onthebay

OK...plumber is gone; letting the bank account cool off. Another expensive lesson learned. So, on to the next project: Does anyone have recommendations for a house lifter in the bay area? 1900 sq. ft. house, one story wood frame, on blocks, sitting low, needs to be raised a couple feet and leveled. Anybody have experience having their house lifted, costs, suggestions???? Thanks in advance!

Thanks Geoff, I agree on the cheating/not cheating aspect. The plumber is a company in our area. After the fact, find out from neighbors, they are not that great, but then it is too late. Here's the scenario: neighbor's 80lb. dog runs under our house banging and jumping on/over/through pipes...one pipe springs a big leak. Yes, it is old galvanized 1/2" pipe. Yes, it is old, so a break is not too surprising. Turn off water, call plumbing company close by. They show up, two hours later tell us what's wrong and boss says "$400 - $500, certainly less than $1k." Come home next day to $800 bill....paid it, I can deal with that--sometimes things show up as you work. That same night, pipe leaks/breaks, call plumber...told "another pipe" broke....bill for "coupler and labor" $300, paid it too (what else can you do?). Two days later, the same pipe breaks either at the same place the repairs were made, or very close from what I can observe without crawling completely to the leak under a very low house. Another call; yesterday come home from work to a $400 bill, and they finally cut out and replaced 10' of pipe that I cannot find an obvious leak in (but personally have not pressure tested). Now I am up to $1500 for a job he quoted at $500ish. I think they should have fixed it right the first (or 2nd) try. And should not have charged yesterday for the work that could/should have been done earlier. The workers looked very ashamed yesterday morning...they knew that did not do a good job on the 2nd and 2nd try, but hopefully the job is finally completed and done professionally. Thoughts/comments are welcome... * edit: I'm not so much griping about the cost (but it is a lot of money to me) but the fact that a "pro" was hired based on a need and a quote given, then having to continue to pay every few days to fix / repair things that could/should have been repaired right the first time. I feel like I am paying to repair his repairs, if that makes sense. Now, if we can find a company to lift the house....<smile>.

Thanks for replying RBarz. I want to lift the house (it's about 1900 sq.ft) approx. 2 - 3 feet (two or three bricks?). In the back, the house, the sills are almost down on the ground (less than a foot); the back was an addition, and most likely the entire house should have been lifted then. More for the health of the house than for flooding---but after Hurricane Ike you never know. I know Cherry House Moving does not want the job (too small and they are too busy)...but I do not know where to call for bids. Regarding the plumber: I agree not to pay more than the estimate, but what do you do? You come home from work, and they are still there, then return the next day as it still leaks, claiming the pipe broke a "few inches away".....even without crawling under the house myself, I know better. I just got an email and they are back out for another repair....I cannot afford $500/day to fix (or even replace) a cold water line every three days. Surely they will not bill us again??????

I'm new to the forum, so I am hoping that I am posting in the right category. I live along Galveston Bay in Seabrook, and am looking for a company that can raise (lift) my home that sits on concrete blocks. We were blessed not to have flooded in Ike, but our 55 year old frame house has settled and needs to be lifted, not just leveled. Anyone in the bay area know of any reputable people to do this work? Also, anyone know a good plumber in the Seabrook area? Last week, we had a cold water pipe under the house break under the house when the neighbor's dog went crashing under the house. The crawl space is very small, but a local plumber (who will remain un-named at this point) crawled under the house to fix it. His repair estimate was $400 - $500, but the bill was $1000. That's not the end of the story however. The same plumber has had to come back out 3 times now (charging each time) to repair his "fix." I think we need a new plumber....we've been without water for almost a week now....uggh! Any suggestions????? Great forum! I found as searching for plumbers and house levelers....