Foundation

Repair drawings, contractor proposals, photographs, invoices, elevation surveys, and records of underpinning or stabilization can document what conditions were previously identified and what corrective work was performed. Comparing measurements from before and after a repair can show whether documented elevations changed during the available monitoring period or whether later distress developed in the same or another area. A prior repair does not by itself establish the original cause of movement or prove that all later cracking or distortion resulted from the same mechanism.

Cracking must be evaluated in context. Its orientation, width, displacement, location, relationship to joints and openings, associated elevation differences, and documented progression can help assess whether foundation movement is a plausible explanation. Material shrinkage, thermal movement, structural loading, corrosion, construction joints, or localized construction conditions can produce different or overlapping patterns, so a crack alone is rarely sufficient to identify the mechanism.