Tools For Inspecting Your Home Or One You May Want To Buy

Evaluate driveway safety, select proper materials, and ensure drainage and compaction, using expansion joints, correct slope, and water management to prevent cracking.

Design a safe, accessible walkway with at least 36-inch width, low transition, dirt prep, a slope draining water away from the house, proper expansion joints, and caulk at the connection.

Evaluate fencing for subdivision covenants and material options from chain link to cedar. Note pool, spa, and hot tub fencing rules, gate swings, alarm doors, and engineering needs for walls.

Learn grading essentials to protect your home by directing water away from the house with swales and drainage structures, and keep shrubs at least three feet back.

Master grading and drainage to keep water away from foundations, using swales, proper downspouts, and footing drains, while managing trees to prevent basement leaks and structural damage.

Set curb-to-house elevations with a two percent grade from the curb to the driveway and include expansion joints, while assessing drainage, swales, and surveys to prevent cracking.

Explore porches, balconies, decks, and landings; learn guardrails when a landing exceeds 30 inches, 36x36 inch minimums, and riser and nosing rules.

Identify common patio problems, including improper fall away, drainage issues, lack of footing under upper floors, and rot from concrete contact, and the need for underpinning to prevent damage.

Inspect decks for safety by checking critical connections, ledgers, rails, and posts; watch five warning signs: missing or loose connections, corrosion, rotted wood, and large cracks, and follow current codes.

Grab a field inspection form and practice inspecting a home, carrying tools like a flashlight, level, tape measure, moisture meter, and binoculars to identify drainage issues and symptoms.

explore wood siding options for exterior walls, from bevelled and tongue-and-groove to shiplap and channel, plus maintenance, moisture control with a vapor barrier, and six-inch dirt clearance for longevity.

Inspect brickwork and drainage features like wall ties, flashing, and vapor barriers; ensure proper air gaps and water drainage to prevent cracks, movement, and moisture intrusion.

Learn to replace brick around openings with pyramid brick-up techniques, clean and mortar joints with a trowel, and install a weatherproof veneer with flashing, lintels, and brick ties.

Compare concrete board and vinyl siding, exploring hardi plank, durability, and paint adhesion. Learn proper installation, flashing, and maintenance to prevent water damage and costly repairs.

Discover OSB, or oriented strand board, panels made from glued wood chips layered at angles. Assess installation with vapor barriers or house wrap and edge checking failures impact siding durability.

Explore exterior insulation finish system (EIFS) risks, including water intrusion and moisture damage from poor installation around windows and doors, proper weep channels, 6 inch clearance, maintenance, and remediation.

Explore stucco as a durable exterior wall finish applied in three coats over metal lath, including scratch, brown, and finish coats, thickness, drying times, joints, and texture options.

Explore window types from single to triple glazed with vacuum or gas fills and low-e coatings, and learn how flashing and house wrap support cross ventilation to prevent moisture intrusion.

Learn the importance of properly sizing and installing gutters and downspouts, compare 5-inch and 6-inch systems, ensure correct pitch, placement, and maintenance to protect foundations.

Explore cost-effective roofing with asphalt shingles, compare alternatives like copper or tile, and learn essential flashing, drip edge, and valley details to prevent leaks.

Inspect roof problems and perfect shingle installation with drip edge, exposure, and starter strips to keep the roof watertight; understand flashing, vent pipes, and aging shingles in the process.

Explore how chimney height, draft, caps, and flashing affect safe operation, and learn to inspect, maintain, and avoid hazards in chimneys and fireplaces.

Learn how garage safety hinges on proper separation from living spaces, fire-rated doors, self-closing mechanisms, correct ductwork, and code-compliant venting, with common inspection pitfalls.

Practice exterior inspections of windows, roofs, garages, and carports by visiting multiple houses from scratch to garages, using a pitch indicator, binoculars, tape measure, flashlight, and a mirror.