From Retaining Walls to Retrofitting—Structural Firm Protects Homes
A SKILLED FOUNDATION CONTRACTOR DOESN'T JUST FIX CRACKS—they diagnose the underlying problems," says James Chantler of Foundation Repair LA. “Cracks in a foundation are sign of the concrete relieving pressure.” James and his father-in-law, Mark Schaich, bring decades of experience, focused customer service and competitive pricing to ensure your home is more than ready for a quake.
James or Mark personally oversee each project from start to finish. James offers: “We’re big enough to handle any job, and small enough to care.” Their expertise encompasses retrofits, brick and slab foundations, hillside homes, landslides and retaining walls.
References we spoke with commended James and Mark for their attention to detail, noting that they adhere to timelines and their detailed quotes. “We’ve been doing this work long enough that we can accurately estimate costs and job duration,” says Mark.
The diversity of challenges keeps James engaged in his work: “It’s so satisfying to restore the stability of a home.” While no two days are alike for this team, Foundation Repair LA remains steadfast in its mission: fortifying homes and ensuring the safety of the families who live in them.
| NAME | James Chantler Mark Schlaich |
| LICENSE NUMBER | LIC. #999247 |
| PHONE NUMBER | (323) 970-8860 |
| WEBSITE | https://foundationrepairla.com |
| SERVICES PROVIDED | Retaining Walls, Hillside & Landslide Repair, Foundation—Repair & Replacement, Earthquake Bolting, Erosion Control, Erosion Prevention, Structural Waterproofing, Structure Remediation, Structural Upgrades, Seismic Retrofitting & Structural Upgrades, Foundation repair, Foundation replacement, hillside, structural, upgrade, real estate inspection, waterproofing, retaining walls, slab foundation, landslide repair, earthquake, retrofit, seismic, bolting |
| SERVICE AREAS |
Central Atwater Village • Baldwin Hills • Bel Air • Beverly Grove • Beverly Hills • Boyle Heights • Century City • Cheviot Hills • Chinatown • Commerce • Culver City • Dockweiler • Dodgertown • Downtown • East Hollywood • East Los Angeles • Echo Park • Edendale • Fairfax • Firestone Park • Gramercy Park • Griffith Park • Hancock Park • Hollywood • Hollywood Hills • Hyde Park • Inglewood • Jefferson Park • Koreatown • Ladera Heights • Larchmont Village • Leimert Park • Los Angeles • Los Feliz • Macarthur Park • Mid-Wilshire • Miracle Mile • Mount Olympus • Oakwood • Outpost Estates • Palms • Park Mesa Heights • Pico Heights • Pico-Robertson • Pico-Union • Rancho Park • Rimpau • Silver Lake • University Park • Vermont • Vermont Square • Vernon • View Park • Watts • West Adams • West Hollywood • Westlake • Westwood • Whitley Heights • Windsor Hills San Gabriel Valley Alhambra • Altadena • Arcadia • City of Industry • College Hills • Crescenta Highlands • Cypress Park • Duarte • Eagle Rock • East Pasadena • East San Gabriel • El Monte • Flintridge • Glassell Park • Glendale • Happy Valley • Hastings Ranch • Highland Park • La Canada • La Crescenta • Lincoln Heights • Monrovia • Monterey Hills • Monterey Park • Montrose • Mount Washington • Pasadena • Rosemead • Rossmoyne • San Gabriel • San Gabriel Valley • San Marino • San Rafael Hills • Sierra Madre • South Pasadena • Temple City • Verdugo Viejo • Woodbury |
- Overall Satisfaction
- Quality of Work
- Customer Service
- Value for Price
Aria
Silver Lake - January 3, 2026
I bought a 1940’s house on a hill in Silver Lake 10 years ago. At the time I had a foundation inspector look at it who was more of a retrofitter. He told me I could spend $5000 and I would be good. But after a few years I started to notice sloping in the floors and cracks appearing. I contacted 6-8 different foundation companies, who, depending on their expertise, offered different solutions. One said the house was fine as it was, and another said I needed to spend $250,000. Foundation Repair LA came in at a much lower price point than one other company that is considered the gold standard of foundation companies. It was reassuring to me that one of the founders of Foundation Repair LA came from that other company. The staff at Foundation Repair LA was also more responsive, professional and nice, and they had a similar recommendation to the higher end company. Both their inspection and the work were very thorough. Once they started to work onsite, the team was there every day until the job was done. It’s really nice not having to live in a construction zone for longer than necessary. Our foundation took around 6-8 weeks. They put huge pylons into the ground 20-30 feet deep. It was a lot of work. Nine months later we called them back to work on our deck, using the same pylons, which took 3 or 4 weeks.
