Foundation services
Foundation inspection
Three different services share one name. Here is how to tell a walk-through from a measured assessment you can take bids against.
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Written by HyreFoundation Research Desk Primary-source research and fact checking
The short answer
A foundation inspection can mean three different services. Engineers call them Level A, a walk-through with no measurements; Level B, a measured floor-elevation survey with a drawing; and Level C, a full site investigation with soil and plumbing tests.
Most homeowners with a real concern need Level B. Ask for the level by name before you book.
If this is happening now
If a wall is leaning or bulging, a floor has dropped, or something changed in days rather than years, do not wait for a convenient slot. Have a structural engineer look at it before anything else happens, and before anyone sells you anything. You can also reach HyreFoundation on (866) 582-8523.
Key takeaways
In the profession’s own terms, that report is first impressions.
for most real concerns: measured floor elevations plus a drawing.
to judge structural adequacy, the cause of a defect or soil conditions. That is their standard.
The scope is what contractors bid against.
Without an original elevation survey, engineers say deflection "is an approximation".
When is a foundation inspection worth paying for?
Anyone has quoted you structural work, at any price.
Floors are measurably off level, or doors and windows have gone out of square.
Roughly 5 mm and up, or several cracks above 3 mm. Our crack guide explains which matter.
Something has moved over months rather than years.
The house shows movement or discloses a past repair.
You want documentation instead of a buyer’s worst guess.
Two companies have told you different things.
An insurance claim or a dispute with a builder or seller is likely.
What does a good foundation assessment check?
Measured, corrected for floor coverings, and recorded as a drawing.
Engineers compare deflection to a ratio of L/360, the stiffness limit the residential code uses for floors, and check tilt. More than about 1 percent is usually noticeable.
Cracks, separations, rotated masonry, racked frames, sagging members and decay, located on a plan.
Grading, gutters, irrigation, paving and trees, because that is usually where the cause is. See drainage and grading.
Girders, joists, piers, moisture and signs of past work, where they can be reached.
On a slab, a leaking line below is a common cause and a commonly missed one.
Age, construction type, fill, past repairs and claims, and the seasonal pattern only you can describe.
What happens during a foundation inspection?
Send photos, any drawings or past reports, and your elevation log. Months of dated readings answer questions a single visit can only estimate.
What you saw, when it started, whether it changes with the seasons, and what changed outside. Only you hold this information.
Readings across the floor with a level or manometer, corrected for floor coverings. Expect furniture to move and many readings to be taken.
Cracks measured, photographed and located on a plan, inside and out, including masonry, frames and floors.
Drainage, grading, trees and paving, plus the crawl space or slab edge where it can be reached.
A written report with the elevation drawing, a stated cause, a repair scope, and an honest list of what could not be determined. That last part signals quality.
What do Level A, B and C inspections include?
The ASCE Texas Section guidelines define three levels, and engineers use them well beyond Texas. Name the level when you ask for a fee.
| Level | What you get |
|---|---|
| Level A | An interview, a review of any drawings or past reports you provide, and a visual walk-through. No elevation survey. Most free inspections are Level A, and so are some paid ones. |
| Level B | Level A plus measured relative floor elevations, corrected for floor coverings, and a drawing of them. This is where an opinion becomes evidence. |
| Level C | Levels A and B plus site testing: soil sampling and lab tests, plumbing tests, material tests, a rebar or post-tension cable survey, a tree survey, scaled drawings and a detailed distress survey. |
Level C makes sense when the cause is disputed, when soil behavior is the open question, or when the money at stake justifies removing the remaining doubt. See do you need a structural engineer.
What moves the price
Inspections have fewer cost variables than repairs, and fees are easy to compare between engineers. That is one more reason to buy the inspection separately from the repair.
| Factor | Why it changes the number |
|---|---|
| Level of investigation | A walk-through, a measured survey and a full site investigation are three products at three prices. Name the level when you ask. |
| Size and access | Floor area, number of stories, and whether anyone can get into the crawl space. |
| Plumbing tests | A static test before and after is a separate line, usually subcontracted, and usually worth it on a slab. |
| Soil investigation | Borings, sampling and lab tests. The largest optional line, and the one that removes the most doubt. |
| Report depth | A letter is not a scaled report with drawings and a scope. To take bids, you need the report. |
| Follow-up | Whether return visits, bid review or construction checks are included, and at what rate. |
HyreFoundation publishes no national average price for this work. Depth to bearing, soil, access and method vary enough between two houses on the same street that a single figure would mislead.
