I used BEAR's phone consultation service to help me understand the foundation, slope and drainage issues at a house I was considering buying. Nathan did a great job of quantifying the potential risk, comparing the house's situation to others in the area and educating me as to what to look for in the house's construction history. It was convenient, economical and very professional. I'd highly recommend them. read more

Had a 30 minute call with Nathan about BEAR Engineering's report for the property I'm interested in. He answered a few questions I had in a very thorough manner and gave me the peace of mind and perspective I needed. The report itself was very detailed and well-written. I think it's always valuable to get opinions from companies that do inspections only, since that eliminates conflict of interest. read more

I reached out to BEAR engineering to get a neutral second opinion on a foundation repair project and was highly impressed by how they went about it. Nathan from the team came over and went over our property and provided some amazing short-term and long-term recommendations. He later sent over a report with clear details and next steps. I loved the fact that he was able to articulate each of his recommendations in better detail and was easily accessible via email later. Highly recommend their service read more

Amazing company, highly recommend. I requested a full inspection of our home's foundation. It only cost me ~$800, but saved me over $20k from being scammed by another company (and who knows how many other companies if I'd reached out elsewhere). It left me feeling incredibly informed, relieved, and empowered to understand our home. read more

We had BEAR Engineering come out a few months ago to do a foundation inspection. They kindly slotted in an appointment for us on short notice due to a tight inspection window, and Kurt came out to do the assessment. Kurt was incredibly knowledgeable and did a great job explaining his findings to us in a thorough but digestible way. He patiently answered all of our questions onsite and the report he gave us afterward captured everything we discussed. The team also handled some other last minute requests from our end, which we were incredibly grateful for. Overall, Kurt and team provided a really professional experience and we felt that their service helped us make an informed decision about the home. We would not hesitate to work with them again! read more

Very impressive. Had a thrty minute remote consultation with Nathan concerning the cracks in our foundation as we ready the house for saie. Very professional and straight forward. Helpful and practical advice. Money well spent. read more

Did a video consultation with Nathan, who was really helpful and informative. Not just about the condition of my home, but also about experience (and second-hand reports) about vendors I'd been looking at. He also was happy to do a follow up (email) discussion with results from our floor elevation survey. While I was initially unsure if I really wanted to spend the money on an independent (paid) consultation, it was really helpful to get an opinion that I was paying for -- not one that would be paid for by work they'd be trying to sell. read more

I have trusted and relied on BEAR's exceptional service and expertise for years. As a real estate professional, many of my buyers and sellers have a non-negotiable need for a thorough professional assessment of foundations, structural conditions, and site drainage. The BEAR team consistently delivers not only top-tier engineering insight but also a deep understanding of the time-sensitive nature of real estate transactions. They always do their best to accommodate tight deadlines and inspection windows. read more

I would definitely recommend BEAR Engineering. I scheduled an inspection with BEAR Engineering in followup to a foundation repair proposal I had received and before moving forward with costly repairs. Rohith from BEAR Eng. came to do the inspection. Rohith was extremely thorough and sat down with me at the end of his inspection to review his findings. All of the information was later provided to me in a very comprehensive report. The report prioritized recommended repairs and gave varying degrees of repair options. I found it really interesting to learn so much more about my 78 year old home and an invaluable tool to use as a guide for how to proceed on repairs. My only disappoint was that an inspection of the attic was not part of their service. read more

Honest, Professional, and Exceptionally Helpful! I recently needed a second opinion on a foundation repair quote and found BEAR Engineering by chance -- what a great find! I spoke with Nathan, who was incredibly thorough and professional. With some tight deadlines, I booked a remote video consultation, and I was amazed at how easy and effective the whole process was. Even with less than 24 hours' notice, Nathan had researched my area, soil conditions, and even pulled up photos of my home during our call. In just 30 minutes, he explained my options clearly, gave objective, expert advice, and helped me see that I didn't necessarily need all aspects of the costly repairs and demolition that I'd been quoted. The call was worth every cent and gave me complete peace of mind. If you're facing foundation issues, I highly recommend BEAR Engineering -- getting an independent, unbiased opinion from someone this knowledgeable is absolutely invaluable. read more

I'm a realtor, and one of my clients hired BearEng to inspect the foundation of a house they purchased in Millbrae. Kurt was on time, thorough, and very patient with all our questions. read more

