The hours after a major storm passes are chaotic. You’re assessing damage, trying to reach family members, dealing with flooded streets, and fielding calls from every contractor you’ve ever met — plus a few you haven’t, some of whom materialized in your driveway without an invitation.
One of the most important and least-discussed decisions you’ll face in those early days is: who do I call first?
The answer depends on what kind of damage your home has sustained. And for homeowners in the Greater New Orleans area and on the Northshore — where storm damage often means not just water intrusion but structural compromise — understanding the difference between a shoring company and a general contractor isn’t just useful. It can mean the difference between saving your home and losing it.
What Is a Shoring Company?
A shoring and structural stabilization company specializes in one core competency: keeping structures from failing. This includes:
- Emergency shoring — installing temporary supports to prevent imminent structural collapse
- Foundation repair and stabilization — addressing settled, cracked, or compromised foundations
- Home elevation — permanently raising a structure above flood level
- Structural lifting and re-leveling — correcting floors, walls, and rooflines that have racked or shifted
- Wall bracing — stabilizing walls that have been compromised by flood pressure, soil movement, or impact
Shoring companies are structural specialists. Their work is at the interface of the building and the ground, and it typically involves engineering expertise, specialized equipment (hydraulic jacks, lifting beams, temporary support systems), and a deep understanding of how structural forces behave in compromised buildings.
What Does a General Contractor Do?
A general contractor manages the broad scope of renovation and repair work: roofing, framing, drywall, flooring, windows, painting, kitchens, bathrooms, and the coordination of all the licensed trades (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that go with them.
A good GC is essential for restoring your home’s livability after a storm. But they’re typically not structural specialists. Most general contractors know how to rebuild — they’re less focused on the foundational and structural stabilization work that needs to happen before rebuilding can safely begin.
The Critical Sequence: Structure First, Finishes Second
Here’s a principle that every storm-affected homeowner should understand:
You cannot safely or effectively rebuild on a structurally compromised foundation.
It sounds obvious, but it plays out poorly in reality all the time. A homeowner gets a GC on site quickly, starts the gut-out and remediation process, and begins rebuilding — only to discover six months into the renovation that the foundation has settled, the walls are racking, or the floor system is failing. At that point, the remediation is more expensive, the timeline is extended, and some of the rebuilt work may need to be redone.
The right sequence is:
- Ensure immediate safety — if the structure is at risk of collapse, call a shoring company first.
- Get a structural assessment — before any significant repair or renovation work begins, a qualified structural professional should evaluate the foundation, framing, and load-bearing elements.
- Complete structural stabilization — foundation repair, shoring, elevation, or re-leveling as needed.
- Begin general renovation and restoration — with a stable, code-compliant structural base, your GC can proceed with confidence.
Signs You Need a Shoring Company First
After a storm, certain conditions are clear signals that structural stabilization needs to happen before any other work:
Visible foundation damage. Cracks in the foundation, piers that have shifted or failed, or concrete that has heaved or settled significantly are all signs that the foundation needs professional evaluation before anything else.
Sloping or uneven floors. If floors that were level before the storm are now noticeably sloped — especially if the change is recent and dramatic — the foundation may be settling or shifting. This needs structural investigation, not just flooring repair.
Doors and windows that won’t open or close. After a flood or storm, some sticking is expected as wood absorbs moisture. But if doors and windows are dramatically out of square in ways that weren’t present before, the structure may have racked — meaning the frame has distorted under load.
Walls that are leaning, bowing, or separating. Any visible separation between walls and ceilings, walls pulling away from adjacent walls, or walls that appear to be leaning are serious warning signs requiring immediate structural attention.
Structural movement during the flood. If your home was inundated and you observed or have evidence that the structure moved — floating, shifting, or pivoting on its foundation — it needs a structural assessment before re-occupation or renovation.
Significant soil erosion or washout around the foundation. Flooding can scour soil away from around piers and beneath slabs, removing the bearing support that the foundation depends on. If you can see daylight under a slab or significant soil loss around piers, call a shoring professional before doing anything else.
When to Call the General Contractor
Once structural integrity has been confirmed or restored, your GC takes the lead on:
- Water damage remediation and mold abatement
- Gut-out (removing damaged drywall, flooring, insulation, and cabinetry)
- Rebuilding interior finishes
- Roof repairs or replacement
- Window and door replacement
- Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC repair and replacement
A good GC coordinates all of these trades and manages the project timeline from initial gut-out through final walk-through.
The Danger of “Storm Chasers” and Unlicensed Contractors
After major storms, Louisiana communities are unfortunately targeted by unlicensed and unqualified contractors — sometimes called “storm chasers” — who follow disasters from state to state, collect deposits, do substandard work (or no work at all), and move on.
This risk is highest in the general contracting space, but it exists in structural and shoring work too. Before signing any contract with any contractor after a storm:
Verify their Louisiana license. The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) maintains an online license verification tool. For any structural work, you want a contractor with the appropriate specialty classifications — not just a general building license.
Check for local references. A contractor who has been working in the New Orleans area or on the Northshore for years will have local references, local relationships, and local accountability. Out-of-state contractors who show up after a disaster often have none of these.
Get a written contract. Never proceed on a handshake or a verbal agreement after a storm, regardless of how urgent the situation feels. A proper contract protects you and establishes clear scope, timeline, and payment terms.
Be cautious with large upfront deposits. Standard practice allows for a reasonable deposit, but anyone demanding 50% or more upfront before work begins is a red flag.
The Overlap: When Shoring and General Contracting Intersect
It’s worth noting that in practice, the line between structural work and general construction isn’t always perfectly clean. Some general contractors have structural capabilities; some shoring companies do light general construction. And on complex post-storm projects, the scope of work may naturally evolve.
What matters is that whoever is doing the structural work has the right expertise, the right equipment, and the right licenses. That’s not the time to improvise.
Our Role After a Storm
As a shoring and home elevation company serving the Greater New Orleans area and the Northshore, our team is often among the first calls homeowners make after significant storms — and that’s by design.
We provide:
- Emergency structural assessments to determine whether a home is safe to enter or occupy
- Emergency shoring to stabilize structures at risk of further damage or collapse
- Foundation repair and re-leveling after flood-induced settlement
- Home elevation projects for homeowners who decide that elevation is the right long-term answer
- Documentation and reporting to support insurance claims and permit applications
We also work closely with trusted general contractors throughout the region, and we’re happy to recommend GC partners who share our commitment to doing things right.
If you’ve experienced storm damage and aren’t sure whether your home has structural concerns, the safest move is to get a professional assessment before proceeding with any renovation work. We offer free consultations and can typically get to your property quickly after a storm event.
Don’t let urgency push you into rebuilding on a compromised foundation. Call us first — we’ll help you understand exactly where things stand and what needs to happen next.