Updated 7/22/2020
It’s important to find out what is involved with a house foundation inspection. No matter what area you live in, including Dallas, Fort Worth, professionals utilize a specific process and most provide free estimates for repairing foundations. Having an inspection on your house foundation typically involves meeting with a contractor, having them check your foundation elevations and also perform a visual evaluation of your home. Learn more about foundation inspections performed on houses. You’ll see they entail looking for foundation cracks, damaged walls and floors, and other signs of trouble.
What Is Involved With The House Foundation Inspection Process?
The procedure entails performing specific tasks such as looking for foundation cracks, damaged walls and floors, and other signs of trouble. This is done to ensure that your Dallas, Fort Worth structure is stable and not prone to sinking or cracking. As part of the process, a foundation company representative will meet with you and listen to what you have to say. Next, the contractor will evaluate the exterior of your property. If you have a slab foundation, the process involves walking around the perimeter of your house to look for cracks in your slab, brick veneer, fascia boards and other things.
If your house has a pier and beam foundation, the procedure is slightly different from examining a slab foundation. In the event that you have a home constructed using piers and beams, the contractor will enter the crawlspace under your structure and carefully examine it to determine if it’s wet or musty. They will check out the condition of your piers, beams and joists. If any wooden members are wet or rotten, you may have a plumbing or foundation drainage problem that will need to be corrected.
In both cases the foundation repair contractor will enter your home to check for further damage. During the procedure he or she will look for cracks in floors, walls and ceilings and take measurements to determine how out of level your foundation is. The contractor will be able to tell if certain parts of your home are 1” lower than others, or even as much as 6” lower. Once the contractor has completed this process, he will speak with you regarding your foundation inspection and make recommendations about where foundation piers should be installed. It is common to find that foundation repair is not needed. That’s because some cracks are cosmetic and do not need to be fixed.
What An Inspection Costs:
Most examinations are performed free of charge in the Dallas, Fort Worth area (assuming the property owner is requesting the inspection). Fees for inspections can range from $150-$200 if you are not the owner of the house. You may want to review information about what foundation inspections cost. You’ll want to call a local contractor and verify that they perform free foundation inspections on homes, commercial properties or any other type of structure you may own.
Get A Free Foundation Repair Estimate:
To find out how extensive your foundation damage is and whether you need repairs, call a professional. As a general rule, you should be present at the examination. If your house is vacant and has a lockbox on it, it’s important to be in attendance and meet with the contractor in order to let him/her inside the house so that it can be properly evaluated. The contractor will ask you questions regarding past plumbing and drainage problems in an effort to determine what may be causing some of your issues. The contractor will let you know when and if you need a structural engineer’s report on your foundation. The contractor should be able to recommend a good engineer.
If you think you may have foundation issues, schedule a free foundation repair estimate online today.