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This
picture is weeds growing
out of soft Mexican brick. |
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When
we inspect walls (interior
and exterior) ; we look for the obvious
and the not
so obvious structural defects.
For example, items like deteriorated and dilapidated
siding; deteriorated trim
boards; etc.
Note:
To our knowledge most if not all
of the exterior sidings such as Louisiana
Pacific, Masonite, and the Hard
Board sidings are involved in major lawsuits. If
you home is covered with these
materials; you should try to get
as much information as possible. |
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On
newer home where siding is used Hardi-Plank
is the primary siding used. This is a very good
product. The primary problem we
find with Hardi-Plank products
is improper installation!
The nails
cannot be
overdriven.
(See photo). All nail heads in
Hardi-Plank siding; facia; and
trim should be snug to the
surface of the siding.
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installation of the product may
void the manufacturer's warranty
of it!
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Exterior
siding cannot have ground
contact. Hardi-Plank siding
requires a six (6") inch clearance
to ground contact. Wood based
and/or hardboard sidings require
eight (8") inch clearance
to ground contact. This are
manufacturer's installation
requirements! With today's
grading practices, this is very difficult
to achieve and may void the
manufacturer's warranties. |
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Brick
also can have installation
problems. The photo to the left
shows wood in an expansion
joint. Brick cannot expand
against a hard surface. The wood
should be removed from the
expansion joint; and Styrofoam
installed; and properly caulked. |
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The
photo to the left is the inside
of an exterior wall cavity. As you can see,
numerous wall ties (wall ties
secure the brick to the
structure) were not used. The
wall ties are there but were
not installed. The lack of
properly installed brick ties weakens the brick wall. |
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We
often find weep holes in brick
blocked by [brick] mortar. The weep
holes serve three functions. 1)
They let water out of the
wall; 2) they let air in to
keep the inside of the wall dry;
and 3) they depressurize the
wall. The mortar has to be
cleaned out from behind the
brick The only way the mortar
can be cleaned out is to remove
the brick. |
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All
manufacturers of exterior siding require
that a
vapor barrier be installed behind the
product, per their insulation
instructions . The lack of vapor
barriers can void
manufactures warranties! |
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Wood destroying insects
do a tremendous amount of damage
to wood structures. This type of
damage can be
difficult to find in a Limited
Visual Inspection as home
inspectors are not allowed to
perform destructive testing!
That is, actual tearing back of
sheetrock, carpet, etc. to show
the actual damage done. Note
the evidence of water
penetration. |
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Leaking
plumbing did major structural damage to the
wall in this bathroom. |
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This
is what I call disposable MDF baseboard.
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This
is all that is left of a wall
stud. Wood destroying insects (termites)
consumed the entire wall stud. |
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Limited
Visual Inspection: Walls (Interior &
Exterior):
Walls (Interior &
Exterior):
