Is Some Moisture OK?

Home inspectors are often asked to render opinions on other professionals work. Many times we are challenged by licensed professionals, such as engineers, architects, and contractors, who feel differently about a problem.

Who is right?

Remember professional inspectors offer an OPINION of the condition of a building. This should be an informed opinion based upon knowledge and experience; but it is OUR opinion and not someone else’s. Sought after home inspectors are often in disagreement with others and we need to be firm in our conclusions if we are to best serve our clients.

Recently, I inspected a 7 year old commercial building that was in bank foreclosure. My first and primary concern was moisture intrusion. I began my analysis on the exterior of this concrete block and brick structure. Soon, I found a number of details that concerned me:

  • The roof valley drainage was restricted by a decorative facade
  • No rubber gaskets were on the nails of the roof to wall metal flashing
  • Many brick wall locations requiring weep ropes had none or were mortared over
  • The window and door steel lintels were painted but had already rusted

When I went inside I observed:

  • Water stains on the concrete floors and plaster ceilings
  • Water stains on the window sill frames

Shortly after relating these concerns to my client, I received an engineering report on the building. Evidently, the building had already been in litigation and this had not been disclosed to my client. The engineering report confirmed many of my findings.

The engineering firm designed a very thorough and costly solution to this complex problem. It included all new window, door, and roof flashing, as well as adding brick weep ropes. I recommended that these detailed repairs be completed to resolve the issue and keep the water out of the building. However, the engineer also said that this problem could be managed by water sealing the exterior bricks. In the end, the bank determined that sealing the face of the bricks was sufficient to correct the problem and resell the building.

My client looked to me to advise them on this matter. Was I OK that this moisture problem had been resolved with a thin coat of brick water sealer?

How do you feel about it?

Email me at doug@citiesinspection.com with your opinion and I will reply with mine.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

 

Go With What You Know

Approximately 90% of all structural building failures are caused by moisture. With the exception of the homeowner, moisture is the #1 enemy of the house. Unfortunately, moisture damage typically occurs in concealed spaces. This makes it difficult for most home inspectors to identify.

Good inspectors know there are 3 major elements that impact the risk of moisture intrusion.

  1. The more complex the design of the home the higher the risk.
  2. Poor drainage of water on or around the house increases the danger.
  3. Missing or improper flashing details can be a disaster.

Based upon the analysis of these 3 principles, an experienced inspector will determine whether the probability of concealed moisture damage is low, medium, or high. Regardless of what other ‘experts’ may say, home inspectors are required to communicate these observations to our client and make the appropriate recommendation.

Let me give you an example. Within the last year I inspected an Italian Renaissance home with an elaborate and complicated building design. This building included numerous room projections from the main structure, a 3rd level tower, and a traditional stucco exterior finish.

A flat roof deck was incorporated within the main hip roof structure that included a large skylight and an internal drainage system.

Flat Roof Deck & Skylight
Internal Roof Drain

The perimeter of all windows, doors, band boards, and corners had ‘bump out’ projections without any flashing. Doors onto the flat roofs were level with the deck and had no room for threshold flashing. The stucco was extended below grade without any drip screed flashing. And the roof did not include kickout flashing.

Bump Outs With No Flashing
No Kickout Flashing

Seemed like a no brainer…complex house design, poor roof drainage, and missing flashing details made this high risk. However, the home had been previously moisture tested by a very reputable contractor. The infra-red imaging and meter probing results were all negative. The ‘expert’ concluded no to low probability of moisture intrusion.

Should a professional home inspector change their conclusion and recommendation? Absolutely not, go with what you know. In this example my clients relied upon the moisture testing, moved into the home and quickly discovered the exterior wall structure was rotted out, the house was unsafe to live in and would require over a half a million dollars to fix.

Always remember…STAY WITH WHAT YOU KNOW…an inspector is paid for their opinion not someone else’s.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

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Spring Water Problems

It’s time to start getting your home ready for spring.

Part 2:  Leaking roofs are the second biggest problem. 

Most roof leaks are caused by roof slope or metal flashing.  As a MN home inspector for the past 27 years, I have found these conditions are seldom addressed until becoming a problem.  What I mean is until a homeowner sees interior water stains they assume nothing is wrong.  This is seldom true.  Small amounts of invisible roof moisture can be more destructive than large water events, such as storm damage.  Why, because as water is absorbed into the wood cells, decay and fungal growth begins to take hold.  The longer this condition exists the more apt it is to develop into something substantial

Roof shingles are designed to shed water.  This means if there are obstructions in the free flow of water off the roof, it will most likely develop into a leak.  This is a design issue and many times the homeowner does not have a choice about the proper slope of their roof.  But they do have a choice about the type of material to install on the roof.  There are low slope and flat roof materials that are designed to be waterproofing membranes.  And when there is a design problem with the roof, the proper and more expensive materials should be used.  A good inspector can advise you on this matter.