We had BEAR Engineering inspect our two-story home, which has some settling issues due to clay soils. Kurt, the engineer who did our inspection, was professional, knowledgeable, and thorough. He spent time walking us through the inspection and clearly explained his findings. The report was really extensive, detailed and easy to follow, giving us a solid understanding of the situation and next steps. We highly recommend BEAR Engineering and Kurt for anyone needing a structural assessment. Before BEAR we had a free inspection from a foundation company, and it seemed more like a sale pitch than an actual inspection report. If you think you might have foundation issues, really the BEAR report is well worth the money to get an independent, professional opinion. read more

This is a long overdue review of my outstanding experience of working with BEAR Engineering. I want to say thank you for an awesome experience! I had hired them to evaluate a water seepage situation under my house and suggestions on how to repair it. I have some natural springs coming in due to the amount of rain that we have had during the past year. I was also concerned if it may be impacting the foundation of the house. Kurt arrived on time and explained in detail what he would be doing. He was extremely professional and thorough. He had to climb up under the house into a tight crawl space to evaluate things as well as going around the entire house and lot to evaluate things. He gave me a brief report when he was finished indicating that I would receive an in depth report with in the next week or so. It was right on time and extremely detailed! It went through the entire house explaining what he had done and provided recommendations to fix things. I was very impressed with attention to each aspect of the report. I also appreciate the list of possible contractors that could handle the project. As I started with it was an outstanding experience! I highly recommend them! read more

Tooth Man Inspector absolutely amazing very knowledgeable. Appreciate all of his help. Doing a great job

Bear Engineering was exactly what I was looking for and did exactly what I was hoping for. It was easy to sign up online for an appointment within a week. Our house has some signs of possible foundation problems (it's an older house on a slope in the mountains so there have also been some water issues over the decades). Mo You spent several hours checking the level of the floors, examining the walls and ceilings, looking over the various drainage systems around the property, and inspecting under the house (a rather labyrinthine task). He sat down with me afterwards and presented helpful and clear initial findings. A week later he sent me a very detailed written report covering the many (mostly small, thank goodness) areas that need work of some kind, with excellent photos of the problem locations. He prioritized these projects and gave several options for solutions to each, often with a general range of possible costs. The report came with a long list of contractors and companies in the area who can do the various jobs. I hired Bear because I wanted real engineers to give me an honest report--they do not do the repair work themselves so they are not trying to sell anything. I could not be more pleased with the results. As another recent reviewer noted, this was money well spent. read more

Bear is phenomenal. I work as a manager ordering inspections to prepare properties for market as well as a realtor representing both buyers and sellers. Hands down, Bear is my most trusted resource. Whether it's reviewing a home inspection online, Or coming out personally to inspect the property, I trust the knowledge, professionalism and experience Bear brings. read more

Paid for a virtual consultation to inform a home purchase decision. Glad I did - learned a great deal about foundation issues & earthquake risks unique to the Bay Area. Well worth the cost given the cost of homes. read more

We engaged Bear Engineering for a foundation and drainage inspection and overall we are very pleased with Randy Miller's services and recommendations. He was very knowledgeable, pleasant, patient, and conducted the inspection with a calming spirit. The utmost professional! Randy answered our many questions and encouraged us to reach out with questions, not only regarding the report, but with any future services he and Bear Engineering can be of service. Nathan also provided valuable guidance and Tiffany's great communication allowed our job to be scheduled and completed expeditiously. We will be happy to use their services in the future. In our mind, Randy and the Bear Team (Nathan and Tiffany) have fulfilled the Bear Mission... "Everyone has Someone they Trust with Home Purchase and Repair Decisions". read more

Randy did a thorough inspection and pointed out some issues that we wouldn't have noticed. He took all the time needed and some. He Answered our questions . The report was easy to understand , liked the suggestions . read more

BEAR Engineering is my go-to company for structural and foundation inspections. Their inspections are always clear, helpful, thorough, and the inspectors always take their time to explain their findings and answer any questions I have, and I have a lot. I'm also impressed with their use of new technologies, including a room scanner that maps out the floor plan of the house automatically. Randy Miller inspected my property, and I was very impressed with his knowledge and abilities. Highly recommend. read more

I contacted BEAR for some advice regarding our foundation and basement floor. Nathan was knowledgeable, helpful, and clear in his communication. I'd definitely reach out to him again. read more

The best you can hope for. They are highly qualified and licensed Engineers who will inspect the foundation, provide you with a comprehensive report. They will NOT try to sell you services because that is not what they do. Their professional integrity is unmatched - and you will find later on that the companies who do the final repair work also trust Bear Engineering. read more

