Professional Foundation Inspections | Video 026

Page Summary

• Professional foundation inspections identify slab cracks, wall fractures, stem wall damage, settlement, drainage problems, and moisture conditions that can affect homes and commercial buildings in Tempe, Arizona.
• Concrete Repairman LLC evaluates visible cracking, floor elevation changes, gutter discharge, landscaping slope, planters, tree roots, and water pooling before recommending repair options.
• A proper foundation inspection helps property owners understand the cause of damage, compare foundation estimation details, and plan concrete foundation repair before structural movement becomes more costly.

Professional Foundation Inspections help home and commercial property owners understand what is happening beneath visible cracks, uneven floors, drywall fractures, and damaged stem walls. In Tempe, Arizona, foundation movement often connects to expansive soil behavior, poor drainage, irrigation patterns, roof runoff, planter moisture, tree roots, and long term water exposure near concrete foundations. Concrete Repairman LLC provides experienced foundation inspection, foundation estimation, and concrete repair guidance for property owners who need clear answers before repairs begin. Led by James Belville, our team brings more than 30 years of hands on foundation repair experience to Arizona properties, with practical knowledge built through three generations of concrete and foundation work.

Foundation Inspection Tempe Arizona

This foundation inspection video is of a property in Tempe, Arizona, and as you can see in the video, the home has cracks in its foundation, the wall, and several on the floors. Moisture is once again to blame for all the various issues this property has, and it will take a few repairs to get it back to normal and level.

Call James, The Foundation Repair Expert (602) 418-2970

Concrete Foundation Repair – Concrete Foundation Inspection

This home has a very large roof. There’s a lot of rainwater that comes off this roof. In this area, we can see that from this gate, it slopes downward towards the house from where my finger is all the way around. It slopes towards the home, and at least eight to ten inches of water can hold in this area. There’s way too much water being held coming off of this roof. That’s a tremendous amount of water. Because there is this much water, this foundation is slowly sinking, causing vertical interior fractures on the home’s walls. Going around the corner, we see that fracture up there on top that will coincide with the interior roof structure of the house, and that is because of all this water coming off of the roof and landing in front. I can’t see behind all this debris, but this area seems in good shape.

There is an issue here with landscaping. There should be a little more dirt over here in this area sloped away from the home. This tree is getting older, it’s getting larger, and it’s starting to get into the roof line on the side of the house. The roots could be causing some issues. I recommend cutting this tree down and removing the stump four to six inches below the dirt. This area here also shows water coming off the rough landing on top of the patio, or the landing on top of this deck is coming back this way, causing some interior fracture. To crack the concrete on the interior, this side is higher than this side. This is a lot of heavier concrete. The site is sinking slightly, and you could get a crack from here across there clear through the pool. Planters I don’t like planters. This rain gutter here there’s also dry rot, but the rain gutter is not catching the water. It’s dumping it right into this planter. We go up here, and you can see that there’s still moisture right there, and we do have a crack fracture there in the middle of the window, which is telling me that this side has too much moisture going on, which means we have negative flow towards the house.

We’ve got dirt, sanding, and light debris floating on top of the water that has been left behind. If we do some landscaping, remove this high hump here, get the water to drain out of here, and also rain gutter to the top can come around the corner down this side right here, and it can run right over here. Just pass this tree so it goes on out. The amount of moisture that settles on the sides of this home causes interior crack fractures on the four-inch slab and horizontal vertical fractures in the drywall. We’re going to go right on into the house; we see this crack and fracture right here there’s the front yard right in front, so if we step inside, we can see that this crack and fracture continues to run through the house in through the ceiling so the amount of water that’s in the front is slowly sinking this part of the home causing this part of the home to be ripped apart starting up at the ceiling and then coming down. Concrete is going to crack where there’s least resistance, so it will start cracking in Windows in those areas. This crack here is a construction joint if you see this side is higher than this side this means that this slab is tilted up so the amount of water is going down is tilting the house like this raising this slab in that area.

This is also a key way it is supposed to crack there. It is a construction joint, but it is not supposed to be higher on one side than the other. This cracking fracture here is also slightly raised and runs through the side of the hall where that planter was. There’s too much water coming down in this area, causing this stem wall to go down, fracturing this portion of the slab. Here is another fracture there again going to crack where there’s least resistance, so there’s a transition at least four inches down from the garage to the interior portion of the home, so it’s almost a natural crack, but this could also have a keyway in it because it is more straight than it is jagged. We can grind these cracks down and smooth-patch them, and they should be level enough for wood flooring, but the rest of the home may need to be leveled. If any floor is not laser-leveled with a laser or a vibrating screed, it will probably have to be ground and leveled for wood flooring. Wood flooring has a tolerance of only one-eighth of an inch in 10 feet. In this home I would recommend tile over any laminate flooring just because of the moisture issues on the exterior sides of the home. You can add more thin-set or less thin-set as you need where the home is more likely to be on level.

