I had a great experience with NW Seismic Retrofit. Tim was very informative and explained how houses are damaged during earthquakes and the shear strength of the retrofit. I got 3 bids and they were competitive, they showed up on time, finished in a few hours (816 sq ft house with full basement), and left the work area cleaner than before the work. Be aware that this kind of work is extremely noisy, but I feel more secure that I'll have a roof over my head after a large quake. read more

We loved working with NW Seismic on retrofitting our SE Portland home. Tim really took the time to make sure the approach was right for us and is clearly incredibly knowledgeable, down to the intricacies of our particular area and soil. The work crew left the basement cleaner than they'd found it, and the project manager popped in from time to time to keep me posted on timing and how things were going. From the initial estimate to final billing, everything went really smoothly, and everyone we came into contact with is thoughtful, professional, easy to work with, and excellent at what they do. Thank you! read more

I decided to retrofit my house because of the massive changes going on with the Federal Government and the likely lack of FEMA funds that would be available if an earthquake should happen in Portland. I got 3 estimates with very different ways of looking at the issue and 3 very different costs. I decided to go with NW Seismic because they seemed to have the most concise way of looking at the issues of lateral movement, possible quake size, and how to achieve an efficient retrofit engineering-wise. The team did an outstanding job and finished in one day. It was a lot of work - and it will be dusty even if they lay down plastic. I highly recommend these guys if you do this. Watch the "This Old House" YouTube video for more insight. read more

This is a great company to work with. Years ago they helped me design and install an earthquake retrofit on my house. They helped me save money by letting me do the parts that were within my skills. Recently we had them install an earthquake gas shut-off valve for our gas line. Nothing like having the peace of mind that comes with being prepared. read more

NW Seismic Retrofit - Gas line is ready for the big one! - Foundation Repair Near Me - Portland, Oregon

In October 2023 NW Seismic installed an emergency gas shut off valve and bolted the house to the foundation. When Tim C. came for the estimate, he was so incredibly thorough and took such time with providing unbiased consumer education. The quality of the work, as so noted by the city inspector, and the entire experience with NW Seismic, was excellent! The guys who came to do the work were prompt and professional. I highly recommend NW Seismic! read more

My husband and I live in a 1906 inner east side Portland home. When we purchased the house in 2008, the square footage was ~1100 because the basement wasn't legal head height - it was in fact the height of me - 5 feet 6 inches. We put our laundry machines and storage items down there and tried not to think about it too much. It was dark, dank, full of cobwebs, smelled very "basementy" and I called it the "laundry dungeon." In 2014, I learned about the Cascadia Subduction Zone and heard some radio segments featuring NW seismic. A friend of mine had already gotten a retrofit and they said "it was so easy and only about $6K." I thought, that's a NO BRAINER for having a safe basement! We had them come for an estimate. I just found the original - they sent it 11/3/2014. They told us our foundation was crumbling - due to its age and so it was a crumbling foundation repair on top of a seismic retrofit. They gave us the estimate and we experienced major sticker shock. My husband is an architect and knows a structural engineer and for the price of a beer, the structural engineer came over, hit our foundation walls with a ball peen hammer and verified the crumbling foundation report and also looked over the estimate and said it was totally legit. We didn't have either the money OR the appetite for a crazy house renovation so we sat on the information. Years went by and friend after friend of ours got retrofits done by NW Seismic. All rave reviews. All not crumbling foundation repairs. Finally, in 2018, we decided we would go for it. We got an updated estimate from them and got on their schedule for spring 2019 Full scope of the project with NW seismic: 1. Dig out basement to make it head height (this isn't part of a retrofit but when you're spending this much $$ on a basement, you kind of want to be able to stand up in it when you're done.) 2. Pour new concrete walls and a new slab. 3. Relocate the sewer (it was 2 inches below the existing slab.) 4. Work with a plumber to rough in a full bathroom 5. Insulate walls 6. Frame walls and two new rooms: full bathroom and laundry/utility room 7. Work with radiant contractor to install under slab hydroradiant system. 8. Dig out egress window + 3 other non-egress windows They started on 5/15/2019. They told us their scope of work would be about 6-8 weeks. They finished in 7 weeks. Throughout the process, the two owners (John and Michael Weiber) were both communicative, on time, and just great to work with. Every single one of their employees were professionals who worked hard and showed up like clockwork every day. They still talk to us and even though they weren't involved anymore, they showed up for the final inspection (plumbing, electrical, radiant.) I'd recommend them for just about anything. P.S. I mention that they still talk to us because we probably we not the easiest project to work on. Our street is VERY narrow and we live in a pretty dense part of inner NE Portland where parking is tight. Getting drop boxes in and out of here day after day for a month or so was extremely challenging and stressful for me, them, AND our neighbors. Also, we changed the design of the basement, TWICE, DURING construction. They handled all of these frustrations with grace. I certainly don't have the temperament for this kind of work, but they definitely do! read more

