Why a Paid Inspection Is Worth It
An inspection you pay for buys you three things a quick look never will: unhurried time on your property, a written report with a photograph behind every finding, and a plain-language answer on what actually needs doing. Here is what $129 to $249 gets you.
What You're Actually Buying
A foundation assessment is not a glance at a crack. It is measuring the crack, checking whether the floor above it has moved, walking the grading outside to see where the water goes, and looking at the doors and windows on the other side of the house for the same story told a second time.
That takes 45-90 minutes, and it produces something: a written report, delivered within 48 hours, with a photograph attached to every finding and a clear call on what to monitor, what to act on, and what to send to an engineer.
I don't quote or carry out repair work on any property I inspect. Your inspection is the job, start to finish, and the report is yours to take wherever you like.
45-90 minutes, then a document.
The time on site is the point. It is what separates a documented assessment from an opinion at the bottom of the stairs — and it is why you end up with something you can hand to somebody else.
A Quick Look vs. a Full Inspection
Both are called an inspection. They are not the same depth of assessment.
Swipe the table sideways to compare.
What the Fee Buys You
Four things you get from a paid inspection that a fast walkthrough cannot produce.
Time To Actually Look
A foundation does not give up its story in ten minutes. I book 45-90 minutes so I can walk the basement, the slab, the exterior, the grading and the drainage — and so I can go back and check something twice before I write it down.
A Photograph For Every Finding
Every observation in your report is tied to a photo. Months later, you can see exactly what I saw and where I saw it, instead of trying to remember what somebody said in your basement.
Severity In Plain Language
Each finding gets one of three calls: monitor it, act on it, or escalate it to an engineer. No jargon, no scale of one to ten. You should be able to read the report and know what to do next.
Thirty Years Of Pattern Recognition
Most of the value is knowing what does not matter. I have spent about thirty years around foundations in this region, and a lot of what looks alarming — curing cracks, efflorescence, a bit of settlement — turns out to be exactly what it looks like on hundreds of other houses.
How I Work
- I don't quote or carry out repair work on any property I inspect
- I spend 45-90 minutes on site — I don’t assess a foundation from the driveway
- Every finding in your report is backed by a photograph
- Your written report reaches you within 48 hours
- I won’t pitch you anything during the inspection or push you to decide quickly
- I’m not an engineer — where a finding calls for an engineered opinion, I say so
What You End Up Holding
A documented record of your foundation as it stands today — photographed, measured and explained — so you can decide whether to monitor it, act on it, or bring in an engineer, and so anyone you show it to can see the same thing you do.
Get It Properly Documented
Book a full foundation inspection — 45-90 minutes on site, a photographed written report within 48 hours, and no sales pressure. I reply within 1 business day, with typically same-week availability.