There were some slants in the house that we wanted to have investigated, so we called BEAR Engineering to have them take a look. Scheduling was easy as they have a website to do online booking. Matt from BEAR Engineering was absolutely top notch. He was very kind and patient with us when he came over to inspect our house, and stayed for a very long time afterwards to give us a summary of the report and answer the many questions that we had. Matt spent the first hour doing a thorough investigation of the house, including documenting cracks and slants and taking pictures. He also took measurements of height differentials. Matt also took the time to review a previous contractor's set of blueprints with us and pointed out some interesting observations that we wouldn't have picked up on by ourselves. Matt gave a detailed hypothesis of potential issues, and potential ways to improve the house. All of this was summarized in the very detailed PDF report that came to us a few weeks later but it was really helpful to have Matt summarize all this verbally. I don't think the report would have resonated as much if it weren't for his explanation. Their website also has diagrams that help explain certain concepts which was really helpful for us. I highly recommend BEAR Engineering if you want a thorough investigation of your house. read more

Nathan was very prompt in his replies when we contacted him, and we received an appointment almost immediately for the drainage problem and a foundation inspection for our home. He was very clear when explaining all the issues and created a detailed, easy-to-understand report for us within a week. Nathan also helped us with some contacts for the contract work needed and is available to answer our questions even after the fact. Their report is professionally done, and when you consider the amount you spend in comparison to their professionalism, it is not expensive. I'd recommend Bear Engineering to anyone looking for a thorough assessment. read more

n fifteen minutes over the phone Nathan looked over photos of my crawl space and reassured me that the dampness under my house was not a problem. It was a load off my mind and well worth the money. read more

Nathan was extremely helpful, efficient, patient and kind.He explained and discuss potential problems in his assessment of my condos foundation. I will do a repeat consultation wit Nathan Bear engineer in the future. I would highly recommend Bear Engineering to anyone looking for any foundation issues. Thank you, Maria read more

I hired Bearing Engineering to preform a study on our property on the Coastside. They were timely, followed thru on our agreement and turned the report around to us quickly. The Engineer (Rohith), that preformed the work was respectful, knowledgeable and helpful. It was a good experience all around and I would recommend them to family, friends and others without thinking twice. read more

I am super satisfied with the foundation inspection service done by Randy from BEAR Engineering. Randy is very professional and made detailed floor elevation map to check if the house has a settlement issue or not. He also inspected the foundation crack in crawl space and observed some surface drainage issue. He is vey patient and professional to explain to me the issues and answer my questions. The report is vey detail and he also provided a list of contractors and the rough estimate of fix and repair. In general, I recommend Randy and BEAR as a trusted and neutral third party inspection company for their professional knowledge and opinions for any foundation related issues. read more

It was easy working with BEAR Engineering every step of the way, starting from booking an appointment. Kurt performed our inspection and did a great job. He was punctual, thorough, friendly, and professional. He provided practical recommendations and gave us peace of mind. Would definitely use this firm again. read more

We are so incredibly happy with the support and service that we received from Bear Engineering. We had a very tight contingency period and Bear was able to fit us into their schedule on Day 1. Nathan was kind and direct and Tiffany was always incredibly quick to respond to messages. We feel so confident in our purchase and have a game plan for the improvements we now need to make. Thank you Bear! read more

10/10. This is the best interaction with a civil engineer I've ever had and I could not recommend BEAR Engineering, and Ky Rhoda in particular, enough. We are in the process of dealing with necessary renovations for our home and noticed some signs of foundation settlement. Concerned that we had an unstable foundation, and after the classic run-around with contractors that all have different (and conflicting) opinions and the incentive to sell services, we called up BEAR Engineering for an independent inspection. Ky was above and beyond. He was thorough, patient and deeply engaged with all of our questions, and provided not just excellent, objective analysis but thought partnership and a level of service that I'm not used to when dealing with anything regarding home inspection, renovation, or construction. He is a gem. Thank you, Ky and BEAR! read more

As a realtor I review tens or home inspections during the week and one of the most concerning items on those reports are foundation issues like cracks , moisture , supporting beams . A home inspector usually is not qualified to give my clients a more details analysis about foundations and that's where you needs to hire a foundation specialist. BEAR engineering is the company we use . It was very easy to schedule a pretty urgent appointment. We had a very short contingency period and BEAR accommodated us even on weekend. They scheduled an inspection the next day . Nathan showed up on time and performed a very detailed and thorough inspection. He then took extra time to go over his findings with my clients and I . He showed us some photos and gave us estimated costs for repairs. This company is reliable and trustworthy. read more

