Professional Foundation Inspection
The signs often start small: a door that won’t close, a floor that suddenly feels uneven, a hairline crack along your living room wall. These subtle shifts can be easy to ignore, but they could also be signs of deeper issues in your foundation. Unless you know exactly what to look for, you are likely to overlook the early signs until they turn into a much more serious problem.
That’s why a professional foundation inspection is one of the smartest steps a property owner can take. At Bramwell-McKay Masonry Restoration, we guide you through the uncertainty with a foundation inspection rooted in four decades of structural expertise.
Professional vs DIY Foundation Inspections
When a crack appears or your floors begin to slope, it's natural to turn to a quick online search to make sense of the issue. While awareness is always a good first step, foundation issues are rarely straightforward. Diagnosing them without context or relying on a checklist from a DIY video can cause you to miss what is truly happening below the surface.
A professional foundation inspection offers more than just general observation. Our experts bring trained judgement, proven techniques, and four decades of real-world experience. A professional inspection identifies underlying issues and structural patterns that a checklist cannot.
Relying on quick information might feel reassuring for a moment, but uncertainty with something this important is a risk no homeowner should take. When the foundation of your home is involved, you need more than an educated guess. You need certainty, and that starts with the experts at Bramwell-McKay.
What to Expect During Your Home Foundation Inspection
We begin by listening. You tell us what has you concerned, and we work from there. Every inspection we conduct is a deliberate inspection focused on revealing the true source of your structure’s condition.
A Bramwell-McKay foundation inspector will look for:
Cracks in Foundation Walls
We carefully examine both vertical cracks and horizontal cracks to understand their direction, depth, and progression. These patterns help us determine if a foundation is settling unevenly or reacting to external forces like soil movement or hydrostatic pressure.
Bowing Walls and Support Beam Strain
Signs of inward-curving walls or sagging support beams indicate stress within your structure. We assess the alignment and integrity of these elements to uncover signs of uneven load or advanced structural fatigue.
Water Presence and Moisture Damage
Standing water, efflorescence, or signs of moisture intrusion often point to underlying drainage or grading failures. Moisture is a key contributor to many foundation problems, and we take great care in documenting where it’s getting in and what it's doing to your foundation.
Crawl Space and Pier and Beam Condition
When inspecting crawl spaces, we focus on airflow, humidity, and the condition of pier and beam foundations. This includes an evaluation of the wood framing, support systems, and any visible settling or displacement.
Grading, Drainage, and Building Code Compliance
We review the slope and grading around your home, assess the performance of your drainage systems, and confirm that your structure aligns with applicable building codes. Each of these elements contributes directly to the long-term stability of your foundation.
Foundation Movement and Settlement Patterns
Using both visual analysis and field instruments, we identify signs of foundation movement, track settlement trends, and determine their severity. Recognizing these patterns early helps guide responsible foundation repairs.
Post-Inspection Report
Your final report includes more than a summary. We deliver a comprehensive inspection report that includes clear photographic documentation and an expert interpretation of your foundation’s condition. Our goal is that you understand exactly what we saw, why it matters, and what the responsible next step should be.
Understand Your Foundation Problems with Our Tailored Services
Over the past four decades, we’ve worked with nearly every foundation type imaginable, from aging crawl spaces to post-tensioned slabs. Each one carries its own unique set of considerations, materials, and vulnerabilities.
We never take a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, we adapt our inspection process to the specific needs of your project. The foundation’s age, design, construction method, and surrounding environment all inform how we evaluate its current condition. This level of insight comes only with experience, and it’s why our inspections are trusted by architects, contractors, and discerning homeowners alike.
Our inspection services include:
Whether you suspect an issue or are simply being proactive, our role is to make sure you have a safe foundation.
Foundation Repairs
If our inspection does uncover a problem, don’t worry. We’re here to help you with the next steps.
Our team handles complex foundation repairs with the same thoughtfulness and expertise that define our inspections. We always approach our repairs with your specific structure in mind, whether that means reinforcing key structural elements, mitigating the impacts of moisture, or correcting foundation settlement.
A Foundation Inspector You Can Rely On
A foundation inspection from Bramwell-McKay is never just a checkbox on a list. It represents a deep responsibility we take seriously. With over four decades of experience, we’ve been called in to inspect, assess, and advise on homes and buildings that others simply were not equipped to handle.
Our team draws from a foundation of architectural knowledge and hands-on expertise. We take time to understand what your home is communicating and provide an honest, informed view of its structural needs. Rather than rushing to a product or repair, we lead with education and tailored insight.
That approach has earned the trust of builders, design professionals, and homeowners who understand the value of getting it right the first time.
Fix Your Foundation Issues
Every structure settles over time, but your home has its own language when something isn’t right. A crack in the plaster, a sloping floor, or a door that no longer fits in its frame are all your home’s quiet way of asking for help. At Bramwell-McKay, we speak the same language. Schedule your expert foundation inspection today.