Guides
Foundation guides
These foundation guides answer the questions homeowners ask before they call anyone: what kind of foundation they have, whether a crack is normal, how to keep a basement or crawl space dry, and how to buy or sell a house with foundation repair. Each one cites its sources.
Foundation types
- Pier and beam foundation. How piers, beams and joists carry the house, and how they fail.
- Monolithic slab. Slab and edge poured together, and the code minimums.
- Concrete block foundation. Joints, cores and why block walls bow.
- Foundation types compared. Slab, crawl space, basement, pier and beam.
Cracks and movement
- Normal foundation cracks. Which cracks are expected, and the width that changes that.
- Which cracks matter. The damage scale engineers use.
- Why foundations move. Soil, water, trees and drought.
Water, crawl spaces and basements
- Crawl space vents. Open, closed or sealed, and the code ratios.
- Ideal basement humidity. The 30 to 50% target and how to hold it.
- Sump pump maintenance. The yearly checklist.
- How long does a sump pump last. Signs it is wearing out.
- Drainage and grading. The cheapest work that changes anything.
Buying, selling and hiring
- Buying a house with foundation issues. Inspector, engineer, lender and price.
- Foundation repair and home value. Disclosure and the records that hold value.
- Do I need a structural engineer?. The five cases that need one.
- Choosing a foundation contractor. Checks before you sign.
- Foundation warranties. What a lifetime warranty is worth.
Questions people ask
Where should I start if I just found a crack?
Read normal foundation cracks, then start a crack log. Two dated readings tell you more than one photo.
Are HyreFoundation guides written by engineers?
No. They are researched from primary sources, which each page lists. Whether your house is safe is a question for a licensed structural engineer on site.
Do the guides include prices?
No. We publish no prices until our cost methodology is met. The guides explain what drives price instead.
Related
- Foundation tools Calculators and checklists that run on your numbers.
- Compare options Side-by-side decisions.
- Foundation services What each repair involves.