The Foundation Expert
About us
We are a general contracting firm which operates under engineering principles and under the direction of several professional engineers, specializing in residential basement waterproofing, foundation structural repair, crawl space waterproofing, encapsulation, indoor air quality and insulation specialists, and expert egress window installers. We are expert inspectors and can provide low-cost engineer's reports for any project. We are also green energy and energy star experts performing home energy audits, blower door tests and thermo graphic imaging. We each have over 20+ years experience in construction and business. We operate with full disclosure, with an ethical approach to everything we do and have over 300 local references that you may call. We accomplish our goal of "zero tolerance for complaints and turning every customer into a reference" by providing our clients with the finest products and services going beyond what is currently offered in the marketplace in value, quality of installation and scope of service. Through implementation of green technology, innovation and through excellence in service and follow up, we continually perform as your personal consultant, providing you with expert advice, cost-effective solutions, products and services to meet your continuing needs and demands. We have multiple Angie List Awards in various categories.
Business highlights
16 years of experience
Services we offer
Basement Waterproofing, crack repair, crawlspace waterproofing encapsulation, foundation, foundation structural repair, structural inspections, null
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Reviews
4.4157 Reviews
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 69% | ||
| 15% | ||
| 9% | ||
| 3% | ||
| 4% |
Showing 1-25 of 157 reviews
Samuel S.
Nov 2016
The initial estimate was not consistent with the final scope of the project, which grew as it proceeded, in large part due to an initial misunderstanding of the type of foundation under an addition that replaced what was originally a carport on a concrete pad, and in small part due to some tangentially related follow-up work to a concrete patio that I wanted to have done. The end price seemed fairly good to me -- the owner claimed he was losing money on the project -- but I do not have enough information to evaluate this, so no letter rating on price. The quality of the end result has been very good. No problems for several years. However, I was not impressed by the professionalism of all of the people that I interacted with at The Foundation Expert. Over the course of this project, I encountered a wide range of memorable behavior -- memorable enough that I am writing this review more than four years after the project -- that, in my view, averaged out to fairly professional. I would consider hiring them again.
Joy E.
Nov 2016
Exceeded expectations. Superb quality, service and price. Sam and his team are excellent.
ROSALIND B.
Jan 2016
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Response from The Foundation Expert
"Thanks for the A. I truly mean that - here is a woman, who is contacted by Angie's List THREE YEARS after I did an inspection. They do this to increase site traffic so they can charge more for their advertising. But here is a review with someone who cannot possibly remember the inspection - how could she? If you read my reviews, please read the ones which were not solicited 2-3 years later on properties where I did absolutely no work - Inspection yes, but no work. Read my reviews where I did work. Angies List - reviews you cannot trust any longer. Used to be a great company - they went public raised 100's of millions, ethics went out the window."
PATRICA T.
Mar 2015
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Response from The Foundation Expert
"People seem to think a B is a good grade. I can only assume they were B or C students in school. This member states she would hire me again. Based on her B I wouldn't do work for her. I don't need the money. AND I certainly do not need B's - I'm a 4.0 GPA Class Valedictorian. I have over 130 A's here on Angie's List. FROM TWO YEARS AGO! Well, I'm back - got tired of all the gripers and complainers who I NEVER met giving me F's. Hmmmphf. Never did business for them - and thank the lord - because they were obviously complaints ready to happen. Will no longer do inspections for FREE - ANGIE"S LIST TAKES ALL THE MONEY ON HER BIG DEALS. WHY? Because if you study Angie's List - in their history they have never had a profitable year. SHE NEEDS THE MONEY. I DON"T NEED THE FALSE OR BOGUS COMPLAINTS. Why False or Bogus? Well, some of my competition asks their relatives to sign up and submit a bogus review. Worst of all - you should't be able to submit a review that is totally subjective when the criteria is objective. You should never be able to give me less than an A for punctuality when I show up early or on time EVERY TIME in spite of the worst traffic in the world. Pricing?" I don't set that for Big Deals - Angie's List does - AND COLLECTS ALL THE MONEY - yet I get gripes about the $98 Big Deal price, and it's unconditionally guaranteed - people ask for a refund 2 years later and get it - all I get is a c, d, or F for price. Please, if you're a complainer, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE call Aquaguard or Mid-Atlantic or another company that steals peoples money - Please do not call me. I hope whoever reads this is having a wonderful day."
Diane G.
Jan 2015
They were fabulous.
Response from The Foundation Expert
"Here's an honest review and I would like to thank the member for her praise."
Candy D.
Jan 2015
They talked about putting in tile, but we didn't want to spend that much money. Maybe we should have. I can't remember exactly, but I think they came out promptly. He was a good guy and gave us an estimate.
