THE FOLLOWING ARE NATIONALLY ACCEPTED STANDARDS AND
GUIDELINES FOR HOME INSPECTIONS
STRUCTURAL INSPECTION
ONE - GROUNDS - A New Jersey
home inspection will include an inspection of the
grounds. The home inspector will first make a visible
inspection of the grounds around the house to see if the
natural rain water is draining away from the house or
towards the house. Rain water that drains towards the
house could undermine the structure, damage the
foundation and allow water to penetrate the basement.
TWO - OVERALL CONDITION - A New Jersey home inspection
will include a visible inspection of the dwelling for
overall condition. The NC home inspector will inspect
the overall condition of the house, the settlement, and
conduct a visible evaluation of the structure for squareness and vertical plumb. The visible
includes
where exposed, the foundation, side walls, roof line,
and any extensions that may have been added to the
house. Many time structural defects are noted by just
simply stepping back and looking at the overall
squareness of the house.
G. WARREN HOME INSPECTION INCLUDES:
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PRICES STARTING AT $199 |
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MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! |
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FREE!
$75.00 C.O. TEST ON FURNACE |
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ON SITE COMPUTERIZED REPORT |
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THREE - ROOF LINE AND ROOF - A New Jersey home
inspection will include a visible inspection of the
exposed areas of the complete roof. The NC home
inspector will visibly inspect the house roof line for squareness and the ridge beam for any
deflection. The
complete roof will be given an overall visible
inspection for condition and deflection. A low section
in the roof is a good indication that there may be a
rafter or roof sheathing problem.
FOUR - ENTRANCE STEPS - A New Jersey home inspection
will include an inspection of the entrance steps or
ground level entrance areas. The NJ home inspector will
inspect all the entrance steps of the house. The
entrance steps are a very high maintenance item. This
inspector has discovered that most houses over five
years old need some type of general maintenance to the
entrance steps or stoop. Two of the more serious
problems of entrance steps other than general
maintenance is concrete deterioration and stoop
rotation. Stoop rotation is when the foundation of a
concrete, stone, or brick stoop has heavy settlement,
causing it to rotate back into the foundation of the
house. This condition can cause serious cracks in the
foundation. In other words, the stoop because of
settlement is putting heavy pressure on the foundation
wall that can cause the wall to crack.
FIVE - EXTERIOR FOUNDATION INSPECTION - A New Jersey
home inspection includes a visible inspection of the
exposed areas of the exterior foundation. The NJ home
inspector will inspect the exterior of the foundation
for cracks, bulging, bowing, deterioration, and heavy
settlement. Particular attention will be paid to areas
of the foundation where there may be large trees
growing. The NC home inspector will be looking for
foundation damage from large tree roots. Another area of
concern is the foundation area where a rain gutter
downspouts may be discharging water right alongside the
foundation. Thousands of gallons of rain water being
discharged right alongside the foundation, eventually
will damage the foundation and penetrate the basement.
SIX - INTERIOR STRUCTURAL FRAMING - A New Jersey home
inspector includes a visible inspection of the exposed
areas of the interior framing. The NJ home inspector
will make a visible inspection of the house interior for
structural problems. When feasible , he will inspect the
main beam, lolly columns, rim and floor joists and all
other components of the structure. Particular attention
will be paid to the levelness of the floors. Floors that
have a visible noticeable slope is an indication that
there may be a structural problem.
SEVEN - OVERALL CONDITION OF THE DOORS AND WINDOWS - A
New Jersey home inspection includes an inspection of the
doors and windows. The NJ home inspector will make a
visible inspection for : the condition and squareness of
the doors and windows which is a good indicator of the
settlement of the house. Doors that are really out of
square and a if the floor has a severe slope, definitely
would call for a visible inspection and evaluation of
the framing and foundation. The NJ home inspector will
also test a number of the windows for condition and ease
of operation.
EIGHT - INTERIOR FOUNDATION - A New Jersey home
inspection includes a visible inspection of the exposed
areas of the interior foundation. The NJ home inspector
will inspect when feasible, crawl spaces, slab
foundation, and basement floors and walls for structural
condition and settlement. These are the areas that are
most susceptible to water damage. The inspector will be
inspecting for: cracks, heavy settlement, deterioration
of the concrete, displacement of foundation walls,
heaving or settlement of the slab or basement floors.
The areas mentioned are just a few of the main areas of
the interior foundation inspection.
