Get a free foundation inspection

A contractor comes to the house, usually for somewhere between forty minutes and two hours depending on size and access. A thorough one will take floor elevation readings across the whole floor plan with a manometer or laser level, walk the exterior looking at the brick, grade and drainage, check doors and windows, look in the crawl space or attic where relevant, and ask about the history — when you first noticed it, what the plumbing has done, what the yard does when it rains. You should come away with their assessment and a written estimate if they think work is needed.

Call the number on this page and give the address or ZIP code — we match it to a licensed foundation repair contractor who covers that area and they arrange the visit, usually within a business day. If you would rather arrange it yourself, look for a company that works your ZIP code regularly rather than traveling to it, and ask whether the inspection includes measured floor elevations across the whole floor plan. An inspection without elevation readings is a walk-around, and it is worth knowing which one you are getting before someone turns up.

The call and the visit are both free, and you are under no obligation to hire anyone. The honest framing of the economics: Foundation Repair IQ is compensated by its partner network for connecting homeowners with contractors, and the contractor hopes to earn the work. Nobody is doing this for charity. What that means practically is that the person inspecting your house has a repair to sell — which is exactly why we suggest getting a second estimate on anything large, and why an independent engineer is often money well spent.

No, and the difference matters. A contractor inspection is an assessment by someone who performs repairs; it is free because it is the front end of a sales process, and it is often perfectly competent. A structural engineer foundation report is a paid evaluation by a Texas-licensed professional engineer who is regulated by the state, carries professional liability, and has no repair work to sell you. Many homeowners get contractor estimates first and pay for an engineer only if the numbers are large or two contractors disagree. If you are buying a house, an engineer's report is usually the better document to have.

Call, if you can. It is faster, you can describe the problem in your own words and ask questions as they occur to you, and the contractor can usually confirm a visit during the same conversation. The form exists for people who genuinely cannot talk right now — it goes to the same place, it just takes longer because someone has to call you back to fill in the details a two-minute conversation would have covered.

Nothing is required, but a few things make the call and the visit more useful. Roughly when you first noticed the problem and whether it has changed with the seasons. Any history of plumbing leaks, slab leaks, or unexplained water bills. Previous foundation work, if the house has had any, and the paperwork if you have it. Where water goes when it rains hard. Photos of the cracks with dates, if you have been tracking them. And any builder structural warranty documentation on a newer house — some of those run ten years.

Calls to the number on this site may be recorded for quality and verification. The number is a tracked line, which is how Foundation Repair IQ knows a call came from this site — that is the basis on which we are compensated. Details are in the privacy policy.

We pass it to foundation repair contractors in our partner network who serve your ZIP code, so they can contact you about the inspection you requested. That is the purpose of the call and of the form, and the reason we ask for consent before you submit it. We do not sell your details as a standalone product to unrelated advertisers. Full detail is in the privacy policy.