Response from The Foundation Expert
"Here's another review - 3 years later. Nice woman, honestly states she "... can't remember exactly." Yet Angies List pushes her to verbally give them a review. She gives me a very good review in spite of her ability and most people to remember details about an inspection conducted 3 years previously. However, she gives me a B. In school, I never got a B, I was an A student. Maybe there are people in the world that think B is good, but on Angie's List it is the kiss of death. Also, she says I gave an estimate - I don't give estimates, none of my paperwork will ever use that word. It represents guess work, not exact. An estimate? I tell you EXACTLY what work will cost and it comes by email in the form of a proposal. I don't pressure people at the kitchen table, DO NOT ACCEPT CONTRACTS in the house because its home improvement sales. I do home improvement contracting, I'm the contractor, I'm the inspector, and I don't earn a commission nor care about them. I save people money on a daily basis by telling them the truth, not pulling any punches, and if work doesn't need to be done, believe me, I'll tell you. I'm already so busy, I don't need work that doesn't need doing. Others do because they're starving. They're hungry for a sales commission. This is why I do paid inspections instead of "FREE ESTIMATES" which in the end, are never free. And rarely, in this industry, are they ever worth more than you paid. In any case, I do appreciate this good review. The B? ..."
Patricia J.
Jan 2015
The gentleman that came was very knowledgeable, did his job well, produced a written report, answered all the questions I had, and recommended someone I could go to. I don't have anything negative to say about him. He knew what he was doing. I got the report with a couple of weeks. I provided the evaluation to the company who actually did the work. When I contacted him, he responded quickly and in a timely manner. Pricing was very reasonable.
Response from The Foundation Expert
"Great review, according to his words I should have A+ across the board -why the B for quality? That's like a slap in the face - actually more like a punch in the nose. Here is what he states: The gentleman that came was very knowledgeable, did his job well, produced a written report, answered all the questions I had, and recommended someone I could go to. I don't have anything negative to say about him. He knew what he was doing. I got the report with a couple of weeks. I provided the evaluation to the company who actually did the work. When I contacted him, he responded quickly and in a timely manner. Pricing was very reasonable."
Mary K.
Dec 2014
Our basement is about 2,000 sq. ft and they were at the home for about 10 minutes. They didn’t come with any tools – they just eyeballed things in our basement. They found nothing and we actually had a big issue with our basement a year later. We had major flooding and we’re still trying to figure out where it’s coming from. I am not sure if they missed it or not, but I wish it was made more clear about what exactly the deal was for.
Linda P.
Oct 2014
It wasn’t as detailed as I had expected. As opposed to an independent assessment it was to sell new services if you decided to go with his recommendations. I thought it was going to be independent as opposed to him trying to remedy it. It seemed like he didn’t have the best of interests. He did find things but I thought it was more expensive than it was. I could have got the same assessment with somebody coming out and giving me an estimate so I didn’t have to pay a $100 to get what he gave me, so other water proofing companies would have given me the same thing and I wouldn’t have paid them anything and that was the difference. The bottom line is that I could have gotten the service for free because it wasn’t as detailed as I would have expected for $100. I wanted something beyond that I would normally get from a company. I actually ended up going with somebody else.
Christia P.
Jun 2014
Sam was very easy to talk to and detailed and thorough. He took his time with us to help us understand what the issues were and what needed to be done to fix them. He was extremely receptive to questions. I would highly recommend him, not just because he knows his stuff, but because he makes an effort to help his clients understand their homes and why the work is needed.
Ruth G.
May 2014
The service turned out very well. He was very professional and he did a great job. He gave a very good report and it was done very well. I was completely satisfied with him.
Ronald E.
May 2014
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Linda Z.
May 2014
unknown
Lukesha J.
Apr 2014
unknown
Sharon S.
Apr 2014
unknown
Tania O.
Apr 2014
Our basement bedroom started to leak water after the August 2011 Northern Virginia earthquake, which may have had no relation. Although it never leaked before the earthquake, this could have been an aging issue. It leaked during each of our two major hurricanes in September 2011, then again in Superstorm Sandy October 2012. At the first hurricane we thought it a fluke and went back to normal after cleanup. We realized we had a problem with the foundation when the water under the carpet during Superstorm Sandy was actually muddy water suggesting earth was coming into the house somehow.
The Foundation Experts were highly professional from start to finish. They had clear expertise and gave us great confidence that they knew exactly what they were doing. We also were pleased with their Angie's List reviews. They explained things to us quite clearly so that we could understand. They offered two pricing options as part of their bid--one a lower bid that would attack a localized smaller area for around $3000 and the higher bid that would address the entire side of the house for around $10,500. Based on the possible aging issues of the house and that we intend to own the own for our adult lives, we elected to repair the entire side of the house to avoid any future issues.
