Foundation repairs might be happening at your house soon. It has occurred to you that perhaps you need to be home while it’s going on or do you need to stay out of the way? But you have pets, kids, and/or work. Ack! Now you’re really wondering how to handle this or if you are even needed onsite during repairs.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we have repaired thousands of Brazos Valley foundations through our 35+ years in business. We have experienced all the preferences and needs of people over this time. We can tell you what folks tend to do and what is needed from the homeowner during the foundation repair process.
This article reviews what you need to know about your presence (or absence) during the foundation repair process. We will cover this question in general terms as it might apply to any foundation repair company as well as when Anchor is on the job.
To be clear, this article is talking about drilled pier foundation repair (not pressed pilings). Some info will apply to all foundation repair methods and companies, while other info is specific only to Anchor Foundation Repair and our chosen repair method.
Home or Not Home: That Is the Foundation Repair Question
Do I need to be home during the foundation repair process?
Should I be home during foundation repairs?
Can I be home while foundation repairs are being done on my home?
These all *sound* like the same question being asked in various ways that mean the same thing, but are they really? I think these three questions are all actually very different and come from a different mindset for a homeowner.
So, let’s address the hidden meaning behind each question and see if we can’t help address all these angles of homeowner concern about the foundation repair process when it comes to your home.
Do I Need To Be Home During Foundation Repairs?
The practical homeowner just wants to know what’s up and what is expected from them. Is the foundation repair company expecting you to be there the whole time the repairs are taking place? Do they need you for something? You want to know what is needed so that you can plan accordingly.
Plus, maybe you have this *job* thing that takes you away from the house every day for some reason.
So when someone asks us, “Do I need to be home during foundation repairs?” The answer is no. No, it is not required that a homeowner be present throughout the repair process. Foundation repair companies, including Anchor, know what needs to be done without assistance or help from the homeowner onsite. They work pretty independently and we have even done foundation repairs with a homeowner out of the country.
We would suggest that you could be home for a little while as the job is beginning on the first day. You might have some questions or something you want to share with the team before they get started. Even though there is a written foundation repair plan in place, the foreman will need to enter the home and get oriented to the job as well.
It’s certainly great if you are there for this “job start orientation.” But it’s also okay if no one is there at the job start as long as we can access the home for a quick look around.
How Will I Know What Is Happening If I Am Not Home?
The practical homeowner might also want to know what is going on at the house when they are not there to see the work happening. We understand that people can’t take time off of work and have more important things to do than hang around with us all day.
We’ve got good news for you because we have a way for you to see and hear about every step of your foundation repair process.
Anchor uses a premiere communication system called BuilderTrend that allows you to keep apprised of your project without even being there. Every day the crew takes pictures and videos of what they are working on and have accomplished. We can show you if they run into any problems under your home too.
Daily homeowner logs in BuilderTrend will report in writing a detailed list of what was done that day for you to read online anytime day or night. So you don’t need to be home and can carry on with your life and still get a full report on what happened each day during the project. It’s pretty cool if I do say so myself.
Should I Be Home During Foundation Repairs?
Now that you know that you don’t NEED to be home during foundation repairs, some homeowners might wonder if there is any reason that they SHOULD be home. This is especially true for someone who may have had a bad experience with a contractor in the past or feels uneasy about repairs being done at the house in general.
You still might be thinking, “Should I be home to supervise things in case something goes wrong or to keep an eye on everything?” We’ve all been there before, thinking that if you’re there it will somehow keep bad things from happening.
It’s important to choose a foundation repair contractor you can trust by asking the right questions before hiring one. This kind of concern melts away when you feel confident that you have hired a trustworthy contractor.
If you would feel better about being at home during the process, then yes, you should be there. It’s your home and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be there during the repairs if you want to be present. If you will be worried the whole time not being there, then, by all means, stay home.
Most times during a foundation repair project, it is perfectly fine for a homeowner to be inside going about their business without any disturbance from the crew outside. Be wary of a foundation repair company that tells you that you can’t be there at all, like ever, during the process because that could be a red flag.
Can I Be Home While Foundation Repairs Are Being Done?
Some homeowners wonder if you are able to stay at home during repairs. Like is it okay to do so? Is it safe? Will I be able to work at home? What if my child needs a nap? What about my pets? I don’t have anywhere else to go for that long. That kind of thing . . .
Hopefully, you figured out from the last section that of course, you can be home during foundation repairs. It might be a little noisy at certain times but most of the work is going on outside and shouldn’t bother you too much.
Anchor is happy to work around furbabies, naptimes, or Zoom meetings should you have animals, small children in the home, or work from home.
It is safe to stay inside during foundation repairs unless interior pier work is needed on your home. If you need piers under the inside of the house (which is about 10% of homes) you would likely need to move out during foundation repairs.
