Foundation Repair Intake Questions: What to Ask Homeowners Before the Inspection

Every foundation company has driven out to an "urgent structural problem" that turned out to be a hairline shrinkage crack, and has also had a real bowing wall sit in the queue for two weeks because the first phone call didn't catch it. A consistent intake script fixes both. It helps your office, your answering service, or your website collect the same facts every time, so the right jobs get the right priority.

This guide is the intake list we built into InspectionBooked, with the reasoning behind each question. It is for triage and scheduling, not diagnosis. Only an inspection can tell a homeowner what's wrong and what it costs.

Principles for a good intake

• Short and easy to answer. Homeowners are worried and often on a phone. Multiple choice beats open-ended questions.
• Ask about symptoms, not causes. "Which way does the crack run?" is answerable. "Is it hydrostatic pressure?" is not.
• Don't diagnose or quote. Never tell a homeowner a crack is "nothing to worry about" or "definitely structural" over the phone or in chat. Explain that an inspector will look at it.
• Collect what the inspector needs. The goal is that your inspector reads the notes and knows what to bring and how long to plan for.
• Send emergencies to a person. Active flooding, a wall that appears to be moving or collapsing, or a gas smell should go straight to a phone call (or emergency services for gas), not a booking form.

The questions

1. What's the main issue you're seeing?

Options: cracks in foundation or walls, water in the basement, bowing or leaning walls, sagging or uneven floors, crawl space moisture, something else.

This first question routes the lead. A waterproofing lead and a structural lead often go to different estimators, take different amounts of time, and need different equipment.

2. If there are cracks, which way do they run?

Options: vertical, horizontal, stair-step (in block or brick), hairline or small, no cracks, not sure.

Crack direction is one of the most useful things a homeowner can tell you. Many contractors and home guides treat thin vertical cracks in poured concrete as commonly caused by shrinkage, while horizontal cracks and stair-step cracks in block walls are more often linked to soil pressure and get a quicker look. That's a general pattern, not a rule, which is exactly why it belongs in triage rather than in a diagnosis. Always include "not sure"; many homeowners can't tell, and a photo helps.

3. Are any doors or windows sticking or hard to close?

Options: yes, no, not sure.

Sticking doors, gaps around frames, and sloping floors are classic signs homeowners notice upstairs. Angi lists sloping floors, bowing walls, cracks, and doors or windows that stick among signs of foundation damage (Angi). A "yes" here plus cracks downstairs is worth noting for the inspector.

4. Do you get water or dampness in the basement or crawl space?

Options: yes, standing water; only after heavy rain; damp or musty smell; no.

This separates active water problems from occasional ones and flags waterproofing and crawl space encapsulation opportunities on structural leads. "Standing water right now" may also be an urgency signal.

5. How long have you noticed it?

Options: just noticed, a few weeks, a few months, over a year.

"Just noticed" often means the homeowner is anxious and actively shopping, so speed matters. "Over a year, and it's getting worse" suggests movement and is worth asking about at inspection.

6. What type of property is it?

Options: single-family home, townhouse or duplex, commercial, other.

Commercial jobs, shared walls, and multi-unit buildings may need a different estimator, different permissions, or a different process. Some companies don't do commercial work at all, and it's better to know before scheduling.

7. Contact details: name, phone, email

Ask for all three. Phone is for the confirmation call, email for the written confirmation and the report.

8. Property address and ZIP

ZIP first if you want to check the service area early. Nothing frustrates a homeowner more than answering ten questions and then learning you don't serve their area. An address also lets your inspector plan routes.

9. How soon would you like someone to look?

Options: as soon as possible, within 2 weeks, within a month, just researching.

This is the homeowner's own urgency, which is different from technical urgency. Use both. "Just researching" leads are still valuable for email follow-up and can become jobs months later.

10. Optional: a photo of the crack or water

A photo is the single most useful thing for an inspector preparing for a visit. Make it optional so it never blocks a booking, and make it easy from a phone.

Questions worth asking at the inspection instead

Some things are better handled in person or need context a form can't give: whether the house is under contract to sell, any previous foundation work or warranties, prior engineer reports, how the gutters and grading look, and the homeowner's budget and financing needs. Asking these too early makes intake longer and loses people.

How to use the answers

• Prioritize the schedule. For example: water present now, or horizontal cracks with sticking doors, go to the front of the line. Hairline cracks with no other symptoms can take the next open slot.
• Assign the right person. Waterproofing versus structural, residential versus commercial.
• Prepare the inspector. They read the notes and photo before arriving, and the homeowner feels heard because they don't have to repeat everything.
• Follow up on "just researching." Send a helpful email with your inspection details and reviews.

Making it consistent

The hard part isn't writing the questions; it's getting them asked every time, by whoever picks up, at any hour. Options include a printed script by the office phone, a structured form on your website, your answering service's script, or a chat assistant.

InspectionBooked asks this exact sequence on your website, around the clock, with tap-to-answer buttons and photo upload, then sends the homeowner to your booking page. Every lead arrives with the answers attached. The questions are configurable, and the assistant is instructed never to diagnose or quote prices. Try it free for 14 days, or read about what missed and after-hours leads cost you.