It is often in the mind of the buyer or home owner if there are defects and what is common to homes, should I be concerned about it, and what do I do about it. The North Carolina Home Inspection Licensing Board has taken care of the last two questions by defining accuracy in report writing and actually writing it into their standards of practice. The report should state: What is it? What’s wrong with it? Why is their concern? What is the next course of action? I will do a blog on this later to give you more detail. Let’s talk about common defects. We will start at the top of the house and go down and then describe mechanical and electrical defects.
Roofing
One of the most common things that I find in this area is no flashing in the valleys of roof or referred to in the codes as a change in roofing slope. Although the home inspection is a visible inspection, I will give you the code. 2012 NC Residential Code R903.2.1 Flashing in the valley is very important in northern climates because of ‘snow dams’ that allow water to back up under the shingles. Builders in this area have been able to get away with not having flashings because of the low snowfall. Also older southern building codes did not require valley flashing for this reason. Valleys in this area should be kept free of debris from trees for the same reason as snow dams. If there has been no water penetration into the home because of lack of valley flashings the common solution is to wait until the next roof replacement to add flashings.
It is also common to find some shingles that may need to be repaired due to aging or wear or improper installation around slope changes.
Attic
It is not unusual to find some staining in the attic of an older home that happened before the last roof repair. It is usually easy to determine if the stain is from an existing leak or a past leak. If visual observation fails, then a quick check with a moisture meter will help define the issue.
Ceilings
Staining on ceilings is also very similar to the attic. Sometimes the owner has not taken the time to repair paint damage from prior leaks. Again, if visual observation fails, then a moisture meter becomes handy. If the moisture meter does not give resolution, then the issue is deferred to a qualified specialist that may need to move construction materials to determine resolution.
Flooring
In slab homes it is very difficult to determine if there is a crack in the slab because of floor coverings. At times, I have actually walked a carpeted floor bare-foot to find if any large cracks exist. However, if there is suspicion, then the issue is deferred to a qualified specialist to remove floor coverings to assess. There will almost always be some spider cracks due to settling, but if there are many then the issue is deferred.
In the crawlspace, it is not unusual to see some floor staining. The most common cause that I have found is around toilets that are loose at the base resulting in leakage around the wax seal. Another common area is leaks around the drain for the bathtub.
Rotted wood is another common problem that can be found in floors around toilets and other drains from long term minor leakage.
Crawlspace and Basement
Water penetration in the crawlspace can be a common problem. Either from an improper installation of
the roof water drainage system or improper grading around the outside of the home.
In vented crawlspaces, there is typically some staining due to moisture condensation. This occurs
when you go from high humidity situations to cooler temperatures like during a summer thunder storm. This problem has been corrected in newer construction by using sealed crawlspaces with no outside vents.
Because of clays in this area that expand when moist, there is a lot of soil movement around the foundations of homes. This is particularly true during a period of long dry spell followed by a period of wet weather. The soil moves away and then returns putting excessive pressure on the foundation wall. If the cracks are excessive or any horizontal in nature then the issue is referred typically to a structural engineer. This is particularly of concern in tall basement walls with horizontal cracks (indication the wall is in emanate folding failure) which always get referred to a structural engineer.
Water intrusion into basements and crawlspace usually only can be corrected by drainage improvement.
Exterior
Rooted wood on the exterior is also not uncommon, especially in older homes. This typically comes form not keeping the exterior properly painted and sealed. Of course, lack of painting and sealing is another common defect that is found.
Water Heaters
Water heaters in homes that are in closets typically do not have a drain pain. This can cause damage to floor coverings and subfloors if the water heater leaks. There are also many issues with flues, gas piping, and plumbing that is faulty.
Plumbing
There is usually an assortment of minor plumbing issues that need to be addressed. Leaking sink valves, loose toilets, and improper drainage is typical.
Electrical
Lack of ground fault circuit interrupters in wet areas around sinks and outside. Also in older homes, outlets without grounds is also common. This happens when a two prong outlet has been replaced with a grounded outlet without connecting a ground.
Chimneys and Fireplaces
Dampers that do not work properly and creosote buildup inside the chimney are common.
Firewalls
In older townhomes and condos a lack of a proper firewall is common in the attic and garage because the need was not in building codes at the time.
Also the man door for the garage not being listed (labeled) as a fire door. It is virtually impossible during a visual inspection to determine if the door has a solid core. It there is no label, then the fire department and qualified door specialist will not validate the door as fire rated.
Doors and Windows
Failed seals are found on a regular basis and drainage openings around windows plugged from painting and caulking.