Roof flashings are the most overlooked key component to keeping water out of the attic.  When re-roofing, contractors are not required to replace the metal flashings on the roof.  This is a poor choice.  Additionally, many low budget roofers are not qualified to install new flashings correctly.  As an inspector this is one of the biggest problems I see day in and day out.  When you see black tar on the roof, you know you have a problem.

This spring it may be a good time for you to check your roof…before it’s a problem.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

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Spring Water Problems

It’s time to start getting your home ready for spring.

Part 1:  Wet basements are the biggest problem. 

Most basement water problems are caused by exterior landscaping and hardscaping.  As a MN home inspector for the past 27 years, I have found this condition is seldom repaired until it becomes a problem.  What I mean is until a homeowner sees water they assume nothing is wrong.  This is not true.  Actually, small amounts of basement moisture can be more destructive than large water events, such as flooding.  Why, because as water sits on the walls it deteriorates the concrete, fungal growth begins to take hold, and a force, hydrostatic pressure, begins to push the foundation in.  The longer these conditions exist the more apt they are to develop into something substantial.

When I inspect a home for a client, I always ask them, at the beginning of the inspection, what type of concerns they may have in purchasing this home.  Almost always in the top 3 is that they do not want moisture in the basement.  After inspecting over 19,000 homes, I would estimate over 85% have some sign of moisture in the basement.  That is such a high percentage, that prior to inspecting the basement, I can almost answer their initial concern.  Yes, this home has basement dampness.

9 out of 10 times the cause of a wet basement is poor slope around the foundation.  Typically, this is corrected by raising the grade and hard surfaces so they slope away from the basement.  It’s so simple.

This spring it may be a good time for you to check the slope around your house…before it’s a problem.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

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Wet Where and Wet When

What Makes My Window Panes Wet?

Problem:  The window is wet on the room side of the glass for a few weeks in fall.

Solution:   Moisture has accumulated, over summer, in the structure of the house from cooking, showering, and even the family breathing. This can be overcome by having fans exhausting to the outside in the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry.

Problem:  The window is wet or has frost on the room side of the glass in the winter.

Step 1:  Keep window drapes up 2-3” above the window sill to allow for air circulation.

Step 2:  Install bath and kitchen exhaust fans that vent directly to the outside of the home.  Turn on the fan when room is in use.

Step 3:  Put timer switches on all exhaust fans; keep the fan running for a half hour after the user leaves the room.

Step 4:  Install a continuous rated exhaust fan in the highest level hallway or bath.  This fan should be variable speed from 30 to 110 cubic feet per minute (CFM).  Be sure there is an outside air supply into the furnace room in the basement.  Leave fan running 24/7.

Solution:  Take this slowly, one step at a time.  You may not need to do all 4 steps.

Problem: The window glass is wet or fogged in between 2 glass panes all year round, but most noticeable in the winter.

Solution:

Insulated glass:  The air seal is leaking and glass must be replaced.

Storm windows:  Glass putty must be in place and sealed tight to wood sash.  Wood sash must be sealed tight to the window frame.

All humidity problems are fixable.  Winter relative humidity levels are typically 30 to 40%.  On super cold days you may need to reduce the humidity to 25%.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

‘Pops’ Rob Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

 

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The Essentials of Sump Pumps

Incorrect terminology puts a real estate agent or homeowner at high risk.

When putting a home up for sale there are many details that are disclosed, sometimes, in a mandated seller disclosure report and other times for marketing promotions. If these features are overstated or not described correctly, liability and lawsuit risks will rise. There is no greater concern in purchasing a home than a wet basement. As a MN home inspector I too often see water control systems improperly portrayed. So let’s get the vocabulary and description correct.

Sump

The basket or pit that goes into the floor; it is typically about 3’ deep. In extremely high water table situations they can be up to 6’ deep. The sump is required to have a cover that is screwed down to protect kids and pets from drowning.

