Steve Andrews didn't start in a boardroom. He started at 16, doing insurance restoration — rebuilding homes after fire, flood, and structural failure. That hands-on background eventually led him to carbon fiber technology and, ultimately, to co-founding Structural Reinforcement Solutions
(SRS), where he now trains and equips contractors across the country to implement advanced structural repair systems in the field.
After nearly a decade working directly alongside foundation repair contractors, Andrews has a ground-level view of what separates the businesses that thrive from the ones that stall — and it's rarely what people expect.
The foundation repair industry has a trust problem. It's not a new one. But in a tighter economy, where fuel costs are up, leads are more expensive, and homeowners are doing their homework, it's becoming a competitive separator.
Steve Andrews has spent his career in and around structural repairs, starting in insurance restoration at 16 years old, rebuilding homes from fire, flood, and catastrophic damage. About a decade ago, that path led him to carbon fiber — and eventually to co-founding Structural Reinforcement Solutions (SRS). SRS trains and supports contractors to implement carbon fiber and chemical strengthening technology in the field.
Andrews sees that the contractors winning right now aren't necessarily the ones with the most trucks or the biggest marketing budgets. They're the ones who show up prepared to solve the whole problem — not just the one they were called about.
When market conditions get harder, contractors who built their business around one type of repair feel it first.
"One thing that we've seen that's been a tool to help a lot of contractors to be less volatile in these types of environments is expanding their structural repair offerings," Andrews says, "so they can actually offer more holistic value-add solutions."
The logic is straightforward. Lead costs are rising, driven up in part by private equity-backed competitors with aggressive SEO and ad spend. When it costs more to get a homeowner on the phone, you need to be able to offer more once you're standing in their basement. A contractor who can only quote one style of fix is leaving money on the table when the problem calls for something else.
Adding carbon fiber and chemical strengthening to their toolkit has helped many of SRS's contractor partners expand what they can address on a single visit: wall stabilization, concrete strengthening, and structural repairs that don't require excavation or heavy equipment. It allows contractors to go into the same job, solve their problem, and deliver more value.
Large franchise-style foundation repair companies dominate ad spend in most markets. But their size comes with a drawback - they don’t always have the homeowners’ best interest in mind.
"Their commission structures and compensation structures are really set up in such a way where I'd argue to say that they're not always looking for the best solution for the client," Andrews says.
He's seen cases where a homeowner received a $60,000 proposal from one of these companies, only to have an SRS-trained contractor assess the same structure and find that the actual solution was a fraction of the cost — or in some cases, nothing at all.
"The client is usually flabbergasted that they don't have to spend $60,000."
That kind of honesty doesn't always generate immediate revenue. But Andrews is direct about what it does generate: referrals, repeat business, and a priceless reputation.
"You've done the right thing for the customer, and you've put their needs ahead of your own. And that's exactly who they're going to call up the next time."
For independent contractors competing against well-capitalized competitors, this isn't just a values play. It's a strategic one.
1. They treat the job site as a diagnostic visit, not a quoting call.
The best contractors Andrews works with go into a property prepared to assess everything — not just what they were called for. A cracked wall might be the presenting issue, but bowing, moisture intrusion, and concrete degradation may all be contributing factors. If a contractor can only speak to one solution, they'll miss the rest — and increasingly, the homeowner already knows enough to notice.
"Consumers are after a lot more than that now when they call a foundation repair contractor," says Andrews.
2. They stay educated as the bar rises. Consumer knowledge has changed. Homeowners are researching carbon fiber, chemical strengthening, and piering methods before the first site visit. If a contractor arrives knowing less than the person who called them, it shows.
"My advice would be to get as educated as possible on everything that's available to you so that you can offer a complete holistic solution."
3. They focus on professionalism as well as technical know-how
Technology isn't just a back-office efficiency play. It affects how a contractor is perceived at the moment of truth: the estimate.
Andrews and his SRS partner contractors adopted ArcSite specifically because proposals assembled in the field — with clear drawings, selected products, and organized line items — do something that a rough sketch or a verbal number can't. They tell the homeowner that the contractor running the job is the kind of business they want to trust with their foundation.
"It really packages the whole proposal up concisely. It's going to be a lot easier to digest and understand, and really position the contractor. It's going to elevate them above the crowd."
When a homeowner is comparing two or three estimates, the one that looks thorough, clear, and professionally assembled wins more often than the cheapest one.
The contractors who've been winging it with thin offerings, aggressive sales tactics, and paper-based processes are getting squeezed. The ones who built well are finding that when the market tightens, there's more room for them.
The combination of capability, integrity, and professionalism doesn't disappear when the economy gets uncomfortable. If anything, it becomes the only thing that matters.
Curious how ArcSite helps foundation repair contractors present more professional proposals in the field? Click here to chat with our team.
