Before you buy, or before you worry

Foundation Inspection

A look at what's actually happening, and a straight answer about whether it needs work.

Call 321-684-9144Talk it through on the phone. No visit needed to start.

Most people call about a foundation because they saw something and don't know whether it matters. That's a reasonable reason to call, and often the answer is that it doesn't matter much.

An inspection is worth doing when you're buying a house, when something has changed recently, or when you've been told you need major work and want a second opinion before committing to it.

What gets looked at

The cracks themselves, inside and out. Width, direction, whether they run through block joints or across them, and whether the two sides have moved relative to each other.

The house as a system. Door and window operation, floor level, trim gaps, and tile patterns often say more about foundation movement than the foundation does.

The outside. Grading, downspout discharge, irrigation heads near the slab, and standing water after rain. A large share of foundation problems in Florida are drainage problems that were left alone.

A spirit level and crack width gauge resting on a concrete floor beside a crack

When an inspection is worth the trouble

You're under contract on a house and something in the report mentioned the foundation
A crack has visibly changed in the last few months
You have been quoted a large repair and want another set of eyes on it
Doors and floors have shifted noticeably since last year
You're planning to sell and want to know what a buyer's inspector will find
There's standing water against the house after every heavy rain

What you get

A walk through the whole house. Not just the crack you called about. Movement shows up in places people don't associate with the foundation.
An outside assessment. Grading, drainage, vegetation, and the visible foundation line all the way round.
A plain answer. Whether it needs work now, needs watching, or needs nothing.
A recommendation for an engineer where appropriate. Some questions should be answered by a licensed structural engineer, and we'll say when yours is one of them.

The most common outcome

More often than not, the answer is that the crack is old, it hasn't moved, and it needs sealing at most.

That isn't a disappointing result. Knowing that a thing you've been worried about isn't a problem is worth the phone call, and it's a perfectly normal way for one of these to end.

Describe what you're seeing

It usually takes a couple of minutes on the phone to work out whether this is something that needs attention now or something to keep an eye on.

Call 321-684-9144

Serving Melbourne and Brevard County.