Do you need an engineer before a foundation contractor?

Chosen when: What is your situation: A wall bows or leans, a floor slopes, or a crack is growing · or · What is your situation: A company has told me I need a repair

The company that finds the problem often sells the repair, so the most useful first call is a licensed professional engineer who has nothing to sell. Michigan does not require an engineer for ordinary repair, since the state exempts the design of a detached one- or two-family house up to 3,500 square feet from the engineer-license article, but the code does ask for engineered design of walls under groundwater pressure or holding back more than 48 inches of backfill. To find one, look up an active professional engineer in the state license search, then ask if the firm also does repairs. Michigan lets a firm offer engineering only if two-thirds of its principals are licensed engineers, so an advertised in-house engineer should be on that list. Take the written report to two or three contractors.

Try first: Photograph and date everything, and ask the engineer what the report will say about cause, urgency and options.

Stop and call someone if: The structure moves faster than you can book anyone: leave the area and call 911.

Foundation inspection · Get an engineer's read before you hire a Michigan foundation contractor

Chosen when: What is your situation: A company has told me I need a repair; Who looked at it so far: A company that would do the repair · or · What is your situation: Cracks that have not changed, nothing else; Who looked at it so far: A company that would do the repair

A diagnosis from the company that would do the repair is a sales step, and it may be right. Before you sign, get a second read from an engineer or a second company, and ask both for the cause in writing. To find one, look up an active professional engineer in the state license search, then ask if the firm also does repairs. Michigan lets a firm offer engineering only if two-thirds of its principals are licensed engineers, so an advertised in-house engineer should be on that list.

Try first: Ask the first company who wrote the report, whether that person holds an engineer license, and whether the quote falls if the second opinion differs.

Stop and call someone if: The company asks you to sign today or says the price expires. A written proposal can wait for a second opinion; a moving wall cannot.

Foundation inspection · Get an engineer's read before you hire a Michigan foundation contractor

Chosen when: What is your situation: Water in the basement or crawl space, no signs of movement

Water with no signs of movement is usually a drainage question before a structural one. University of Minnesota Extension, an out-of-state land-grant source, says to control interior moisture, then fix grading, gutters and downspouts, and only then add a drainage system, with exterior drainage the most costly and most effective. An engineer is worth a call if cracks have grown or the wall has moved.

Try first: Extend downspouts, check grade, and note when water appears.

Stop and call someone if: A crack grows, a wall bows or water reaches the electrical panel.

Basement waterproofing · How to waterproof a basement without digging, and what that can and cannot fix

Chosen when: What is your situation: I am buying or selling the house

The Michigan Seller Disclosure form asks the seller about water in the basement or crawl space, settling, structural problems and repairs made without permits, and says the seller has not inspected inaccessible areas such as the foundation. Answers are the seller's knowledge, not a warranty. If the form or an inspector flags water or movement, an engineer's report addressed to you before the inspection period ends is cheaper than finding out later. To find one, look up an active professional engineer in the state license search, then ask if the firm also does repairs. Michigan lets a firm offer engineering only if two-thirds of its principals are licensed engineers, so an advertised in-house engineer should be on that list.

Try first: Ask the seller for any repair paperwork and permits.

Stop and call someone if: The inspection period is about to end: ask your agent about an extension before you waive.

Foundation inspection · Get an engineer's read before you hire a Michigan foundation contractor

Chosen when: Any other answers

Cracks that have not changed, with no water and no sticking doors, usually call for monitoring rather than a contractor. Mark each end of each crack with a dated pencil line and photograph it, then look again after the spring thaw. If anything changes, use this tool again.

Try first: Start a dated log with the crack identifier tool.

Stop and call someone if: A crack grows, a wall bows, water appears or doors stick.

Foundation cracks · Foundation crack types in Michigan and what each pattern usually means