Symptom guide

Diagnose your foundation problem

Pick the symptom you are seeing in your home. Get the most likely cause, the severity, and what to do about it. No contractor jargon — just the question you actually have.

Who this is for

You noticed something in your home and you are trying to figure out whether it is foundation damage or something else. Pick the symptom that matches what you are seeing below — each entry tells you the likely cause, the severity, and the next step. If you are seeing multiple symptoms, scroll to the bottom for a decision guide.

Severity legend

High: See a foundation repair contractor soon. Most inspections are free.
Medium: Document the issue (date + measurement), monitor for 30-60 days, then call if it changes.
Low: Likely cosmetic. Check that it is not happening in multiple places.

Symptom lookup

Pick your symptom

Ten of the most common signs Pasadena-area homeowners notice. Each one tells you the likely cause, how serious it is, and what to do next.

Stair-step cracks in exterior brick

high

A crack that follows the mortar lines between bricks in a step pattern, usually on the corners of the home or above/below windows.

Likely causes

• Differential settlement — one part of the slab is sinking while the rest stays put
• The brick veneer is moving with the slab but the underlying structure is not

How serious

A stair-step crack wider than 1/4 inch, or one that has grown noticeably in the last 6 months, indicates active settlement. Get an inspection.

What to do

Call a foundation repair contractor for an elevation survey. Most inspections are free. Bring a photo of the crack from 6 months ago if you have one — that is the single most useful piece of evidence for the inspector.

Doors that stick, swing open, or no longer latch

medium

Interior or exterior doors that used to close smoothly now stick at the top or bottom, swing open on their own, or no longer click into the latch.

Likely causes

• The door frame is racking because the slab is settling unevenly under it
• Humidity-related wood swelling (much less common in Houston than foundation-related movement)

How serious

One sticking door by itself is rarely a foundation emergency. Multiple doors sticking on the same side of the house, especially if they started within the same few months, points to settlement.

What to do

Check the door with a 4-foot level across the top — if it is more than 1/4 inch out of plumb, that is a measurable indicator. Check other doors on the same side of the house. If 2+ doors are affected, call for an elevation survey.

Drywall cracks (vertical or diagonal, near doors and windows)

medium

Cracks in interior drywall that start at the corners of door frames or window frames and run vertically or diagonally.

Likely causes

• Seasonal humidity changes (cosmetic, mostly)
• Foundation settlement if the cracks are concentrated on one wall or one side of the house

How serious

A single crack at one corner is almost always cosmetic. Multiple cracks at multiple corners on the same wall, or cracks that have grown noticeably in 6 months, suggest settlement.

What to do

Mark the ends of the crack with a pencil and the date. Re-check in 30 days. If it grew, take a photo and call for an inspection. If it stayed the same, it is probably seasonal.

Sloping, sagging, or bouncy floors

high

You can feel the floor slope when you walk across a room, a marble rolls across the floor on its own, or the floor feels springy underfoot.

Likely causes

• Slab settlement (one side or corner dropping)
• For pier-and-beam homes: failing piers, sagging beams, or moisture-damaged joists
• For slab homes: a void under the slab from soil washout

How serious

A sloping floor is one of the more diagnostic signs — it almost always reflects actual foundation movement, not humidity or cosmetic shifting.

What to do

Roll a marble in different directions and see if it consistently rolls the same way. That direction is the direction of settlement. Call for an elevation survey; the slope direction tells the inspector where to look first.

Gaps between walls and ceiling, walls and floor, or trim separating

medium

You can see daylight or a dark line where the ceiling meets the wall, where the wall meets the floor, or where trim (baseboards, door casings) used to be flush with the wall.

Likely causes

• Foundation movement pulling walls away from ceilings or floors
• For pier-and-beam homes: the wall is detaching from the floor structure as the beams sag

How serious

Trim gaps that have appeared within the last 6-12 months, especially on the same wall or corner of the house, suggest active movement.

What to do

Measure the gap with a ruler and write down the date. Re-measure in 30-60 days. If the gap has grown, the movement is active.

