Structural Repair near you

Most structural repairs in older Canadian houses fall into a handful of patterns. Each can have more than one cause, which is why the fix comes after a diagnosis, not before.

Old houses carry cracks and slopes that stopped moving decades ago. What matters is change: something new, or something getting worse. If you notice any of the signs below, call a structural engineer promptly, date and photograph what you see with a ruler in the frame so movement can be tracked, and keep heavy loads off the area.

If a floor drops suddenly, a ceiling bulges or a wall shifts after a flood, fire or impact, get everyone out of that part of the house and call emergency services or your municipality before anything else.

The first call is to a structural engineer, who inspects the framing and foundation, traces how the loads travel and what's causing the problem, then issues a report or sealed drawings for the repair. Our structural engineers page explains what that assessment and a stamped drawing include. A contractor who proposes a fix without that step is guessing about loads nobody has calculated.

Before anything is removed or lifted, the contractor installs temporary shoring: adjustable steel posts or temporary beams and posts that carry the load while the permanent structure is repaired. Sagging floors are raised gradually rather than all at once, since forcing them can crack plaster, tile and pipes, and in some houses the engineer will judge it wiser to stop further sag than to fully level an old floor.

Replacing or altering beams, posts, joists, bearing walls or footings is structural work, and municipalities generally require a building permit for it. Many ask for drawings sealed by a professional engineer, and the engineer may need to review the work on site before it's closed in. Keep the permit, the engineer's letters and the final inspection record together: they prove the repair was done properly when you insure, refinance or sell. Before hiring an engineer, confirm their licence with Professional Engineers Ontario or the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, depending on where you live.

In some regions of Quebec, foundations were poured with concrete aggregate containing pyrrhotite, a mineral that can make the concrete crack and break down over time. Cracking that keeps spreading across the foundation walls calls for an engineer's assessment, including the testing that confirms or rules pyrrhotite out. Where it's confirmed, repairs can go as far as replacing the foundations, a major structural project.

The Société d'habitation du Québec's program for pyrrhotite-damaged homes has helped owners pay for expert assessments and, in municipalities that have taken measures against the problem, for the work itself. As our foundation repair page notes, the work component has been suspended since April 1, 2025, pending new funding, and no new applications are accepted for now. Check the program's status with the Government of Quebec and your municipality before counting on it.

Home insurance policies generally treat sudden events differently from gradual deterioration: damage from a fire, a vehicle impact or a fallen tree may be covered, while rot, long-term settlement and wear often are not. Read your policy and call your insurer before the repair if you think a claim applies, and tell them about major structural work, since it can affect coverage while it's under way.

When you sell, a known structural problem or past repair is something a buyer will want to know about, and disclosure obligations differ between provinces, so ask your lawyer or notary what you must tell a buyer. A repaired house with permits, the engineer's letters and a written warranty from the contractor is far easier to sell than one with an undocumented fix.