Now the place feels great. No movement. We are ready for earthquakes.
My word of advice for anyone who buys a place on a hillside: get it inspected by a company that works on foundations, not just retrofitting, like Foundation Repair LA.
Quentin & Julie
Silver Lake - January 3, 2026
James and his team at Foundation Repair LA have been a pleasure to work with during a major foundation replacement. The project was complex and marked the first step of an extensive remodel for a home we had purchased a few weeks earlier. We really needed to trust the contractor since they were going to lift the front of the house and replace the foundation. James stayed in touch throughout the permitting process, ensuring we had a clear understanding of the earliest date we could start based on his crew’s availability. The team communicated well before, during, and after construction. We would definitely use them again and are grateful for this company and their craftsmanship.
Tom
Studio City - January 3, 2026
We live on a steep hillside in a cantilevered house from 1961 that was supported by an old wooden structure. It was sinking at one end and wasn’t a secure feeling! We ended up hiring James and his father-in-law at Foundation Repair LA. They dug holes down to the bedrock, inserted caissons, steel structural supports and straps, and lifted the house a few inches. They brought in an engineer and handled all the paperwork, of which there was a quite a lot. Their cost was the going rate. Overall, they did a great job. The house looks really good and it feels super solid now. They were pleasant people to work with—cooperative, and we could talk to them about our concerns and what we wanted. It’s always a good idea to get more than one quote, but I recommend Foundation Repair LA.
Henry B
South Pasadena - January 3, 2026
Foundation Repair LA did two completely new foundations for me, one for my house and one for a rental property. The work was all really good! And they explained things well. We had a few little issues, nothing major, and I appreciated that when I brought it up, they were very understanding and corrected it.
I have a lot of experience with them. In addition to the work they did for me, I’m a real estate agent and have used them to inspect houses for our clients. They have done some work for our clients, too. I have dealt with other foundation firms in the past and so was knowledgeable about costs. I was comfortable with the price they gave me. I felt the other companies had over-estimated their work.
I have recommended Foundation Repair LA multiple times. They don’t over-inflate things.
Everything went smoothly.
John
Highland Park - January 3, 2026
We have a very old house, and as we remodel parts of it we are having Foundation Repair LA replace the footings. Another company, Boston Brick & Stone, was in the process of replacing a patio on the north side of the house. When they discovered part of the house foundation was crumbling, they referred us to James at Foundation Repair LA. James and & I crawled under the house to see what was happening, and we had a good conversation about the situation. He gave me a straightforward quote which included everything, including delivery of materials, removal of all debris, and a portable restroom for the crew. The second time we hired them was for remodeling the west side of our house. They interfaced with a general contractor and they coordinated well with other contractors on the job. They handled all the permits and inspections for their work. The crew was pleasant, friendly, and understood all my requests. James gave me quotes for additional work I requested. Those quotes were detailed and the costs were very clear. All of their invoicing and billing was done through email and online, which left a good digital paper trail for my records. They’re fantastic! I have hired them twice so far and plan to hire them a third time when we remodel the last part of the house. I have no criticisms and I would highly recommend them.
