Home Inspection - 12 common Areas of Defects

The Barrie Home Inspector discusses the twelve most tasteless items found during a home inspection. These are items that are commonly found during a home inspection but are listed in any order of importance.

1. Lot and Roof Drainage

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Keeping water out of your house in one of the most prominent areas to be determined in building make and each year maintenance checklists. Eave troughs collect large amounts of water, midpoint is 160 gallons per hour, which is then directed down to ground level to be dispersed. This is where most systems have problems, from missing extensions to reversed splash pads, and it is prominent to ensure all water is directed away from your home. I have surely come over homes where the sump pump was pumping water out into the face angle of the house where the water ran right back down the foundation to be re-cycled again. Areas around foundations are prone to settling and should be built back up to ensure that any water will flow away from home.

2. Foundations

The former function of the foundation is to change the load of your house unto your footings. Water can enter your home through cracks and holes in your foundation. Cement block foundations are required to be parged and then coated with damp proofing stock to prevent this. Poured concrete foundations are required to have form holes sealed to prevent water entry. Minor cracks in foundations can be attributed to settlement of building or shrinkage cracks which would appear in poured concrete foundations. Any crack in your foundation is a possible source of water entry into your basement. If your area has excellent drainage and face water is not an issue then sealing your cracks yourself could be an option, if not then a pro will seal poured concrete cracks using injected foam or epoxy for around 3 to 600 dollars. Sealing with epoxy will make the cracked area stronger than surrounding untouched area. Horizontal cracks in basements are stress cracks and ordinarily should be inspected by engineer to ensure safety of the home.

3. Cladding

There are many types of cladding used in homes today, we are going to discuss brick veneer and vinyl siding, the most tasteless types of cladding used in new homes in Barrie, On.

Brick - There are two tasteless types of brick in use today, clay and cement bricks, clay being the most expensive and more durable of the two. The most tasteless defects in brick are caused by poor workmanship and settling of the house or foundation. Checking the brick work for cracks in mortar is very prominent part of your home inspection. Seeing cracks prior to moisture and frozen damage occurring can drastically sell out the number of work required to repair problem. Corbelled brick corners are an area where cracked mortar is very tasteless but is an easy fix. Step cracks ordinarily indicate a structural type qoute is gift and deeper investigation is required. Home owners can cause damage to bricks by building planters which allow soil to experience brick, this will consequent in spalling of brick face and at last the brick will crumble and want replacement.

Vinyl Siding - This stock has proven to be an enchanting and low maintenance alternative to brick. If not properly installed vinyl siding can come loose which will make it very susceptible to damage. Properly installed siding has to be able to expand and covenant without warping, this is done by not hammering in nails tightly and the fastening slot will allow siding to expand and covenant with changing temperatures. Washing your vinyl siding spring and fall is also a good idea as this will help prevent staining from air borne contaminants. Vinyl siding is susceptible to cracking, especially in winter months when cold temperatures can make it highly brittle.

4. Windows

Windows come in all sizes and shapes with many different types of chance models. We are going to incorporate on mainly the casement style window, as this is the type of window, which commonly has defects. Casement windows commonly have problems with the cranking mechanism. Stripped windows cranks are commonly found on windows in children's bedrooms and are mainly due to the fact that in the winter these windows tend to frost up and then when the crank is operated, a stripped mechanism results.

Broken seals in thermal units are another tasteless blemish found in windows. Windows around 15 years, and older, are ordinarily found to have problems with leaking thermal units. There is a process that involves inserting tiny one-way vents into these units which can eliminate the moisture qoute and save you money. The "R" value of windows is not so high that this procedure would create a huge heat loss.

Then there is the tasteless defects in windows, which can include, no caulking, cracked glass panes, improperly trims, sagging headers above windows, want painting and last but not least cracked or rotting wood.

5. Roof

We are going to incorporate on asphalt or fibreglass shingles as this is by far the most tasteless type of stock used in new homes today. Shingles can last everywhere from 15 to 25 years depending on potential of stock and environment that they endure. Shingles on south side of home ordinarily fail first due to greater exposure to sun and Uv radiation. Proper venting is a very prominent factor that can greatly work on the life of your shingles. building code requires 1 quadrilateral foot of vents for every 300 quadrilateral foot of roof. Ensuring enough venting is prominent part of home inspection, a lot of homes have inadequate soffit venting due to insulation preventing continuous movement of air. This allows moisture and heat to build up in your attic and will dramatically sell out life of shingles. Inspecting flashing, valleys, skylights, vents and eave trough are another prominent factor of your home inspection. Ensure your inspector has a ladder and walks your roof if he is able.

6. Furnace / Air Conditioning

Furnaces have an estimated life span of 15 to 20 years and this can vary greatly with maintenance being the biggest factor in extending life of your furnace. Your furnace cannot have any holes, be rusted through in any area and must be hooked up to an popular ,favorite venting system. If linked to a "B" vent, a one-inch clearance must be maintained from combustibles, which also includes insulation. Check your flame color, yellow flames indicate incomplete combustion which may be fixed with a easy tune up from your furnace technician. Many furnaces have no cap for filter cover which allows for both heat and cold air to leave into your basement. Your Hvac duct should be taped using metallic duct tape to block any areas where air is escaping from your system. Humidifiers are a tasteless cause of water source for damaging furnaces; they come to be clogged and overflow allowing water to enter body of furnace causing premature failure of unit.

