You’ve recently had a foundation inspection from a foundation repair contractor. So now what – do they send you some stuff?? What will you get from them that includes any kind of results or findings or something? You want to know what to expect as far as paperwork or documents are concerned.
What ideally *should* a foundation repair contractor provide to a homeowner after their foundation has been inspected?
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we have been inspecting and repairing Brazos Valley foundations since 1985. We know what should be provided to a homeowner after a foundation inspection because we do it every day.
In this article, we’ll share what we think are the most important items you need to see from *any* foundation repair contractor that inspects your home. We will cover the minimal and optimal deliverables so you can understand which contractors are just doing the basics and which are going above and beyond to provide you with the best.
Clarifying Foundation Inspections
Let’s first ensure we’re all clear on what the term “home foundation inspection” refers to. We’re not talking about a visit from a general home inspector, that’s different. We’re also not talking about a structural engineer looking at your home.
The kind of home foundation inspection we’re talking about here involves a foundation repair contractor visiting your home, examining the foundation for potential problems, and providing an estimate for the repair costs. This process is often referred to by various terms that essentially mean the same thing. In addition to “home foundation inspection,” you might come across phrases like:
- Quote for Foundation Repair
- Foundation Repair Estimate
- Foundation Inspection
- Home Foundation Evaluation
- Repair Quote for Foundations
- Foundation Consultation
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we officially call it an In-Home Assessment, so there’s that option as well. We can’t use one of the other generic terms, now can we??
Best Foundation Inspection Practices – What Should They Do?
In our opinion, best practices for foundation inspections include steps that occur during the visit as well as deliverables you get at the end. Since this article focuses on the *after the assessment* part of things, we won’t talk much about the *during* stuff, but it’s good to review the basics a little anyway.
As the assessment visit is conducted, a contractor should optimally complete the following:
- Visual inspection of the entire home,
- Confirmation of a foundation issue that can be repaired,
- Measurement of linear feet of walls,
- Discussion of your timelines, needs, and biggest concerns, and
- Ample time for homeowner education and questions.
For more in-depth info about the actual assessment visit, check out this other article we’ve got about The Best Way to Conduct a Home Foundation Inspection.
Ideal Foundation Inspection Deliverables – What Should You Get?
At last, the main focus of this article: deliverables i.e. what you get when it’s over. You should get something formal in writing after your inspection, not just a sketch on a napkin with a price scribbled on it.
Either at the end of the home visit or shortly after that, you should receive some items in either electronic or paper form:
- A written repair plan that includes a clear scope of work,
- An accurate diagram showing foundation support locations,
- Clear and easy-to-understand terms and conditions,
- Warranty information,
- Exclusions,
- Change order procedures, and finally
- A transparent total repair cost.
It’s not that you need to literally receive seven separate items after an inspection. But these seven things should be included *somewhere* within the materials that you receive from a foundation repair contractor.
Often, several of these elements may be combined into or included in one document or proposal package sort of thing. Let’s break down each of these items now.
Repair Plan and Scope of Work
Repair plans range from simple to detailed. Basically, this is where a foundation repair contractor describes what they will be doing to your home. They might list the materials being used, the steps they will take, describe the specs of what they are installing, or include auxiliary work and clean-up details.
Make sure that everything you thought they said they were going to do is in the plan.
The scope of work sounds similar to a repair plan and it kind of is. Think of the scope of work as mostly the specifics of what will be done and the location of the work in and around your home.
Details matter here. The more detailed the repair plan and scope of work are, the easier it is for you to understand what’s happening. Sometimes these materials can be filled with industry language and contractor jargon though. I don’t know if that’s because contractors want to sound smart or because they want to keep you somewhat confused and dependent on them . . . or both!
Some people don’t care and are like, “Just fix it, dude.” That’s perfectly fine until something is done to your home that you weren’t planning on or if they leave something out that you thought was included.
If you don’t understand anything in your repair plan or scope of work, ask. It’s absolutely your right to understand everything that’s going to happen. Not only is it your right, but it’s also your responsibility as the homeowner to check that the repair plan matches both your expectations and understanding. Otherwise, it’s kinda your fault for not verifying what’s there . . .
Accurate Diagram Showing Support Locations
A repair diagram shows the homeowner where the foundation repair underpinning will be placed around your home. Digging and other work will occur at those locations. There might be objects or landscaping items in those locations that you might worry about. Will they be moved? Do you have to move them? What happens to any plants or other things within the work zone?
Or maybe underground plumbing lines, gas lines, or irrigation system lines are within the work areas. When digging is involved, a dig test should be performed to ensure that utility lines are located. But you might need to point out to a foundation repair contractor where your irrigation lines run.
Some foundation repair plans will show that supports are needed under the middle of the home. In other words, you need interior work. Foundation repairs under the interior of the home are much more extensive. Interior repairs often require packing up belongings and even moving out of your home because it will be a construction zone. Check out this article for more on what to know about interior foundation repair work.
In general, the diagram should show the footprint of your home and indicate specifically where work is going to take place. Again, details and clarity matter. Make sure that you understand and ask questions if anything on the diagram doesn’t make sense to you.
Terms & Conditions
The term *terms* is typically short for “payment terms”. This is where it will detail both your repair total as well as any segmented payments that might be required. For example, many contractors will ask for a down payment at the beginning and a series of payments after that. Make sure that you can meet those payment terms.
To make things even more confusing, terms can be any stipulation listed in the repair agreement too. The big thing to remember is that this is a legal agreement, a contract. When you sign or accept the proposal or quote, you are agreeing to ALL the terms and conditions.