NINE - INTERIOR STRUCTURE - A New Jersey home inspection
includes a visible inspection of the interior condition
of the dwelling. The NJ home inspector will inspect the
interior walls floors and ceilings for structural
problems. First he will inspect the visible wood framing
in the basement such as sill plates, girders, and floor
joists, just to name a few framing components. The home
inspector NC will be looking for: wood rot, functional
support columns, the condition of the main beam and
floor joists, and, if visible, the condition of the sub
flooring. In the inspection of the wall and ceilings,
the inspector will be inspecting for: cracks ,
displacement, water damage and the overall condition.
TEN - ATTIC AREA - A New Jersey home inspection includes
an inspection of the attic. The NC home inspector will
inspect the attic areas when feasible for any structural
problems with the floor, rafters, walls, main beam and
all other structural components. Particular attention
will be paid to the rafters. The inspector will be
looking for sagged, rotted, or cracked rafters that may
need repair or replacement. Note, for safety reasons, a
home inspector doesn't have to enter an unfloored attic.
| THE FOLLOWING ARE ACTUAL STRUCTURAL
PROBLEMS DISCOVERED BY G. WARREN INC. HOME INSPECTORS
HOME INSPECTOR NJ WAR STORIES |
DON'T WALK, RUN, FROM THIS BUILDING!
The house was a three family dwelling. When I pulled up in front of the building, I knew
I wouldn't be doing any three family inspection on this day. I didn't even have to get out the car to
give a complete evaluation, the whole building was splitting in half and the problem was visible from
the car on the other side of the street. In the center of the building there was a giant crack that
ran from the basement straight up through all three stories. The crack started out in the basement
and got wider and wider as in ascended the building. At the roof line the crack was about six inches
wide. The crack had been filled in with concrete but the patch job was vert noticeable. In the rear
of the building, there was a similar crack right in the center and also about six inches wide at the
roof line. In plain English, the building was splitting in half.
When the buyers arrived, I
informed them of the problem and suggested that they not even consider purchasing the building. It's
rare that I tell a client not to buy a dwelling but, this particular dwelling, if it could be
repaired, the cost would be prohibitive . I charged them a minimum cancellation fee and told them to
find another dwelling. At this point I was curious as to why the building was splitting in half and,
being that the basement was open for inspection, I decided to take a look. Well, there was severe
termite damage on both sides of the building causing each side to pull away from the center of the
building. It was very evident that this building had this major termite problem for many years, maybe
decades. Besides the structural problem with this building, it was also loaded with mold. Needless to
say I didn't stay in the basement too long.
It's funny how certain things stick in one's mind.
Every time I hear " Is a home inspection really worth it ? ", I think of this building
.
THE APARTMENT HOUSE -OH BOY !
The inspection was for a four family apartment house . Usually we inspect an apartment house by
inspecting the apartments first one at a time. As usual I started the inspection in one of the first
level apartments. When I got to the rear of the apartment, there was a heavy slope in the floor
towards the rear of the building. The slope of the floor was so severe, I suspected that the building
may have a serious foundation problem. Instead of inspecting all the apartments, I went directly to
the basement to evaluate the foundation.
What I found in the basement was unbelievable. The
front section of the entire building was sinking into the ground about two feet. There was about ten
screw jacks being used as extra supports to hold up the front of the building. The basement floor was
just a large pile of cracked and severely broken up concrete. At this point I informed the buyer not
to buy the building unless he was a large building rehabilitation contractor. He said that he didn't
want the building after seeing the foundation damage. At this point I stopped the inspection and only
charged him a minimum fee for the partial inspection. I was really curious as to why this building
was sinking so severely and only in the front of the building. This building was built on the side of
a hill. When we went outside and looked up the hill, the answer was pretty obvious, there was a wide
underground creek running under the front of the building. Up the hill at the next corner was a large
hospital building with a retaining wall running all around the hospital. In a straight line with our
building damage, the hospital wall was deteriorated and damaged, the street was sunk, and several
other homes were damaged, all in a straight line with our foundation damage. This building was so
seriously damaged, I called the selling real estate broker and informed him of the damage and
suggested that he only sell this building to a contractor and not a retail client. In other words,
this was a law suit looking to happen.
OTHER ADDITIONAL SERVICES
TERMITES---MOLD -IN GROUND POOLS RADON-ASBESTOS
IN GROUND OIL TANKS- SEPTIC SYSTEMS- CARBON MONOXIDE---
WATER QUALITY---LEAD PAINT
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Counties Served in New Jersey |
Middlesex County,
Union County,
Somerset County,
Essex County,
Hunterdon County,
Hudson County,
Bergen County,
Passaic County,
Mercer County,
Ocean County,
Monmouth County, and
Morris County.
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