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Tim and the team at NW Seismic were great to work with on our 1906 home. They were responsive, knowledgeable and easy to communicate with during the project. The retrofit team also left our basement sparkling clean after all the dusty work they did. read more

Congratulations to you and John and your employees, they did an excellent job.   We are very very pleased with the work.  Jose and the other guys were very nice, and we felt very comfortable with them here at all times.  They were considerate of our many plants, our home, and always perfect gentlemen. Please put us in your list of references, we will give you A+ rating. read more

NW Seismic Retrofit - Foundation Repair Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The NW Seismic team just completed a retrofit in the basement of my 1920's home. They have been an outstanding company to work with from start to finish. Tim came out for an initial assessment and impressed my realtor with his professionalism and knowledge. The office manager, Aurelia, was efficient and responsive to my questions and emails. John, the project manager, was an excellent communicator and his crew did beautiful work and cleaned everything when finished. It is such peace of mind having a high quality retrofit in place. I can't recommend NW Seismic highly enough! read more

Tim was kind, and honest, and his crew did great work. It was expensive, but not more than we had discussed in advance. But I'm giving his team a 1-star review because they were quite bad at scheduling. I made time to "fill a gap" in their schedule. They showed up to do the "1 day complete job" and were unable to finish, and promised to return the next business day. Already irked, imagine my disappointment when I stayed home from work another day on the next business day, to get a call after they were supposed to arrive telling me they weren't coming. So my basement (where i normally live) was unusable until they made it back 10 days later. When I complained, Tim said "sorry, no discount". Would not recommend. Follow-up: Tim's comment about me "insisting I be around" is true - I am busy and have a job. However - his inability to finish the job in 1 day (and his team's lie about being back the next business day WHICH I TOOK THE TIME OFF WORK TO WAIT FOR THE TEAM AND DID NOT RECEIVE A RESCHEDULE NOTICE UNTIL AFTER THE WORKDAY STARTED) is the reason I gave a 1 star review. Come on man - Live up to your promises or don't make them. I told Tim he'd be getting a poor review so this shouldn't come as a surprise. read more

Sorry I didn't get to this review back when we had the work done I guess I just let it slip through the cracks. I I met the guys here when they did a workshop at the tool Library on DIY retrofitting. I had them come to the house they gave me an honest estimate as well as layout for the work if I wanted to do it myself. We chose to have them do the work since it would take them a day and probably would take me a month. The Guys showed up on time actually got the work done in less time than they thought, the bill came in at slightly more than the bottom of the estimate but less than the top of the estimate. I recommended them to several friends. Each of which have found them to be honest and straightforward. The friends that have chosen to do a retrofit have chosen to go with this company. I've been extremely pleased with the results of the work they've done and would continue to recommend them to anybody. read more

Excellent company to work with. They are responsive, show up on time as scheduled, great communication, professional. Their workers were polite, hardworking and respectful. They left my basement cleaner than how they found it! The city inspector was very familiar with their work, and of course approved it. I have never had a company get an inspection so promptly and have them show up at the appointed time. They retrofitted my large 1929 house, and installed an automatic gas valve shut off. All done in two days. The price was very fair. I now have piece of mind. Highly recommend NW Seismic. read more

We had NW Seismic install earthquake retrofit features and were very happy with their work. Tim started us out with clear guidance and explanation on a process that we had no clue about - we just knew we wanted to stabilize our house as much as possible. The work was done very professionally, great workmanship. read more

