When To Get Your Foundation Inspected

If you are noticing signs that your foundation may have issues, you may be wondering when is the best time to get it inspected, are you already too late? Is it too early and you’re just going to be sold some expensive unnecessary repair? Let’s go over some important points to consider

Tip #1: Age of Your Home

1). Arguably the most important thing to consider is the age of your home. In the state of Colorado, all home builders must warranty a new home’s foundation for 10 years. So if you have a newer home, you want to get it inspected ASAP so if there are real issues, the cost falls on the builder, and not you. For homes more than 10 years old, consider the rest of these tips

Tip #2: Who is Going to Inspect Your Home

2). It’s never too early to get an inspection, but just know who is inspecting it. For example, if you hire a structural engineer, they will give you their opinion if repairs are needed, but they are going to charge for that inspection even if your home is fine. If you call a foundation repair company, their inspections will be free. At Liftech, we pride ourselves in giving honest assessments, and tell homeowners frequently they aren’t in need of repairs. Just be cautious if any “repair” company recommends substantial or expensive repairs without getting another quote. If you want an unbiased opinion, go ahead and hire that structural engineer, and if you call Liftech we will happily refer reputable structural engineers for you to reach out to.

Tip #3: Are You Planning Any Renovations?

3). Are you planning ANY renovations in the near future and have ANY signs of a failing foundation. We are always heartbroken when we get called out for a failing foundation and the homeowner just completely finished their basement, built a brand new deck, spent all summer landscaping and planting a beautiful garden. Repairing a foundation can be invasive, and it can also raise and level your home. So windows for example need to be fit to the “corrected” home, and we can’t properly lift a home back into place if you have windows that were fit to a failed foundation. 

Tip #4: Are The Signs Of Failure Getting Worse?

4). Is the crack or issue getting progressively worse? Or is it stable? ANYTIME you can tell a crack is getting wider or longer, it’s time to get it inspected. If you notice a crack, it doesn’t hurt to visibly mark its length, so if it does get longer it makes it clear. 

Tip #5: Get Your Foundation Inspected As Soon As You Can

5). While there are many more tips to know, we are going to end on this one. When you feel you need it. If you are a bit worried, concerned, or just confused as to what you’re seeing. Get it inspected. The peace of mind of knowing your home doesn’t need any repairs, or even to be able to plan a foundation repair years in advance, can be more valuable than time or money. 

And just a reminder, if you are in the Front Range, Liftech provides free foundation inspections and will always be honest about whether or not you need a repair, so you can get back to resting easily and enjoying that Colorado sunshine! Cheers