Foundation Insurance: What’s Covered and What’s Not

When it comes to your home, nothing is more critical than the foundation, the structural base that supports your entire house and transfers loads to the ground. Also known as home base, it’s the one part you can’t afford to ignore — and the one most insurance policies treat with strict limits. Most people assume their homeowners insurance, a standard policy that protects against fire, theft, and certain types of property damage will cover foundation problems. But that’s not always true. In fact, many common causes of foundation damage — like settling, poor drainage, or gradual soil movement — are explicitly excluded. Only sudden, accidental events like a tree falling on your house or a burst pipe causing underground erosion might trigger coverage.

That’s why understanding the line between structural damage, any harm to load-bearing parts of a building that affects safety or stability and normal wear and tear is crucial. If your foundation cracks because the soil dried out over months, that’s maintenance. If a landslide tears it apart overnight, that’s a claim. Insurance companies look at cause, not just effect. They also watch for signs of neglect — like ignoring drainage issues for years — and use that to deny claims. Even if you have a policy that technically covers "sudden and accidental" damage, proving it was sudden can be hard without photos, inspection reports, or weather records.

And then there’s the cost. Foundation repair isn’t cheap. Methods like underpinning or helical piers can run into tens of thousands of dollars. If your policy doesn’t cover it, you’re on your own. That’s why some homeowners buy separate foundation repair, specialized work to stabilize or restore a home’s base structure after damage riders — but they’re rare and often come with high deductibles. You’ll also need to know how to file a claim properly: document everything, get a professional inspection, and don’t delay. Insurance adjusters spot rushed repairs and red flags fast.

What you’ll find below is a collection of real-world guides that cut through the noise. From how to spot a bad foundation crack before it turns into a disaster, to whether you can fix it yourself, to what seasonal timing affects repair costs — these posts give you the facts you need. You’ll also see how foundation repair impacts your home’s resale value, why some repairs cost more than others, and how insurance policies really work when the ground beneath your house starts to shift. No fluff. No jargon. Just what actually matters when your foundation’s on the line.