When Should I Have My Foundation Inspected?

The honest answer

Most foundations don't need an inspection. They need someone to look at a photo and say "that's fine." That's free, and it's what I do most days.

A full inspection is worth the time when there's a pattern, not a single symptom.

Worth an inspection

Multiple symptoms at once. A crack plus a sticking door plus a sloping floor. Any one of those alone is often nothing. Together they're a pattern.

A change over time. Something that was stable and isn't anymore. This is the single most reliable reason to look closer.

Before you buy a house. Especially an older home or one on a sloped lot. Knowing what you're taking on changes the negotiation and the budget.

After a major weather event. Extended drought followed by heavy rain is when a lot of movement happens in Middle Tennessee.

Before a big renovation. Adding a room, a heavy addition or a second story changes loads. It's worth knowing what the foundation can take.

If you're planning to sell. A buyer's inspector will find it anyway. Better to know first.

Probably not worth it

• A single hairline crack in a garage slab
• A crack you've watched for years that hasn't changed
• Seasonal door sticking in a house that's forty years old
• A cosmetic crack in a sidewalk

For these, photograph it with a date and check again in six months.

What a real inspection involves

Be wary of anyone who does an inspection in fifteen minutes from the driveway. A proper one includes:

• Measuring floor elevations room by room
• Looking at the crawl space or basement
• Checking the grade and drainage around the house
• Looking at doors, windows and visible cracking
• A written explanation of what's happening

What it should cost

With me, nothing. I'll come look at your house, tell you what I see, and if the answer is "you don't need anything," that's what you'll hear.