You have an upcoming video call to assess your foundation problems with Anchor Foundation Repair. Maybe you are unsure of what this is all about or how it will go. Is there anything you need to do to prepare? What will be needed from you? Why do we have to do this??
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we have been assessing and repairing foundation issues in the Brazos Valley since 1985. We have honed in on what matters most in the evaluation of a sinking foundation and created a process that gets homeowners the info they need as fast as possible – and that’s by video.
This article will answer common questions about the video call process. You will understand why we do them and how to prepare so that you can get the most benefit from your personal video assessment appointment in the shortest amount of time.
We will do this in a quick question-and-answer format so that you can easily scroll to the questions you want to know about the most.
Q: Why Do I Need to Do a Video Call with Anchor First?
You might be questioning why a video call is necessary first and we have a couple of very good reasons. The video call will help us all determine the following:
- If you indeed have a foundation problem in the first place that we can help with,
- If we can help you with your foundation problem on a timeline that works for you, and
- If you are comfortable with the estimated pricing enough to move forward.
Most importantly, doing the video call first can save you money since our foundation inspections to get a formal quote do come with a cost of $250 to $350 for our time and expertise.
You see, if you don’t have a foundation problem, then you would be wasting the cost of an in-home visit for nothing. If we can’t help you within the timeframe you need to get the repairs done in, then you have wasted money paying for the inspection. If you are not comfortable with the estimated pricing for foundation repair to feel like you want to use Anchor, then you’re not going to be comfortable paying for an in-home assessment either.
Our goal here is not to collect money from people for performing foundation inspections. We want to make sure that coming out to your home in the first place will be worth it for you and meet your needs. So we developed the video call to help screen for the homeowners that we are the best fit to help.
Q: How Long Will a Video Call Take?
A video call time is blocked out on our schedules for 20 minutes, but we find that our video calls last from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the extent of the issues in your home.
Doing a few things to prepare for the video call first can cut down on the time and really focus in on the problems unique to your home, instead of spending time answering questions that everyone seems to have.
Check out these Common Customer Questions that just about every homeowner wants to know about the Anchor process now to save time during your video call. This way we can get the easy stuff out of the way before we even see you on video.
Q: Why Can’t You Come Do This In Person? Don’t You Need To?
We could do it in person at first, but like we talked about in the first question, it could be a waste of everyone’s time and your money if we are not a good fit for your needs.
If we determine through the video call that we can help you, and you are comfortable with the estimate, then yes we do need to come out for a formal In-Home Assessment to do actual measurements of your home.
We can do a lot on video and using the internet we can see the footprint of your home to estimate distances and dimensions reliably. We’ve been doing this for a while so it’s a skill we have developed through experience.
Q: What Will I Need to Show You In a Video Call?
On a video call, we are looking for the visual cues and signs that indicate foundation settlement. Those signs could be inside or outside the home so you should be prepared to show us anything that you can see with your eyeballs during the video call.
Here is a *super handy picture guide* that will narrow down the real and false signs of foundation problems for you. The real signs are the ones we are most interested in seeing, the false signs are things that homeowners often ask about but aren’t as telling or concerning when it comes to foundation settlement.
In other words, the stuff in the picture guide that we want to see on video are the ones under the section on true signs of foundation issues.
Q: How Can You Estimate Foundation Repair Costs by Video?
Foundation settlement has very clear visual signs and we don’t need to *feel* the slope of your floor or measure how much it tilts to determine costs. The degree of slope or the amount of lifting your home needs does not impact the cost of foundation repairs.
What does impact the cost of foundation repairs is the linear feet of affected walls around the home. The linear feet dictate how many support piers need to be added under your home which is the biggest of all the cost factors in foundation repair pricing.
We can easily determine what walls are experiencing foundation settlement by video, then we estimate the linear feet by using the footprint of your home online, and come up with an estimated cost for you.
Q: What Is Anchor’s Video Call Process?
Ok, here’s how things will go down step-by-step in the video call process.
- We will call you by phone first to verify that you are ready.
- Reverify your main issues and concerns verbally.
- Move to a video conferencing option. Pick the one you are most comfortable with!
- FaceTime
- Zoom
- Google Meets
- FaceTime Messenger
- Begin on video at the front door for orientation purposes.
- Tour the home showing us on video the symptoms you are seeing in your home. Check the Real and False Foundation Problems Signs Picture Guide for help!
- Diagonal cracks in walls
- Door fit or door misalignment issues
- Trim separations
- Brick cracks
- Brick and window separation
- Brick frieze issues
- We will then share an estimated repair cost.
- We will also share an estimated timeline for how long it will take to repair.
Depending on how you feel about the estimated costs and timeline, we will discuss the next steps and provide more information that is most relevant to your needs.
If you need time to think and speak with other key decision-makers in the household, that’s no problem. We are not in the pressure business and understand that there’s a lot to consider when it comes to foundation repairs for your home.
You might even be looking to get second opinions or estimates from other foundation repair contractors and we are fine with that.
If you feel completely comfortable with the pricing and timelines that we present to you, we can set up the In-Home Assessment appointment at the end of the video call or we can set it up later by email or phone.
What Happens After Anchor’s Video Call is Complete?
After the video call, you will receive an email summarizing the issues present in the home, the estimated cost, and the approximate time it will take to repair your foundation. From there, the ball is in your court on whether you wish to take the next step with an In-Home Inspection to receive a formal contracted price and foundation repair plan.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we have been serving Bryan, College Station, and surrounding Brazos Valley communities like Madisonville and Caldwell for 35+ years. We will be the first to tell you if we think you don’t need foundation repairs and it’s faster and cheaper for you to find that out in a video call instead of us coming to your house.
But if you do decide to move forward and get a foundation inspection from Anchor, check out How To Prepare for Your In-Home Inspection with Anchor Foundation Repair next.