One thing no homeowner wants to discover in their home is hidden foundation damage. Unfortunately, the nature of houses means damage to the foundation is always a real risk, and maintenance and inspections are among the most important things you can do to protect your foundation from a serious crack or even a complete split that causes your home to sink into the dirt. Should either of those things occur, you could find yourself looking at one of the most expensive repairs you'll ever need to make.

This May Also Interest You: How to Fix Drywall Cracks on the Wall or Ceiling

Not all house foundation issues are quite that drastic, but when there's a problem with the foundation, the costs can be very extensive. Cracks in your foundation are going to happen over time, and the best thing you can do is stay on top of any potential issues with regular inspections. You can also use your own senses to spot problems before they get out of control.

What Are the Signs Your Foundation Needs to Be Repaired?

Usually, looking at your house can tell you a few things about your foundation and how sound your structure is. If you spot cracks in your home's exterior walls or an issue with your home's siding, especially if the weather has been nice recently, there's a good chance the foundation could have a problem. Other potential issues include spongy floorboards or soft spots in the ground around your house.

One of the biggest reasons people need cracked foundation repair is because of moisture in their basement, and here's where the presence of plant life can help alert you to an issue. If you spot weeds around your house, they're getting a source of water from somewhere. If that source is your basement, it's time to be proactive about finding a solution.

What Is a Foundation Inspection?

A foundation inspection involves bringing in an expert to take a look at the home and determine what might be causing any problems with your foundation, as well as how you can solve them. When you schedule a professional home foundation inspection, you can expect the expert to take a walk around your house, look at your home's walls from top to bottom and test your floors to see if they can spot any issues.

An important thing to remember is that an inspection usually isn't performed by the same company that's going to handle any foundation repairs. That's a good thing in this case because it means the inspector can be trusted to give you an honest opinion about whether foundation repairs are necessary and what the expected foundation repair cost might be.

How Much Does a Foundation Inspection Cost?

As with most things, the cost will vary depending on how much the inspector has to do. The bigger your home is, the more you can expect to pay for foundation inspection costs. An inspection for an average-sized home might cost between $300 and $800 (CAD 406 and CAD 1,083), according to Forbes, but larger homes or homes with complex foundations can cost between $1,000 and $3,000 (CAD 1,354 and CAD 4,062) to get a full picture of any possible damage.

More Related Articles:

• Make Sure Your Window Wells are Well Maintained With This Checklist
• How Much Does It Cost to Install or Replace a Basement Window Well?
• 6 Ways to Make Your Window Wells Look Great From the Inside or Outside
• How to Install or Replace a Window Well
• How Much Does It Cost to Waterproof a Basement?

How Much Does It Cost to Repair a Foundation?

When it comes to foundation repair, you have several short-term and long-term solutions. One top option is mudjacking, which involves lifting the foundation and installing new soil and other natural materials to create a level and more stable resting place for your foundation.

Another is pier and beam foundation repair, which involves the use of steel piers in the soil as a resting place for your foundation. It's considered more of a long-term solution than mudjacking because steel piers will last a lot longer than simply resettling the soil underneath the foundation.

Depending on the method you use, foundation repair can get expensive, especially if more serious repairs are needed.

Mudjacking comes with a lower price tag, so homeowners can expect to pay somewhere between $3 and $20 (CAD 4.06 and CAD 27) per square foot, based on data from Forbes. With home sizes regularly topping 2,000 square feet, that can lead to a total cost of between $6,000 and $40,000 (CAD 8,124 and CAD 54,163) for homeowners.

For pier and beam foundation repair, the costs can be even higher. Homeowners can regularly expect to pay above $12,000 (CAD 16,249), even for homes under 2,000 square feet.

How Much Does It Cost to Repair Smaller Cracks?

Luckily, repairing small cracks under window wells or even waterproofing the basement isn't usually anywhere near as expensive. Many homeowners decide on one of these proactive methods, and the short-term cost can be well worth the long-term savings. Depending on the size of your basement, you can expect to pay between $35 and $1,000 (CAD 47 and CAD 1,354) — a bargain compared to the cost of foundation repair.

Waterproofing the basement isn't much more expensive than filling in cracks, as prices tend to run somewhere between $2,000 and $7,000 (CAD 2,708 and CAD 9,479).

All CAD conversions are based on the exchange rate on the date of publication.