Dana really saved my butt when buying a house. Another contractor got the address wrong and had someone in San Jose instead of Chula Vista the day before our contingency was up. I called Dana in the morning and he was out there in the afternoon. He was very professional and friendly as he did his inspection and determined there was no need for the more expensive inspection. He charged a very low fee and gave my wife and me peace of mind. If you need someone to look at your foundation, I can't recommend Dakini Engineering enough. read more

This company is a very poor outfit from what i Can gather. They are doing a project in the front area of this house and have holes 4 foot deep directly next to the sidewalk. They are halfway covered with thin plywood that isnt big enough to cover the hole. There are kids and dogs and older people walking by all day And could easily step in the holes as they are directly next to sidewalk edge. We even said something to the crew and owner and asked to put caution tape up and he gave us a smartass Comment and never did anything. He also had a 9-11 foot cut next to The walkway to backyard and refused to put any caution tape on that. We went and did it ourselves after a week. Beyond these issues the work is ok at best. He is supposed to be an engineer but the project has been shut down for 6 months because he can't engineer a set of front stairs the city will approve. The whole Neighborhood is fed up because hes been here so long. From my experience this guy is a total hack. If you cant follow basic safety principles to protect your client and the public from your work than you are unprofessional at best. I would Not recommend this company after seeing him operate for 6 months. read more

Dana called me to discuss my concerns on my retaining wall and was able to immediately help me. His experience and honesty was evident. I called late on a Friday and he called me back the next day which was very much appreciated. I found him to be extremely generous with his time and helpful beyond what I would have expected. Any engineering needs I have in the future will be headed Dana's way. read more

Dana is very well known in San Diego. I recommend him to all my clients as he is a wealth of knowledge. Not only does he provide exceptional insight but he is a continued resource after inspection/project. USE HIM. He provides exceptional value. read more

We had a crisis that could have cost us our home. It had to do with a hillside issue i.e. weak soil . The project required a professional engineer. We called Dakini Engineering knowing that they have the knowledge and history to resolve our problem. We highly recommend Dakini Engineering services. read more

We had an excellent experience with Dakini, and Dana in particular. His worked helped us immensely in the process of buying a home. He did an extremely thorough and in-depth analysis, and took a lot of time to explain the findings, significance, and options for going forward. The report he sent us will be critical to use as a reference for many years to come. We more than appreciated his guidance regarding concerns we had, and it helped us move forward with confidence and a plan. read more

Dakini Engineering was great! Fast service and a reasonable price too. I had a crack in my ceiling that concerned me. Dana came and not only he inspected entire house but also he took the time to look at my deck and answered my questions not even related to the crack in the ceiling. Price was less than a half of another company that sent to me a quote for the same scope of work. I'm very satisfied with Dakini Engineering. Thank you, Dana! read more

Amazing!!! Very reliable, professional and knowledgeable. We were able to complete a project thanks to Dakini Engineering!!!! I highly recommend. read more

Dakini Engineering is the most knowledgeable person out there with regards to foundations and much more. Dana is a reputable expert, dependable, and really knows everything there is to know about whether or not you have foundation issues or not and gives you solid information on how to make any necessary corrections. Do not hesitate to contact him for an honest opinion or 2nd opinion! read more

Had a water intrusion issue at our house, Dana came out and in a short time accurately assessed the problem and developed a remediation plan that has worked flawlessly. His years of experience are invaluable. Highly recommend. read more

Great advice. Very trustworthy. His answers led to him not getting work out of this opportunity, which is very admirable. Will definitely hire again in the future. Gave great referrals for lower priced contractors for smaller jobs he doesn't handle. read more

We've had a leak on the ground floor which could have had several potential causes. We needed to figure out what is the exact cause of the leak and how to fix it. We've had several different professionals coming for the inspections, and each recommended completely different proposals. We had no idea who to believe because neither one made much sense to us, and most of the recommendations seemed unnecessary or completely wrong, needless to say extremely expensive. Then the next professional we contacted recommended Dakini Engineering. And boy, was he right! Dana came over right after the major holiday, took his time, run some tests on soil, measured everything, etc. And he came up with a very reasonable proposal! It totally made sense! He paid attention to every little detail, pointed out on all necessary things to fix (and gave very good references to accomplish!). Besides being very professional, friendly, nice, he was really honest! When we asked him about measures that were recommended by other foundation specialists, leak detectors, etc. which were extremely expansive, he said we don't really need any of those. He could've proposed for us to do something that his company does, and we would've done it, but he said there is no need for it in our case. Dana is a very special professional due to enormous amount of knowledge about everything on his field; tremendous experience in various areas which makes him unique! And truly honest! read more

Very responsive, willing to take the time to discuss and educate and professional! Nice guy!

