Round Rock, Texas · A measured first look
Foundation Inspection in Round Rock, TX
A measured first look, so any decision starts from numbers instead of worry.
You've found a crack, or a door that started dragging. Before anyone talks about piers, you'd like to know if it's serious. A foundation inspection in Round Rock, TX answers that.
- Free inspection
- No obligation
- Town-by-town soil data
- Referral service, disclosed
- Call (737) 259-7007
What have you noticed?
A good one walks the house and measures how level the floor is. It also looks at what moves foundations: soil, water and time. If the numbers say the house is stable, that's a result worth having.
The inspection we arrange is free, with no obligation.
What a Foundation Inspection Covers
A useful inspection gives you facts you can compare later, not just an opinion. A thorough one covers:
- A walk-through. Inside and out: cracks, doors, windows, ceilings, and the slab edge or crawl space.
- Floor heights. Readings taken room by room, which turn a vague sense of slope into figures you can compare.
- Drainage. Where roof water lands and whether the ground slopes away from the house. The Texas engineering guidelines call for a 5% fall away from the house for the first 10 feet. That's about 6 inches over 10 feet.
- Trees and watering. Big trees near the house and how the yard is watered. The same guidelines warn that taking out a large tree can let the ground swell.
- Your history. When you first noticed each sign, and whether it changes with the seasons.
The three levels engineers use
The Texas guidelines describe three levels of investigation. Level A is a report of first impressions: an interview, a look at any documents and a visual walk-through. Level B adds measured floor heights and a scaled drawing that reports tilt and sag against accepted limits. Level C adds testing as needed, such as soil samples, plumbing tests, a survey of post-tension cables and photographs. It's fair to ask anyone who comes out which of these they're doing.
West of I-35 or East: What Changes
What an inspector looks for first depends on what's under the house.
In the clay towns, the soil is the usual suspect, and timing matters. Pflugerville's sample was 64% very high shrink-swell clay, and Hutto's 56%. Clay like that swells after the wet months and shrinks in a hot, dry summer. Measuring a seasonal swing can take six months or more, according to HUD's inspection guide.
One visit gives a starting point. A second one later in the year shows whether the movement is steady or comes and goes with the seasons.
In the limestone towns, a good inspection looks hard at water and at what's hiding under a stony yard. Take Georgetown soil, nearly half of Brushy Creek's sample. Its top layer reads just 2.5, but the layer below is 70% clay and reads 8.5.
Many houses in Georgetown and Brushy Creek also sit over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. It covered 92% and 84% of our sample points there. State rules there cover digging and construction but leave out routine upkeep. We haven't found a ruling on where repair piers fall. If a repair is recommended, it's worth asking TCEQ's Austin office (512-339-2929) before any digging starts.
On the break, Round Rock's sample was 24% very high clay. Another 16% was Eckrant, a stony soil with limestone about 11 inches down. Two houses a few streets apart can call for different answers.
Free Inspection or Engineer's Report?
Both are reasonable starting points, and they do different jobs.
- A free inspection from a repair professional tells you quickly whether repair looks likely, and what kind.
- A structural engineer you hire usually bills for the visit, and has no repair to sell. One Austin cost guide puts an engineering report at $500 to $1,500.
If you repair in Round Rock or Georgetown, an engineer gets involved either way. Both cities want an engineer's stamped plan before they issue a foundation repair permit. Our guide on calling an engineer or a repair company first compares the two routes in detail.
What It Costs
The inspection we connect you with is free, with no obligation afterward. If you want more, published prices give a sense of the extras. One Austin cost guide lists soil analysis at $300 to $800. It puts an inspection after a repair at $200 to $500. Our cost guide covers repair prices.
Questions About Foundation Inspection
What should I have ready?
A note of when you first saw each sign, and photos if you have them. A pencil line across each end of a crack, with the date beside it, shows later whether it grew. Measure any big crack. HUD's housing inspection standard flags one that's 1/4 inch wide or more and 12 inches or longer.
Is the person who inspects licensed?
Texas has no state license for foundation repair companies; a 2013 bill to create one didn't pass. Round Rock requires every contractor on a permit to register with the city. Engineers are licensed by the state. Asking how an engineer will be involved is always fair.
My slab might be post-tensioned. Does that matter?
Yes, mention it. Look in the garage floor for a stamp; one source says that's where it usually is on a post-tensioned slab. The stamp means steel cables run through the concrete. Anyone drilling or cutting needs to know where they are first.
Related Services
- Foundation crack repair: what to do once a crack has been read
- House leveling: when the survey shows the whole house has tilted
- Slab foundation repair: piers under the part of a slab that dropped
Towns We Serve
We arrange free inspections across our area: Georgetown, Brushy Creek, Cedar Park, Leander, Liberty Hill, Wells Branch, Pflugerville, Hutto, Manor, Taylor and Elgin. See all service areas.
Book a Free Foundation Inspection in Round Rock
Tell us what you've noticed and the town or ZIP code of the house. A local foundation repair professional gets your request and can come out to measure. What happens next is up to you.
What have you noticed?