Xpert Foundations Inc

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Contracted XPert Foundations {Class A-BLD #2705070510} in June 2014; 50% down payment on 16 June 2014; was told by Mr. Luis M. Sanchez {and as agreed to in writing per our contract} that work would begin July 22 2014. I waited months, never received feedback from either Mr. Sanchez or from an XPert rep as to what was causing the delay. My patience ran thin; contacted XPert again and in October 2014 directly at their 866-726-5582 number; spoke to a woman by the name of Marie, who proclaimed to be an administrative assistant, who handled the scheduling. More than 3 months had elapsed and no one contacted me.  I told her that I want to have my 50% (close to $15K) returned. She said that was not possible as the material is on its way and most of it was ordered and that I would be in breach of contract. Ridiculous! More than 13 weeks later (on 4 Nov. 2014), XPert Foundations arrived. They excavated 3 feet wide and 7 feet deep to the footer. They cleaned and dried the exterior foundation wall, and used hydraulic cement interior and exterior, coated the entire exterior house with a water sealant membrane to the footer, placed a poly sheet and added a drain board around the home. They installed the corrugated slit socked pipe around the house, added an external basin, and sump pump. The waterproofing took close to 3 weeks. In the interim, I sought to have an amendment to the contract and asked Mr. Sanchez to frame the front stairwell because I had two independent guys improperly frame it. Mr. Sanchez agreed. He also framed the carport area way stairs and landing (walk out) from the basement. He supplied the drain for the area way landing. Everything appeared to have been completed by mid-December, or so I thought! In mid May 2015, I realized XPert made a critical error. The waterproofing around my home was done very well, and to this day I have had no issues except he had to replace the sump pump, which failed in the coming months. The heart of my problem lies with the area way drain. {For those of you who do not know, but by county code at least in Fairfax County, Virginia, any landing (the area you step foot on prior to entering a door that?s below grade) must have a proper drain installed. Mr. Sanchez did not install the proper drain and has left me scrambling, and in a mess. In May, I noticed that close to 4 inches of water was ponding in the landing and would drain very slowly. I tried contacting him immediately, but was unsuccessful. He responded by telling me that this was my responsibility for having an area way. He said, ?it?s regular maintenance, and you have to keep the drain clean.? He mentioned this to me several times in May and early June. In the succeeding weeks, when it rained, I noticed water pooling in the landing. I called him again several times and he did not answer; I texted him and told him that something was seriously wrong with the drain. When he finally answered, he told me that he has no time messing with this because he?s working 6 hours away and doesn?t have a crew to fix this ?minor? issue. He started getting annoyed as was I, and I was more than upset.  He told me to keep it clean. I told him that it?s completely clean. He said that he?ll get to it whenever he has time. I told him he has to get here ASAP!!  On 20 June 2015, my fears became a reality. Upon returning from work in the evening, I noticed water gushing through the side of the basement door. I ran outside and noticed 3 feet of water sitting in the entrance landing leading to my basement. I contacted Mr. Sanchez numerous times via text and left messages on Sunday. He eventually returned my phone call on 22 June 2015, and told me, ?why the h*** are you bothering me. I turn my phone on and see you called me so many times and text me. You are aggravating the f@#k out of me.? I told him that the drain was not draining. I was upset that his stubbornness and sheer avoidance of the problem would not allow him to see that he made a critical error. I told him he needed to arrive immediately. He said he wouldn?t because he has work elsewhere. I couldn?t believe it. I contract this company, gave him a substantial amount of money {and by this time XPert Foundations had been paid in in full}, and he doesn?t have the professional decency to show up to remedy the situation?!  It took him more than 6 weeks to arrive since mid-May. When he arrived on 24 June 2015, I told him that I opened the basin/pit and ran a garden hose to see if the sump pump would expel the water that was beyond 11 inches. He told me that I should feel lucky that he arrived. He said he drove more than 6 hours from down south to come here. I told him that I didn?t care how long it took him or where he came from. I was visibly upset and told him he needed to honor the contract as I did by paying him, and fix the issue. Where is your lifetime warranty, I asked?  He was livid and said,? I never had a pump fail.? Yeah, right, I thought! I told him that it?s not only a pump failure but the drain installed is inadequate and does not conform to code and is way too small.  As he was replacing the sump pump, I took pictures of the old pump and told him that while the pump failed, it?s the drain that is not sized adequately to handle larger amounts of sudden water. He was furious. He began to give me his story that the pump didn?t ?actually? fail, that it was something on the pump that wouldn?t start the pump to expel the water. He took the old pump out and put a new one in. I said to him if the old pump didn?t fail, why are you putting in a new one? He just looked at me and mumbled something.  As we proceeded to walk toward the area way, I took pictures of the pump and the landing his crew was sawing out. He stepped toward me, about six inches away, said if you don?t stop with that f@#k%%ng picture taking, I will f#$ck you up. At this point, I was shaken and stunned, and reluctant to approach him. I told him the bottom line is that I expect this matter to be fully repaired as you have been fully paid. My neighbor overheard this and saw how he approached. He started bickering and talking how much he has performed, and the amount of work he has completed, etc. etc.  I couldn?t believe this? Before I stepped toward the carport, I told him very clearly that the only way to resolve this issue was to excavate the rear area to the footer, remove his installed 1 ½ inch drain and replace it with a 4 inch PVC Schedule 40 and add a trough in the landing with a commercial grade heavy duty plastic grate and attach/run it to the pump. He began to drill into the side of the retaining wall and said that a weeping hole will divert any water to the foundation drain tile {corrugated pipe} and send it to the basin and expel it. I told him that logic made no sense as it would send more water toward the drain in the landing from any rainfall. I thought the weeping hole would help prior to him starting, but after further research, a weeping hole in this area was counterproductive. I couldn't believe what this guy was doing! In the meantime, the drill bit he used would not allow him to drill through the side of the retaining wall, and he left several drill holes and simply left the property. He said he?d return at some point but wouldn?t specify when! It took more than one week for him to return, while in the meantime, water was pooling in the landing of the area way.   On 2 July, 2015, he appeared and finished the weeping hole into the east side retaining wall. I told him this will only exacerbate the problem. He was livid. The drain in the area way, I told him is a 1 ½ inch drain, not equipped for an external pipe drain. About a half an hour later, he said he would complete the job, but I would have to pay for the material. He said he would provide me a list of material I would need. Initially, I told him no, but prior to leaving I told him I would do it, but that he would have to pick up the PVC pipe, trough and grate. He told me he?d provide me the list by 3 July 2015. Before he left, I asked him to provide me his insurance information. He told me to go