As a home buyer, I used Bear Engineering on two separate occasions to understand foundation risks and further investigate findings in the seller's home inspection report. The feedback and data shared was clear and comprehensive, and enabled me to make well informed decisions on the houses. I used their Zoom remote consultation service, which was convenient to schedule and an excellent value as I was able to show the issues and get my questions answered during an open house. read more

We really appreciated the expertise and value of the service provided by Nathan and the team. We worked with Nathan at both pre and post home purchase as they were recommended by a trusted local person. A few things stood out - Nathan truly is helpful at explaining complex details, helping us understand next steps, of course with necessary caveats - Despite having a full schedule & travel, Nathan and Tiffany worked efficiently and effectively to make themselves available to mitigate ambiguities during time sensitive situations - He was definitely an expert of the area and thoroughly explained relevant info - As a researcher (in another field), I truly respected their patience and ability to map out next steps from triangulations We will definitely seek Bear Engineering again for future recurrent inspections to main the health of our home! Thank you! read more

I'm a real estate broker who recommends Bear Engineering to almost all my buyer clients, and has used their services at my personal property as well. The information and value that you get from a report from Bear Engineering is unparalleled. It's thorough, informative, and in many instances, a huge monetary value. We've had properties that look terrible but have solid foundations, and we've had properties that look great that have horrible foundations...none of this would be known without Bear Engineering. They have wonderful bedside manner, instantly putting you (and in my case, our clients) at ease with their in-person or over-the-phone explanations. I can't imagine what we'd do if we didn't know about Bear Engineering, they have helped us and our clients tremendously for many years, and for that we are forever grateful. A+++ read more

I was told by a contractor that I might have a problem with the foundation of my house. I made an appointment with Bear Engineering and one of their inspectors came out and spent perhaps 90 minutes inspecting the visible portion of the foundation from the outside, then went into the crawl space and inspected that. For what I thought was a reasonable fee, we got a written report, with photos highlighting findings, and a prioritized list of potential problems. Because Bear does not do repair work, I feel that they have no incentive to exaggerate their findings and gave me an objective opinion of the state of my home with no sales pressure. I would hire them again. read more

Would 100% recommend BEAR to anyone who's looking to do a foundation inspection. Our inspector (Randy) clearly explained the findings and shared his perspective. He also provided practical advice as to how to handle our drainage/foundation issues that balanced risk and cost. This type of guidance and perspective is precisely why we wanted to have someone who doesn't handle foundation repairs (like BEAR) handle the inspection. We would definitely recommend BEAR to any friends who need a foundation inspection, and plan on having BEAR come back to do another inspection next year to see if there's been any additional movement. read more

Our home is 69 years old and has some cracks in walls, inside and out. We seriously researched which foundation inspection company was the best. Without a doubt, Bear Engineering is the top of the line! The owner, Nathan, was very responsive! Our inspector, Kurt was the most thorough person that we've hired in years! His grad degree and interest in his field was obvious from the start! His final evaluation summary, possible solutions and photos, along with his expertise and experience were SO worth the (minimal) amount of dollars. We highly recommend Bear Engineering! read more

This is our second 5-star review for Bear Engineering. We hired them to assess our foundation when we moved into our 1930s home a few years ago. We are now in the middle of a remodel, and wanted some advice on how to address a widening crack in the garage slab floor. Nathan offered us a convenient remote/FaceTime consultation option, which was also much more affordable than an onsite inspection would have been. It took less than 15 minutes, and Nathan was able to quickly identify the conditions and advise us on the best remedies, complete with an email follow-up with clear instructions and diagrams for us to pass on to our contractor. Thanks Nathan and team for your time and expertise - we appreciate it! read more

BEAR Engineering is excellent. They performed an inspection of the failing foundation on our 100-year old house. The report was clear, detailed, and well-written. It included many photos and text descriptions of their findings, as well as a wide range of possible mitigations, including the cost-benefit tradeoffs of each of them. This was exactly what we wanted: detailed information from experienced engineers, that presented us with all our options clearly and dispassionately. Their staff also went above and beyond. In addition to the detailed report, we spoke on the phone several times with the inspecting engineer, to make sure we understood its contents. I also followed up nearly a year later with their principal, Nathan Toothman. Nathan was well-prepared for the conversation, and had the original written report ready as a reference, along with other supporting information. He again provided useful, clear, actionable guidance, which I found extremely valuable. I cannot recommend their services highly enough. If you need clear, useful, unbiased advice on a foundation or other structural issues, please consider contracting them! read more