Dana & Bill handled doing our backyard project from plans to completion in 2015. It entailed building an outdoor patio space w built in bbq and sink and also a fire pit. They poured concrete, and did all our drainage. They did a great job for us and we have not had any problems with drainage and we were very happy with them. read more

I submitted a request for quote to multiple companies, and Dana Ansell from Dakini Engineering was the first person who responded to my inquiry. I appreciate his promptness, honesty and high professionalism in answering my questions. I would definitely recommend my friends to Dakini Engineering. read more

Dana did multiple projects for our home, efficiently and professionally. He is our go to person for any home repair projects. He is trustworthy, reliable, easy to work with, and does a great job. read more

I called Dikini for help with an issue I thought was going to be very serious. Dana took his time inspecting it over and offered me solutions that I could do myself to correct the problem. Not only did he tell me what I could do to fix it, he also took his time telling me what to buy and how to use it. He also knew other contractors that can do work for some other issues I was having and he told me who I could contact to get it looked at. He offered me some other advice for maintenance down the road and I appreciate him spending his time to help me out at no benefit to him. He truly is in business to help people and not take advantage of customers. Honest, helpful and extremely knowledgeable. Thanks again Dana! read more

Have known Dana Ansell for 20 years and know he has the highest ethic and greatest knowledge in his field. He works for a living, but mostly he works to help people recognize the truth about their stability or other structural problems, and NEVER tries to sell something you don't need. He has been a pillar of my real estate business for all those years. If he is a 10, everyone else may aspire to be a 6! read more

Dakini Engineering did our backyard when we bought a new home in San Elijo. Dakini's quality of work was impeccable and Dana was a joy to work with. My wife and I had a vision in our head and Dakini's in house draftsmen did a perfect job of putting our vision down on paper. All of his subcontractors were top notch and Dana took the worry out of this big project. I highly recommend Dakini Engineering General Contracting. read more

Dana has been very helpful providing valuable information to my clients. He's a great resource providing very detailed engineering reports including the scope of work and cost analysis. Dana always suggested the most cost effective way to do the job and not the most expensive. I was also impressed with the quick turn around getting the engineering report and estimate back. Dakini Engineering can do it all including foundation and drainage repairs. Dana is highly recommended. read more

Dakini did an award winning whole house remodel for us in 2009. 6 years later we had a small problem with the roof flashing. I sent them an email and they were on site the next day evaluating the issue and came up with a quick solution. Highly recommend these guys. No reservations. read more

My experience with Dana, at Dakini Engineering was fantastic! He was professional, very responsive, had great questions resulting in just the information I needed... at a very reasonable price! I'm quite a pleased customer. Sherri R read more

Dana saved our deal! After an uneducated inexperienced physical inspector made false allegations about the foundation of my listing and spooked the buyers, Dana provided a report proving the property was in excellent condition. He was on time, professional, provided a thorough report and we can thank him enough! read more

I called Dakini Engineering and was in the middle of leaving a message about how a hot water pipe runs down and through the foundation and how plumbers could not dig it out for fear of compromising the footing and integrity of building, and Dana picked up the phone and spoke with me in detail about the issue. Not only did he take his time to speak with me about how to dig out the pipe, he even offered to speak with the plumbers to guide them through the process. Dana knows his stuff and I would recommend Dakini Engineering to anyone. Thank you! read more

Integrity, Trustworthy, Creativity in Engineering Dakini Engineering performed miracles on our hillside La Mesa home. Historically our lower level was prone to seepage and even flooding. Dakini Engineering excavated the front of our house with surgical precision. Waterproofing and drainage measures eliminated all water seepage problems; even during the wettest year on record! Dakini Engineering provided creative and insightful consultation that not only resulted in a cost-effective means of eliminating a long standing problem; but enhanced utility and property value as well. Through skillful efforts our front and side yards were transformed from unusable space into aesthetically attractive and functional patio and recreational spaces. In solving one problem, two areas of our yard were turned into functional and decorative spaces that provided considerable added value to our property. All work was completed in a timely and professional manner; and at a significantly lower cost than other competitors' bids. My wife and I were more than pleased with the work performed by Dakini Engineering and look forward to using them again for subsequent home improvement projects. We recommend Dakini Engineering as having incredibly high integrity, trustworthiness and creativity in engineering and construction. read more

Dana and his staff did a fantastic job re-designing the engineering plans for shoring up a portion of our garden wall. The subsequent site work was complete and professionally managed. Everyone on the job site was thorough and professional. I was very impressed with their knowledge of geological conditions and the requirements needed to satisfy the city of San Diego. read more

Dana recently inspected and analyzed a situation at a property we were considering purchasing. Without his expertise and detailed report, we may have been in for a lot more expense than we were prepared to take on. We are financially and emotionally thankful that we hired Dakini Engineering to provide us with the information we needed to make a prudent decision. We wouldn't hesitate to hire Dana again for any engineering project in the future. read more

