Structural integrity inspections across Southeast and Mid-Michigan
A structural integrity inspection is a focused, non-invasive look at the parts of a house that hold it up: the foundation walls and footings you can see, the floor framing, the beams, posts and piers, the load-bearing walls and the roof framing. It is for a specific concern, a crack, a sagging floor, a wall you want to remove, damage from a tree or a flood, rather than the whole-house review a home inspection gives you. Starting at $300, about an hour on site, with the photo report delivered the same day. A mold air test, a sewer scope or a septic inspection can ride along on the same visit.
We are not structural engineers, and we say so up front; the section below explains exactly what that means for a lender, an insurance company or a city. What we are is certified: our inspectors hold the InterNACHI (International Association of Certified Home Inspectors) Structure and Foundation Inspector certification, and you can verify any inspector by name at nachi.org before we arrive. We test; we never repair, so the report is not a sales pitch for piers or wall anchors. Book online, get an instant quote, or call or text (810) 243-4773.
What a structural integrity inspection covers
Every structural inspection is written up with photos, the observation, what it implies and a recommendation for each item, so you can hand it to an insurance adjuster, an HOA (homeowners association), a seller or a contractor and they can follow it.
Foundation walls and cracks. Poured concrete, block, brick and stone foundations. Every visible crack is measured and photographed with its direction (vertical, diagonal, step or horizontal), its width and any displacement, plus signs of water entry, efflorescence and past repair.
Settlement and movement. Floor slope readings with a laser level, out-of-plumb walls, sticking doors and windows, drywall and tile cracks, and separations where an addition meets the original house.
Beams, posts and piers. The main beam, support posts and their pads, sistered or notched joists, twisted or over-cut joists, and the beam tie-in at additions and bump-outs.
Load-bearing walls. Which walls carry load before you take one out, traced through the framing from the attic to the basement or crawlspace, and whether a wall that was already removed was carrying anything.
Crawlspaces and underbellies. The crawlbot goes where a person cannot: a robot with 4K cameras and lights that films the piers, the beam and the joists in a crawlspace too tight or too wet to enter, at no extra charge.
Roof framing and attic. Rafters, trusses and collar ties, sagging or cut members, and damage after a tree strike or a heavy snow load.
Water and moisture. Moisture meter readings and thermal imaging of the foundation and the framing around the problem area, because most cracks that get called structural started as water problems, plus the grading and drainage around the house.
Garages, porches, decks and three-season rooms. Slab movement, porch and awning connections, ledger boards and posts.
Prior repairs. Piers, wall anchors, carbon fiber straps and epoxy injection already in the house, whether they appear spaced and installed the way the manufacturer specifies, and whether anything has moved since.
We are not structural engineers. Here is what that means for you
A structural engineer is a licensed professional engineer (PE) who can calculate loads, design a repair and put a stamp on a letter. We do not have one on staff, and we do not design repairs, size beams or issue a stamped engineer's letter. If your lender, insurance company, city building department or HOA states in writing that it requires a structural engineer, that is not something we are able to provide, and we will tell you so on the phone rather than sell you an inspection that will not be accepted.
If the requirement says "licensed professional" or "licensed inspector" instead, read it again before you assume it means an engineer. Michigan is one of 14 states that is unlicensed for home inspectors, so there is no such thing as a state-licensed home inspector here, and not every lender or insurance agency knows that. Many of them will accept a certified inspector who holds a structural integrity inspection certification once they see the certification and a sample report. Ask them for the exact wording of what they need, send us a copy, and we will tell you straight whether our report will satisfy it.
What our report gives you is a written, photographed record of what is cracked, moving, sagging or wet, what it most likely means, and what to do next, in plain English, delivered the same day. Clients use it for an insurance claim, an HOA dispute, a seller negotiation, an appraisal condition on a refinance, or simply to decide whether an engineer or a licensed builder needs to be called for a repair design.
Why people book a structural integrity inspection
Across the structural inspections we have done this year in Metro Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, Lansing and Ann Arbor, the reason is almost always one of these:
A crack and no idea whether it matters. A horizontal crack in a block foundation wall, a step crack at a corner, a drywall crack that keeps spreading across a ceiling, or a crack that was sealed twice and came back.
A floor that dips or slopes. Usually where an addition ties into the original house, where a beam has dropped, or in a three-season room that took on windows and weight it was not framed for.
A wall you want to remove, or one a contractor already removed, and you want to know whether it was load bearing before the ceiling tells you.
Damage after an event. A tree on the roof or the porch, a flooded utility room and a subfloor that may not have dried, a failed sump pump, a garage slab that shifted toward the house.
A lender, appraiser or insurance company asking for it. A foundation or structural inspection as a condition of a purchase, a refinance or a claim, when the requirement allows a certified inspector rather than an engineer.
