Foundation repair has a trust problem, and it earned it: commissioned inspectors, pier counts that grow with the salesman's quota, warranties from companies that dissolve and re-incorporate. The defense isn't cynicism — it's ten specific questions that take five minutes and expose a weak bid faster than any review site. Print this. Ask everyone, including us.
The ten questions
01Will you measure floor elevations before recommending anything?
The only acceptable answer is yes, with a device, on a grid. No elevation data = no diagnosis = no honest pier count. This single question filters more bad bids than the other nine combined.
02Can you mark every proposed pier on a drawing and tie each to a reading?
Honest scopes map piers to low readings. 'We pier the whole perimeter to be safe' is not engineering; it's a multiplier.
03When would you NOT recommend your preferred method?
Companies that install one pier type have one answer to every soil. A good answer names real conditions — load, depth, soil profile — where their default loses.
04What's the per-pier price, and what exactly does it include?
Per-pier transparency lets you compare bids apples-to-apples. Bundled 'project pricing' that won't decompose usually hides the margin in the count.
05Is the warranty transferable, and what voids it?
Get the document, not the slogan. Look for: life-of-structure vs. years, transfer fee, and the exclusions list — then check the company has existed long enough for its warranty to mean anything.
06What happens if a warranted pier settles again?
The answer should be: we come back and adjust it, parts and labor, free. Anything mushier — 'prorated', 'materials only', 'service call fee' — prices the warranty's real value.
07Who actually does the work — employees or subs?
Either can be fine; not knowing is not. Ask who supervises, who you call mid-job, and whether the inspector and the crew lead ever talk to each other.
08Will you pull permits and arrange engineering where required?
The answer varies legitimately by city — what shouldn't vary is clarity. 'Permits are your problem' on a job that needs them is a red flag with paperwork attached.
09What's your plan for my landscaping, sprinklers, and cleanup?
Listen for specifics: sod cut and saved, tarped spoil, sprinkler repairs included, magnet sweep. Vague reassurance here predicts a rough week at your house.
10Can I have a few days to decide?
The most diagnostic question on the list. Foundations move in seasons; any discount that expires today exists to stop you from asking the other nine questions.
How to read the answers
You're not grading politeness — you're listening for whether the company's process produces the three artifacts in the diagram: elevation data, a marked pier plan, and a warranty document. A bidder who hedges on question 1 will improvise the rest. A bidder who aces 1 through 9 but pressures you on 10 is telling you the math doesn't survive a second opinion. And a bidder who answers all ten cleanly has earned the right to be compared on price — which is the only thing price should ever decide between.
Start your bid pile with a free inspection that answers all ten before you ask — elevation map, marked plan, and the warranty in writing.Get the First Honest Bid 
