Start with conditions, not a product
Cracks and sticking doors are clues, not diagnoses: around Ann Arbor, glacial till clay loam along the Huron River means grading, drainage, framing, and foundation type all need to be weighed together before a repair plan is proposed.
Build a complete scope
- Measurements taken across a season rather than at one visit
- Whether frost heave or clay moisture swing better explains the pattern
- Footing depth relative to the local frost line, stated in the assessment
- The method proposed and what was considered and set aside
- Access on a small lot, restoration of finishes, and warranty scope
Ann Arbor context
The city's Old West Side, platted starting in 1845 and listed on the National Register in 1972, still carries two-story frame houses built for a fast-growing 19th-century college town -- about 85% clapboard-clad, the rest brick or stucco -- later filled in with Dutch Colonials, bungalows, and Tudor cottages on small lots. Underneath that older core and the newer subdivisions built across Washtenaw County sits a mix of sand, gravel, and clay-rich glacial till left by retreating ice roughly 14,000 years ago -- fertile ground that also drains poorly, one reason foundation inspection, crack repair, and settlement work stays in steady demand across the area.