Roof runoff saturated one foundation corner
A short downspout repeatedly loaded the same soil zone.
↓House Autopsy · site-water-and-drainage
The basement powder that was a water map
White salts marked the evaporation edge of rainwater moving through masonry rather than biological growth.
Trigger conditionheavy rain
Four layers, one connected story.
Moisture moved through porous masonry
Dissolved salts travelled toward the drying surface.
↓Crystals formed at the evaporation front
The height and distribution changed after storms.
↓Drainage correction reduced new deposits
Cleaning alone had not changed the cause; redirecting water did.
Canonical connection
The symptom and cause are separate objects.
The autopsy preserves how evidence connected them without collapsing uncertainty into one magic answer.
White salts marked the evaporation edge of rainwater moving through masonry rather than biological growth.
The visible symptom was the final chapter
The investigation followed the source, transport path, affected material and verification step separately.
What changed the direction
Timing and location evidence ruled out attractive but weaker explanations before repair work began.
The durable lesson
Repair the controlling source and then verify the outcome under the conditions that previously triggered the symptom.
Source→Path→Damage→Verify