NW Seismic told me they were scheduling out work three months in the future when I phoned them early last week for an estimate. Told them I understood and thanked them for their time, as I needed to schedule the work in the next few weeks due to our remodel schedule. Company phoned me back the next day and said they have a crew available four days later on Saturday, and that their estimator Tim can come give a free estimate the day before the work, on Friday. Told them, fantastic!, and thanks. Tim arrived on time, as planned. Tim was pleasant, helpful, and showed me the scopes of work he recommended. He said it would be a one day job, and the company couldn't do the work the next day as the scheduler had told me, as the company was not prepared to do the work. No worries, I said. Tim said he would have the estimate for me on Monday (yesterday) and that the crew could come out on one of the next few Saturdays to do the work. Monday came and went. Not a big deal. So this morning I sent Tim an email with an updated photo of our project (I had removed more studs so the area was easier to access than when we had met). Asked him when he might have the quote for me so we could schedule the work. Received a phone call this afternoon from Tim saying, since my job is a "custom job" not a "standard job", the company does have the "bandwidth" aka capacity to do the work till one of their best crews is available, which won't be till fall. I guess I am SOL. Tim said, "why don't you just have your contractor do the work". To which I said, I wanted to hire a seismic professional, and I was planning on that company being NW Seismic based on what Tim had told me during our meeting. I guess any old contractor can do what NW Seismic's best crew can do. That isn't reassuring. Anyway, I get it, people are busy, companies are busy. The world keeps on spinning. However, this really puts me in a bind because of construction schedules and because I took Tim at his word that they would do the work and do the work on an upcoming Saturday. I think Tim overextended himself with the bosses, and the bosses determined this job isn't important enough for the company to fit it in, as the company said they would. Oh well, live and learn. I certainly wouldn't recommend NW Seismic based on my experiences. read more

From the first meeting I knew I was dealing with someone extremely knowledgable. The quote was reasonable. The crew arrived on time and did such quality work, I was blown away! Even the city inspector was impressed. They really went above and beyond. Also very respectful of the house using so much protection to keep it clean. The final bill was no more than quoted, no surprises. We are super pleased. And resting easier that our house will fare better whenever the big one strikes! read more

TIm came out for an inspection. He was very thorough and appreciated his straight forward honesty. Would recommend using again for future homes and for work. read more

Tim from NW Seismic Retrofit came out to inspect a building we were under contract with. My family and I appreciated all of his feedback on the building. He answers all of our questions and beyond. We are following Portland's earthquakes policies and are concerned about the foundations of properties we may be purchasing. After the analysis by Tim, we decided to not purchase the building because the foundation wasn't strong enough to tie the building down to it. He was kind enough to waive the $200 fee, which was requested because we did not own the building yet. They said they would refund the fee if we did the retrofit work later on. We appreciate them just waiving it, without even requesting it, and we'd highly recommend them to everyone. It's clear from talking with them, they do not take shortcuts, and will not just install retrofitting brackets if they do not firmly believe that your foundation will support it. We also had them install automatic gas-valve shut offs at our other properties. We will plan on using them again for all of our residential retrofitting needs. read more

Great company to work with. They did everything they said they would do, at the agreed price. The team was efficient and clean, I didn't have to clean up after them as I was expecting. The contractor was good about communicating with us. Highly recommend! read more

Scheduled after estimate in Sept for work in mid-Nov. Not a huge job...a double garage. Michael requested, a week before our appt., that we change the date but our schedules didn't allow for that. He said that was all right and he would keep things as they were. I was in from out of town for one week. He no-showed, didn't call. I texted him and he called me. Said "I guess your job didn't fit in my schedule today." No inquiry as to re-scheduling, barely an apology. I have had a great deal of work done on this house pre-move in. No one has done this kind of shabby business treatment. read more

Today Michael came to inspect our foundation and see if any retrofitting could be done. I appreciate his honesty, as he explained that it wouldn't be worth doing the work because we have block foundation. Essentially, seismic retrofitting would only work for poured concrete and our house would need a complete remodel of the foundation for it to be earthquake proof. He mentioned that he "talks himself out of a lot of work". He said that there are other companies that won't be honest with homeowners and to watch out for people who are essentially "learning as they go". He was very professional and answered all of our questions. I recommend NW Seismic to anyone who is looking for straight forward answers to their questions. read more

