Exterior Foundation Condition Evaluation in Kirksville, MO

An exterior condition evaluation is a systematic walk around the outside of your home, documenting the condition of the foundation and everything in contact with it. We work the full perimeter rather than only the area where you noticed a problem, because the cause of an issue inside one corner of a basement is often something happening on the opposite side of the house.

On the foundation itself we look for cracks and their pattern, whether vertical, diagonal, stair-step, or horizontal, and note width and whether they appear to be moving. We check for spalling and deteriorating concrete, mortar joints that have failed or washed out, block that has shifted out of line, bulges or leaning, and the condition of any previous repair or coating. We also check where the foundation meets the siding, since soil or mulch built up over that line traps moisture against materials never meant to hold it.

At the soil line we look for erosion channels, settled backfill that has formed a trench along the wall, ground pitched back toward the house, separation between the soil and the foundation where clay has shrunk away, and signs of ongoing settlement such as cracked walks, sunken patio slabs, or steps pulling away from the house.

Then the details that cause outsized damage: window wells without drainage or filled with debris, holding water directly against a basement window; downspouts discharging at the foundation or extensions that were removed and never replaced; buried discharge lines that have silted shut; sunken or reverse-pitched slabs and stoops; hose bibs and utility penetrations that leak or admit water; and vegetation planted tight to the wall where roots and irrigation both work against the foundation.

This evaluation is designed to pair with an interior structural assessment. Inside we see the symptoms, meaning the cracks, the bowing, and where water is entering. Outside we find the causes. Together they produce a complete foundation protection plan in which each repair addresses a specific documented condition, and you can see why each item is on the list and which ones come first.