Francesco Zinghinì
Author and curator of BasementCalcs.
Author and curator · BasementCalcs
Francesco Zinghinì is the author and curator of BasementCalcs. This is a truthful role: I am not a licensed structural or geotechnical engineer, foundation-repair professional, general contractor or financial advisor, and I do not claim any trade, engineering or finance credential.
My relevant, verifiable competence is building deterministic online calculators (open-source Python projects) and engineering training — rigor on the arithmetic and geometry. Every formula on this site shows its basis, every convention is cited under Sources, and every calculator is numerically self-checked against known values (see Methodology).
Everything here follows one rule: the tools must stay correct with no ongoing maintenance. That is why every calculator works only on the quantities you measure and the prices and rates you enter from your own quotes and bills — the site keeps no price list, no regional cost database and no live rates that would silently go stale. The only baked-in numbers are stable conventions (geometry, cubic-yard math, typical pier and carbon-fiber strap spacing, coverage and overlap) that are labeled as planning figures and cited so you can adjust them to your own project.
Foundation, waterproofing and below-grade work is a big spend and, at times, a safety matter. So every cost tool is framed as a planning estimate, not a bid; tools that touch foundation movement, structural repair, excavation or electrical work carry a plain reminder to have a licensed structural or geotechnical engineer assess the problem and to pull the required permits and inspections. The aim is a neutral, free, no-signup reference you can use to sanity-check a contractor’s numbers — nothing that pretends to replace a professional.
Elsewhere
Reach me through the contact page.