Avoid Tom’s Caroll Construction!!

Pro’s: Tom has been in business for years. He has a crew of employees, not subcontractors. He’s personable.

Con’s: His workmanship is bare minimum at best.

Tom and his crew installed a new foundation, to replace the original brick foundation in our Victorian home. If you are like us, getting a new foundation is a once-in-a-lifetime event, which means you “don’t know what you don’t know” nor what to research. Consequently, you research the credibility of the contractor, and then put your confidence in him. Hopefully my review herein will help you avoid Tom’s Caroll Construction.

Problems with Tom’s work as follows. This may be slightly technical, but if you are getting a foundation and/or work by Tom’s Caroll Construction, in my humble opinion you are better off knowing.

1) This has been a huge hassle & costly. Tom insisted on installing an ejector pump for the sewer. He said it would save us as homeowners from calling him about a backed-up sewer, so he insists on an ejector pump for his customers getting new foundations. However, 5 years later we’ve now had literally 3 different plumbers on-site to fix and/or fully replace the ejector pump. Note the way we know the pump failed, sewage backs-up into our tennants toilets and bathtubs….followed by angry Tenant phone calls, and moving out as soon as their leases ended. Each plumber has asked us, why we even have an ejector pump…since it easily looked like we had plenty of elevation (aka the normal way, having gravity create the exit flow) to directly connect to the Alameda sewer system without an ejector pump. Also, during the original construction 5 years ago, the sewer lateral company also asked us why “we” installed an ejector pump, since they could see it wasn’t needed. Well today, we had a sewer company come do an official survey. They determined per Code, we have plenty of elevation from the rear to the front, to directly connect to the Alameda sewer system. Unfortunately since the trench is not open like it was during the new foundation, we now have to dig a trench thru our finished floor and concrete foundation, from the bathroom thru the livingroom, out to the side yard thru the asphalt & garden and out to the street. This fix is very costly ($32K), but we are forced to do it.

2) A new foundation is to have a permant electrical ground called an Ufer Ground. However, Tom’s Caroll Construction negligently did not install it. Our Alameda Permit inspector looked for it, but confirmed it was not installed. Tom said our subsequent contractor must have cut the wire, but the Alameda Permit inspector agreed if that were the case, there would still be evidence of a cut wire coming thru the foundation…which there was not.

3) The bathroom plumbing was installed at best bare minimum. We later learned that Tom’s Caroll Construction installed a shared pipe for each bathroom. So if the toilet backs-up, then you cannot use the bathroom sink, and vice versa. Granted this issue is not major, but it is symptomatic of Tom’s callous disregard for best practices.

4) Tom’s Caroll Construction also installed some structural beams, as part of the foundation work. At one section, three beams came together, and best practice would be to install a “bucket bracket” to extra secure them. When I later learned of this best practice, I asked Tom about it. He said something like, he would be foolish to install it that way, since he would lose money. I replied, but why didn’t you recommend it to us as an optional cost either upfront or later… to which Tom shrugged his shoulders. This along with the above, shows me that Tom is clearly out for himself, and doesn’t really seem to care about his customers!!