Foundation Repair FAQ

Urgency comes from change, not from appearance. A crack that has looked the same for fifteen years is very different from one that opened last month. Active water intrusion and visibly progressing movement warrant prompt attention; a stable hairline crack does not.

For anything structural, an independent engineer first. They charge a fee and have no stake in whether repair is sold, and their specification lets you collect comparable bids instead of three incompatible proposals.

Usually not for settlement, soil movement or gradual water intrusion, which are typically excluded. Sudden events such as a plumbing burst are treated differently. Read your policy's earth movement clause and ask your carrier directly.

A documented, engineered repair with a transferable warranty is generally viewed far more favourably than an unexplained crack and no paperwork. Keep every report, invoice and permit.

A correctly specified repair that addresses the cause should be durable. A repair that addresses only the symptom — sealing a crack that is still moving, for example — will re-present. That is why the diagnosis matters more than the product.

Yes, and you should do some of it. Extending downspouts, correcting grading, clearing window wells and testing the sump pump are homeowner jobs that resolve a large share of wet basements. Structural work is not.

Because they diagnosed different problems. Resolve the diagnosis before comparing prices — otherwise you are comparing answers to different questions.

Move belongings clear, find where the water enters, and check the obvious externals during the rain if it is safe: overflowing gutters, downspouts discharging at the wall, a flooded window well. Photograph everything while it is happening — that evidence is hard to reconstruct later.