the foundation work. If we'd found it earlier we'd certainly have mentioned it to a crew chief, but I never expected any action on it. The day after turning in our review, I was contacted by the company with an apology and the offer to replace the umbrella.  This was an 'above and beyond' moment that typifies what they were like to work with.

We hope NEVER to need their services again but if we do, we'll contact them. We've already recommended them to others.

They are very prompt and did a really good job. Price was good, it is more expensive than the others, but it is worth it. Topnotch quality.

I had 3 foundation repair companies come out and give me estimates.  The reason I chose Dawson was because I felt like their product was more superior than the pressed piling method.  I got an estimate in January of 2013 then waited because I had hoped my house would settle or somehow fix itself (one can only hope).  They came back out in December 2013 took more measurements and I went ahead with scheduling my install date.

The first day they dug out the holes, poured the concrete, etc.  I was not able to take off from work that day but by the time I got home everything was cleaned up.  No mess.  A few weeks later Jose (I believe that was his name) came out with his crew and leveled the house.  He was very nice and answered all my questions including questions I had from phase 1 of the install.  Everything was raised 1" and the expansion joint closed up quite a bit.  Before they leveled it I was able to put my thumb in the joint after they leveled I had a normal expansion gap.  They cleaned everything up and left - no mess left behind.

A few things:

1) New cracks appeared inside my house after leveling (around my window by the kitchen and the wall in my living room)
2) The brick/mortar on the other side of my house (Left side) has moved and some of the bricks are now loose.
3) The expansion joint (on the right side of the house)  towards the top has now opened up some more.  After it was leveled the entire expansion joint gap was even all the way up and down
4) Some of the foundation gaps inside my garage closed up but not all of them
5) Fracture cracks on the outside of my foundation were closed  a little but but they are still visible.  I knew this would happen so no biggie - It's a cosmetic issue now.

I waited a while to post this because I know the house would have to settle a bit.  I am concerned about the left side of my house I don't know if this was caused by the leveling.  All the 3 foundation companies had told me that my left side was fine - no work was needed there. 

For now I'm going to let it sit awhile and if things continue to move I will call Dawson to come out and take a look.

Everyone I talked to was extremely nice and they answered all my questions.  I have pictures too I will try to get them all together so I  can upload them.

Hope this review helps!!

They were very professional, prompt, thorough, and neat.  I was impressed with their efforts to make sure they got the piers in the areas most needed.  I would definitely recommend them even though they are a little pricey and they are always at least 6 weeks out on their jobs.  I felt like I got what I paid for and was glad I looked at 4 other foundation repair companies before making my decision.  Their procedure takes a little longer because they have to let the concrete cure10 days before actually adjusting the foundation but I feel it is the best method out there for Houston soil.

Company was called in July and the inspection/sales team arrived September 23rd of 2013. We accepted the offer the first week of October and work finally began January 27th.

A work: The first team  of 6 led by Cesar dug all the holes, both interior and exterior, in a thoroughly professional manner, despite cold, icy weather. The production manager, field manager, and structural engineer were onsite as needed as well. Existing hardwood floors leading to interior dig areas were amply protected by cardboard, hardboard, and very heavy plastic. Even the walls were covered. The cement dust was well controlled with a virtual tunnel of tarp and plastic sheeting. All dirt was removed to the driveway for the duration, and picked up twice - once after the first boxes were dug, and again when the holes were augured to their final depth. Extreme cold delayed the concrete pours a bit, but all work was completed in 5 days, Mon-Fri (interior work only 2 days), with the final cleanup done on the Saturday. Cesar's team worked very hard and waited with good attitudes for inspectors, concrete deliveries, and dirt removal. Exterior damage was minimal and contained in areas where piers were dug. Since we did not intend to keep the plant matter which was removed, we cannot comment on how restoration would be, but the remaining plants are in excellent condition, as is the yard which was protected by a path of overlapping boards. The yard was thoroughly raked to remove mud clumps. The driveway and walks were washed to remove mud. We were able to remove the hardwood floors and expose the cement prior to the crews interior work, so our permanent damage was limited to the travertine tile around 3 piers in the bathroom. Only necessary tiles were broken. 

B work: The lifting crew was professional and the job was finished in one long morning - lifting, hole filling, concrete in slab areas, clean up. No damage was done to windows and cracks in ceiling were significantly reduced. We were very pleased with the results with a level floor, ceiling gap greatly reduced and doors that work properly. The lifting team lost points with us for three reasons:  1. One patio pier was not covered properly with concrete and is still a muddy slush. 2. Most importantly, we were told that the loud noise we heard during lifting was a jack that slipped, when I'm sure they knew that it was pipes breaking. The breaking part is understandable and unavoidable, but since we didn't know, we ended up flooding the laundry room during washing several days later and had to repair floor damage there unnecessarily. We appreciate clear, honest communication. 3. Mud and sand was force washed into the pipes and severely clogged the good part of the sewer pipe.

Advice for you, (or things we wish we knew in advance): --Make sure you leave your car/s out since the driveway is needed for a massive amount of dirt.  --Stock up on Febreeze, Sensi, and Glade since the house smells like a crypt during the 3 week concrete curing time. --The wonderful plastic sheeting tunnel that protects your house may close off your stairs stranding you up or down stairs. Prepare accordingly. --If the crew stops working and seems to be sitting around, it's because they have to wait for someone, or something. They  are paid per pier and try their hardest to finish quickly. --Many people are having this work done and many teams are working all over the city, so it will take a LONG time for the work to begin. Also, get your start date in writing. --Once it starts, it is intense, but it takes time for the concrete to cure so there is a rest period in the middle.