How’s my house? That’s the question for most people.

We can’t tell you, with any specificity, about your house. You’re not going to know for sure until you get to go back. Even then you won’t be entirely sure until you get your foundation inspected.

But here are some observations and generalizations based on a four-hour tour of Grand Forks on Thursday morning.

¤ A lot of houses that weren’t in the lowest areas but were near those areas might escape first-floor damage. We saw a lot of houses with watermarks halfway up the part of the foundation that’s visible.

¤ It makes a lot of difference in this flood whether the foundation is high. Houses set low on the foundation appeared to be in much more trouble. On the south side, this might mean, for example, that older homes might do better than newer ones, elevations being equal.

¤ Besides calling into question development practices next to the Red River, the flood might lead the city to question the construction of garden-level or below-ground apartments. At the Chateau Condominiums on the north end, for example, the lower-level units appeared to be full, while the ground-level units probably escaped damage. Similarly, west of Immanuel Lutheran Church on Cherry Street north of 17th Avenue South, it appears that water has damaged low-level apartments.

Here are some specific observations from some Grand Forks neighborhoods. The tour was taken on a five-ton truck with members of the National Guard. It concentrated on neighborhoods along the river but back from the worst flooding.

¤ On the west side, Parkwood Place looked to be in good shape, along with the rest of the medical complex and clinics in the area.

¤ There was a lot of water in the yard at the apartments southeast of the Columbia Road overpass.

¤ Both the cemeteries on North Columbia had water.

¤ Fat Albert’s on Gateway had water halfway up to the door handles, but next door, the water was only lapping at the bottom of Taco John’s. Farther down the streets, water was at the base of the door of Charlie Brown’s. Assuming that the water had fallen considerably, all three businesses probably took a lot of water.

¤ At the Simonson’s station next door, the pump islands were, in fact, islands.

¤ At Seward and North Third Street, water seemed to be flowing out of a storm sewer. There’s current in the Riverside area but closer to the river. As you move east in Riverside, the water deepens, but many houses had a fringe of yard showing.

¤ Down Conklin Street toward Lewis Boulevard, conditions worsened, but the height of houses may be decisive. At 1618 Lewis Blvd., there were a few courses of brickwork showing, but farther north, houses looked to be in worse shape. At 1501 Lewis Blvd., water was at the top step.

¤ Across Gateway Drive, houses along North Third Street, just across the street from a dike and the river, appeared to be in reasonable shape. A few had more than a fringe of yard showing. At North Third and Fifth Avenue North, the water appeared to have risen only to the second porch step on one house.

¤ The less said about downtown, the better. A measure of the height: Even the Chamber of Commerce building, set high in an old railroad depot, appeared to have taken water. The Federal Building was not damaged by fire.

¤ At Central High School, water was on the steps. At the southwest corner, four steps showed. At the west entrance, more showed. In the new addition, water was visible inside the lobby.

¤ At North Fifth Street and Fifth Avenue North, houses built low appeared to have taken water at the first floor.

¤ St. Michael’s Catholic Church will have water in the basement, as will the old Washington School building.

¤ The Knights of Columbus club on University Avenue was clearly hard hit.

¤ Basement apartments at the Presidential Arms on North Sixth Street will obviously be in big trouble, but the first floors should be OK. Across the street, the Social Security building has six courses of wet brick.

¤ At the Civic Auditorium, once a flood shelter, the water apparently had been at the top of the basement windows.

¤ Across from the police station, about 10 a.m., the new clock in the mini-park read 2:42.

¤ At the First Presbyterian Church at Belmont Road and Fifth Street South, the water line appeared to be below the door handle. Across Fifth, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church was in better shape. Across Belmont, the water was halfway up the pumps at Valley Dairy.

¤ On Reeves Drive, most of the big houses had soggy lawns. Some of the lower, ranch-style places clearly will have more problems.

¤ We’ve all seen the Lincoln Drive damage. Below Almonte and Plum, it looks awful. Above, some houses probably will be OK. It’s really hard to tell.

¤ At Reeves and Ninth Avenue South, most of the houses looked to be well above the water line.

¤ On Belmont Road farther south, where water still was flowing, yards looked soggy, but you could see ground.

¤ The stretches of Walnut and Chestnut south of 13th Avenue South have lots of damage, as has been obvious for several days. Even as far west as Walnut and 15th Avenue South, water lines were halfway up picture windows.

¤ On Cottonwood Street south of 15th Avenue South, several low-built houses probably had taken water on the first floor. Houses with higher foundations might be better off.

¤ The Grand Forks County Historical Society’s museum has two courses of concrete blocks showing beneath the boards.

¤ West of Belmont, the Olson-Elmwood area is another section in tough shape. But it’s possible that some homes are in decent shape, especially those closer to 32nd Avenue South.

¤ Farther south on Belmont, past 32nd Avenue South, the coulee is full to the bank, and some houses along it clearly have been lost. South of that along Belmont, the road rises some. In a couple of houses, generators were running.

¤ On Circle Hills, there’s a lot of variance as a result of drainage courses. Some of the curvilinear streets are bare, but a lot of houses low on the foundation have taken water on the first floor.

¤ On Chestnut between 32nd and 24th avenues south, most of the houses showed a lot of yard.

¤ On Cherry north of 24th, the street was full of water, but the houses looked to be in decent shape. The Grace Baptist Church had water showing on two courses of wet brickwork above ground. At Park Avenue, the water appeared deeper, and some of the one-story houses may well have had water on the first floor.

¤ Just south of 717 Cherry, a house burned.

¤ It looks like there’s a lot of water in the parking lot at Leever’s.

¤ Along South 12th Street, yards were completely uncovered. Four days ago, water had lapped at the foundations of the houses.

¤ At Lewis and Clark Elementary School, there will be lower-level damage. Two courses of brickwork were wet.

¤ All along the east side of South Washington, water is pounded along the frontage road and business property. That’s a result of the dike thrown up in the middle of the street.

Caveats for the reader

These observations come with big qualifiers, and here are two of them.

¤ You can’t tell from the outside of most houses whether floor joists are wicking moisture into the first floor and ruining wood and carpet. Again, you won’t know for sure until you get back home.

¤ The level of water in many residential areas of Grand Forks is falling. We saw places where the water had fallen a depth equal to six courses of brickwork and receded a few feet from the foundation. The recession seems more pronounced to the west. A National Guard escort said the approaches to the Columbia Road overpass had been covered Wednesday. They were mostly dry Thursday.