I asked them to give me an estimate on my basement foundation, egress window project and they sent out a salesman who showed up late. He then tried to sell me an earthquake retrofit, without even knowing what earthquake-proofing had already been done. He wasn't that interested in my project. When I didn't go for it he said he wouldn't be able to get to my project for probably a year or more. These guys seem to be similar to the "Re-pipe Your Home" guys. It appears that they hard sell a product that is very profitable for them, whether you need it or not. Kind of sleazy if you ask me. I also did not get a free estimate, which they advertise prominently. Anyway, I felt that he wasted my time. Their response to my review subsequently was typically self-serving and disingenuous. They just confirmed everything I stated in my original review with a misleading spin. I was knowledgeable, and a knowledgeable client would be a "difficult" client. The use of my actual name (without my permission) in their response exhibits an unprofessional, low class, and vindictive quality that I have rarely seen in responses to yelp reviews. I would stay far away from these guys. read more

Michael came out to take a look at a house that we were going to buy after completing final inspections. He took the time to point out all kinds of problems with the foundation of the house as well as other very astute observations on other areas of the property. He talked himself right out of a job, but saved us from buying a money pit in the process. We are very grateful. It was very obvious that Michael was an expert in his field, and he will be retrofitting our new (solid) house very soon. I will be back with a more complete review after the project is done. read more

We are in the early stages of seismic retrofit planning for our home. Nonetheless, our meeting with Michael Wieber was impressive! He is extremely knowledgeable and presented a clear and easily understandable description of the associated seismic risks. Michael is genuine and honest; he has integrity, a rare character trait in today's construction industry. No matter which direction we take, NW Seismic will be involved! read more

Their estimator came and did a thorough estimate, which he promptly emailed to us. The estimate was conditional on our foundation being sound enough for the anchor bolts to be effective. When NW Seismic sent their workers to test drill our foundation, they drilled and refilled holes in three basement walls. The test indicated that the foundation was not solid enough to hold the anchors. We very much respect the honesty and high standards of NW Seismic, so we had them install an earthquake actuated gas shutoff valve. They did that beautifully and made sure all our gas appliances were working afterward. The reason that we called NW Seismic initially is that we had seen their excellent work anchoring a friend's house. Seeing the great work they did on their house and that they were unwilling to install on an unsound basement in our house gives me good reason to recommend them to any homeowner considering a seismic retrofit. read more

I first met Michael the owner of NW Seismic at a retrofit class he was instructing on a Saturday about 4 years ago. He was very knowledgeable on the topic and clearly an expert in the field, so I decided to get an estimate for retrofitting my house. After reviewing the conditions he spent a good amount of time explaining the process and answering my questions. The quote was quite fair for the peace of mind it offered so I decided to make the investment. His crew arrived a few weeks later and performed the work in a very professional manner. Overall I was quite happy with the experience. ​ Now almost 5 years later, I am seeking out formal earthquake insurance and needed some specific documents for the policy so I emailed Michael. Not only did he provide a specific statement of the work done, but also filled out an additional inspection form required for the policy. Without any difficulty, NW Seismic continued to provide professional and quality service well after the actual work was complete and that is worth every penny these days. Thank you! read more

My wife has been concerned about the earthquake stability of our 1950 home ever since we bought it. Unfortunately, we have a mostly finished basement so I had always put it off. After the big Portland Monthly Magazine article on the impending quake I finally picked up the phone. The price from NW seismic was surprisingly reasonable, definitely less than I was expecting. They do foundation upgrades as well as install automatic natural gas shutoff valves. I also liked that they do all their own post-upgrade drywall repair and painting. Other outfits quoted nearly the same prices, with no cleanup. I have to say we were very impressed with this company. It was a big messy job but everything was well covered and terrifically cleaned up afterwards. The walls look great after refinishing and painting. We can hardly tell they were there. Now we know our house at least won't slide off the foundation or explode from a natural gas fire in a quake. read more

This review is a little odd, since I did not actually get an earthquake retrofit done by this company. But they did come and give me a bid and I was impressed with their professionalism and knowledge. And that they gave me a lot of information without giving me a hard sell. read more

Great experience with the quality of the work. They refitted our 1910 house in about a week, and within that time, took out drywall, added clamps, and re-finished and cleaned our basement such that you'd never know any work was done. The final invoice was right on with respect to the estimate and also a reasonable price. I also preferred their engineered approach to retrofitting that strengthens the house where it's actually needed. Overall, a very good choice for seismic retrofitting. read more

