Inspection: looking at the exterior
In the course of doing my real estate business, I have worked with lots of different home inspectors. Today, I introduce James Morrison. His father, Allan Morrison was also a home inspector, so Jim comes by it honestly... Morrison’s slogan is “Each house tells a story. We write 'em down.”
Today, Jim writes on home exteriors:
A home inspector’s job is to diagnose and document major problems in houses. Most of the time, the people who live in these houses are unaware that the problems exist, making our job more difficult. It’s analogous to a physician trying to diagnose an illness in a patient who has no complaints. You have to look closely to pick up on the symptoms and exercise judgment based on your experience in order to figure each puzzle out. It’s even harder for the average person to recognize signs of trouble. Whether you are looking to purchase a new house or you’re just trying to maintain the house you live in, here are some things you can look for to flesh out potential problems that are not always apparent.Here’s three tips I picked up during my first year in the house I lived in two houses ago: 1) That long circular driveway that I thought would be great when we have parties seemed twice as big when it came time to shovel! 2) For every minute I spent in the nice weather playing fetch with my black lab in that enormous back yard, I spent an hour marching behind a lawnmower, and who do you think is going to do all that raking? 3) Apple trees add a lot to the landscape, picking apples up off the ground before mowing the lawn each week does not. Keep all seasons in mind when looking at the yard.
Most of the time you won’t be able to see the roofing material up close, but you should ask the owners if they know how old it is. Most homes in our area have asphalt shingles on their roofs which can be expected to last a total of about 20 years. If you are able to see the shingles up close, check the south and west facing exposures because they wear out sooner due to increased exposure to the sun. Some signs that a roof may need to be replaced include: loss of shingle grit in the spaces between the tabs, curling, cracking, and missing shingles.
Look at the house from a short distance at all angles. Do all of the lines appear straight? Does the roof’s ridge sag? Does the house look like its leaning significantly to one direction or another? Some settling should be expected, particularly in older homes, but if it is appreciably more than the settlements you’ve seen in other homes of similar age, it could mean there is a structural problem.
Make sure you spend some time looking at the porches and stairs, too. Many homeowners try to save some money by building their own deck, and end up creating hazards in the process. Some of the more obvious problems include: decay to the house just beneath where the deck attaches to it, due to a lack of flashing between the house and the deck, missing or insufficient railings, lack of footings beneath the columns supporting the deck, and missing joist hangers at the flush framed joist connections. Bounce up and down on the deck, if it deflects noticeably, it should be reinforced. If there is a lot of decay in the deck, then it is probably constructed of untreated wood and it will continue to decay and have to be completely replaced soon.
The grade of the soil around the house should be pitched so water drains away from the foundation. You should also check the yard for areas that look like they get unusually wet in the spring. Tree limbs should not be touching or overhanging the house and any trees that appear ill should be removed before they fall and cause personal or property damage.
If there are no gutters on the house, you will want to have some installed. Proper installation and maintenance of rain gutters, coupled with a yard that slopes away from the house is paramount to preventing moisture problems. One sign that the area around the house is too damp is mildew growth on the siding (particularly on the North facing side) Mildew will continue to flourish where relative humidity in above 40%, so it is very important to keep the area around the house as light and dry as possible to retard the recurrence of mildew. When the house is next repainted (or stained), a mildewcide additive can be mixed in the paint (or stain) to help the problem. Signs of past or current moisture in the basement include: a musty smell, efflorescence (salts) on the foundation walls, corrosion on the bottoms of steel columns, mildew, mustiness, staining on anything resting on the floor, and the presence of a sump pump.
Today, let’s talk about home inspectors. Did your home inspection help you anticipate what care your house would need?
Also, what exterior problems do you see that Jim didn’t write about today?
