Foundation repair

[citizen72]

Has anyone had any experience with Olshan Foundation Repair? We had them do some work about four years ago and have had nothing but trouble. They have been called back several times to do rework and our house is still settling.

[iplaw]

Depends on where your house is, and what the soil is like around your home.  I have heard that in most cases if the house is going to resettle, it doesn't matter who piered it, it will resettle.  

I have no experience with Olshan, but none of the companies are going to willingly admit that in most cases a house will resettle if the soil is poor and you will need additional piering to offset the original ones.  I suggest that if you aren't piering to sell a house that you ignore it until such time...

I suggest you have soil testing done to see if additional piering will solve anything...and have a structural engineer review the piering plots to see if they will just be causing more trouble that will have to be fixed later.

Also, did they not give you a 10 year warranty?

[citizen72]

The basic flaw in their system is that in order for the "piering" to work there must be weight to push against such as a house. They are depending on the weight of the house to provide enough resistance to allow them to push the segmented pier head into the ground. My problem has been that the failure is at our garage where there is a relative lack of weight. They recognize this and I suggested they put in additional pier to compensate the lack of weight to push against. I was told I would have to pay extra.

They refuse to do what it takes to make their system work. We did have our engineer look at the situation and he agrees more "piers" should be installed in that location which, as I said, they refuse to do. They also did a lousy job of backfilling the pier holes so we could replant. After they finished each time and after a good rain the ground at the piers sunk leaving a hole messing up our landscaping. They also cut out a section out of our sidewalk which they have not replaced.

When we call to get them to come out we get, "We will have to put you on the wait list as we have to take care of our customers first." Well what am I supposed to be I ask?

[Conan71]

Track down Nolan Ryan and punch him in the nose.

[iplaw]

quote:Originally posted by citizen72

The basic flaw in their system is that in order for the "piering" to work there must be weight to push against such as a house. They are depending on the weight of the house to provide enough resistance to allow them to push the segmented pier head into the ground. My problem has been that the failure is at our garage where there is a relative lack of weight. They recognize this and I suggested they put in additional pier to compensate the lack of weight to push against. I was told I would have to pay extra.

They refuse to do what it takes to make their system work. We did have our engineer look at the situation and he agrees more "piers" should be installed in that location which, as I said, they refuse to do. They also did a lousy job of backfilling the pier holes so we could replant. After they finished each time and after a good rain the ground at the piers sunk leaving a hole messing up our landscaping. They also cut out a section out of our sidewalk which they have not replaced.

When we call to get them to come out we get, "We will have to put you on the wait list as we have to take care of our customers first." Well what am I supposed to be I ask?

As a customer who is waiting for repairs to previously installed piers shouldn't you be first on the list?

I would send them a certified letter outlining your complaints for any possible future uses.  Keep bothering the hell out of them until agree to do the work.  In fact, I'd consider it a part-time job to annoy them until I was helped...

If you don't receive any satisfaction after reasonable attempts to make things happen on your own contact an attorney as this sounds like a possible breach of contract...what they have done doesn't appear to meet typical workmanlike standards if they knew the garage was going to pose a problem and piered anyways, so you may also have a negligence claim...

[Advice is "as-is" and does not create any attorney-client relationship also I may be drunk as I typed [)]]

[Breadburner]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

Track down Nolan Ryan and punch him in the nose.

Better talk to Robin Ventura first and see how that worked for him.....heh

[citizen72]

quote:Originally posted by iplaw

quote:Originally posted by citizen72

The basic flaw in their system is that in order for the "piering" to work there must be weight to push against such as a house. They are depending on the weight of the house to provide enough resistance to allow them to push the segmented pier head into the ground. My problem has been that the failure is at our garage where there is a relative lack of weight. They recognize this and I suggested they put in additional pier to compensate the lack of weight to push against. I was told I would have to pay extra.

They refuse to do what it takes to make their system work. We did have our engineer look at the situation and he agrees more "piers" should be installed in that location which, as I said, they refuse to do. They also did a lousy job of backfilling the pier holes so we could replant. After they finished each time and after a good rain the ground at the piers sunk leaving a hole messing up our landscaping. They also cut out a section out of our sidewalk which they have not replaced.

When we call to get them to come out we get, "We will have to put you on the wait list as we have to take care of our customers first." Well what am I supposed to be I ask?

As a customer who is waiting for repairs to previously installed piers shouldn't you be first on the list?