Conditions are kinda like the *will*, *will not*, *if and then* stuff. What they WILL do and WILL NOT do. IF they are going to repair your home, THEN you need to do this, that, and the other.
There might be requirements for you to have hydrostatic testing done, or you might have to make sure that certain things are moved out of the way for example.
Conditions also include things like:
- Deadlines for accepting the work proposal,
- Who provides the materials,
- Who is responsible for certain damages,
- Notifications,
- Disclaimers,
- Dispute instructions, and
- Anything else that’s important for you to know.
As tempting as it might be to treat your foundation repair terms and conditions like all the other terms and conditions you’re forced to check a box on before proceeding, resist the urge to skip over this information.
Committing to foundation repairs is not like opening a streaming service account or an agreement to order groceries online. This is your home with repairs costing potentially tens of thousands of dollars. You should read the terms and conditions carefully so you are on board and agree with what will happen to your home.
Warranty Information
Most homeowners are interested in warranty terms . . . there’s that *terms* word again . . . Warranty policy and service agreement information should be spelled out for you somewhere. It might be part of the terms and conditions or a separate item.
Homeowners often think that if something has a warranty, then it will never cost them anything later on. It’s a common misconception. Be clear about what the warranty covers, any costs to you, and how long the warranty coverage is for.
If the warranty happens to be transferable, make note of any transfer instructions to follow if you sell your home in the future.
Exclusions
Exclusions are a fancy way of saying the *WILL NOTS* and *MAY NOTS*. We already kinda talked about this in the terms and conditions section. Exclusions are usually a part of the terms and conditions, but I suppose it could also be a separate item.
Here are some common exclusions you might find on foundation repair proposals:
- The home may not be perfectly level after foundation repairs,
- The contractor will not repair drywall cracks,
- The contractor will not be responsible for existing or created plumbing problems,
- The contractor will not repair irrigation systems,
- The contractor will not be responsible for trees, plants, or shrubs, etc.
- The work may not continue or be warrantied if structural deficiencies are discovered.
There could be lots of exclusions and they sound intimidating. But the contractor is simply specifying what they can’t and won’t be doing because it’s not in their scope of work anyway. If you think about it, exclusions are sort of the opposite of the scope of work.
Change Order Procedures
During the course of your repairs, sometimes things change or the homeowner requests a change. Changes almost always cost more money and procedures must be followed to essentially update your contract, repair plan, and scope of work.
Any contractual changes should be done in writing to verify that the homeowner and contractor agree on what the changes will be. This could be covered in a small section of the terms and conditions about “change orders”.
Total Cost
All foundation repair quotes should include the total cost for the described repairs. It’s nicer if the way the costs break down is transparent. For example, a listing of how many supports you need and the cost per support. Line items for material costs, fuel charges, additional services, or taxes help the homeowner know how the contractor arrived at the total price.
Yes, foundation repairs are expensive and you might be taken aback by the total. Remember, this is a repair service that is essentially lifting your house up from underneath, without damaging the rest of the structure. It’s no small feat!
Foundation repairs are comparable in cost to something like a major kitchen remodel, a new roof, or updating your entire HVAC or plumbing system. Expect these kinds of whole home repairs to be considerable. But it’s going to bring you peace of mind along with much-needed stability to your home.
Minimum Post-Foundation Inspection Documents
If a foundation repair contractor doesn’t provide ALL the stuff above with detail and care, what’s the minimum you should get? Well, at the very least, I’d say that you should receive:
- A generic repair plan of some sort, not customized to your home
- A basic diagram showing support locations
- Some Terms & Conditions
- Total Cost
So if they don’t go above and beyond, you should still get these items. Though, you might not feel all warm and fuzzy and taken care of after your inspection.
After Your Foundation Inspection – What To Do Next
After you have received your proposal package, you’ve got to read it. Don’t look at the total price and skip the rest. It’s important to understand what your home needs, what the contractor will do, and any responsibilities you have in the matter.
Always ask questions if you don’t understand something in your foundation repair proposal for work or any of the terms and conditions. Any contractor should be happy to talk with you and make sure you fully comprehend their contract and materials. If they seem annoyed, consider that to be a red flag.
You’ll need to decide whether you want to accept the bid for work from this contractor. You’ll also have to decide if you want to get another bid i.e. second opinion from another contractor for comparison or if you’re satisfied with only one.
If you’re 100% on board and ready to get started, there’s usually something you need to do to *activate* the work. Very often, engaging a contractor requires a deposit payment. The deposit is likely some percentage of the total cost – 20%, 25%, 30%, or 50% are all common amounts for a repair deposit. Be more than wary of any contractor who asks for the entire cost upfront (another red flag).
You may also need to click on an accept button on an electronic document, or maybe a phone call is all that’s needed to get on the work schedule. Follow whatever instructions are provided in the contract or communication. Yet another reason to read and understand what all those papers say – they give instructions sometimes too!
The Ultimate Deliverable: Actual Foundation Repairs
Now you know what kinds of things you should see from a foundation repair contractor after an inspection. The care, conscientiousness, and thoroughness reflected during the inspection process and in your post-inspection deliverables are great indicators of what comes next: your actual repairs.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we offer fair and impartial assessments, empowering education, and a fully transparent repair process. After 40+ years in business, we want you to know as much about foundation repair as we do and we’ve got no secrets to hide from the Brazos Valley community. It’s the house you love and you deserve to be 100% on board with your home repair decisions.
Want to know more about the foundation repair process and what happens in general once work begins on your home? We can only offer details on our method of foundation repair here. Check out Drilled Pier Foundation Repair: 4 Steps to Expect in a Typical Project.