The man came and did what he called an "evaluation". He was supposed to look at the crack in the foundation. He told me my house was falling down. my deck was insecure, and explained all of the drain issues. (That I don't have). The quote he came up with was over $10,000. I had 2 other Service Providers out and they said it wouldn't be that much, but only $500 or so to fix the problems I do have.

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Luis and his team did an excellent job on our 107-year old farmhouse.  Weather delayed the start of the project, but once underway, it went smoothly and quickly.  Of course we are extremely happy that our house is now resting on a solid foundation (and you can feel just how much more solid it is, which gives us a great sense of security), but the best part for us is how comfortable the encapsulation and insulation has made our home.  It's no longer cold and damp; the floors aren't cold; and the air quality is dramatically improved.  Luis promised that there would be a dramatic difference in the comfort level of our home and there is.  It is so warm and cozy -- just in time for the delayed winter.  We had a competitive bid from another Angie's List provider, but we are very happy we went with Xpert.  Luis has had decades of construction experience, which showed on the job.  He notices everything and stays on top of all of the details.  He also graciously helped us with advice on other projects we are planning that are completely unrelated to the foundation work he was doing.  In terms of cost, while an expensive project overall, we feel that we got our money's worth.  When the project was underway and hidden problems that required additional work came to light (literally), Luis worked with us to keep the cost as low as possible.  We are very glad we chose Xpert and highly recommend.

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Service went well - they were booked way out ahead, so it took them a while to get to see us, but they were upfront about it. They repaired the crack that the home inspector found and also patched a second one the inspector missed (which is why the cost was $50 more than the Angie's List special we bought, which was fine). They said the service we had would have been a lot more if we hadn't bought the special.