We’re in a garage area. This area over here is where the neighbor’s front yard is. I do not see any vertical cracks or fractures. I won’t go over to the neighbors, get their yard, and cause trouble. This looks pretty good. I don’t see any more significant issues here. This only had some water damage. My new crack is on the garage floor right here. It’s probably been here for quite some time. It looks like an old crack fracture, and it goes right along there, so pretty much it, it goes around right here. On this corner, well, what’s going on is the amount of water that’s over here affecting this column, causing the column to go down slightly and boom pop up right there. This should be filled with dirt. We take the decorative rocks out, fill them up with dirt, slope them away from the foundation, and put the decorative rocks back. Same with this area here: need to build this up with soil, l good quality compacting dirt compacted up at least maybe eight to ten inches as high as we can get it at least up. Where this tile is on the entryway, that’s at least six inches right there, and it can get a little bit deeper. Still, anything to move this water out through this channel and out towards the street again is the biggest culprit: water coming off the roof and holding in these areas, causing interior crack fractures on the slabs and vertical walls and ceilings. It can rip this roof right in half if neglected.

I hope this has helped you decide what to do with your home again. I would not recommend wood flooring I would recommend tile because you can adjust the thin-set according to the flatness of the floor.

Common Signs That a Foundation Inspection May Be Needed

Foundation problems rarely begin as one isolated symptom. Property owners often notice several small changes before realizing the foundation may need professional evaluation. A floor crack may appear near a doorway. Drywall may separate above a window. Tile may loosen. A stem wall may show concrete cracking or spalling. Doors may rub, stick, or swing open. Exterior cracks may widen after heavy rain or irrigation changes.

Professional Foundation Inspections are especially useful when signs appear in more than one area of the property. Interior cracks, exterior concrete fractures, uneven flooring, and drainage problems often share a common cause. A trained inspection helps connect those clues and determine whether the damage is likely related to foundation settlement, slab tilt, water exposure, soil movement, or localized concrete deterioration.

Property owners in Tempe should pay attention to these conditions:

• Cracks running through concrete slabs or garage floors
• Horizontal or vertical cracks in interior drywall
• Cracking near windows, doors, corners, and ceiling transitions
• Stem wall cracks, concrete flaking, or exposed reinforcing steel
• Uneven floors, sloping rooms, or tile movement
• Water pooling near the foundation after rain or irrigation
• Gutters draining into planters or soil against the building
• Landscaping that slopes toward the structure
• Tree roots growing close to the foundation
• Repeated moisture around patios, walkways, or exterior walls

These signs do not always mean a major repair is required. They do mean the property deserves a careful inspection before the problem is dismissed or covered with cosmetic repairs.

Slab Cracks, Wall Cracks, and Stem Wall Damage

Concrete slab cracks can develop for several reasons, including shrinkage, settlement, soil movement, moisture exposure, poor compaction, or stress at construction joints. The direction, width, location, and pattern of cracking all matter. A single hairline crack may require a different response than multiple cracks combined with floor elevation changes.

Wall cracks also deserve careful review. Vertical drywall fractures can form when the structure moves slightly, especially near corners, openings, or transitions. Horizontal cracks may point to stress along framing lines or foundation movement. Cracks that continue to return after cosmetic repair should not be ignored.

Stem wall damage is another common Arizona foundation concern. Stem walls can crack, spall, or deteriorate when moisture reaches embedded reinforcing steel and corrosion expands inside the concrete. Once concrete begins breaking away, surface patching alone may not correct the underlying issue. Professional inspection helps determine whether the damage is cosmetic, moisture related, structural, or part of a larger foundation repair need.

Clear Next Steps for Foundation Inspection and Estimation

If your Tempe property has slab cracks, wall fractures, stem wall damage, uneven floors, or water collecting near the building, a Professional Foundation Inspection is a practical first step. Concrete Repairman LLC can review the visible damage, identify likely contributing conditions, and provide foundation estimation for appropriate repair options.

Call, book, request a quote, or schedule an audit when cracks are spreading, flooring is uneven, drainage is moving toward the structure, or previous repairs have failed. Early evaluation helps property owners address root causes before more finishes, flooring, drywall, or concrete surfaces are affected.