Before searching for contractors, make sure you have a plan. If you are certain of what needs to be done, and can convey that to the contractors, good enough. If you are not certain what needs to be done, you should get an independent review of the problem and specifications for the work. This is the main focus of Zerrecon’s work; we provide independent assessments of problem situations.
After you have developed a plan and start searching for contractors, I recommend going to the local NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) website, www.milwaukeenari.org/. They seem to police their members such that they are all qualified service providers. You can search their site for the categories of services that you desire, plus other helpful information.
If you are specifically in the need of a basement repair contractor, I suggest the website of the Wisconsin Association of Foundation Repair Professionals, www.wafrp.com. They also appear to police their membership such that they all provide quality services. Through the website you can obtain other helpful information, such as their document, “Best Management Standards for Foundation Repair” for review and download.
Not all good local foundation repair contractors are members of WAFRP. You can also check with national groups such as the Basement Health Association, http://basementhealth.org/ for information, and for member contractors.
I also get good reports from people that use Angie’s List, www.angieslist.com to evaluate and connect with contractors, although note that there is a fee to join and use this service.
Friends and neighbors can also be a good source of referral information, but you’ll probably want to check them out a little further, by contacting their references, and searching on-line.
Another good reference point is the Better Business Bureau, www.bbb.org to see if a company has a history of complaints, or none.