Beaver system

A plastic or metal diverter that sits on top of the basement floor slab. It is about 4” high and is glued to the foundation on the top and the floor slab at the bottom. Holes are drilled into the blocks allowing them drain and the diverter channels the water to either a floor drain or sump. This is not a drain tile system. It is an inexpensive, non-invasive, low quality method of managing wet basement walls. If the diverter glue fails the basement gets wet.

Drain tile

This is either a continuous plastic pipe with holes or clay pipe with open joints. Typically the pipe goes around the entire perimeter of the foundation below the floor slab and alongside the footing. Drain tile can be installed on the interior or exterior of the foundation and the pipes terminate in the sump.

Pump

This is an electrical pump that sits in the sump often called a sump pump. There is also battery pumps used to back-up the electrical pump if the power goes out.

Why is this important?

Can a house have just a sump? Sure, but this is not a drain tiled basement. It is just a basket in the floor. Is the beaver system the same as drain tile? No the beaver system is above the basement floor and the drain tile is below. A beaver system is an inferior method of water control. Can a basement be partially drain tiled or beavered? Yes and this is more common than you would imagine. To call a basement drain tiled you are implying the entire basement and that may not be true. Can a pump be discharged into the laundry tub? No sump pumps must be drain into the city storm drain or onto the yard. There is a stiff fine if caught dumping the water into the homes plumbing system. Does having a sump pump mean the basement is drain tiled? Absolutely not.

If you don’t know what you have, don’t claim it is something it might not be. That would make you easy pickings for a lawsuit.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

‘Pops’ Rob Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

 

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My Ice Dams Are Really Bad

Icicles indicate the formation of ice dams. What do ice dams indicate?

Icicles form where water is dripping from the roof when snow is melting and the air temperature is less than freezing. Older houses are most prone to ice damming and large icicle formation. Recent building and energy codes addressed this problem and provided solutions. Assuming homes built in last 40 years are properly constructed, they have little to no problem with icicles. This is because the heat loss through the ceiling is small and warm house air does not reach the roof. Current roof ventilation design and adequate ceiling insulation will not allow snow to melt and refreeze as it crosses the cold overhang of the roof. This refreeze forms the ice wall that causes water backup under the roof shingles. This is also how the interior ceiling, wall, wood structure and insulation become water damaged.

Remember mold forms in building materials that remain wet longer than 48 hours. 

Today, what can be done about a problem that is knocking on the door? The only answer is to have the ice dam professionally removed by an insured contractor. However, the long term solutions is to have an expert assess attic insulation and ventilation levels, examine for proper roof flashing and shingle underlayment, determine if poor roof design necessitates using heat cables.

Converting roofs to meet a standard that will prevent ice dams is not difficult, but it can be costly. 

Begin the solution to your ice dam problem with an unbiased home inspector analysis. Or ‘Like Us’ on Facebook for more day to day information.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

Does Your House Breath?

I never had frost buildup on my windows before!

Like many houses my 1974 rambler was in need of attention.  For the past 5 years my justification for postponing the needed exterior maintenance was the bad economy.  I felt investing a large sum of money in the house was not wise.  Some of you may agree with this and some will not.  Regardless, at the insistence of my wife, last summer became the year of THE HOME IMPROVEMENT.  We contracted for new roof, windows, doors, siding, soffits and fascia.  Keep in mind to meet new state building and energy code requirements housewrap, window and door flashing, caulking, weather-stripping, and low E glass need to meet a very high standard of insulation and heat loss.  This old leaky house no longer leaked.  It is warm and comfortable inside, but this lack of breathability resulted in very large frost buildups on all of our windows and doors as soon as the weather changed.  Any home inspector would quickly recognize this as a problem that needed to be resolved now.  By ignoring this very obvious moisture sign, which many homeowners do, the next concern is going to be mold.  (http://bit.ly/19ut8aA)

I never had radon before!

But…it didn’t stop there.  As a MN home inspector radon testing is a big part of our business operation.   I had tested the basement previously and my radon concentration was at the minimum EPA standard of 4.0 picocuries.  Upon re-testing after the exterior remodeling was completed, my radon level is 3 times higher.  What is the lesson to be learned from these 2 events? (http://bit.ly/1huOoxd)

Houses work as a system.  By changing the exterior envelope of a home it will have a huge impact on how the interior functions.  What was never a problem yesterday may be a major problem today. 

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

What Is Ventilation?

Ventilation is not just air blowing in through an open window and it certainly isn’t the bathroom fan turned on to get rid of a bad smell. 