The lead was around a pipe that had to be replaced and the cement sealing wasn't quite right.  My home repair efforts were for naught and when there was a heavy rain I would go through several towels and a bucket to captor the water that came through.  The team reviewed what was going on, didn't laugh and my efforts, just explained they wouldn't work.  They did their thing and found that the other contractor had left the original pvc and put the new copper pipe through the pvc so when the ground was saturated then water would seep through the pvc so that's why what I had done wouldn't work it wouldn't adhere to the pvc.  They replaced the cement around the pipe and probably did another thing or two repacked that area more thoroughly than before and, fingers crossed, so far no leaks.  
They did let me know that if this didn't work they would need to approach a solution front he outside in and since I saw a small area that seemed to get damp from the heavy rains we've had I checked that ought for an estimate and I decided that for now since there was no leaks I'd wait and see.

Xpert Foundations provided quality workmanship at a reasonable price.
At first I was not happy with the communication from the contractor.  I signed a contract before Thanksgiving and they did not start work until March.  Yes there were delays outside of their control like snow and delays with county permits, but they also waited for drawings from their Structural Engineer for nearly 2 months (required for permit).  At best, these delays could have been mitigated (by using another engineer), at worst they could have proactively communicated with me more about the shifting start date. I would reccomend getting a start date in writing on the contract.
In the end, they completed everything in their scope of work, communicated with me about any urgent issues outside of scope and documented necessary changes. I did appreciate that they recommended additional updates and changes along the way, but did not try to pressure or "sell" me on more than I needed. They did not nit-pick - doing additional or slightly different tasks than planned without additional payment.   I was aware that I would lose portions of my garden. but I was not aware that I would lose all my grass in the back yard from the excavation (ground was very wet due to rain and snow), but the team did help me in grading and tilling it back to a managable condition for me to replant grass. The team was professional and was consistently on-site from start to finish.  I was always able to reach Luis by phone, text or email.  If I found something that was not completed, I know that they would come to fix it. I did feel that Luis was very knowageble and genuinely interested in the repair and future stability of my home.  I learned a lot from them about my property and what to look for when I buy again.  I would use them again and would recommended them to others. 

Before I tell our story I have to first say that the care we received from Luis, Maria, and their exceptional crew was second to none. I have never worked with a more compassionate, capable, knowledgeable, and hard working group of people in any of my years of dealing with home repairs. They made a very difficult and frustrating issue a pleasant experience. And in the end....fixed our problem.
Our story began the day that we discovered a puddle in our carpet one day and traced it back to a floor to ceiling foundation crack in our basement.  When I called Xpert Foundations, Maria listened intently as I described what I could see.  She was able to explain, in detail, the likely causes of the crack and the various methods of repair.  Within hours, she had me in touch with Luis, who happened to be in the area and was able to swing by to take a look.  From the inside, the crack started in our utility room and worked its way up behind some complicated duct work.  On the outside, the crack was just behind our AC unit.  Luis walked me through each of the repair options and patiently answered all 500 of my questions.  We decided to attack the problem from the inside, with the understanding that the sealant may not reach the area behind the duct work and drywall.  Luis and his team were in and out in a day, leaving the area spotless and our crack sealed as far as they could reach.  Then we prayed.
Although the interior seal significantly reduced the volume of water, we still had some moisture.  At that point, we had to bite the bullet and tackle the problem from the outside.  We had our AC disconnected and Luis returned with his guys to dig to the bottom so they could seal the crack.  Despite several hiccups throughout the day (a buried retaining wall and a builder negligent/ inadequate drainage system), the guys still managed to get the work finished in one day, allowing us to get our AC back on as scheduled.  Luis was extremely conscientious of our time, keeping to our budget, and working towards the best solution for us. 
I really can?t say enough wonderful things about Xpert Foundations.  They are extraordinary professionals that take pride in their work and their integrity.  I would (and will) definitely recommend Xpert Foundations to my family, friends, and ?even strangers.
And finally?..no more WATER in our basement!!!! J 

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be Took 3-4 days. I looked like a lot of work. Looks like it will work well. The only thing i was not happy about was they asked for a huge downpayment  ( 1/2 the cost of the job) and started 4 months later. It should only be a few hundred dollar downpayment. I would call them again they did a great job

I bought the $149 advertised deal expecting an injected epoxy solution.  While the small print referenced an upcharge for a poly injection, the deal clearly said it was good for up to 6 feet of crack injection.  
What was delivered was a grout pasting over the crack, vs the referenced 6 feet of crack injection.  i was told it was ground into the crack.
Company seemed more interested in upselling to the $750 polyurethane injection.
I would recommend clarifying what is being sold in this deal, as i would not have bought this if I knew it was for what was delivered. 
Louis was a friendly personable person to work with, but did not call back when he said he would to coordinate the job timing.  I understand this is a very small job, so half expected it to slide around a little.

