Structural repair: foundations, framing and slopes

Signs worth a closer look

Not every crack is structural. Hairline drywall cracks at door corners are common as houses settle. The signs that justify an evaluation are the ones that grow or affect how the house works.

• Doors and windows that start sticking or will not latch
• Cracks in the slab or foundation that widen over time
• Floors that slope or bounce more than they used to
• Rot or termite damage in posts, sills or beams
• A retaining wall that leans, bulges or weeps soil

Hillside lots and retaining walls

Slope properties in Wood Ranch and Big Sky put more demand on foundations and retaining walls than flat valley lots. Water is the usual cause of trouble: drainage that sends runoff toward a wall or under a footing will move soil over time. A repair that does not fix the drainage is temporary.

The City fee schedule separates standard-plan retaining walls from special design walls, and walls over 6 feet high are priced as special design. In practice, a tall or heavily loaded wall needs an engineered design and plan check, not a standard detail.

The engineer, the permit and the inspections

A licensed engineer evaluates the problem and designs the fix: new footings, underpinning, replaced framing members, hold-downs or a rebuilt wall. Those drawings go to City plan check, and the inspector checks the work at each stage against them.

The City fee schedule effective July 1, 2024 listed foundation repair and seismic upgrade at $726.01 per 200 lineal feet of foundation. A permitted, inspected repair leaves a record you can show a buyer or a lender later.