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Foundation Repair

Don’t Take it for Granted: Make Sure Your Home Foundation Contractor is Licensed and Insured

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So you have chosen a home foundation contractor to do work on your home. You have their estimate, the date set for them to begin and payment agreement.

It’s exciting to finally get a contractor chosen and then get your foundation repaired. So, you are all done now, right?

Well, not exactly.

licensed home foundation repair worker M Taylor Construction

Have you researched whether the home foundation contractor is licensed and insured? If you haven’t, you need to do that immediately. You may ask: what happens if they are not licensed and insured? Here are some risks you take, according to www.maryland.com:

  1. Maryland has many unlicensed contractors who come from other states, so recovering money or stolen items can be very difficult.
  2. Unlicensed home improvement contractors defraud Maryland homeowners of millions of dollars each year.
  3. “Bait and switch” when an unlicensed contractor quotes a low price then demand more money.
  4. The unlicensed contractor may also have an invalid or no MHIC number posted on the side of their company vehicle.
  5. Unlicensed contractors may have had an MHIC but then it was revoked because they performed shoddy work, failed to complete jobs, or for other violations of law.
  6. Senior homeowners are victims of unlicensed contractors.

As you can see, failing to verify their license and insurance can not only be costly, it can also cause further damage to your home. Maryland citizens have lost millions of dollars due to fraudulent home repairs and the state has lost millions of dollars in tax revenue due to these shysters.

So, you need to protect yourself and your loved ones by demanding that the contractors show proof of licensure and insurance. You can do these several different ways:

    1. Request a COI (Certificate of Insurance).
    2. Also, have them show you a copy of a current worker’s compensation insurance certificate.
    3. They need to show you their MHIC license. You can then call MHIC to make sure the license is current. Go the website online or call 1-888-218-5925 (toll free) or 410-230-6231 (Baltimore area).
    4. Ask for local references. If they don’t give you any references, don’t hire them. Have them show you photos of the jobs they have done and if it was completed on time and budget.
    5. Make sure the contractor also has workmen’s compensation.
    6. Get two bids from two separate contractors.
    7. Remember the old rule, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Don’t accept a contracting deal that seems incredibly inexpensive. You will get what you pay for, certainly. Do the research before hiring the contractor.
    8. Get a detailed list of project material selections spelled out and signed in a written contract. (Have a lawyer look at it if you are not sure.)
    9. Pay only 1/3 down and pay by check. Never pay cash. 
    10. File all project documents including payments.

Your home is too valuable to let it be repaired by fake contractors. These unlicensed and uninsured frauds need to be removed from your property as soon as they are unmasked.  

All of the home repair and home foundation repair contractors at M Taylor Enterprise are licensed, insured and have workmen’s compensation. We care about our work and we will show it to you and give you references. Call us for a consultation at (301) 649-3406 or email us at matt@mtaylorenterprise.com.

Foundation Repair

Winter Foundation Repair: Frost Heaving and Structural Cracks

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Winter is coming but we have already felt some below freezing nights along with rain, snow and sleet. It may be fall, still, but it doesn’t feel like it. The nights in the Maryland/Washington, D.C. DMV area are only going to get colder.

In fact, meteorologists are calling for colder-than-normal temperatures this winter. So, brace up. Make sure your HVAC unit is working properly, you have salt packed away and there are no cracks in your home’s foundation.

winter home foundation cracks M Taylor Enterprise

Wait. You may ask what do cracks in my home’s foundation have to do with a frigid winter? It has a major affect. Frozen ground below your home causes dirt to heave and then contract. The “Heave Cycle”, as it is known, can cause your foundation to crack.

As the winter season goes on, daily exposure to ice and freezing temperatures can cause further damage to your home’s foundation. Three consecutive days of below-forty temperature may enlarge the cracks.

It all happens this way: Ice freezes beneath the concrete foundation. That is called “frost heave” where dirt moves from the formation of induject 250 ampoules ice lenses (long crystals of ice). These same ice lenses can also cause a ground collapse, which can cause serious cracks and damage to the home foundation.

