The Structure of an Assessment
An evaluation has three parts: what is observed, what is measured, and what is asked. Each contributes something the others cannot, and a conclusion drawn from only one of them is weaker than it appears.
This guide lists what each part covers. Our foundation evaluation page covers the service and our guide on what happens during the visit walks through the sequence.
Exterior Observations
The site frequently explains more than the symptoms do.
Grade and fall. Whether the ground falls away from the foundation on every elevation, and where it does not. Raised beds, added patios, and accumulated mulch that build grade against the brick ledge over the years are common findings.
Roof water. Every downspout, where it discharges, and how far from the structure. A roof delivers a very large volume in a Texas storm, and delivering it at a corner is a meaningful contributor.
Standing water and erosion. Where water sits after rain and how long it stays. Washed bed edges and silt trails show where water moves with force.
Irrigation. Zones running against a slab edge or skirt create their own moisture concentration.
Masonry condition. Brick and mortar cracking, mapped by location, with width and any displacement recorded and photographed with a scale.
Frame separation. Gaps where brick meets window and door frames, and at the junction between an original structure and any addition.
Foundation edge. Visible slab edge or crawlspace skirt condition.
Vegetation. Tree species, size, distance from the foundation, and root direction where visible.
Interior Observations
Door and window operation. Room by room rather than sampled. Whether each binds, where it catches, and whether the gap around it is parallel or tapering. A tapering gap means the opening has racked.
Interior cracking. Location, pattern, width, and displacement. Cracks above openings, at wall-to-ceiling junctions, and at corners are mapped rather than counted.
Trim and baseboard separation. Where gaps have opened, and along which walls.
Floor covering distress. Grout cracking, tile lifting, or hard flooring separating in a way that tracks with a slope.
Anything that feels uneven or soft underfoot, noted by location for comparison against the measured profile.
Elevation Measurement
The core of the assessment. A digital manometer establishes relative floor height between points across the whole plan, taken at consistent spacing, room by room.
The readings are plotted so the floor appears as a contour. That plot answers three things nothing else can:
- How much relative differential exists.
- What shape the movement has: a falling corner, a falling perimeter, a rising centre, or a lifted edge.
- Where the extremes sit relative to the structure and the site conditions outside.
Shape is the part people underestimate. A rising centre and a falling corner are opposite problems with opposite remedies, and they are indistinguishable from the symptoms alone. Our guide on settlement versus upheaval covers why.
Crawlspace Inspection, Where Applicable
On raised homes:
- Pier condition, settlement, and alignment.
- Footing adequacy where visible.
- Girder bearing points, probed where accessible.
- Subfloor joist condition, particularly near the perimeter and near plumbing penetrations.
- Sill plate condition.
- Standing water, damp soil, and moisture staining.
- Vapor barrier presence, coverage, and condition.
- Termite evidence, including mud tubes.
- Clearance and access routes for any future work.
Plumbing Indicators
Not a plumbing test, but a set of observations that raise or lower the plumbing question:
- Unexplained damp or warm areas in the floor.
- A rising centre in the elevation profile.
- Sewer odours.
- Unusually high water usage, where you mention it.
- Visible moisture at a slab edge.
- Movement that developed quickly rather than gradually.
Where indicators are present, a hydrostatic plumbing test by a licensed plumber is recommended before any lift is committed to.
History and Records
- What you noticed, when, and whether it has changed.
- Previous foundation repair records: proposal, final scope, engineering letters, warranty.
- Plumbing repairs, past or present.
- Drainage or landscaping changes.
- Trees removed or planted, and roughly when.
- Additions, renovations, or re-pours.
Existing piers change how a profile reads. So does a tree removed three years ago. Context is not optional.
What an evaluation does not cover
It is not a general home inspection. Roof, electrical, HVAC, and appliances are outside its scope, and we will say so rather than commenting on them. It is also not an engineering assessment, and where a consequential structural conclusion is needed, a Texas licensed professional engineer provides that.
What Comes Out of It
A findings summary describing what was observed and measured, an elevation floor plan where the survey warrants one, and a recommendation: repair with a proposed scope, monitoring with guidance on what to document, or referral to an engineer.
All of it is yours to keep and to share with whoever you choose.