The team did a good job inside and out, including dealing with surprises. They were thorough in how deep they excavated, finding drainage piping at the foundation of the house coming somehow out of the bottom of the house that was not draining to anywhere that they added piping to to drain out properly toward the rear of the property, including adding a screen to ensure no pests could use it as a house entry point. After doing crack/hole repair, they resurfaced where necessary, added waterproofing materials, drainage piping, and then backfilling. Although our existing landscaping was disrupted, The Foundation Experts advised that in advance and also suggested that moving forward we use grass in that area to help absorb water better at the top of the ground. They suggested that the way that area was previously landscaped was actually retaining water in a negative way right against the house.
They also repaired inside the house in the basement bedroom. They did a treatment against for mold, cleaned and restored the carpet, and repaired the water damage on the baseboard areas at point of water entry. They even painted, matching the existing paint color to my pleasant surprise. The basement bedroom was back in top-notch shape for our guests.
We were extremely satisfied, and we would recommend them to others facing foundation issues.
The Foundation Experts were highly professional from start to finish. They had clear expertise and gave us great confidence that they knew exactly what they were doing. We also were pleased with their Angie's List reviews. They explained things to us quite clearly so that we could understand. They offered two pricing options as part of their bid--one a lower bid that would attack a localized smaller area for around $3000 and the higher bid that would address the entire side of the house for around $10,500. Based on the possible aging issues of the house and that we intend to own the own for our adult lives, we elected to repair the entire side of the house to avoid any future issues.
The team did a good job inside and out, including dealing with surprises. They were thorough in how deep they excavated, finding drainage piping at the foundation of the house coming somehow out of the bottom of the house that was not draining to anywhere that they added piping to to drain out properly toward the rear of the property, including adding a screen to ensure no pests could use it as a house entry point. After doing crack/hole repair, they resurfaced where necessary, added waterproofing materials, drainage piping, and then backfilling. Although our existing landscaping was disrupted, The Foundation Experts advised that in advance and also suggested that moving forward we use grass in that area to help absorb water better at the top of the ground. They suggested that the way that area was previously landscaped was actually retaining water in a negative way right against the house.
They also repaired inside the house in the basement bedroom. They did a treatment against for mold, cleaned and restored the carpet, and repaired the water damage on the baseboard areas at point of water entry. They even painted, matching the existing paint color to my pleasant surprise. The basement bedroom was back in top-notch shape for our guests.
We were extremely satisfied, and we would recommend them to others facing foundation issues.
Sarah C.
Feb 2014
He came and looked at the foundation. He said he was going to sending us a report but he never did. We ended up finding the source of the problem separately. Overall, the service did not go very well.
Arlene S.
Jan 2014
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Jonathan K.
Jan 2014
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John L.
Dec 2013
Work was done in a timely and professional manner. Since they had to drill into the foundation wall and floor quite a bit of dust and debris was created. They did a great job of minimizing the problem by putting up plastic sheeting to protect the furnace and the rest of the basement. The problem had been prevalent for years and it was nice to find a firm to do the work and feel like you are not getting ripped off. They were straight forward, honest and easy to deal with. We have since sold the house but had no problem after the work was performed.
John G.
Nov 2013
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Namar G.
Oct 2013
For the drainage system and sump pump, I am extremely happy I went with Foundation Expert. I have not had any leaks or floods in my basement since the system was installed. It took about only a day and a half to get everything done. I would definitely recommend them out to family and friends.
Tomas H.
Oct 2013
They spent half an hour to evaluate my basement. It wasn't worth the time. I could have gotten that same service from just having an estimate for free. They were very professional. I would probably not use them in the future.
Sue K.
Sep 2013
Overall I was very pleased with the experience. The technician that did the inspection was obviously very experienced. The house is about 70 years old and through the various remodels it has had over the decades, one of the previous owners made some modifications that caused us to be a tiny bit concerned. The tech was kind enough to walk us through the inspection and his findings. Turns out our area of concern was very easy to fix. Had we let it go for a few years, repairs would have been a lot more extensive, expensive, industrious and time consuming. Because we got it checked out early, the fix was cheap, easy and fast. the inspection was worth every penny.
Steven P.
Sep 2013
he showed up on time and was very helpful. However, he suggested he would provide a quote for replacing a back walk way, which never happened.
Licensing
State Contractor License Requirements
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FAQ
The Foundation Expert is currently rated 4.4 overall out of 5.
The Foundation Expert accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard
No, The Foundation Expert does not offer free project estimates.
No, The Foundation Expert does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, The Foundation Expert does not offer a senior discount.
No, The Foundation Expert does not offer emergency services.
No, The Foundation Expert does not offer warranties.