OC: Exterior Inspections: Siding, Garages, and Carports

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In order to examine the exterior of a home properly, the inspector must observe the grading, landscaping, walkways, driveways, and retaining walls on the property. Although not all of these items are necessarily within the scope of the home inspection, their appearance can often provide information regarding items that are. Trees near the house can affect the foundation. Slopes that direct water toward the house can cause serious problems from water incursion. Landscaping may be installed in a manner that results in foundation problems. The inspector must always pay close attention to find things that the average person does not see.

In addition, the home inspector examines the cladding of a house as part of his or her inspection of the exterior. The cladding includes the surface coating, siding, windows, dormers, doors, entryways, trim, shutters, ornamental details, and flashing. Lastly, recognizing different architectural styles may make inspecting the exterior of a house easier for a home inspector as he or she will be able to anticipate features that require extra attention. The first part of this course will cover the exterior of the house. In part two garages and carports will be covered in detail.