Once again Dana was there to help me! I had a problem with the door that was part of the fence he built for me 2 years ago, contacted him and he came over to fix it right away. No fuss and no charge. He's a top-quality contractor who keeps his customer's needs paramount. read more

The world of building (engineering, new construction, remodeling, and repairs) is generally one where a bargain price means bargain quality. There's a reason why Dakini Engineering General Contracting is THE company that's brought in to repair construction defects and soils problems that were created by other contractors' carelessness, limited competence, or integrity deficits. Dakini is the company that experts in the field go to when they encounter construction or soils challenges that no one else knows how to address. So, think about it: How valuable would it be for you to hire a company with this level of expertise not merely for repairs, but, for design, engineering, and construction that you know will be done right the FIRST time? How valuable would it be it for you to hire a company that is not merely technically superb, but also so aesthetically outstanding that they've won a whole house remodel award? How wonderful would it be to hire a company that is so good at what they do that they have the long-term undying loyalty of real estate professionals? And how valuable would it be for you to work with an owner (Dana Ansell) whose integrity is so impeccable that you will trust his dedication to doing the right thing as much as you trust his top-of-field competence? Are you seeking a engineering report, a remodel, new construction, or a construction or soils defects repair? As someone who has been hailed by the media since 2008 as "America's Integrity Expert," I know of no company that I would recommend for these jobs as much as I would Dakini Engineering General Contracting. The least you owe to yourself is to seek Dana's input and get his bid. Your experience of him will tell you what you need to know to decide whether it's wise for you to engage Dakini for the work you need done. read more

We met with Dana and I was immediately impressed with his promptness. His knowledge was even more impressive. He took the time to explain all of the issues that we were having due to the lack of adequate water proofing. He could have easily talked us into a very high priced solution to our water proof problem but instead, he gave us ideas to make our home "water resistant". Thank you Dana for all of your information! read more

Professional, comprehensive, efficient and cost effective. Dana and his team performed flawlessly on a soil excavation, foundation waterproofing and drainage implementation program for our recently purchased and renovated home. I particularly appreciate his thoughtful no-nonsense style and customer first mentality. With Dana I was confident from the get go that he had our long term interests in mind and was advocating an appropriate but not excessive solution to our waterproofing and foundation needs. His willingness to work collaboratively with ourselves and other sub contractors and ensure his work was being done in a timely and efficient manner distinguishes him in mind. Lastly, the level of professionalism and quality of his work speak for themselves and I have every confidence that the work performed on our home by Dakini will stand the test of time. read more

I live in La Jolla where the soils are really bad and there is always concern about soil instability and house movement. When removing the carpeting to replace with hardwood floors, we noticed there was a half inch crack, known as cold joint separation. I called Dakini Engineering and left a message. Dana Ansell called me right back and was incredibly helpful with his advice. After describing the nature of the crack and geotechnical reports that I had received about this house, he put my mind at ease. He explained to me that this is not a structural problem, only a cosmetic. I asked him if his company can do the repair needed. He was very honest and stated that for the type of foundation issue I am having a general contractor or even a handyman can take care of it and that I would be financially better off utilizing their services. He was so helpful as to say that whoever I hire, he is happy to guide him over the phone as to how to do the repair. Thank you Dana for all your explanations and the sound advice you gave me. read more

We had a serious issue with water draining around our house causing some lifting of the foundation. Needless to say we were very concerned. We talked to two other companies trying to figure out solutions. Neither seemed to get the issue. When we talked with Dana he reassured us it was not as bad as we thought and there was a solution. He checked the foundation to make sure everything was ok with it. He explained the issues which mostly started with an addition put on by the former owner, they had not installed rain gutters so the water was not directed away from the house. Also, the entire yard has a gentle slope right to the house. All the water heading towards the house was causing the soil to swell under the house and causing the foundation to lift when it rained. He suggested rain gutters tied into new drains around the house to route the water away from the foundation. His crew was great, they worked hard at installing a pipe that included a large trench. He recommended a good company to install the gutters which direct the water into the large drain. he also explained why french drains are not a good idea in our clayey soils. It's been two years and we have had no issues with the foundation moving or water sitting around the house. Everything drains away from the house. It's so nice to not stress every time it rains. The work was not cheap but reasonable. They started work when they said they would and worked hard to get it done in time. Why a 4? The end pipe sits on top of the soil at the edge of our front yard. it looks like terrible. Dana should have talked to us about getting a permit from the city to drill a hole in the sidewalk so that the pipe could tie into the city drainage. It was something we did not know would be an issue so we did not even consider that. Luckily we have been able to disguise it with plants and decorative roof tiles. read more