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
- 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
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.