Choosing a Foundation Company

Our little gem on Washington Street was originally built on a bois d'arc post foundation, which is an old type of pier and beam. Bois d'arc, also called Osage orange or horse apple trees, were commonly used for foundations because the wood is extremely hard and very resistant to rot and bug infestations. The name "bois d'arc means "wood of the bow" as it was popular with native Americans for making bows and war clubs. In the 1940's and 50's, these trees were common in the North Texas area and it was actually a wonderful use of natural resources to utilize them as construction piers rather than haul them away when clearing lots.

Eventually, the bois d'arc tends to settle and so at some time in the last 20 years or so, concrete piers were added for extra support to our home's foundation. Wood shims were driven in at the top of each pier for the final leveling and now those have settled as well, leaving the house slightly out of whack.

We received bids from several foundation companies and were shocked that some of them were over $10,000. On the more reasonable end of the scale was GL Hunt Foundations out of Ft. Worth. Chris Chamberlain is a Senior Project Manger for the company and came out to our job personally. After using a laser to take measurements of the entire house, Chris explained how most of the home was actually fairly level, just needing some shimming and adjustments here and there. The cost for the entire job would be around $3,000 which was well within our budget.

We are scheduled to have GL Hunt do the repairs sometime over the next week and will follow along for the process here on The Urban Greenie. Watch for updates!

If you need foundation work, consider getting a bid from GL Hunt. Here is Chris' contact info:

Chris Chamberlain G L Hunt Foundation Repair Senior Project Manger 817-880-1034

Please tell them that you heard about them on The Urban Greenie blog.

The Pro's Tip: be sure to always get at least 3 bids for any job that you have done – and be sure to read online company reviews and check their references.