Looking for ideas to reduce foundation repair costs ($42k) (stucco, documents, mortgage)

[american_man]

My house in the Bay Area has a foundation problem with 1 to 2 inch settling. Other symptoms of the problem:-

• 5 Cracks in stucco
• 4 Cracks in foundation wall
• Rolling in foundation wall
• Chimney movement and separation

• Floor elevations measurements of 0 to -2inches, with the settling having occurred in both living rooms and 2 bed rooms. All rooms are on corners except one living room which is not a corner room (see attached figure)
• 3 Cracks in dry wall
• 1 Crack and separation in floors (bouncy floors)
• 1 Sticking door and window

Attached figure shows where the 20 push piers should be placed as per the foundation company inspection. They quoted $42k. This is a BIG expense and I'm looking for any out-of-the-box solutions. I will get 2 more quotes in 2 weeks time but I don't expect them to be that much off from 42k. It seems like they are all part of a syndicate. Any suggestions other than just ignoring it? I need to do a bunch of other upgrades and they are held up until I get this repair done. Should I buy the push piers myself from ECP? Should I fly in foundation workers from cheaper states?

[Electrician4you]

Have you tried calling the insurance co?

Get all the bids and start working them against each other

[MikeJaquish]

Do the quotes only address installation of the piers, or is other repair work to the house included in them?

[Wells5]

It's too bad that most homes in CA are built on slabs. If you had a basement, you could install a few adjustable floor jacks in the basement interior and raise the home gradually yourself.

[BoBromhal]

You SHOULD first get a (structural) engineer to assess your issue for $500-1000, and perhaps they'd have a real solution that was much less expensive.

getting multiple estimates, and then trying to negotiate a deal with the most professional company is your best bet.

[american_man]

From friend's experience, it's hard to bring down the price by more 10 to 15% since the foundation companies have standard procedures to arrive at the number of piers, and this number drives the final cost. One alternative to push piers is smart/slab jacks. These are jacks that sit on a concrete base 3 ft deep. The setup is done in the crawlspace underneath the settled floor. Just like a car jack the floor is lifted using the jacks. Any void created is filled with concrete. Wondering if I should go down this cheaper route.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Wells5

It's too bad that most homes in CA are built on slabs. If you had a basement, you could install a few adjustable floor jacks in the basement interior and raise the home gradually yourself.

Basements and earthquake zones are not a good combination.

[evilcart]

Originally Posted by american_man

From friend's experience, it's hard to bring down the price by more 10 to 15% since the foundation companies have standard procedures to arrive at the number of piers, and this number drives the final cost. One alternative to push piers is smart/slab jacks. These are jacks that sit on a concrete base 3 ft deep. The setup is done in the crawlspace underneath the settled floor. Just like a car jack the floor is lifted using the jacks. Any void created is filled with concrete. Wondering if I should go down this cheaper route.

at 40k i would hire a structural engineer to figure out what is going on. In the past we have had saved a huge amount by getting reputable companies to bid on the project . We tell them beforehand they will be bidding on the project and we will ensure all bidders are working to the same standard or spec..

When they know they are competing some won't even bid others are hungry and cut you a deal. but you really have to make sure everyone is bidding on the same thing to the same standard as best you can. which is why having someone else determine what needs to be done can be the best route.


We have also hired master builders, semi retired contractors to oversee important parts of builds and fixes. ie pouring, framing, envelope ..

[southwest88]

Um, you bought this house? If it's on mortgage, the inspection didn't show any problems? You can pursue whoever sold you the house - this sounds like a pre-existing condition. You might also be able to pursue whoever did the inspection - because it sounds like a problem of long standing. Previous owner first, if they failed to disclose problems they were aware of - look through your closing documents, see if there's a notification of foundation problems there. You might also look to see if there's a Certificate of Habitability (the name may vary) - basically saying that the house is safe to live in. That should also say something, if the previous owner complied with the law & noted a potential problem there.

Best of luck with it.

[Leona Valley]

I'm with southwest88 on this. How old is the house and how long have you owned it? The builder and or previous owner may be liable. I wouldn't spend a dime on repairs until you find out. If it's on you I'd get more estimates.