Best 5 Foundation Repair Companies in Gainesville, FL

Common Causes of Foundation Problems in Gainesville

A few factors can lead to foundation issues. Here are the most common ones for Gainesville residents:

• Soil composition: Soil with large sand or clay concentrations is highly expansive. In the heavy rainfall Gainesville experiences, the soil absorbs moisture like a sponge, then releases it in dry seasons. The constant expansion and contraction presses against nearby foundations, even if the foundations stay dry.
• Aging plumbing: The average Gainesville home construction year is 1981. If you live in an older home, it's likely to have cast-iron plumbing. When the pipes start eroding, leaking water could reach your foundation and even pool beneath it.
• Improper modifications: Roofing or landscaping work that wasn't done to standard could result in your foundation settling.
• Tree Roots: Tree roots can encroach on a home's foundation through crevices, and may apply force that results in your foundation breaking, pipes leaking, and overall structural weakening.

How to Choose the Best Foundation Repair Company

Your home's foundation is essential to its stability, so it's important to work with a trustworthy foundation repair firm. Evaluate each company using the following criteria:

Licensing and Experience

Florida's contractor licensing system is rather unique. The state's Department of Business and Professional Regulation issues "certified" contractor licenses in building, general contracting, and residential construction that foundation companies must earn. There are also "registered" licenses issued at a local level. To further understand your contractor's experience, we recommend asking questions about how the company inspects foundations, how its team will draft plans and pull permits, and what local codes apply to your project.

Contractor websites are excellent places to do your research. Usually, a foundation company will discuss how long it's been in business. It might also upload other content to help interested parties.

Customer Reviews

When you're researching a company's reputation, visit its Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile. There, you can find its "letter grade" rating and a list of customer reviews, both positive experiences and complaints. Complaints aren't necessarily a red flag in themselves. You want to discover how a company responds to them. If the management team proactively and consistently resolves issues, it's a good sign. However, if the company lacks accreditation, shows more negative reviews than positive ones, and doesn't communicate well, you should think twice about working with it.

Finally, we suggest you search different websites, such as Trustpilot and Google, for more opinions.

Foundation Repair Cost in Gainesville

The price of foundation repair can differ quite significantly depending on the degree of the issues and what's needed to resolve them. For minor foundation cracking and settling concerns, you may pay as little as $1,800. However, if there is significant deterioration, the average cost lands at about $2,200. More complex projects involving digging, helical piers, or major mudjacking could cost upwards of $6,600. Below are the average foundation repair costs for common issues.