When the foundation starts slipping and cracking, this causes a domino affect in the home which we have discussed in previous blogs. Your foundation, floors, walls and other home structures will be affected. Then you will notice doors and windows not closing, stains on the walls and tilted cabinets.

Frost heave starts from the top as the soil freezes. The foundation never moves. In fact, it is locked as the ground freezes and pulls the foundation up. The soil then fills in the cracks in the foundation. Once the weather thaws, the foundation unlocks from the soil and settles. However, soil has been displaced under the foundation and when the home goes down, it is in a different location.

You can’t prevent cold weather, but you can prevent frost heave from damaging your home foundation any more in the future. Your licensed home foundation repair contractor can do the following:

  1. Drive the footing into the soil.
  2. A bell-shaped fitting is installed at the bottom of the footing to stop it from moving with the frost or other weather events.
  3. The concrete slab then has reinforcing steel installed.

Your holiday season has enough stress already not to be compounded by major home foundation problems. Contact your local licensed, home foundation repair contractor and have them inspect your home.

Our experienced foundation repair team at M Taylor Enterprise in the Washington, D.C.. Montgomery County, MD and Howard County, MD and we will visit your home, inspect your foundation and give you an estimate. We get the job done quickly and efficiently. Call us at (301) 649-3406 or email us at matt@mtaylorenterprise.com.

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How to Choose a Contractor for Your Foundation Repair Projects

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You see cracks in your foundation. The doors and windows are not closing all the way. There are water stains on the walls. The drywall is damp and moldy. And your basement smells musty…like a vacant prison cell.

It’s pretty clear your home’s foundation needs repair. You don’t have any more time to put it off now. A home foundation repair contractor  and possibly a structural engineer needs to be hired to design and  deliver a correct repair plan.

So, all you need to do now is pick up your smart phone and call whichever contractor comes to the top of your Google search results, right!?

Not exactly.

In fact, if this foundation repair has not been addressed, it can wait a few days or weeks until you have taken a few well-planned steps.

Here are 6 things to do before you choose you foundation repair contractor:

  1. Research “home foundation repairs”: Educate yourself on what is happening to your foundation. Learn about what a home foundation contractor does and how they make repairs. (Read our blog on foundation repair.)
  2. Does the contractor actually do foundation  repairs? : There are many contractors out there, some reputable and some not so reputable. In fact, there are many building contractors out there, you might think that any contractor can do it. That would be a huge mistake. Only choose contractors who specialize in repairing foundations. If the contractor does it “on the side” then delete them from your list.
  3. Contractor licensed and insured: This one should be easy to find out. Any home foundation contractor should be licensed and insured. You can check with your state licensing board, in Maryland is the  Maryland Home Improvement Commission to see if they have the correct license to work on your home . Check for complaints Ask for a certificate of insurance [ COI] prior to starting any work. You  want to make sure contractor has Workmans Comp Ins and Liability insurance.
  4. Warranty: Most contractors offer warranties on their repairs. Ask for one and get the written list of what the contractor covers.
  5. Landscaping issues: Find out if any of your shrubbery, trees or other landscaping will be need to be removed. You will have to add that into the cost.
  6. Get three references: Any reputable, licensed contractor should have at least three satisfied customers. Get their names and contact information. Also, check their Facebook and Yelp pages for reviews.

Now you have done your homework. Hire the best home foundation repair contractor you can find from your research.

Once you have hired them, get a written agreement on what they will be doing with the total estimate on the cost. Then, arrange to have them start the project.

Hiring a home foundation contractor can be agonizing as you need to get the project under way. However, it is worth the time and the effort.

M Taylor Enterprise is an experienced, licensed and respected home foundation contractor in the Silver Spring, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, Prince George’s County, Maryland and parts of Howard County MD area. We will visit your home or business, diagnose the problems and give you an estimate. We get the job done quickly and efficiently. Call us at (301) 649-3406 or email us at matt@mtaylorenterprise.com.