5 Important Questions to Ask Your Foundation Repair Contractor

When a homeowner decides to call a foundation repair expert, it’s often because they’ve noticed signs that a home foundation repair solution is necessary. It is imperative to catch any possible foundation issues quickly to halt any further damage. 

The homeowner has probably noticed tell-tale signs like sticking doors and windows, water in the basement, water coming up through the basement floor, cracks in the basement walls, or even cracks in the chimney. 

The next step is the most challenging one: how to find the right contractor. At this stage, it is important that the homeowner gets all of the necessary information from a foundation repair company to make an informed decision about which company to choose.

PierMagic, the leading Kansas City foundation repair contractors, can guide you through the right questions to ask, and what to watch out for. With our help, you can make decisions that protect your home and keep it safe - affordably and effectively. 

1. Does the Foundation Repair Contractor Offer a Free Estimate?

Understanding the foundation repair company’s policy for estimates is an important place to start. Every homeowner deserves a completely free estimate from a company that can provide expert foundation repair solutions. If a company is not offering a free estimate, you may ask yourself why… 

What to Look Out For: If a company you’re working with charges for a visit and estimate right off the bat, you should be wary of this contractor, and start looking elsewhere. Again, you should ask yourself why… 

Who to Trust: Trust a company that offers a free estimate, and who will thoroughly inspect all relevant parts of the house, including the basement, crawlspaces, the upper floors, around the foundation outdoors, and more. PierMagic, the locally-owned-and-operated Kansas City foundation repair contractor, will do exactly this when we visit your home. We send out highly-trained technicians to give you a clear, thorough assessment of your home foundation repair needs. We don’t start any work without your approval, and we don’t charge you just for driving to your home. Every customer deserves transparency and direct communication from a foundation repair company, and this is what you’ll experience with PierMagic. 

2. Does the Company Tailor Home Foundation Repair Solutions to Each Customer’s Needs?

In the home foundation repair industry, there are far too many contractors who address foundation solutions as “one size fits all.” However, when one in four homes in this area require an expert solution, there are as many individual scenarios as you can imagine, whether the home has a post and pier foundation, or any other foundation type.

What to Look Out For: It may be difficult to determine whether your contractor is the one-size-fits-all type, so it is important that the company describes to you exactly what they plan to do, why your particular home requires that solution as opposed to others, how it will protect your home and keep you safe, and how the repair will also add value to your home. 

If you want to double check, you can run another foundation repair contractor’s findings by us, and we can evaluate it and offer our expert suggestions. It is highly possible that another home foundation repair company is overcharging you, seeing your home’s needs as a cookie-cutter foundation repair, or even missing key elements that will protect your house and family. You wouldn’t ask a doctor to help with legal advice, so you shouldn’t ask another contractor to help with foundation repair. 

Who to Trust: Always trust a company that can offer a clear, thorough explanation of two things: they should tell you what your foundation needs, and what unique solution they can use to ensure that this condition is repaired effectively and affordably. You can also trust a company that can notice the gaps and oversights in another foundation repair company’s estimate, and offers a more sensible solution that will offer safety, protection, and add value to your home. 

Also, keep in mind that using your favorite online search engine to determine what’s normal and what’s not can have you going in circles. Often, too much searching can make you feel like you’re experiencing a home foundation repair calamity, when - in reality - you just need the steady, expert knowledge of a leading foundation repair contractor. PierMagic can be this knowledgeable company for you, as we’ve provided key solutions for foundation repair in Kansas City for over 15 years. 

3. Does the Foundation Repair Contractor View Foundation Repair as an Investment for Homeowners?

It is important for any homeowner who needs a home foundation repair solution to think of this as an investment in their home. The significant majority of solutions that a company like ours can provide will add value to a home. This is because our solutions protect the home from further damage for years to come. 

Additionally, foundation repair contractors - like us, who offer other key services such as egress window installation, epoxy floor coatings, and drainage solutions - are adding key structural and even design-related value to the home. For example, an egress window in a basement room allows you by code to claim an additional bedroom in your home, which can be a crucial selling point. In addition to adding another bedroom, the egress window is a huge safety aspect that provides an easy escape route. 

