Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/11/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ***** ******* (my significant other) and myself purchased this home a couple months ago . The house needs work with noticeable sloping in one corner of the house you immediately notice walking in the front door which is 3 inch out of level . We were concerned about the structure so we hired a structural engineer which told use the settling should be maxed out with over 40 years now . The next step was to lift the home back to level . We therefore looked for concrete lifting companies and obtained some estimates clearly asking to lift the home 3 inches . The estimator from Kodiak Concrete Lifting arrived at the house and explained the process of lifting the home . He clearly detailed the process of lifting the home stating one person would be in the home watching the lift until it was level and communicating with those performing the lift when to stop . He even stated there will be some cracking in foundation walls and provided a ***** contact to repair cracks . Given this information and the proposed ***** ***** told them to go ahead and schedule it to get it lifted . We have another contractor to do work on the siding and windows so the lifting of the home was our limiting step . We cant do anything until it is leveled first ****** $5000 per month now delayed. I did not sign any kind of formal estimate or information. All the information was based on the person that was at the home telling how the process would work his name is ***** . I was out of town when they came and did the assumed lifting on August 26. I was immediately invoiced the next day and regretfully payed the invoice based on the trusted explanation from the estimator . However when I returned to town and the home I immediately noticed zero lifting of the home as detailed by the estimator . As a home owner and consumer I should have rights to this false advertising of Kodiak concrete lifting and false information relayed by someone from a company that should be trusted .

  Business Response

  Date: 10/08/2024

  ****** verbal understanding of his wifes interpretation of what the estimator for Kodiak Concrete Lifting verbally told her is that Kodiak Concrete Lifting would "lift" the corner of their
  house and level it with the remaining portion of the home, but Kodiak has never performed this
  type of lifting work (the company does lift concrete slabs, porches and steps). Moreover, given the type of foundation that this home has it is unlikely that any company would/could lift the corner. A hollow cinder block foundation with mortared joints and no rebar is unsuitable for this type of lifting.
  
  I understand that you believe the soil under the problematic corner was sufficiently stable because you spoke with a structural engineer. However, there was a significant and weak void under the corner of the house that accepted ***** cycles of material injected into the affected soil under the hollow concrete block wall and on grade concrete slab to stabilize the soil. That equates to approximately 660 Ibs. of liquid material or six cubic yards of expanded material that was injected into the loose layers of soil that were encountered from approximately four feet of depth to
  approximately eight feet of depth in the area that was treated. Six cubic yards of expanded material represents a significant void under the corner of the house. By completing the contract that was signed by ***** ******* the soil is significantly improved to prevent future settling.
  Kodiak made 18 direct injections into your loose filled soil under your footings and slab, which is five more than was outlined in the contract. The additional material and work performed equates to an additional cost of $4,120 to ensure that we achieved proper surface rejection in the areas that were experiencing subsistence. Kodiak inserted material and applied as much pressure and
  lifting force to the area as was prudent given the condition of your block foundation.
  

  Your neighbor mentioned that he had similar sinking issues with his foundation and had to dig out material and pour concrete under his footings to stop his settling issue. He stated the land where his house was located was built on layers of sawdust and other logging waste materials from the prior sawmill located there. I believe given the amount of material that was required you had a similar situation under the corner of your home.
  

  In Kodiak's experience structural engineers would not recommend using point loaded pressure to achieve vertical lift on a structure constructed with the materials used and built in the manner that Tracys building was constructed (i.e. using push piers, helical piers, or concentric piers). Kodiak Concrete Lifting was never provided with a structural engineers report. Neither were we provided with said engineer report and recommendations for attempting to lift the structures foundation vertically, likely because such a report with before mentioned recommendations doesnt exist. 
  The only services provided by Kodiak Concrete Lifting regarding home foundations are direct injections for soil stabilization, curtain grouting and crack injections. (The latter two services are for water intrusion issues, which were not part of your contract.)
  Direct injection for soil stabilization improves the compressive strength and load bearing capacity of the soil under a structure. During the direct injection process the soil is injected until there is surface rejection. As the material expands to the surface there is typically lifting pressure that is applied to the underside of the footing and structure. Once surface rejection is achieved in an area there is typically some amount of movement in the structure, the amount of movement varies depending on many variable factors that include the size of the structure, the size and width of the
  footing, the weight and dead load of the structure sitting on and being transferred to the foundation wall and footing, the soil type and density, etc. Once movement is detected the injection process is stopped.

  We not only fulfilled our written contract, we performed more work than we were contractually obligated to perform to ensure that the affected area of the foundation was as ******* as possible. 

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/22/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business and we have made a mutual accepted settlement to close this case in reference to complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******