I would send them a certified letter outlining your complaints for any possible future uses.  Keep bothering the hell out of them until agree to do the work.  In fact, I'd consider it a part-time job to annoy them until I was helped...

If you don't receive any satisfaction after reasonable attempts to make things happen on your own contact an attorney as this sounds like a possible breach of contract...what they have done doesn't appear to meet typical workmanlike standards if they knew the garage was going to pose a problem and piered anyways, so you may also have a negligence claim...

[Advice is "as-is" and does not create any attorney-client relationship also I may be drunk as I typed [)]]

I one hundred percent agree deficient work should be given the highest priority but they definitely don't feel that way. I know that it is just not me they are picking on and with that in mind I am shocked they are not being sued all the time. Incompetent field men and experienced Mexican labor does not a good company make.

In fact the first time they came to do the initial work the men on the job were all Mexicans who did not speak a word of English. That is where the trouble began.

[Wingnut]

I had them do some piers for me a few years ago , sounds like the same story I had. No back fill in the holes, no english speakers and they screwed up my sidewalk. They told me when they cut up the walkway that they would pound the dirt down real good and cement over it. it consisted of tossing dirt in the area and tamping it down with their foot a couple of times and doing the cement. It looked good until the first or second rain. Now I have 3 cratered spots in the walkway.
The piers seem to be doing o.k. though.
Also, they didn't "lock" the end of the cable like I thought they would. It was just left loose. I don't know it it matters or now since it was shimmed up with steel.
I need more now further up the wall so I'm debating whether to call them or not.
I talked with several outfits the first time around and they are all about the same price.

[tulsacyclist]

Hm, I don't have any advice but I'm glad you posted this thread. I've been thinking about having them come out and give me a quote on putting in some piers.

Good luck. Punch Nolan Ryan and the non-english speaking mexicans in the nose.

[guido911]

Doesn't Erling also pitch for this company?

[Conan71]

Punch Ehrling too. [B)]

[Wingnut]

And another thing.....
When they were done, the foreman hands me the invoice and said that if I write on there that they did a good job, it will get he a $50 bonus.
I won't do that again!

[citizen72]

quote:Originally posted by Wingnut

I had them do some piers for me a few years ago , sounds like the same story I had. No back fill in the holes, no english speakers and they screwed up my sidewalk. They told me when they cut up the walkway that they would pound the dirt down real good and cement over it. it consisted of tossing dirt in the area and tamping it down with their foot a couple of times and doing the cement. It looked good until the first or second rain. Now I have 3 cratered spots in the walkway.
The piers seem to be doing o.k. though.
Also, they didn't "lock" the end of the cable like I thought they would. It was just left loose. I don't know it it matters or now since it was shimmed up with steel.
I need more now further up the wall so I'm debating whether to call them or not.
I talked with several outfits the first time around and they are all about the same price.

I am not going to have them back out as I now know it is not going to get better. I have referrals for another company that I will be using to have them correct Olshan's mess.

Just do not understand how they can stay in business with their attitude towards customer satisfaction. Oh well, onward.

[citizen72]

quote:Originally posted by Wingnut

And another thing.....
When they were done, the foreman hands me the invoice and said that if I write on there that they did a good job, it will get he a $50 bonus.
I won't do that again!

A really slick way for them to get you to sign off on there work.

[shadows]

Guarantees on piers to support a 16 inch foundation are worthless as they are not underwritten by an insurance company.   The piers would have to be placed not more than 6 feet apart around the complete structure.   The depth of the water table and its stability determines how the foundation floats the structure.   During the past lowering of the water table many of the foundations poured in the last 25 years failed and cracks in the interior walls appeared.  With the increase in the rainfall the water table has stabilized and many of the cracks in the interior walls have closed.   The area of the structure in most cases determine whether the foundations floats the structure or fails to support it.  More piers would be cheaper than litigation whereas the burden of proof that they did not close the prevailing cracks in the walls (interior and exterior) with piers they installed would fall on the plaintiff .  Any recurring cracks would be subject to the determination of whether they were available at the time the piers were put in place.  The solution will be in piers poured at the time of the pouring of the foundations.

Yea; I had my house done with piers placed under the foundation to support native stone walls.   Had 10 but should have had 25 as if the water table recedes again that part of the foundation not with piers will possible fail.  The contract called for closing the cracks in the walls at the time thus further cracks that appear from the lack of  piers, is not covered by their warrantee.