In a previous blog, I stated that many older houses are now much tighter than the owners believe. Remodeling, changing surfaces and even a coat of paint can do a lot towards tightening the house and reducing its ability to breath. You should, if you own a house that has new siding, exterior windows or doors installed, be concerned that there is an inadequate amount of ventilation. High humidity levels can cause all sorts of visible and concealed moisture damage to a home. Some clues are frost buildup on windows, ice dams, mold and wood decay.

Ventilation, broadly, is an equal exchange of stale air being continually exhausted from the house shell while being replaced by clean atmospheric air at code specified rates.

There are two general methods of ventilation:

  • The first is balanced ventilation. This requires design by an expert in the field. In balanced ventilation two fans of equal volume will be installed. One will suck air into the housing shell from outside and the other will blow stale air from inside the shell to the outside. Often the two air streams pass, side-by-side, through a heat sink material so that the heat being exhausted from the house may be captured and returned in the incoming air. Systems that employ this kind of heat exchange are usually about 70% efficient.
  • The other method is unbalanced ventilation. Unbalanced ventilation can be a fan sucking air into the house from outside and exhausting, by the pressure created, through an existing vent. Or, more typically, it would be just the opposite. Outside air would come in to the house through a lowering of pressure caused by an existing exhaust fan operating in the home. This method is not nearly as efficient as balanced ventilation but it will do the job.

The easiest and most economical way to ventilate your home is unbalanced ventilation. This is something that you can do yourself at a cost of a few hundred dollars. Some homes may already have the equipment in place and it will take little effort to implement. First you will need to select an existing exhaust fan in the bathroom or perhaps in the kitchen that is vented to the outside. Next, you need to create a vent opening in the basement, connect an insulated flexible air duct, and extend this pipe to the floor. The outside vent cover will need a screen to prevent vermin from entering the home. You may already have this pipe; it would be an open pipe near the furnace called an outside air supply. Finally, turn on the exhaust fan and run continuously. This will remove the stale warm moist damaging air in the home , replace it with fresh cold dry outside air and not depressurize the home. You are now controlling the quality and moisture level of the indoor air.

Any exhaust fan in the home will give you a result. Just remember that the smallest fan required by code is 40 CFM. The higher the CFM fan rating the quicker the home will complete a complete air change. Fans are typically rated from 40 to 130 CFM.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

New MN Radon Law Effective Jan. 1 2014

Sellers must declare the results of any radon test to potential buyers beginning January 1, 2014.

This new MN Radon law is quite wordy, but can be essentially distilled down to just two issues:

  1. Testing by the seller is not mandatory.
  2. The event of a radon test having been performed, the result must be made available to potential buyers before the sale is closed.

Buyer’s agents will obviously be recommending to their clients that they request a radon test from the seller. Selling agents should get ahead of this by recommending to the client that they have a radon test performed and any needed mitigation carried out before the house comes onto the market.

Testing is not expensive and should be carried out by a reliable professional.

Many quality home inspectors offer this service. In the event that mitigation is required, care must be taken to find a reputable mitigation professional. Mitigation is usually quite inexpensive and can be as simple as balancing the ventilation of the house. This can be done by installing an outside air inlet duct balanced by a continuously operating exhaust fan. A bathroom fan would be a good example. Balanced ventilation overcomes negative pressure, which draws radon into the home through the foundation wall or floor. Balancing ventilation can create a real bonus because moisture is often drawn into the house through negative pressure and that moisture creates an ideal atmosphere for mold growth. So by simply balancing the ventilation in a house: you may often have three benefits. Radon intrusion will be overcome, moisture will be reduced, and mold will be prevented.

Very often, after the ventilation of the house has been balanced, simply applying a coat of a radon resistant material to the floors and walls of the basement will resolve the radon issue. More expensive mitigation may be necessary, requiring the installation of either a passive or mechanical radon ventilation system. However, the cost of mitigation should not exceed one to two thousand dollars; even when the mechanical system is installed. In the case of balanced ventilation the cost may be as little as a few hundred dollars.

Be proactive: make certain that a radon test is done on every sale and use a qualified home inspector to ensure a professional result.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

Are Leaky Houses Healthier?

State of MN doesn’t think so and has adopted a new energy code.

Most realtors and homeowners don’t realize since June 1, 2009 our housing has been subject to new residential energy requirements.  If interested you can download the full Energy Code called Chapter 1322 at www.dli.state.mn.us/ccld/pdf/sbc_1322.pdf

The entire MN Energy Code is essentially about 2 principles…

Envelope Performance
This is all about the rate of energy loss through the shell of the building.  Heat loss is caused by the continuous energy load within the house which is called Base Load.  This includes things such as lights, water heating, and cooking power.  We can control these losses by installing more efficient appliances and devices.  Outside air temperature also effects heat loss and this is called Seasonal Losses.  These losses are reduced by the proper installation of quality insulation, vapor barriers, and efficient sealing.