Recommended without hesitation. Michael promptly scheduled a time to come by and give me an estimate. The price was reasonable, and Michael was very knowledgable about the work that needed to be done. It took awhile to get the work started due to them being busy, but it's hard to fault them for that. During the install they took care to keep things as clean as possible (covering things in the basement and vacuuming up debris). read more

Summary I'll only briefly summarize what ended up being a 17 month long ordeal and one of the most negative service experiences we've ever had. While we were initially very impressed with Michael's confidence and clear expertise in the field, we found that this ultimately didn't make up for very poor communication and very poor "bedside manner." We had extended a lot of positive intent toward Michael, assuming much of his communication delays were due to his heavy work schedule, but we can now only assume that Michael was valuing other projects over ours. His final estimate ended up exceeding a competing company's solution (by more than $10k), despite him originally highlighting how his solution was better, and more economical than theirs. Most importantly though, the reliability and clarity of communication from him was absolutely terrible. For these reasons we can strongly say that we cannot recommend Michael and NW Seismic to anyone. Timeline * 3/11/15 - Initial site visite and verbal estimate ($50-60k) * 6/23/15 - Michael indicates likely start date is Spring, '16 * 4/15 - 1/16 - Michael is slow to respond to emails and unclear regarding the engineer's site visit requirements; most times his replies are delayed by several months. * 2/9/16 - We finally get an update that we're "number 9 on the list." * 5/30/16 - Spring arrives so we check in to get an update on schedule... no response until... 2.5 months later. * 8/15/16 - Michael sends a written estimate of $76k "to reflect current costs," though this represents a 40-50% increase from the original. He notes that he understands if this causes us "to change [our] priorities." * 8.15.16 - We reply via Email that "we're feeling significant 'sticker shock'" and "need time to digest" * 8.16.16 - We reply that "our priorities haven't changed" and that "we are in complete disbelief over the increase," We explained that his bid is way over competing solutions and we "waited patiently for a year and a half" and request that he reconsider his estimate. * We've received no response from Michael... to this day (5/25/17) read more

Great company! Professional and personable and extremely knowledgeable. Since my 1930's bungalow was gravity held to it's foundation (not such a good thing when the earth starts shaking!) I decided to have my house 'anchored' to it's foundation. I interviewed 3 companies and choose NW Seismic Retrofit and am very pleased I did. Their work was great and it was very comfortable having the crew in my home and basement. I highly recommend them for your seismic retrofit. read more

The guys at NW Seismic are terrific. I called them for an estimate to get the small 1970s house I bought retrofitted so I could get earthquake insurance. They were able to coordinate with my realtor to look at the house and their estimate came in at a very reasonable price. After originally telling me it might take a couple of months to fit me in, they were able to find time for me in their schedule just a few weeks later, before I moved in (much more convenient for me). The work was done in a day and without disturbing anything in the house. When I later learned I needed a second strap on my water heater to ensure it was secure, they did it for me on a Saturday and for free since it was a small, quick job - a nice surprise! I also appreciated that they were very responsive via email and did not insist on doing everything over the phone. Definitely great people to deal with. read more

It's hard to say enough good things about this organization and their people. From the get-go communication was clear and timely. I was treated kindly and professionally at every turn. Each team member was respectful, courteous, and pleasant. They left my home clean and tidy. The work was spectacular. My expectations were exceeded in every way, and I'm thrilled with the quality of work and results. read more

The guys and NW Seismic perform an excellent service at a great rate. They are honest upstanding, clean cut and knowledgable. You can feel safe having them in your home, and safer after they've done the work that they need to do. They individually engineer your retrofit to your home unlike most companies which just use the "Perscriptive" method. Since we all know that "Whats good for me is good for you" really shouldn't apply to items that weigh hundreds of thousands of pounds and have people inside of them I take great comfort in knowing that they engineer the retrofit to my home. I would recomend them to anyone looking for a retrofit and or foundation work. And as for Michael S, I am not sure what he's talking about but I have found every member of the northwest seismic team that I have met to be kind, courteous, polite and punctual. read more

We're ready for the big one now! NW Seismic recently earthquake-proofed our 1918 Portland bungalow. Michael Wieber and his team did a great job - all in one day. The entire team was courteous and professional. And they worked with us on the price - far below other firm's estimates. We're thrilled that this old house can withstand the next predicted earthquake. Feels great to have our biggest investment protected in the event of a natural disaster. read more