This article is mostly being written for that other 90% that are only having piers installed on the perimeter of the home and don’t need interior work. We’ve got another article describing the interior pier work experience.
When Is Inside Access Needed During Foundation Repairs?
Of course, you want to know if anyone will need inside the house for anything and when that might be. There are times that a foundation repair crew will need to enter the home, but they don’t need access all day, every day.
For drilled pier foundation repairs, interior access will be needed a little at the beginning of the project to verify the work that needs to be done. Then, during the last 1 to 3 days when the home is being raised and the void under your home is getting filled by mud-pumping.
Most foundation repair projects will happen in phases from the initial start-up to digging/prepping for underpinning, to raising the home. During some phases, it’s more likely that you would want to be home because people need to go in and out of the house during select times in the process, but not the whole time.
And again, you don’t have to be there as long as we are able to access the home. Some folks just prefer to stick around (while others would rather not be there at all) and either option should be fine with a foundation repair contractor.
We have a more detailed version of the typical drilled pier foundation repair process too, but here’s a rundown of the general onsite work phases with Anchor Foundation Repair and when the repair team will need to access inside your home:
| Work Phase | Repair Activity | Inside? Yes or No | Reason |
| Day One: Less than 1 hour | Walk-through interior | Yes | Orientation to Problem Signs |
| Work Phase 1:# of days varies | Dig-Drill-Pour | No for 90% of homes | Working only outside |
| Work Phase 2:1 to 3 days | Raising & Mudpumping | Yes | To monitor raising process from interior |
Who Will Be In My House During Foundation Repairs?
Now that you know someone will need to be inside the house during certain phases of work, will it be everyone or just a couple? Don’t worry, it will just be a select few.
If you are having your slab foundation repairs completed by Anchor, we can tell you exactly who will be going inside the house and all about them. All of our team members are legitimate employees and not subcontractors. Many of them have DECADES of experience, especially the professionals that will be inside your home.
Our teams collectively have so many years of experience and we want homeowners to feel confident in Team Anchor’s ability and reliability. We have a thoughtful company structure in place that has all our teams checked on every day and our top leaders are the ones entering your home.
Your Assigned Project Foreman
We have four teams and each team has a trusted leader, officially the Foreman or Crew Leader. These team leaders have been personally selected to be in charge of their team based on proven abilities, massive amounts of experience, and dedication to Anchor.
Each foreman has from 7 to 18 years of experience with our company. These guys have all worked their way up in from the bottom, are pros at what they do, and we trust them to do a great job.
The Foreman’s job is to be the “brains” of each home project so they are not always getting their hands dirty. Foremen purchase materials, manage the workflow and equipment, as well as provide support and training to the rest of the team.
The Foremen are mainly there to manage their team, but they can answer simple homeowner questions on occasion. You might save the more complicated and complex inquiries for either the Project Manager or the Operations Manager though.
Project Manager, Luis Tirado
Luis is arguably the most experienced drilled pier installer in the State of Texas. He has worked for Anchor Foundation Repair for 26, yes TWENTY-SIX years. Luis has seen it all, been challenged by it, and done it all anyway. On top of that, he’s a super-friendly and personable guy who oversees aspects of all the projects going on with all 4 teams.
Luis might come and go and only be there for the most important work but is always checking up on his teams. Luis is bilingual which is a major plus for us here at Anchor.
Operations Manager, Leo Ochoa
Leo is a long-time trusted individual who joined our crew in 2015 for a short time. After honing his management abilities elsewhere, he returned to us in 2022 as our Operations Manager. Leo is a local guy who excels at all forms of communication with homeowners as well as the teams. Leo is also bilingual.
The Operations Manager serves as our primary voice for client communications and prepares the daily homeowner logs to keep you in the loop. Leo has full authority to do whatever is right in any Anchor Foundation Repair situation. He delights in delighting the homeowners we serve on a daily basis.
Like Luis, Leo will come and go to monitor crews and check in with everyone, be there to assist and orient workflow, and be available to homeowners if needed.
You Decide If You Want to Be There During Foundation Repair
The bottom line about this question is that it’s honestly up to you in most cases if you want to be there during the repair process or not. We would love for you to stay on-site and see all the great work we are doing, but not everyone finds it as exciting as we do for some reason.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we understand that it’s your home and we want to take care of your and your needs whatever they may be. You can definitely be there if you want or need to, but we don’t need you there if there are other places you need to be too.
With all these *what to expect* type questions, you might want some more detailed information on the whole slab foundation repair process with Anchor as well. Fair warning, when I say detailed, I mean *detailed* so if you’re ready, check out “What 7 Steps to Expect When You are Expecting Anchor Foundation Repair.”