When people ask for one
Most inspection requests come from one of these situations:
- You’re under contract on a house and the general home inspection mentioned foundation movement.
- You’re about to list your house and want to know what a buyer’s inspector will find.
- You’ve noticed new cracks or sticking doors and want to know if it’s serious before talking money.
- You already have one repair estimate and want a second set of eyes.
What gets checked
Outside, the inspector walks the perimeter looking at brick and mortar cracks, gaps at windows and the condition of the slab edge or skirting. They’ll note where downspouts empty, how the yard slopes and how close large trees are to the house.
Inside, they look at drywall and plaster cracks, doors that rub or won’t latch, and gaps at trim. Then they take elevation readings across the floors, usually with a laser level or a water-level tool, and sketch a map showing high and low points. On a raised house, someone goes into the crawl space to look at piers, shims, beams, sills and moisture.
Repair company or engineer
These are two different products. A repair company’s inspection is usually free because it leads to an estimate. A licensed structural engineer charges for the visit and writes a report with no stake in who does the work. Lenders, buyers or sellers sometimes ask for an engineer’s report specifically. You can add “Engineer’s Report” on the quote form and the company will tell you whether they work with one.
What to do with the results
If the house shows little or no movement, keep the report. It’s useful when you sell. If there’s active movement, the report becomes the basis for a repair plan, and you’ll want the slab repair or pier and beam repair page next. For a list of the signs that usually prompt an inspection, see our article on foundation warning signs in Shreveport homes.