Why Foundation Quotes Are So Hard to Compare
You have two proposals. One is meaningfully cheaper. Nothing in either document makes it clear why.
This happens because foundation proposals frequently describe different projects using similar language. One may include twelve supports and the other eight. One may target a stated bearing depth range and the other may not mention depth at all. One may include permits, restoration, and a hidden-condition allowance, while the other excludes all three without saying so.
The total at the bottom is the least informative number in the document. Everything useful is above it.
Seattle Foundation Repair writes proposals with quantities and exclusions stated partly because it is honest practice and partly because it is the only way you can evaluate us against anyone else.
Start With the Diagnosis
Before comparing what each contractor proposes to do, compare what each says is wrong.
If two proposals describe different problems, you do not have a pricing question, you have a diagnostic disagreement, and that needs resolving first. One says settlement requiring underpinning; the other says lateral wall movement requiring reinforcement. Those are different mechanisms and at most one is right.
Ask each what evidence supports their conclusion. Elevation measurements across the floor plan, crack mapping with dated photographs, and observed drainage behaviour are evidence. A confident opinion formed during a twenty-minute walkthrough is not.
A proposal that states the observed concern and how it was established is doing something a proposal that just lists products is not.
The Quantities
Every line should have a number and a unit.
For underpinning: support type, support count, spacing, target bearing depth as a range, and the refusal or torque criteria. For wall reinforcement: linear feet treated, reinforcement type, and spacing. For drainage: linear feet of trench, depth, pipe specification, and the discharge arrangement. For retrofit: number of anchor connections and linear feet of cripple wall braced.
Where a proposal says “install piers as needed,” there is nothing to compare and nothing to hold anyone to. Ask for the number.
Depth deserves particular attention. On Seattle lots, bearing depth varies considerably over short distances, so a single flat depth figure is either the product of a subsurface investigation or a guess. A stated range with an allowance for deeper installation is the honest form.
The Exclusions Are the Comparison
This is the section most homeowners skip and it is where quotes actually differ.
A proposal that includes permits, restoration, and a hidden-condition allowance will look more expensive than one that excludes all three. It is not more expensive. It is more complete, and the excluded items will still need paying for.
Things worth confirming explicitly in every proposal:
- Permits and inspection fees: included or excluded?
- Engineering, if required: included, excluded, or priced separately?
- Excavation spoils: stockpiled on site or hauled away?
- Restoration: what condition will hardscape, landscaping, and interior finishes be returned to?
- Cosmetic repair: is crack filling and repainting included?
- Utilities: what happens if plumbing or electrical is found in the excavation?
- Hidden conditions: is there a stated allowance and a change-order process?
Normalising two quotes
Take the cheaper proposal and list everything it excludes that the other includes. Get a price for each of those items. Add them up.
Now compare. Frequently the gap closes substantially, and occasionally it reverses. That is the actual comparison.
Design Responsibility and Permitting
Who is responsible for the design, and who pulls the permit?
A proposal should say which reviewing authority applies, SDCI inside Seattle, and a different department in Bellevue, Kirkland, Renton, Edmonds, Tacoma, or anywhere else, and whether critical-area review applies to the parcel. If it does not mention permitting at all, that is a question to ask, because unpermitted structural work becomes a problem at resale.
Where engineered design is required, the proposal should say who provides it and whether it is included in the price.
Payment, Change Orders, and Site Protection
Payment stages. Payments should track progress rather than front-loading heavily. A large deposit relative to the total is worth questioning.
Change orders. Foundation work uncovers things. There should be a documented process: work stops, the condition is explained, a change order is issued, you approve it, work resumes. A contractor who proceeds with additional work and presents the bill afterwards has a process problem.
Site protection and cleanup. Access routes, protection of surfaces, dust control, and the condition the site will be left in.
Warranty
Coverage, exclusions, duration, and transferability. Workmanship coverage and manufacturer product coverage are different things and should be described separately.
Transferability matters if you might sell. A warranty that transfers is worth something to a buyer; one that does not, is not. Warranty terms covers what to look for.
Be wary of any proposal promising outcomes nobody can guarantee, a house surviving a specific earthquake, or a basement staying dry forever. A contractor willing to write that is telling you how they handle the truth generally.
A Practical Checklist
| Check | What you want to see |
|---|---|
| Diagnosis | Stated concern with the evidence that established it |
| Quantities | Counts, units, depths, spacings on every line |
| Exclusions | An explicit list, not silence |
| Permitting | Named reviewing authority and who applies |
| Engineering | Stated as included, excluded, or priced separately |
| Restoration | Defined end condition, not “restore as required” |
| Hidden conditions | Stated allowance plus change-order process |
| Payment | Staged against progress |
| Warranty | Coverage, exclusions, duration, transferability |
| Registration | Verified independently, see verifying registration |
The Question That Sorts Most of It
Ask each contractor: “Why this method rather than the alternatives, for my property specifically?”
A contractor who diagnosed before choosing will answer with reference to your soil conditions, your access, your loads, and your measurements. A contractor who sells one system will answer with reference to the system’s general advantages.
Both answers sound confident. Only one is about your house.