What to look for when buying a home. Exterior elements

Take a closer look before you purchase your next home!

When you look at a home there are several things that you should be aware.  In this article I will address some of the exterior elements around the home.  This is by no means an all inclusive list but will include many elements that are crucial when purchasing a home.  One of the first things to look at is the grade of the landscaping around the home.  Does everything slope away from the home.  Does the home sit higher than the street(s) around it?  If not then you have to ask yourself where does the water flow during a rain storm or  when the snow melts?  I have seen homes that are on sloped lots and the grading or the lots allows water to flow towards the home.  Some of these issues can be corrected with proper grading of the lot and the addition of retaining walls and drainage systems.  I have a neighbor whose home sits way below the grade of the land and every time it rained they had water coming in the back door.  He corrected the problem, but it was very expensive to do.  Save yourself a lot of head ache by looking at the lay of the land.  Another exterior element that can be very troublesome is when people allow the dirt and mulch from the flower beds to sit above the sill plate of the home.  You can see in the pictures below what I am talking about.

On the left side you can see where the soils should be and it
becomes unacceptable as it goes above the bottom of the wall.
You should have at least 2 inches of exposed footing below the
plate line.

This picture shows the mulch above the plate line.  This 

is not acceptable and is a place for termites and moisture to

enter the home and do damage.

I also see people that build garden boxes against their homes and this is not a good idea either as it is a clear path for termites to invade the structure.  

Another exterior element that you should look for are cracks in the concrete that have elevation changes in them.  This can be caused by expansive soils, tree roots, and water leaks.  These can be expensive issues to deal with as well as safety hazards.  Small cracks in concrete is usually normal, but watch for elevation changes and ask questions if you can't see an obvious reason for the cracks.

Rain gutters is also an important thing to look at to make sure they move the water away from the house and that the water has somewhere to go.  Make sure that any nearby trees don't shed into the rain gutters.  That leads to another issue which is tree planted to close to the home.  Roots and branches can be very destructive to the home.  It can cause damage by lifting and/or cracking the foundation and slab.  Tree roots get into sewer lines and septic leach fields and cause a lot of damage every year.  Trees close to a home also poses a fire danger.  Look for cracks in block walls as they can also indicate soils issues or possible water leaks.  One of the other things I see a lot of are walls that are made of cinder block, which is very porous, and then people back fill dirt against them without water proofing the walls.  The water and minerals in the soil usually eat away at the block eventually causing it to fail.  This can be a huge issue on a retaining wall.  If you are looking at a home that sits way above the home behind you and there is a block wall between the properties, look at the back side of the wall to make sure you don't have water damage to the wall.  

Another common issue that I see on the outside of homes are window that weren't installed correctly.  If they aren't installed correctly you will have leaky windows that will allow water and air infiltration.  I think this is enough for today, but make sure you have any home you are looking to purchase inspected by a professional home inspector who can point out these issues and many others that you need to be aware of when purchasing a home.