Our standard
A guide is ready to publish only when it answers the reader's question better than the pages that already rank for it. In practice that means a clear verdict, the measurements behind it, at least one useful table, and a cost range with what the price includes. If a page cannot add something new, we don't publish it.
Step 1: Start from real questions
Every guide begins with what homeowners actually ask. We study live search results, the "People also ask" questions Google shows, and homeowner threads on Reddit, Quora and specialist forums. Those questions shape the headings and the FAQ section of each page.
Step 2: Use primary sources
Numbers come from primary sources wherever they exist, not from other blogs. The sources we rely on most are:
| Area | Examples of sources |
|---|---|
| Building codes | International Residential Code (IRC), International Building Code (IBC), National Building Code of Canada |
| Concrete and masonry | American Concrete Institute (ACI) guidance, manufacturer technical data sheets |
| Moisture and mold | US EPA, US Department of Energy, Building Science research |
| Flooding | FEMA, CMHC and Natural Resources Canada, municipal programs |
| UK | BRE Digest 251 crack categories, NHBC Standards, Property Care Association |
| Australia | AS 2870 (residential slabs and footings), state building authorities |
Where possible, each fact is checked against a source published or reviewed in the last 24 months. Sources are listed at the end of every guide.
Step 3: Engineer review
Every guide is checked by Rebecca Scherzinger, PE, our licensed geotechnical engineer, before it goes live. The review covers the thresholds, the verdicts, the repair advice and the cost ranges. A verdict of "Call an engineer" is used whenever a problem could affect the structure and cannot be judged safely without seeing it.
Step 4: How we build cost ranges
Cost tables show a low, typical and high range rather than one number, because real prices depend on access, soil, region and the extent of the damage. We build ranges from published cost data and name the source and its date beside the figures, so you can check them. Prices are in US dollars unless a guide says otherwise.
Dates and updates
Every guide shows when it was published and when it was last updated. We change the "last updated" date only when the content changes in a meaningful way, such as a new standard, a revised price range or a corrected fact. We never change a date just to make a page look fresh. Cost tables are reviewed at least every six months.
Corrections
If we get something wrong, we fix it. Confirmed factual errors are corrected promptly, and significant corrections are noted at the end of the guide. You can report an error through our contact page.
Independence and advertising
- We don't accept payment from repair contractors, and we don't sell reader details as leads.
- Advertisers have no say over what a guide says, and ads never appear inside a verdict box or cost table.
- Product links are labeled. We only link to a product when a guide explains why it is useful, such as a hygrometer for checking humidity.
Our advertising disclosure explains how the site is funded.
Use of software tools
We may use software, including AI writing and research tools, to help gather sources, organize research or draft text. Every published page is checked, edited and approved by our engineer, who is responsible for its accuracy. We don't publish text that has not been reviewed.
Originality
Every guide is written in our own words, and every diagram is our own. We don't copy text or images from other sites. Quoted standards are credited to their source.
Want to see the result? Our independent foundation and moisture guidance starts on the homepage.