Foundations crack, doors get out of square, floors can be built out of level and drywall cracks. Normal stuff. What you need to look for is a pattern that ties these things together. Spend time carefully looking at conditions to see if they appear to relate to each other. If you have doubts or suspect trouble then refer your client to an engineer's evaluation. Nothing wrong with telling your client that you're not sure of a condition and that further follow up is just being on the safe side. They will appreciate your honesty.

One other thought. Try to stay away from saying it's a foundation problem - that's an engineering analysis that you don't want to be a part of. A foundation problem could be due to a soil problem. Sometimes steering a client towards a cause can be very bad for the inspector if he turns out to be wrong. Put that burden on someone else.

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Eric Barker
Moraine Woods Consulting, Inc.
Barrington, IL