As discovered by Ed Witzke,
Author of The Complete Home Inspection Guide, President of Witco
Building Inspection Services Ltd., and part-time instructor on home and
condominium inspections at local educational institutions.
1. Drainage and soil failures on the properly and below grade, due to
poor surface grading and inadequate soil in-fill, causing footings from
house and deck to shift or move.
2.
Concrete foundation leaks in basements and crawlspaces through faulty
perimeter drainage, cracks, lack of waterproofing and damp proofing, tie
holes, honeycombed concrete. Concrete footings have failed due to
inadequate footing design within the soil. Settlement of concrete
slabs.
3. Walking surface failures found over concrete sidewalks, patios, decks
and interior flooring that slope toward the house. Decks/balconies that
pond water and flooring surfaces that debond. Tiles that crack. Use of
wrong glue, grout and subfloor sheathing materials. Floor ridging as a
result of excessively crowned up or crowned down joists.
4. Framing problems. Too much scrap wood or bad lumber used. Deflection,
shrinkage and settlement movements. Use of crooked or mixed grade of
lumber Excessive moisture content in wood. Squeaking and loose stairs and
flooring. Bows in floors, walls and ceilings. Sparse nailing, gluing or
screwing. Cracked or broken trusses/rafters. Compression of top plate of
trusses resulting in wavy ceiling surfaces, missing hangers. Curved stairs
wall cracks because nails are used instead of glue.
5. Exterior cladding leaks from various joints, seams, connections and
corners into house. Inappropriate number of coats of paint or stucco
applied. Buckling vinyl siding. No use or inadequate use of building paper
under some applications when house was built.
6. Interior finish wall and ceiling failures resulting in sagging
ceilings, bowing walls, cracks, seam separations, poor corner beads,
discolored surfaces at taping joints.
7. Acoustic proofing is not thought through carefully. One can hear
everything from interior - mechanical sounds from the furnace, boiler, and
electric motor sounds from ventilation fans. Sounds transmitted through
flooring systems from creaking plumbing pipes, drains. People activity,
outside/inside neighboring sounds being transmitted through windows, doors
and walls.
8. Mechanical and natural ventilation failures resulting in an increase of
airborne pollutants. Mechanical fan failure in kitchens and bathrooms.
Stale air and odors. Improper venting in concealed areas like decks,
attics, vaulted ceilings, resulting in wood rot.
9. Heating systems either oversized or undersized. Heating ducts and
plenums with many elbows, connections and joints. Hot water systems and
boilers improperly engineered with no proper heat loss calculations made
on the house.
10.
Flashing/sealants, caulking membranes (solid or liquid) used in wrong
locations and not properly applied. Premature deterioration. Some sealants
and caulking used to cover up poor workmanship or prevention of water
seepage into the structure due to poor design, detail and construction.
Flashing of thin gauge material inadequately secured, placed and designed
to allow water to seep into the structure rather than away from it. Indoor
sealants or caulking used for outdoor purposes. Incompatible materials.
11. Windows skylights allow leakage into structure. Improper installation
and inadequate use of building paper around openings when house is built
resulting in leakage and wood rot within the structure. Water leaking
through window frame joints and seams.
12. Insulation placed over fresh air attic soffit vents resulting in
severe condensation problems resulting in rapid deterioration of some
structural components. Missing insulation around skylight shafts at
corners of exterior walls and where interior walls meet exterior ones.
Missing or little insulation under bay window floors or in areas that
cantilever out from the house.
13. Roof and gutter failure. Inappropriate roofing installations for
layout of framing. Many valleys and dormers causing unnecessary leaks into
attic. Thin gauge gutter material with many joints and connections that
leak, non-draining gutters. Gutters that fall off due to few hangers used.
Built in gutters that also do not drain and leak at the seams. Roofs not
providing enough overhang to protect exterior walls and windows from water
seepage.
14. Contractors or trades people not understanding good construction
practices, workmanship, craftsmanship and detailed work. More attention is
paid to speed in getting things done. Emphasis on a cheap price rather
than quality. Wrong products used for wrong purpose and location.
Contractors are not members of professional trade organizations or
associations. They do not write exams for their certificate programs. Bad
product selection, surface preparation and method of application.
