Diagnose a Foundation Problem: Signs, Cracks and Inspections

Noticed a crack, a sticking door or a sloping floor? These guides help you work out whether it matters: what the signs mean, how to tell normal settling from a real problem, and how inspections, engineers and inspection reports fit in.

• Signs of Foundation Problems: What to Look For Inside, Outside and BelowA room-by-room and outside checklist of the signs that suggest foundation movement, and what does not.
• Foundation Crack Types: Vertical, Diagonal, Horizontal and Stair-StepHow to read common crack patterns, which are usually minor, and which call for an engineer.
• Is It Normal Settling? How to Tell Settling From a Foundation ProblemWhat normal settling looks like, what does not, and how to track it before deciding.
• Sloping Floors and Sticking Doors: What They Can and Cannot MeanWhy floors slope and doors stick, how to check a floor yourself, and what engineers measure.
• Bowed Basement Walls: Causes, Warning Signs and What to DoWhy basement walls bow or crack horizontally, why it is treated as serious, and how to respond.
• Crawl Space Problems: Moisture, Sagging Floors and Vapor BarriersSigns of a wet or failing crawl space, what vented vs sealed means, and what the Department of Energy says.
• Do You Need a Structural Engineer for Foundation Repair?When an independent engineer is worth hiring, what they evaluate, and how it differs from a contractor's inspection.
• How to Read a Foundation Inspection ReportWhat observations, measurements and recommendations mean, and how to spot a report that is really a sales pitch.
• Found a Crack? What to Do in the First Week BlogPhotograph it, measure it, look around it, and wait before you patch it. A calm first-week checklist.