Free Foundation Evaluation
If you searched for a foundation inspection, here is what our free evaluation covers, what you walk away with, and when you should call a structural engineer instead of us.
A foundation specialist comes to your home, spends about 90 minutes finding out what is actually moving and why, and leaves you with a written scope and a firm price. No fee, no obligation, and no invented problems. If nothing needs fixing, we tell you that too.
Is this a foundation inspection?
Almost. Three different people can look at a foundation, and they are not interchangeable. Here is who does what, so you book the right one the first time.
A licensed home inspector
Looks at the whole house during a purchase and flags foundation concerns among everything else. Produces a neutral report. Does not diagnose the cause of movement or price a repair.
Book one when: you are buying a home and need the general condition documented.
A structural engineer
Evaluates the structure, can analyze the cause, and produces a stamped letter or report. Charges a fee, typically several hundred dollars. Does not do the repair.
Book one when: a lender, insurer, buyer or permit office wants a stamped opinion, or you are in a dispute and need someone with no stake in the outcome.
Ram Jack West
A foundation repair specialist who finds the cause of the movement, tells you whether it needs fixing, and gives you a written scope and firm price if it does. Free, because we are the ones who would do the work.
Book us when: you have cracks, sticking doors, sloping floors or sinking concrete and want to know what is going on and what it would cost to fix.
We are not licensed home inspectors and we do not pretend to be a neutral party. What we are is the company that has looked at more Oregon and Washington foundations than almost anyone, and we will tell you plainly when the right next call is an engineer, not us.
What the free evaluation covers
Plan on about an hour and a half. The specialist is looking for the cause, not just the cracks you can see.
Your symptoms, first
We start with what you have noticed: when it started, what has changed, what worries you. That history tells us a lot about the soil before we see it.
The outside of the foundation
Cracks, their width and direction, separation at corners and chimneys, grading and drainage, and where water goes when it rains.
Crawl space, basement or slab
Whichever you have. Post and pier condition, moisture, wall bowing or leaning, slab cracks and the gaps that open under walls and at doorways.
Floor elevations
We take elevation readings across the floor to map where the house has dropped and by how much. Movement you cannot feel shows up here.
The cause, in plain language
Whether it is settlement, heave, water, a failed post, or the soil the house was built on, we explain what is moving and why, and show you where.
A written scope and a firm price
If a repair makes sense, you get a plan showing where piers would go, how deep we expect them to reach, what it costs, and what the warranty covers. If it does not, you get told that, in writing.
What you walk away with
✓ A written proposal with a firm price, not a range
✓ A drawing of pier locations and the expected depth
✓ Engineering, permits where required, and the transferable warranty accounted for in the number, not billed later
✓ Financing options through GreenSky
✓ No pressure. The number is good, and you decide on your own schedule.
✓ A plain explanation of what you are seeing and why it is not structural
✓ What to watch for, and when to call back
✓ No charge, no follow-up calls, no upsell
A fair number of evaluations end with "this is cosmetic, keep an eye on it." We would rather earn the call in five years than sell you piers you do not need.
When to book one
Any one of these on its own may be nothing. Several at once is worth a look.
Cracks in drywall
Especially diagonal ones running from the corners of doors and windows.
Doors and windows that stick
Or no longer latch, when they used to.
A floor that slopes or bounces
Or feels soft in one area.
Gaps opening up
Between the floor and baseboards, or between the wall and ceiling.
Stair-step cracks
In brick, block or stucco.
Walls that bow or lean
Basement or crawl space walls with horizontal cracks.
A chimney pulling away
A gap opening between the chimney and the house.
Sunken concrete
Driveway, patio or garage slabs that have dropped or tilted.
Water after rain
In the crawl space or basement.
Buying or selling
Someone has raised the foundation as a concern and you want a straight answer.
Four steps, and the first three are on us
From your first call to a number you can act on, with no commitment at any point.
Request
Fill out the form or call. It takes a minute.
We call to schedule
Within one business day. We find a time that works, including when you can be there.
The evaluation
About 90 minutes on site. The specialist walks the property with you, takes readings, and explains what they are finding as they go.
The proposal, if you need one
A written scope and firm price, reviewed with you before you decide anything. Then it is in your hands.
Free evaluations across Oregon and Washington
Specialists work out of our offices in Eugene, Happy Valley and SeaTac, and cover the Willamette Valley, the Portland metro, Southern Oregon, the Oregon Coast, Puget Sound and Clark County.
Common questions about the free evaluation
What homeowners ask before they book.
Is the free foundation evaluation really free?
Yes. There is no fee, no obligation and no condition attached. A specialist assesses your home, explains what is happening, and gives you a written estimate if a repair is warranted. We make our money doing repairs, so the evaluation is how we earn the chance to quote.
How long does it take?
Plan on about an hour and a half on site. Larger homes, difficult crawl spaces and complicated histories can take longer.
Do I need to be home?
We strongly prefer it. Half of what we learn comes from you walking us through what you have noticed, and we want to show you what we find rather than leave a note.
Is this the same as a home inspection?
No. A licensed home inspector reviews the whole house for a purchase and produces a neutral report. We are foundation repair specialists. We go deeper on the foundation than a home inspector can, but we are not a neutral party, and we do not inspect roofs, wiring or plumbing. See the section above on who to call for what.
Can you do an evaluation before I buy a house?
Yes, with the seller's permission to access the property. We tell you what we see and what it would cost to fix. If your lender or the seller needs a stamped opinion, that has to come from a structural engineer.
Will you give me a report I can send to my lender, insurer or a buyer?
You get our written proposal, which documents what we found and what we propose. It is not an engineer's letter. When a third party needs a stamped report, we tell you that at the evaluation and you hire an engineer. We are happy to coordinate with them.
Will you tell me if nothing is wrong?
Yes, and it happens regularly. Foundation movement is hard to predict, and we will not tell you the sky is falling. If what you are seeing is cosmetic, we say so and tell you what to watch for.
What does the repair cost if I need one?
It depends on how many piers you need and how deep they go. As a rough guide, crack and cosmetic repair runs about $1,000 to $5,000, targeted pier stabilization $10,000 to $20,000, and a full underpinning or lift $20,000 to $50,000 or more. The evaluation turns that into a firm number. See our foundation repair cost page for what moves the price.
What should I have ready?
Nothing is required. If you have them, past inspection reports, photos of cracks over time, and any repair records help. Clear access to the crawl space hatch or basement saves time.
Do you evaluate for earthquake retrofits?
On homes, usually not. We do not do the strap-and-bracket retrofits most houses use. Where our steel piers make sense for seismic work is on commercial and larger structures. If you are a homeowner dealing with settlement or cracking, that is the part we can help with.
Find out what is actually going on
Cracks, sticking doors, sloping floors. Ninety minutes, a straight answer, and a written number if you need one. No pressure either way.