XPERT Foundations was terrific to work with from beginning to end. I was worried about needing work like this done, but XPERT Foundations made the whole process smooth, easy, and pleasant. We really couldn't have asked for a better experience. XPERT Foundations was organized, responsive, and professional-- exactly what we needed-- and they helped us to be better informed about our property and house.
Luis was great at letting us know during the estimate the scope of the work, how it would happen, and also what parts looked good and did not need work at this point or were less of an issue & could wait. He also helped us to think through alternatives (pros/cons of options) and the possibility that new information could surface after excavating. Throughout the process, he helped us to save money where we could. He was able to work us in soon, which was nice. One thing I really appreciated about Luis was how open he was to questions. He always welcomed them, and always took the time to explain until you understood and felt comfortable. He was really on top of keeping us informed of what was going on, and explained the work as it progressed, which was reassuring and helpful (and interesting). He was easy to get in touch with whenever needed and made himself available, and was also flexible when I needed to be at work. Also, I have never seen a contractor spend as much time on the job with the crew as Luis did. I felt like he was always aware of what was going on and on top of what was happening next with the project. Which is awesome! The crew was great-- nice guys who worked hard and did a fantastic job, were careful, and left things looking better than when they came. The team got the job done quickly, protected the excavated areas when it rained, and came back to check in and make some small adjustments to the gutters after a week or so.
Thank you, XPERT Foundations!!

We interviewed and received quotes from several foundation repair professionals during summer for a recently purchased home.  Prices and suggested solutions to our foundational issues varied greatly.  Luis from XPert Foundations was very professional and recommended the optimal solution that fixed it correctly without going overboard.  The failing wall had to be completely taken out and replaced with a new wall, but other parts of the basement wall only needed carbon fiber straps.  The portion of foundation that was excavated was completely waterproofed and a floor drain was added.
Most foundation repair companies have more work than they can do and are months behind schedule.  They could care less if they had your business.  XPert Foundation has several months of work scheduled out, but Luis was super and kept us informed along the way and started the project when he originally estimated.  After signing a contract, to soothe our concerns with the cracked and bowed in wall, Luis and his team temporary stabilized the wall for the couple of months until the project could be started.  Luis and his team are hard workers and very respectful of your home and property.
Foundation repairs are expensive, but I could not have been more pleased with the quality of job and professionalism of XPert Foundations.

I have a new construction in Rockbridge county that needed work done to properly drain around the house (crawlspace was filling up with water).  Xpert Foundations came to the rescue and installed a 3 part waterproofing system and exterior drain tiles.  Xpert Foundations was very busy, but worked me in so my new construction schedule wouldn't be further delayed. 

While they were out here, Luis saw that the foundation for the step portion of my bricked back porch was laid on gravel and on top of an old perimeter drain.  It would eventually separate from the main porch, so while he was here and had the ditch dug for the drain pipes, I had him install 2 helical piers to hold the steps up. 

I also needed an additional step on both the front and back porch and he framed and poured concrete for those.  Reinforcements of rebar were bored into the the existing foundation, extending into the new poured concrete to tie the two together.  My original GC did not plan for enough steps, which led to this problem. 

In addition, my GC did not fill my concrete foundation blocks with rebar and concrete.  This left potential structural problems for lateral movement, especially in areas where the block was 6 rows high.  My structural engineer suggested additional reinforcement which involved knocking holes in the CMU, installing bent rebar and filling with cement.  Xpert Foundations did this work in critical areas only.  As money allows, I will call Xpert Foundations back out to fortify other areas in the foundation that are less critical, but still important for my peace of mind.

The work was done quickly and thoroughly.  I would definitely recommended Xpert Foundations and would use them again as the need arises.  I feel my house is now well drained, and structurally sound.    

