Guide
Foundation inspections
An inspection turns worry into measurements. It is the step between noticing a crack and knowing whether anything needs doing.
Three kinds of inspector
A foundation repair company
Sends an evaluator who measures the house and prepares a repair plan and a price. This is who you reach through the number on this page. The evaluator works for a company that sells repairs, so ask to see the measurements behind the plan.
A structural engineer
A licensed professional engineer you hire yourself. The engineer sells no repairs, and writes a report saying what was found and whether repair is advised. Look up any engineer on the state board roster and check the status reads Active.
A home inspector
In a sale, a real estate inspector licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission reports visible signs and may advise bringing in an engineer. The Commission has a licence holder search.
What happens during the visit
A walk round the outside
Brick, slab edge, trim under the eaves, the chimney, the slope of the ground, downspouts and trees.
Room by room indoors
Cracks in walls and ceilings, door and window frames, tile, and the fit of cabinets and counters against the walls.
Floor heights
Readings across the whole floor plan with a levelling instrument, corrected for different floor coverings.
Questions for you
When the house was built, what you noticed and when, past repairs, plumbing leaks, trees removed, drought watering.
Ask for these in writing
- The floor plan sketch with the height reading at each point.
- A plain statement of what the inspector thinks has moved and why.
- A drawing of the proposed repair showing each support.
- Whether an engineer has reviewed or will review the plan, with the engineer's name and licence number.
- What the plan does not cover.
- The price, what it includes and how long it is held.
If the answer to the second point is vague, press for it. A plan with no stated cause is hard to compare with anyone else's.
When to pay for an engineer first
For many houses a repair company's evaluation is enough to decide. An independent report earns its fee in a few situations: you are buying or selling, two bids disagree sharply about the scope, an earlier repair has not held, or the signs are mild and you want to know whether to repair at all.
An engineer can also set up monitoring: a second set of floor readings some months after the first. That answers the question a single visit cannot, which is whether the house is still moving.
Getting ready
- Make your list of signs, room by room.
- Find any paperwork from a past repair: the plan, the warranty, the engineer's letter.
- If you have the survey or inspection report from when you bought the house, put it on the table.
- Clear a path along the walls indoors and unlock the side gates.
- Allow time to walk round with the inspector and ask what each reading means.
When you are ready
Describe the problem and book an inspection
One call puts you in touch with an independent foundation repair company that works in Sugar Land. Have the address, the age of the house and a short list of what has changed.
Talk to a local foundation company
Say what you are seeing and where in the house. The company you reach is independent and gives you its own findings and its own price.
Call (832) 307-1056Read the referral disclosure and the privacy policy.