Learn To Identify Red Flags
Your homes foundation is, for lack of a better term, foundational. Everything else in your home relies on a firm and solid foundation. What happens when that foundation isn’t stable? Things can go wrong. You should absolutly get your foundation looked at by a foundation specialist, so they can determine if your home needs foundation repair.
There are quite a few companies that offer foundation repair, so it’s important to have decernment when choosing a company to work with. So, when choosing companies, what are the red flags to look out for? Here are some of the main ones.
Red Flag #1 – Asking For Your Budget
No reputable company should ever ask for your budget. Why? Because foundation repair costs what it costs. There’s no way to partially fix a foundation. Either you fix it, or you don’t. We’ve seen it time and time again. If you tell a company your budget, they’ll take your money, and you’ll have to fix your foundation a second time. You can’t repair a foundation halfway.
Red Flag #2 – Quality of Steel
The steel quality matters, because that’s what your foundation sits on once it’s fixed. If it is inferior steel, the repair could fail, wasting your invested time and money.
Questions to ask any company you are interviewing:
- Do you have ASTMA 53 Grade A or Grade B certification? That’s a measure of the strength of the steel. Note: Confusingly, Grade B is actually higher than Grade A.
- Does the steel have a mechanical strength of 30,000 PSI pounds to 48,000 PSI pounds? Can you provide the ASTM Rating?
- Do you have a certified mill test report?
These are all things Sejant Northwest provides.
Why this matters: A company may use a lower quality steel to save money, or use untested steel. If it’s untested it can still be sold, but it will have a flaw somewhere in the steel. When it comes to securing your house, you don’t want flawed steel.
Red Flag #3 – No Lifetime Warranty
If the company doesn’t offer a lifetime transferable warranty on the parts AND the workmanship, then find another company. With Sejant Northwest, your warranty is good for your whole life, as well as the lifetime of the next home owner. This gives you peace of mind.
Red Flag #4 – Ignoring Local Laws
You absolutely need permits on any foundation job from your local municipality. If the company you are thinking of working with says you don’t, choose another company. Sejant Northwest will help you navigate the permits you need, to make sure you’re in compliance with local laws.
Conclusion
It’s imporant to be armed with information when you’re interviewing potential foundation repair companies. We hope you found this helpful. If you have any questions, please contact us any time. We’re happy to help.