5 Common Defects Found During Home Inspection

As a home inspector, we come across a lot of the same issues.  I wanted to share 5 common defects found during a home inspection.  Some of these issues could have been easily prevented with education.  Others can be fixed before they cause damage and cause costly repairs.  Let’s take a look at the 5 common defects found during a home inspection and how to fix or prevent them.

Defect #1:  Foundation Clearance to Grade

The soil around your home’s perimeter should be a minimum of 6″ below brick and 8″ below siding or stucco.  This clearance is there to prevent water from intruding during heavy rain.  It also helps water from splashing up and soaking into the siding.   Sometimes planters or gardens are installed against a homes brick or siding.  This can lead to water infiltration and cause damage to siding, sill plate, rim and floor joist, and drywall.  Make sure the grading slopes away form your home, it should slope 6″ in the first 10′.

Defect #2:  Attic Ventilation

Attics should be ventilated.  This is to guard against moisture build-up and mold formation.  It also extends the life of the roof covering.  Many times exhaust fans are not vented to the exterior of the home like they should be and are vented into the attic.  This adds moisture to the attic and can lead to a mold issue.  Proper attic ventilation can help prevent ice dams, too.  The best ventilation would be continuous ridge and soffit vents.

Defect #3:  Gutter and Downspout Placement

Gutters and downspouts carry water from the roof away from the foundation.  Downspouts should not drain onto lower roofs.  This can damage the roof and void manufacture’s warranty.   They should drain into a lower gutter or drain at least 6′ away from the home’s foundation.  These two tips will keep your basement dry and prevent damage to your roof.

 

 

Defect #4:  Structure Damaged Caused by Plumbing

Some times joist, studs, and foundations can be damaged when pipes are ran for plumbing. Lack of planning can lead to the home’s structure being modified without engineers approval.  Most of the times these issues can’t be seen, that is why a phase inspection is recommended during the construction.

Defect #5:  Lack of GFCI

Over the years the requirement for GFCI’s in your home have changed.  Most homes are not up to the current safety standards.  GFCI’s are required in garages, bathrooms, kitchens, exterior receptacles, swimming pools, wet bar, crawlspaces, and laundry areas.  If your home’s electrical system has not been updated with GFCI’s, we highly recommend it.

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Attached Garage Fire Hazards

by Nick Gromicko, CMI® and Kenton Shepard
This article is about attached garage fire hazards and the purpose of this article is two fold. First, at InterNACHI, we’d like you to take measures to keep your attached garage free from fire. Fortunately, there are ways these hazards can be reduced, some of which are described below. Secondly, garage fires do happen, and we’d like you to make sure that a fire cannot not easily spread to the rest of your house. While you can perform many of the recommendations in this article yourself, it is a good idea to hire an InterNACHI inspector to make sure your home is safe from attached garage fire.

Why do many garages pose a fire hazard?

  • Where are you most likely to do any welding, or any work on your car? These activities require working with all sorts of flammable materials.
  • Water heaters and boilers are usually stored in garages, and they can create sparks that may ignite fumes or fluids. Car batteries, too, will spark under certain conditions.
  • Oil and gasoline can drip from cars. These fluids may collect unnoticed and eventually ignite, given the proper conditions.
  • Flammable liquids, such as gasoline, motor oil and paint are commonly stored in garages. Some other examples are brake fluid, varnish, paint thinner and lighter fluid.

The following tips can help prevent garage fires and their spread:

  • If the garage allows access to the attic, make sure a hatch covers this access.
  • The walls and ceiling should be fire-rated. Unfortunately, it will be difficult for untrained homeowners to tell if their walls are Type X fire-rated gypsum. An InterNACHI inspector can examine the walls and ceiling to make sure they are adequate fire barriers.
  • The floor should be clear of clutter. Loose papers, matches, oily rags, and other potentially  flammable items are extremely dangerous if they are strewn about the garage floor.
  • Use light bulbs with the proper wattage, and do not overload electrical outlets.
  • Tape down all cords and wires so they are not twisted or accidentally yanked.

If there is a door that connects the garage to the living area, consider the following:

  • Do not install a pet door in the door! Flames can more easily spread into the living area through a pet door, especially if it’s made of plastic.
  • Does the door have a window? An InterNACHI inspector can inspect the window to tell if it’s fire-rated.
  • The door should be self-closing. While it may be inconvenient, especially while carrying groceries into the house from the car, doors should be self-closing. You never know when a fire will happen, and it would be unfortunate to accidentally leave the door open while a fire is starting in the garage.
  • Check the joints and open spaces around the door. Are they tightly sealed? Any openings at all can allow dangerous fumes, such as carbon monoxide or gasoline vapor, to enter the living area. An InterNACHI inspector can recommend ways to seal the door so that fumes cannot enter the living area.

Concerning items placed on the floor, you should check for the following:

  • Store your flammable liquids in clearly labeled, self-closing containers, and only in small amounts. Keep them away from heaters, appliances, pilot lights and other sources of heat or flame.
  • Never store propane tanks indoors. If they catch fire, they can explode. Propane tanks are sturdy enough to be stored outdoors.
In summary, there are plenty of things that you can do to prevent garage fires from spreading to the rest of the house, or to keep them from starting in the first place. However, it is highly recommended that you have your garage periodically examined by an InterNACHI inspector.
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