Cracked or displaced chimney

high

The chimney is pulling away from the house, has a visible crack at the roofline, or has shifted visibly from where it used to sit.

Likely causes

• The chimney has its own foundation (often shallow), and it is settling differently than the main house foundation
• Differential movement between the chimney and the house structure

How serious

A chimney pulling away from the house is one of the clearest foundation signs because chimneys are usually the heaviest single element of the house and they fail before the rest of the structure.

What to do

This is straightforward: call a foundation repair contractor. Most will inspect for free and give you a quote that includes the chimney repair alongside any other work.

Bowing or leaning basement walls

high

Inside a basement or accessible crawl space, you can see one of the concrete walls visibly bowing inward, leaning, or having horizontal cracks mid-height.

Likely causes

• Lateral pressure from saturated soil outside the foundation
• For pier-and-beam homes: less common, since there is no basement

How serious

Bowing walls are a structural emergency if the bow is more than 1 inch. Less than that, it can be monitored and addressed.

What to do

A bowing wall needs engineering review. Most foundation repair contractors will bring in a structural engineer for this kind of diagnosis. Do not delay.

Water pooling around the foundation after rain

medium

After a heavy rain, water stands against the foundation for hours or days instead of draining away.

Likely causes

• Grading slopes back toward the house instead of away
• Downspouts discharge within 2 feet of the foundation
• Compacted soil is preventing water absorption

How serious

This is the most common cause of foundation movement in Houston. If you see pooling, address the drainage before the foundation moves.

What to do

Walk the property during or immediately after a heavy rain. Note where water stands. Extend downspouts at least 6-10 feet from the foundation. Re-grade if the soil slopes back to the house. If the problem is significant, call a drainage contractor (often the same company as foundation repair).

Tile floors cracking or popping loose

medium

Ceramic or porcelain tile floors that have cracked along grout lines, popped loose from the substrate, or developed "tenting" where the tile buckles upward.

Likely causes

• Slab movement under the tile (especially if multiple tiles in the same area are affected)
• A void under the slab causing localized settlement

How serious

One or two cracked tiles is usually adhesive failure. A pattern of cracking along grout lines, or tile tenting, reflects slab movement.

What to do

Check whether the cracking follows the grout lines (slab movement) or crosses individual tiles (adhesive failure). Slab movement in a localized area may indicate a void that can be addressed with slab-jacking.

Windows that stick or have gaps appearing at the top

low

Windows that were easy to open now stick in the frame, or you can see daylight/gaps at the top corners that used to be sealed.

Likely causes

• Frame racking from settlement (the corners of the window frame are no longer square)
• Humidity-related wood swelling (less common)

How serious

A single sticking window is often the sash or weatherstripping, not the foundation. Multiple windows sticking on the same side of the house is more concerning.

What to do

Test multiple windows on the same side of the house. If 2+ are affected, that points to settlement. Otherwise, it is probably the windows themselves.

Decision guide

When to call a contractor, and when to keep watching

Most foundation concerns fall into one of four buckets. Here is how to think through which one you are in.

One symptom, isolated to one area

Document (date + measurement), monitor for 30-60 days. Most isolated issues are cosmetic or seasonal.

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Two or more symptoms, same side of the house

Call for an elevation survey. Two correlated symptoms almost always reflect actual foundation movement.

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Any single symptom that has visibly grown in 6 months

Call. Active movement is the difference between an issue that needs repair and one that needs monitoring.

Bowing walls, large cracks, or chimney separation

Call now. These are diagnostic of structural movement and warrant engineering review.

How to document a symptom

Mark the end of any crack with a pencil and write the date next to it. Re-measure the crack width with a ruler every 30-60 days. Take a photo each time with a timestamp. Bring the photos and your measurements to any inspection — they are the most useful evidence an inspector can have, more valuable than verbal description of what you saw.

Found something concerning?

Most foundation inspections are free. If you want a contractor to look at your home, we can route the request to the companies serving your part of the metro.

Request an inspection