New Groundworks survey finds confidence outpacing reality, as foundation repair demand surges more than 20% in the first five months of 2026

Most Americans don’t know how to evaluate the structural condition of the most expensive thing they own – and a growing number are finding out the hard way. Groundworks’ own field data shows foundation repair demand has surged more than 20% in just the first five months of 2026. Yet a new national survey commissioned by Groundworks finds that 86% of homeowners believe their home is structurally sound and 82% feel in full control of its long-term safety. More than a third can't verify either of those things — and most haven't tried.

That confidence is running headlong into a hard reality: the American home is aging. Nearly half of all U.S. homes were built before 1980, according to First American Data & Analytics covering roughly 161 million homes. Groundworks experts note that homes of this era are the ones where foundation problems most often begin to surface, as decades of soil movement, moisture cycles, and settling take their toll. An estimated 38.4 million homes built between the 1970s and 1990s are now entering their 40-year structural service window — the age at which the need for structural attention historically accelerates. America's housing stock is older than ever, and most homeowners have little sense of what that means for the place they live.

“A majority of people only think about their foundation once in their life — the moment it fails,” said Matt Malone, founder and executive chairman of Groundworks. “Our experts repair over 100,000 homes a year, and the difference between what homeowners believe and what's happening beneath them is bigger than anyone realizes. That’s the gap we exist to close.”

Confident on the Surface, Flying Blind Underneath

The survey doesn't just reveal a confidence gap — it reveals how dangerous that confidence has become. More than one in three (36%) homeowners admit they lack the knowledge or confidence to check for foundation or basement problems on their own. Most have no idea what they're not seeing, and when they finally do, the timing is rarely in their favor.

That’s because the most expensive home repair is often the one homeowners never planned for. While many Americans believe a major structural issue would be covered by insurance, some of the costliest forms of home damage — including foundation problems caused by soil movement, drought, and settling — may not be covered by standard homeowners insurance policies, depending on the cause of the damage and where they live. By the time warning signs appear, what started as an invisible problem has already become an expensive one — and most homeowners are left covering far more of the cost than they ever expected.

No Region is Off the Hook

The confidence gap doesn't respect geography, and the data makes that uncomfortably clear. In the Northeast, more than two-thirds of homes predate 1980 — the highest concentration in the country. Across the Midwest, the figure exceeds 61%, with near-universal basement construction in heartland states. Millions of homeowners are living directly above the problem. The South tells the most surprising story of all: with just 37% of homes predating 1980, it has the newest housing stock in the country — yet 39% of Southern homeowners have uncovered a structural problem worse or more costly than expected, the highest rate of any region.

“It’s not the age of the home that causes structural movement — it’s the soil beneath it,” said Jeffrey Martin, chief operating officer of Groundworks. “A newly built home and a century-old home can experience the exact same foundation issues when soil conditions change. The encouraging news is that these problems rarely appear overnight. In most cases, homeowners are given warning signs long before repairs become more extensive or costly — they just need to know what to look for.”

What Homeowners Can Do Now

Catching a foundation problem early is the difference between a small repair and a major one. Groundworks recommends homeowners watch for these early indicators:

• Wall and floor cracks: A crack in a floor or wall isn't cosmetic — it can be a signal the ground beneath your home is moving. If it grows, act immediately.
• Sticking doors and windows: When a door that used to close easily suddenly doesn't, the frame may not be the problem. The foundation could be.
• Gaps between floors and walls: These don't appear on their own. They may indicate active structural movement, which means every month they go unaddressed, the repair bill grows.
• Uneven floors: Floors that slope, bounce, or feel soft underfoot could mean the structure beneath them may already be compromised. This one doesn't get better on its own.

Don't wait for the problem to find you. Visit groundworks.com to learn more about how to protect your home.

Survey Methodology

Groundworks commissioned Atomik Research, part of 4media group, to conduct an online survey of 2,000 homeowners of single-family homes and townhomes throughout the United States. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. Fieldwork took place between May 27 and June 2, 2026. Regional subgroup data for the South reflects n=518 respondents (margin of error approximately plus or minus 4 percentage points). Property stock figures are drawn from first-party residential property records covering approximately 161 million U.S. homes.

About Groundworks

Groundworks is North America’s leading foundation repair and water management solutions company. Our mission is to protect, repair, and improve the customer’s greatest asset, their home, through superior engineered products, highly trained experts, and lifetime guarantees. As a nine-time recipient of Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies, and with over 80 offices across the U.S. and Canada, Groundworks’ combined brands have helped improve the lives of over one million homeowners. Learn more about Groundworks’ continued growth and success at www.Groundworks.com.

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