What to Look Out For: Foundation repair contractors should view their work as a safety and protection measure for the “bones” of your house, but it shouldn’t just be a “patch it up, and call it good” service. Beware of any company with this type of philosophy.

Who to Trust: Instead, a superior home foundation repair company sees their work as a value-add for your home. The foundation solution will be done with precision, the latest available technology, and signature care. This way, you’re not just paying to have someone “fix” something, but you’re increasing the protection and safety of your home through customized solutions.

If you’re looking for a company that can do this kind of foundation repair in Kansas City - from post and pier foundations to any type of home foundation you can imagine - stick with the locally-owned-and-operated PierMagic. 

4. Does the Foundation Repair Company Specialize in Various State-of-the-Art Solutions?

It is important that a foundation repair contractor is keeping up to date with the latest technology in home foundation repair. New tools and techniques have become available that make foundation-related solutions even more effective than ever. You want to be sure that the job is done right to protect the longevity of your home’s foundation. 

What to Look Out For: Here is an example of a foundation repair solution that has been updated for better effectiveness and quality: mudjacking. If a company is still using mudjacking as a concrete repair solution, they haven’t updated their training or equipment lately, and this might be cause for concern. 

Who to Trust: A foundation repair contractor in Kansas City that has replaced mudjacking with polyjacking is far more up-to-date and trained in the latest techniques. Ejecting polyurethane resin to fill a gap underneath a cement slab in a garage or basement is a far more effective and long-lasting solution than mudjacking. However, only certain premier contractors use it. Look to companies that do, such as PierMagic. No matter the job, whether it is polyjacking or a solution for a post and pier foundation, we always bring state-of-the-art solutions to each job we perform.

5. Is the Foundation Repair Contractor Locally-Owned and -Operated?

The final question you should ask is whether a foundation repair company is locally-owned-and-operated. If a home foundation repair company is a franchise that is not from the area, there’s no way for them to have the depth of experience with our area’s foundation types, as well as soil conditions, to understand foundation repair in Kansas City.

What to Look Out For: If you go to the website of a foundation repair company and recognize that they have information about “owning a franchise,” or in their “about us” section it’s clear they have a parent company involved, these are signs that they are not truly a local company. You can also check out their business locations and service areas. If they’re spread out across the state and beyond, this is not a business committed to Kansas City customers and homes.The companies may have a Kansas City address, but are not part of the community, nor do they have an in-depth understanding of the Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas soil. With any foundation issue, soil plays a huge part. 

Who to Trust: A locally-owned-and-operated business is here to serve you, the Kansas City homeowner. At PierMagic, we are dedicated to you, and we have the experience to back it up. We ensure that our communities are safe and protected from foundation-related problems, ensuring that families can feel secure in their homes during all seasons. We understand poor soil conditions that can affect foundations in Kansas City, and we hire and train Kansas City-area veterans as a way to give back to the metro area we love.

What Makes PierMagic the Leading Foundation Repair Contractor in Kansas City

Let’s recap the basic  qualities of a home foundation repair company that you can trust. This should help you get a sense of who you should hire. 

An outstanding foundation repair company:

• Offers a free estimate
• Provides clear, direct, and comprehensive information 
• Customizes their solution or solutions specifically to your home
• Views a home foundation repair project as a value-add for homeowners
• Prioritizes your home and your family’s safety and security
• Develops solutions that are affordable and effective 
• Applies state-of-the-art foundation repair solutions
• Understands all types of foundations, including post and pier foundations
• Is local
• Is committed to the Kansas City community, and hires and trains technicians locally

As we’ve explained, too, each of these characteristics applies to one leading company in Kansas CIty: PierMagic. If you’re ready to get started on a home foundation repair contractor that offers the qualities we’ve described above, we look forward to being in touch.

Also, keep in mind that if expense becomes an issue, we offer financing solutions to make home foundation repair affordable for you, including small monthly payments. Call us today at (816) 765-4800. You can also send us a message online, and request a free quote.