Foundation Inspection in Round Rock, TX

Two different things are both called an inspection

• A contractor's free inspection is an assessment by the company that would do the work. It is genuinely useful, it is genuinely free, and it is also a sales call. Both things are true.
• A licensed professional engineer's inspection is paid, independent, and written for you. The engineer has no repair to sell and carries professional liability for the opinion.
• For a small, obvious issue, the free assessment is usually fine. Before a large lift, the engineer's report is the best protection you can buy.
• If you are buying a house, a general home inspector will flag symptoms but will normally recommend a specialist. Get the specialist before the option period ends.

What a thorough inspection actually covers

• An elevation survey across the whole floor, so movement is measured rather than eyeballed.
• Interior symptoms mapped room to room: cracks, door and window operation, separation at trim.
• Exterior walk: brick and mortar cracking, slab edge exposure, grade and slope, gutter discharge, tree proximity.
• Drainage assessment, because in this soil water management is frequently the actual fix.
• Plumbing: whether a hydrostatic test is warranted before anyone talks about piers.
• A written scope you can hand to more than one contractor to bid.

Why we won't quote you a number

The confusing part of this trade is that 'inspection' means two very different things. One is free and performed by the company that would do the work. The other is paid, independent, and written for you. Which you need depends entirely on how big the decision in front of you is.

What a contractor is actually pricing

How to compare bids fairly

• Establish which product you are buying: an independent licensed professional engineer's assessment, or a repair company's free inspection. Both are called an inspection. They are not the same thing and they do not carry the same weight.
• Ask what the deliverable actually is - a written report, elevation readings with real numbers, a floor-plan diagram, a stamped drawing, or a verbal opinion and a quote.
• If a fee is credited against the repair when you hire them, understand what that does to independence. It is not disqualifying, but it is a fact about the incentive.
• Check whether elevation readings cover the whole floor or only the rooms with visible symptoms. Partial readings can miss the shape of the movement entirely.
• Confirm whether a hydrostatic plumbing test is part of the inspection or a separate line item.
• If this is for a sale, ask how recent a report buyers and lenders will accept.

Questions to ask every contractor

• Are you a licensed professional engineer, and may I have your PE number?
• Do you also sell or perform repairs? If so, I would like to understand how that works alongside the assessment.
• Will I get elevation readings across the whole floor, or only where the symptoms are?
• Will the report state a scope I can hand to several contractors and get comparable bids on?
• Does the report distinguish movement that has stopped from movement that is ongoing?
• Will it include photographs and a diagram showing where each reading was taken?
• If I hire a contractor afterwards, will you review their proposal, and at what cost?
• Is a post-repair re-inspection included or separate?