A home inspection that did not answer the question. Another company's inspector could not get into the crawlspace, or wrote "monitor" next to the crack you were worried about.
A dispute. With an HOA over an exterior wall, with a seller over what was disclosed, or with a foundation repair company over work that did not hold, where you need written findings with photos.
If you are buying the house, a full home inspection (from $425) already includes the foundation, the framing, the attic and the crawlspace. The structural integrity inspection is the right choice for a specific concern or a house you already own.
How the inspection works
Tell us the concern when you book so the inspector brings the right tools and plans the right amount of time. We need access to the basement or crawlspace and the attic; for a load-bearing question we have to see the framing above and below the wall, not just the wall itself. Pull back carpet or move stored items away from the area if you can.
On site we measure and photograph every crack, take floor slope readings with a laser level, check the walls and framing for moisture with a meter and a thermal camera, and send the crawlbot into any space a person cannot enter. Plan on about an hour; larger homes, additions and barns take longer. The report lands in your inbox the same day with photos and, for each item, the observation, what it implies and a recommendation. If a repair design is needed, the report tells you whether that is a job for an engineer, a licensed builder, a foundation contractor or a gutter extension, and in what order.
Add-ons that fit the same visit: a mold air test after water damage, a sewer scope when the floor over a drain line has dropped, a septic or well inspection, radon and water testing, each at the add-on price on our pricing page.
Foundation repair companies, warranties, and what we will not do
We test; we never repair or remediate. That matters more here than anywhere else on our site, because the companies that sell piers, wall anchors and basement waterproofing are usually the ones offering the "free foundation inspection," and the free inspection tends to find a reason to sell piers. Our only product is the report.
If the house already has a repair system in it, we document what is there, whether the piers, anchors or straps appear spaced and installed the way the manufacturer's application calls for, and whether anything has moved since they went in. Ask the seller for the installation paperwork and the transferable warranty, then call the company and confirm the warranty is still honored: several Michigan foundation companies have been bought by larger firms in the last few years, and a "lifetime" warranty is only as good as the company that owns it now. What we will not do is tell you whether a past repair was necessary without seeing the house; that is not something anyone can judge from someone else's paperwork.
What we cannot do: design or specify a repair, calculate loads or size a beam, issue a stamped or sealed engineer's letter, certify a manufactured home's foundation for an FHA, VA or USDA loan (an engineer's or registered architect's job; see our manufactured home page), or sign off on a city permit, variance or inspection that calls for a structural engineer. When that is what you need, say so when you call and we will tell you before you spend a dollar.
Structural inspection questions we hear in Michigan
Are you structural engineers?
No. We are certified inspectors who hold the InterNACHI Structure and Foundation Inspector certification. We find and document problems; an engineer designs the fix. If a lender, insurer, city or HOA requires a structural engineer in writing, we cannot fill that requirement, and we will say so before you book.
My lender or insurance company wants a "licensed inspector." Can you do it?
Michigan is one of 14 states that is unlicensed for home inspectors, so no inspector in the state can show a state license. Ask them for the exact wording. Many lenders and insurers accept a certified inspector with a structural integrity inspection certification once they see the certification and a sample report. Send us what they wrote and we will tell you straight.
How much does a structural integrity inspection cost?
Starting at $300 for about an hour on site. Larger homes, additions, barns and long drives cost more, and the instant quote gives you the exact number before you book. A full home inspection starts at $425 and already includes the foundation, framing, attic and crawlspace, so if you are buying the house, start there.
Can you tell me if a wall is load bearing?
Yes, by tracing the framing above and below it in the attic and the basement or crawlspace, so we need access to both. If the wall is already gone, we can usually tell you what it was carrying and whether anything has moved since.
Is a crack in my foundation serious?
Most are not; some are. Direction, width, displacement and water tell the story. A hairline vertical shrinkage crack in poured concrete is routine. A horizontal crack in a block wall, a step crack with displacement, or a crack that was sealed and keeps coming back is not. We measure and photograph each one and tell you which kind you have.
Will the report tell me how to fix it?
It tells you what is wrong, what it means and who should fix it: a gutter and grading job, a foundation contractor, a licensed builder, or an engineer for a design. We do not sell repairs, so the recommendation is not a sales pitch.
Where do you do structural integrity inspections?
All 18 counties, from our Grand Blanc and Southfield offices: Genesee, Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Livingston, Washtenaw, Lapeer, Shiawassee, Ingham, Clinton, Jackson, St. Clair, Sanilac, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Midland and Gratiot, including Detroit, Dearborn, Flint, Saginaw, Ann Arbor, Lansing and the Downriver communities. Book online or call or text (810) 243-4773.
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