Not every house in the Houston area needs to have the foundation inspected, even if you see a small crack in the sheetrock or brick.  So what are the standards to decide if you should have the foundation looked at by a professional?

If you have a crack in the sheetrock or brick of at least 1/8 inch in width, you are approaching the time when you should be seeking a professional.  Or if you have a separation in the slab of 1/16 inch of either vertical or horizontal movement, then you may want to give us a call.

Crack in the slab

If a door or window sticks, this is a problem, for safety reasons you want to be able to have unrestricted egress in an emergency.  Keep the doors and windows in good operating conditions at all times.  If you have adjusted them and they seem to get out of alignment soon after, your foundation may be continuing to move.  Again, it might be an indication that you should get a professional to look at the foundation to determine what might be moving the slab.

Another situation that we can help our clients is when they have had an inspector tell them that they see signs of foundation movement.  Real estate inspectors have gone through a lot of training but most do not have the specialized instruments that we have to be able to provide a detailed analysis of the foundation to determine if the foundation is within industry tolerances for residential construction.

Not every house will need a foundation evaluation, but if you want one for your house, give us a call, we will be happy to help you.