Start with conditions, not a product
Cracks and sticking doors are clues, not diagnoses. Soil moisture, grading, drainage, framing, and foundation type need to be considered together before a repair plan is proposed.
Build a complete scope
- Existing conditions and likely cause
- Preparation and protection
- Materials, compatibility, and installation details
- Permits, testing, cleanup, and restoration
- Exclusions, warranty terms, and change-order process
South Bend context
Foundations under South Bend's older neighborhoods were built to whatever standard existed when Studebaker's growth was pulling new housing up around it -- dense, close-set lots near downtown platted well before modern footing and drainage codes existed. The Chapin Park and West Washington districts, developed mostly from the 1890s through the 1920s, sit on that older foundation stock, while the city's newer subdivisions were built to a very different, more recent standard -- two different settlement stories under two different eras of South Bend home.