Homeowner guides
Straight answers about what's under your house, from people who crawl under houses for a living. Read these before you call anyone, including us. Plenty of folks find out they don't have a problem at all.
Crawl spaces
Foundations
Basements
Not sure where to start?
Start with what you can see:
- A crack you just noticed: our guide to the types of foundation cracks shows which ones matter and how to track them.
- Doors sticking or floors sloping: read about what normal settling looks like before you assume the worst.
- A damp smell or standing water under the house: see what to do about a wet crawl space, starting today.
- A basement wall leaning in: learn how to measure a bowing wall so that you have real numbers.
- A crack in the basement floor: most of them are harmless, and this floor crack guide covers the ones that aren't.
- Buying a home and don't know the foundation type: compare how slab homes work with how pier and beam homes work.
What you'll find in each guide
Every guide starts with a short answer, then explains the cause and gives you things to check yourself, along with public references you can read on your own. We show the date each one was last updated. Some guides carry ads, which are always labeled, and our editorial policy explains how we keep them separate from what we recommend.
Stuck on a word? Our foundation repair glossary explains the terms in plain English. Ready for numbers? See what repairs cost.
Want a pro to take a look?
Guides only go so far. We'll come out, measure what's going on and give you straight answers at no charge.