Foundation inspection and engineer reports
This is where every Carrollton foundation job should start, and it is not optional here: the city requires the repair to be designed by a Professional Engineer before a permit is issued.
Two things, one word
Two different things called an inspection
The word covers two quite different products, and conflating them is how people end up paying for work they did not need.
- A contractor's free inspection. A salesperson looks at the house and produces a quote. Useful for a price, but the person assessing whether you need work is the person paid only if you buy it.
- A Professional Engineer's report. A licensed engineer takes elevations, assesses the structure and states in writing whether repair is warranted and what it should consist of. Paid for by you, owed to you, and not contingent on a sale.
In Carrollton the second one is not a luxury. The city's Building Inspection division requires that foundation repairs be designed by a Professional Engineer, and that a permit be pulled regardless of the job's value. So the engineer is going to be involved either way. The only question is whether they are involved before the scope is set or after.
The measurement
What an elevation survey measures
A technician takes relative floor heights across the whole footprint, typically on a grid, using a manometer or laser level. The output is a map of the slab or floor showing how far each point sits above or below a reference: the deflection. That map is the entire basis of a rational decision. It tells you whether movement is uniform (often tolerable) or differential (the damaging kind), where the low point is, and how severe it is. Without it, a diagnosis is somebody's opinion about some cracks.
It is also the only way to know later whether things are still moving. One survey is a snapshot; two surveys a year apart is data. If your cracks are worrying but ambiguous, the cheapest useful step is a survey now and another after a full wet-and-dry cycle.
What you are paying for
What the report should contain
- The elevation data itself, as numbers and a plan, not just a conclusion.
- An opinion on cause: soil movement, plumbing leak, drainage, tree root influence, original construction.
- A clear statement on whether repair is warranted at this time.
- If it is, a design: pier type, locations, depths, and the intended lift.
- The engineer's seal, name and Texas license number.
- Recommendations for drainage and moisture management, which are frequently the larger part of the fix.
A real outcome
"No repair needed" is a real outcome
A meaningful share of houses that look alarming are within normal tolerance for this soil and need drainage attention, not piers. An independent engineer can tell you that. A commission-based estimator has no reason to.
This is also why we do not offer a free inspection on this site. A free inspection is a sales call, and pretending otherwise would be the sort of thing we would rather not do.
Straight answers
Before you book an inspection
What does an engineer's report cost?
Considerably less than an unnecessary piering job. It’s a professional fee for a few hours of work plus the survey. Ask for the fee up front, and ask whether a follow-up survey later is discounted.
Can the repair contractor supply the engineer?
They often can, and it’s legitimate, but the engineer is then in a commercial relationship with the company selling the repair. For a second opinion, or a large scope, engage one independently.
How much deflection is too much?
There is no single number, which is why judgment is involved. Rate of change and pattern matter more than the raw figure. A house an inch out and stable is in better shape than one half an inch out and moving.
Do I need this to sell my house?
Not required, but foundation history comes up in nearly every North Texas transaction. A current engineer's report showing stability is a strong document to have. So is a permitted, inspected repair. See slab foundation repair.
Will the report tell me if it's a plumbing leak?
It should flag the possibility, and a good engineer will recommend a static plumbing test where the pattern suggests it. That matters financially: leak-caused movement is sometimes treated differently by insurers than soil movement, which is generally excluded.
How long does the survey take?
The on-site work is usually an hour or two for a typical house. The written report follows, commonly within a week.
Start with a survey, not a sales visit
Ask about an inspection
An elevation survey and an engineer's read is the honest first step, and it is the one Carrollton requires before it will issue a permit. Sometimes the answer is that nothing needs lifting.
Related work we arrange
What else we handle around Carrollton
Slab foundation repair
Interior and perimeter piering for post-1960 slab-on-grade homes, the dominant build type across Carrollton north of Belt Line.
Pier and beam repair and leveling
Shimming, joist and girder replacement, and crawl-space work for the older housing stock around Downtown Carrollton and the Historic Square.
Drainage and moisture control
French drains, grading and root barriers aimed at the shrink-swell cycle underneath the movement, which is where the durable fix usually is.
Concrete and masonry crack repair
Brick and mortar cracks, separated lintels, and driveway or walkway sections that moved with the foundation.