I worked with Luis.  He was great - very professional and easy to work with.  I am a woman and am used to many contractors talking down to me or in such a way that I felt they thought my questions or concerns were stupid or trivial.  Luis was not that way at all.  He explained everything thoroughly and answered all my questions.  His crew was great also - very hard working and polite.

After the 2011 earthquake here in Virginia and very heavy summer rains, I noticed horizontal cracking and slight buckling in my basement wall accompanied, of course, by water.  I did some internet research and saw a website for a company called Fortress that managed Kevlar strips to reinforce foundation cracks and they recommended XPERT Foundations (hereinafter "XPERT").  I solicited bids from XPERT as well as three well known firms that do waterproofing and foundation work.  There technical solutions were all different and somewhat confusing.  Luis Sanchez from XPERT provided a straightforward, understandable solution and quote.  In 2012, as I monitored my basement wall and considered the work that I needed done, I expanded the scope of the work to include numerous other elements.  Luis, a true professional, inquired over the year whether he could still help me with my original need.  I contacted him at the end of 2012 with a revised project list and I was delighted with his assistance in helping advise me and further clarifying the scope - for example, his advice on adjusting the height of my retaining wall saved me several thousands of dollars.  He also knows materials and provided recommendations on various stone block for the retaining wall.  We also adjusted scope for the carport and installed helical piers and a new slab vice retaining the old slab which saved considerably more money.  Ultimately, we signed the agreement in January 2013 for a March 2013 start.
Unfortunately, due to weather, the start was delayed by two weeks, however, the weather worked in my favor.  Luis spent a great deal of time on site to ensure that the crew doing the work was attentive to our needs.  Though there was no guarantee, they relocated about 15 azalea plants (it's August 2013 and they are thriving) from in front of my house to a side yard.  Luis also brought in an AC&R guy to move my AC unit in front of the house to the side yard.  The crew tackled the foundation with alacrity and removed a considerable amount of dirt along 45' of the front of my house as well as 25' along the side of my house to provide for a gravity drain.  They cleaned the wall, applied a tar-like waterproofing, plus another board as well as a thick plastic sheet, installed a drainpipe at the based, before backfilling with a lot of gravel and backfilling with dirt.  They also applied a number of Kevlar Fortress Strips to the interior of the basement wall.  XPERT also installed gutters for me.  
Luis and XPERT quickly moved from the house foundation to carport slab drilling three helical piers 20-30' to provide stability for the new slab.  XPERT brought in a subcontractor to remove the old concrete and pour the carport, sidewalk and driveway and small slab for my air conditioning.  (Note:  They removed an old snake that had lodged itself between the old slab and the house!)  Luis coordinated the efforts of the AC&R expert to run AC lines and power.  After the concrete had set he installed columns to ensure the carport roof was level and had the AC installed.  XPERT moved to install a beautiful retaining wall on a hill behind my house that has added an entirely new dimension to my yard.
In May/June 2013, after the work had been completed and heavy rains came, I contacted XPERT because water was not draining properly from my driveway.  Luis accompanied his concrete subcontractor to my home and we agreed on a solution that was completed the next week - since June, we have had several torrential downpours and I am absolutely pleased with the drainage in the driveway.  This rain also provided a terrific test for my original house foundation which is "bone dry" as well as placed a lot of stress on my retaining wall - all are in good shape.
I have recommended Luis and XPERT to a number of co-workers, friends and neighbors.  I have total trust and confidence in Luis.  He went out of his way to ensure that I knew what was going on and kept me informed.  He did lots of positive little things that are difficult to quantify, but really set him apart.  My wife was comfortable with him and his crew.  Also, we had the pleasure of meeting his wife, Maria, who also works with XPERT, and is a wonderful person.  Last week (August 2013) the both of them went to look at a neighbor's house which is having a similar carport sinking problem. They briefly stopped by my house just to see how everything was doing and Maria asked about the driveway drain issue.  I am really glad I had XPERT and Luis do the work at my house.

The work went extremely smooth.  No problems at all.  The company did have to come out and reinspect the home to revalidate the warranty on the work following last year's little earthquake but the work was stilled solid and I still have a valid warranty the foundation repairs.  I can say nothing but positive things about Xpert Foundations.  They are a quality company.  I hope no one has to have their foundation repaired but if you do, contact this company and get them to do the work for you.