Central air conditioners are essentially a sealed unit. Using a climatic characteristic gauge can rule if unit is operating at a level that is acceptable. I use 58 degrees F as a bench mark in testing in hot weather. This ensures that unit will avow your home at a comfortable temperature. All lines and insulation are checked for any damage or required replacement.

7. Electrical

The number one concern for homeowners and guarnatee associates is aluminum wiring. Installed in the early seventies as a substitute for high price copper, aluminum has generated a lot of negative press, some maybe not deserved. Knowledge of aluminum wire is required to be disclosed by the home seller. Consequently some habitancy are creatively hiding aluminum wiring. This might involve installing wire so insulation covers all exposed wire and running copper from main panel to junction boxes where it is linked to the existing aluminum wire.

Adding pony panels, which Proper and recommended, is a great way of addition your main panels resources. I came over one pony panel, full sized 100 amp, which was powered off contribute cables in switch box. This panel was noted in listing as an asset! There are a myriad of minor electrical problems to be checked in your home. another main panel notice is that many habitancy rather than add a breaker just attach two or more wires to an existing breaker, this is a not permitted and is a possible fire risk. Open junction boxes, missing covers, wiring contacting heat ducts and un-supported wiring are tasteless defects noted on majority of inspections.

8. Plumbing

The other half of the keeping water away from your house equation is your interior plumbing system. Lack of caulking and sub-standard products or workmanship is also a big offender when it comes to keeping your house dry. Galvanized pipe is another item that guarnatee associates may be involved about. Galvanized pipe tends to corrode from the inside out leaving no graphic signs of impending failure, which tends to make guarnatee associates a small nervous about insuring homes with galvanized plumbing.

9. Insulation

Homes today have a much higher insulation R-value than older models, the proper for your attic insulation is R-32. Coupled with vapor barriers this is a very prominent part of your homes building envelope. Many homes have lots of insulation but it has been compromised by workmen installing products such as pot lights and never remedied. The un-suspecting homeowner never realizes the loss of heat and release of moisture that is taking place. I have inspected homes where there has been sun rooms added on and for two or more years that unblemished area has not had any insulation.

Vermiculite insulation is receiving a lot of attention due to asbestos hazard. Most vermiculite was produced from Libby mine in Montana and contains asbestos. There is some type of vermiculite that has no asbestos risk, which can only be determined by laboratory testing. Homeowners are obligated to disclose any vermiculite insulation that they know of. This is another area where your home inspector can help and perhaps save you a lot of money and headaches.

10. Mould or Mold

We are addressing both Canadian and American mould or mold problems, eh!

Mold has been a inspection headliner for quite a number of years. Mold is gift everywhere, outside, in your home and sometimes even in the wood you are building with. Moud requires three items to grow, they are; warm environment, protein contribute (paper on drywall will do) and moisture. As you can see if you have any water or moisture problems in your home for any length of time then you probably have mold somewhere in your home. That is why it is so prominent to keep water out of your home and control the water you do have in your home by the Proper use of exhaust vents, Hrv units and humidity control.

11. Structural

The structural component of your home includes all the items that contain the supporting elements of your home, which contain but are small to; footings, floors, foundation, walls, columns and piers and roofing system. Visual inspection involves Seeing for cracks, missing supports, under-sized preserve construction, twisted or cracked beams, joists, rafters, trusses or preserve members. Think your buildings as the face and interior framework that encompasses your home. Defects in this system can be determined serious and should not be taken lightly as you whole home depends on this system.

12. Miscellaneous

Here is a quick list of some of the items that I have come over that might not have been discussed above:

Septic tanks - Water pooling at the end of your bed or signs of effluent leaking are sure signs that you have some kind or septic bed problem. Buyer beware!
Chimney - Masonry chimneys can be visually ok but not popular ,favorite for type of appliance you are using. Wood stoves and fireplaces ordinarily want Wett cert for insurance.
Caulking - Any two different surfaces that are exposed to weather should be caulked. For example your window and siding should always be caulked.
Trees - Ensure there are no dead trees on asset that might damage your house or any of your neighbor's property. Also trim branches away from any siding or roofing product.
Concrete Steps - Must be either cantilevered or on frost footing.
Handrails - Required to be 900 mm high in most face applications.
Decks - If over 23 5/8 inches (600mm) from ground are required to have guards & handrails.
Basement Bedrooms - Required to have detach exit on same level or window that is minimum area of 0.35 M2 with no size being less than 15 inches (380 mm).
Bathrooms - shall have either exhaust fan or chance window.
Hot Water Heater - safety Pressure valve shall have vent directing blow-off to floor.
Garages - Required to have fume barricade and auto door closure if interior door installed.

These are just some of the tasteless types of defects encountered during a residential home inspection, there are thousands of items that could perhaps be identified.

Brought to you by Barrie Home Inspector

Home Inspection - 12 common Areas of Defects

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