What to ask before you sign
Will the report include measured floor elevations and a drawing?
Are you licensed in this state, and do you have any relationship with a repair company?
Will the report state a cause, or only describe what you saw?
Will it specify a repair scope that contractors can bid against?
Will you review the bids I get against your scope?
What will you not be able to determine, and what would it take?
Is a plumbing test warranted here, and is it included?
Will you come back if things change?
The full checklist is on choosing a foundation contractor.
What to have ready
Dated photos of every crack with something for scale, ideally taken more than once.
Your elevation log. Nothing else you can hand over is worth as much.
Age, foundation type, and any past repairs, claims or reports.
Drawings or a soil report, if they exist. They can change the assessment.
Trees, drought, irrigation, new paving, plumbing repairs or work next door.
Open the way to the crawl space and pull what you can away from walls.
Where this goes wrong
No elevation drawing means no elevation survey was done. Ask for the level by name when you book.
"Foundation movement observed" repeats why you called. What is moving, which way and why is the product you paid for.
An assessor introduced and paid through the company that would do the work is not an independent check.
The home inspection standard does not require structural adequacy, causes, future failure or soil conditions. A good home inspector will tell you to call an engineer.
It is your baseline. Its value grows each year, because the next survey can be compared against it.
Get connected
Tell us about the work
Three short steps: the job, your home, and how to reach you. Nothing goes to a foundation company unless you agree.
A straight answer first. Matching is still being built, so this is not an instant quote. If a wall is moving or a door frame has racked out of square this week, call a structural engineer first.
Find a Foundation Professional
Tell us what you are seeing and where you are. We will follow up about connecting you with foundation professionals serving your area.
Questions
How much does a foundation inspection cost?
Is a free foundation inspection worth it?
How long does a foundation inspection take?
What if the report says nothing is wrong?
Should I get a foundation inspection before buying a house?
Can an engineer assess a foundation from photos?
Written and audited by
HyreFoundation Research Desk
Primary-source research and fact checking
We read the model building code, the federal soil and moisture guidance and the insurer position ourselves, and we publish each figure with the document it came from and the date we retrieved it.
Where a number cannot be traced to a primary source, we say so instead of printing it. HyreFoundation does not inspect, engineer or repair foundations. Authorship is organizational: this desk, not a named persona.
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- pages published on this site
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- free tools, each showing its assumptions
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- foundation repairs we perform or sell
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How this desk works
- Primary sources only. Code statements come from the International Residential Code, Chapter 4, as the model code. Soil statements come from USDA and USGS. Insurance statements come from the policy language and the Insurance Information Institute. We open the source rather than cite a blog that cites it.
- The code is a model, and adoption is local. Your jurisdiction adopts an edition and amends it, and foundation chapters are amended more than most because frost depth and soil are local facts. Every code figure says so.
- We hold no job data. We have no dataset of bids, pier counts or invoices, so no page claims an average from one. Calculators show the arithmetic and the inputs they assumed, and label the result as an estimate.
- We do not diagnose your house. A crack guide can tell you which pattern to measure and when to call a structural engineer. It cannot tell you whether your foundation is failing. An engineer on site does that work.
- We do not repair foundations, and we take no payment for placement, ranking or a favorable mention. Nobody buys a position on this site.
Authorship on this site is organizational: the analysis belongs to the desk rather than to a named individual, and we do not publish credentials we do not hold. Our editorial policy sets out how we source, date and correct what we publish.
Sources & retrieval dates
Information on this page is general and varies with soil, climate, foundation type, building code, insurance policy and circumstance.
It is not engineering, insurance or legal advice, and no page can tell you whether your house has a structural problem: that needs a licensed professional on site.
HyreFoundation is an independent foundation resource, not a repair contractor or an engineering firm, and does not perform, supervise or warrant foundation work.