Foundation Repair near you

A single sign rarely proves much, since houses move slightly with the seasons. A pattern of several signs, or signs that keep getting worse, deserves an engineer's attention.

A structural engineer looks at the house as a whole: the pattern of cracks inside and out, floor levels measured across the house, the type of foundation and soil, drainage, nearby trees and the history of the building. When the cause isn't obvious, they may suggest monitoring through a full year of seasons, a soil investigation by a geotechnical engineer or a test pit beside the footing. You should come away with a written report that explains the cause, says whether the movement is still active and describes the repair needed, if any.

Hiring the engineer yourself, rather than relying on an assessment from a company that sells piers or underpinning, keeps the diagnosis separate from the sale. Engineering is regulated by each province. In Quebec, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec names an opinion on the consequences of a crack in a foundation wall among the services an engineer provides, and its member directory shows whether an engineer is in good standing; in Ontario, Professional Engineers Ontario keeps a public directory of licence holders. The same engineer can design the repair and review it on site as the work proceeds.

The engineer's report sets the method, and a qualified foundation contractor carries it out. These are the main families of repair, described in general terms. Lowering a basement also relies on underpinning, but that is a renovation choice rather than a repair.

Structural foundation work generally needs a building permit. In Toronto, for example, underpinning an existing house requires one, and the city calls for design and on-site review by a professional engineer in certain cases, including where the soil is clay or silt or the new footings go below a neighbouring building's footings. Even when those conditions don't apply, Toronto requires at minimum testing and reports by a professional engineer at the first and last stages of construction to pass inspections.

Other municipalities, including Quebec cities and Montreal's boroughs, set their own requirements and can ask for plans sealed by an engineer, so check with your permit office which documents they need. Work beside a shared wall or a neighbour's footing also raises questions of access and responsibility that should be settled in writing before any digging starts.

The Société d'habitation du Québec runs a program for owners of residential buildings whose foundations are damaged by pyrrhotite, a mineral found in some concrete aggregate that can make foundations crack and break down. It has supported expert assessments to detect pyrrhotite and, in municipalities that have put measures in place against the problem, work such as replacing the foundations and restoring the basement rooms.

The work component has been suspended since April 1, 2025, pending new funding, and no new applications are being accepted for now. If you suspect pyrrhotite, check the program's current status with the Government of Quebec and your municipality or MRC before planning around it, and have an engineer confirm the diagnosis.