Also, doubled pane windows where the seal is broken. This causes fogging of the glass.
This is not an all included list, but should give you some idea of the common typical problems that are found during the visual home inspection.
Thanks for reading.
Mark
Roofing
One of the most common things that I find in this area is no flashing in the valleys of roof or referred to in the codes as a change in roofing slope. Although the home inspection is a visible inspection, I will give you the code. 2012 NC Residential Code R903.2.1 Flashing in the valley is very important in northern climates because of ‘snow dams’ that allow water to back up under the shingles. Builders in this area have been able to get away with not having flashings because of the low snowfall. Also older southern building codes did not require valley flashing for this reason. Valleys in this area should be kept free of debris from trees for the same reason as snow dams. If there has been no water penetration into the home because of lack of valley flashings the common solution is to wait until the next roof replacement to add flashings.
It is also common to find some shingles that may need to be repaired due to aging or wear or improper installation around slope changes.
Attic
It is not unusual to find some staining in the attic of an older home that happened before the last roof repair. It is usually easy to determine if the stain is from an existing leak or a past leak. If visual observation fails, then a quick check with a moisture meter will help define the issue.
Ceilings
Staining on ceilings is also very similar to the attic. Sometimes the owner has not taken the time to repair paint damage from prior leaks. Again, if visual observation fails, then a moisture meter becomes handy. If the moisture meter does not give resolution, then the issue is deferred to a qualified specialist that may need to move construction materials to determine resolution.
Flooring
In slab homes it is very difficult to determine if there is a crack in the slab because of floor coverings. At times, I have actually walked a carpeted floor bare-foot to find if any large cracks exist. However, if there is suspicion, then the issue is deferred to a qualified specialist to remove floor coverings to assess. There will almost always be some spider cracks due to settling, but if there are many then the issue is deferred.
In the crawlspace, it is not unusual to see some floor staining. The most common cause that I have found is around toilets that are loose at the base resulting in leakage around the wax seal. Another common area is leaks around the drain for the bathtub.
Rotted wood is another common problem that can be found in floors around toilets and other drains from long term minor leakage.
Crawlspace and Basement
Water penetration in the crawlspace can be a common problem. Either from an improper installation of
the roof water drainage system or improper grading around the outside of the home.
In vented crawlspaces, there is typically some staining due to moisture condensation. This occurs
when you go from high humidity situations to cooler temperatures like during a summer thunder storm. This problem has been corrected in newer construction by using sealed crawlspaces with no outside vents.
Because of clays in this area that expand when moist, there is a lot of soil movement around the foundations of homes. This is particularly true during a period of long dry spell followed by a period of wet weather. The soil moves away and then returns putting excessive pressure on the foundation wall. If the cracks are excessive or any horizontal in nature then the issue is referred typically to a structural engineer. This is particularly of concern in tall basement walls with horizontal cracks (indication the wall is in emanate folding failure) which always get referred to a structural engineer.
Water intrusion into basements and crawlspace usually only can be corrected by drainage improvement.
Exterior
Rooted wood on the exterior is also not uncommon, especially in older homes. This typically comes form not keeping the exterior properly painted and sealed. Of course, lack of painting and sealing is another common defect that is found.
Water Heaters
Water heaters in homes that are in closets typically do not have a drain pain. This can cause damage to floor coverings and subfloors if the water heater leaks. There are also many issues with flues, gas piping, and plumbing that is faulty.
Plumbing
There is usually an assortment of minor plumbing issues that need to be addressed. Leaking sink valves, loose toilets, and improper drainage is typical.
Electrical
Lack of ground fault circuit interrupters in wet areas around sinks and outside. Also in older homes, outlets without grounds is also common. This happens when a two prong outlet has been replaced with a grounded outlet without connecting a ground.
Chimneys and Fireplaces
Dampers that do not work properly and creosote buildup inside the chimney are common.
Firewalls
In older townhomes and condos a lack of a proper firewall is common in the attic and garage because the need was not in building codes at the time.
Also the man door for the garage not being listed (labeled) as a fire door. It is virtually impossible during a visual inspection to determine if the door has a solid core. It there is no label, then the fire department and qualified door specialist will not validate the door as fire rated.
Doors and Windows
Failed seals are found on a regular basis and drainage openings around windows plugged from painting and caulking.
Also, doubled pane windows where the seal is broken. This causes fogging of the glass.
This is not an all included list, but should give you some idea of the common typical problems that are found during the visual home inspection.
Thanks for reading.
Mark
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