Ventilation
Because our homes have become so tight the rate of air exchange is practically nothing.  The new code requires a complete air change each hour.  Half of the air in a home can be exchanged by a continuously operating mechanical system and the other half by a passive means, like opening a window.  This can be accomplished with kitchen and bath exhaust fans that run continuously, but this isn’t the most efficient method.  A better way are with either a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) or energy recovery (ERV), but this way is very expensive.

Without these 2 principles in balance and working together, there can be great risk to the air quality of the home.  

Can you hear the whisper of stale air or mold?

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

More About Swales: With Great Benefit Comes Great Responsibility

Are swales and culverts used often for drainage? 

Yes they are! Swales are often dug along property lines to direct water to street drains. Most people aren’t aware that there is even a drain there. They don’t take any particular notice of the depression in the soil and think nothing of it, when all of the water between the houses is directed to the storm drain instead of leaving pools on their property.

Take a look at this illustration of a swale and then the photograph of 10 properties that are swaled to a single culvert! What a wonderful solution to getting water off the properties… Maybe!

What if some of the 10 property owners leave trash in their swale depression, which is washed down to the culvert anytime it rains? Is anyone in the community going to be responsible for seeing that there is no trash building up on the grid during rainfall? Trash or debris building up on the culvert grid can become a very effective plug. A pond can be formed very quickly, behind the culvert opening, in heavy rainfall, which can in turn raise the water table on the surrounding land. Hopefully the drainage designer has allowed for such a possibility and has designed the residential lots, so that a rising water table will not flood the basements of the surrounding homes or cause the sump pumps to be operating continuously.

Swales are marvelous, but they do require maintenance and supervision. You can’t allow a swale on your property to build up with debris to a point where it causes water to flow onto the neighbor’s property or perhaps in the direction of your own basement. It is simply illegal to allow water to flow off your property on to your neighbors land and I’m sure you don’t want to wake up one morning with a wet basement yourself!

We would appreciate hearing from you, if you have an opinion or a question on swales. In fact, we would like to hear from you anytime you have a comment or an idea to share on any of these blogs. Communication is a two-way street, so let us hear what is going through your mind.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

That’s Just Swale: Water Drainage Help for Homes on Hills

What is the purpose of a drainage swale and when do we use it?

MN realtors and homeowners, you have been waiting patiently for the description of a drainage swale. So here it is! A drainage swale is a depression in the ground designed to direct water flow. You may have found one accidentally on a country road where a depression has been made to drain water from one side of the road to the other.  Sometimes, in order to avoid this dip or depression in the road surface, a pipe is placed underneath the road so water can more easily flow through it.  This underground pipe and manhole is called a culvert.

Swales are very effective at directing water flow away from the house. Imagine if your house was on a sloping lot with the house being part way up the slope and the water flowing down the hill toward the house. A swale could be installed, by creating a perpendicular depression, at a point above the house to deflect flowing water around the house. Then, it is directed into a culvert or a second swale taking all the water from the hill to the street drain. Swales may also be bermed on the lower side to direct flow and carry more water.

Berm… swale, culvert, berm… what strange words! The swale is a strategic depression in the ground that directs water flow and a berm is a man-made rise in the ground that achieves the same thing. An example of a berm would be levees that are used to contain flooding rivers.

Previously, I stated that we could use a swale in places where we could not create 6 inches of fall, in the grade, in the first 10 feet sloping away from the foundation of the house. Imagine if the boundary line of your house was within 5 feet of the foundation and there was only 2 inches in slope to the boundary; you would not be able to achieve the code required 6 inches ground slope in the first 10 feet of fall. This could be achieved by digging a 4 inch deep swale perpendicular to the foundation, with 2% fall to the road drain. Water would flow freely to the road and away from the home foundation.

What is the purpose of the swale?  Home inspectors know and now you do too!

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

9 Steps for Solving Unseasonably Wet Basements

What can a homeowner or real estate agent do NOW to better protect their homes against moisture intrusion?

This question is coming up all of the time this year. 2013 is a little unique and if the home that you have owned for years, or have just purchased, has moisture in the basement; you may just be experiencing the strange end to the past winter. We have had lots of rain and freeze thaw conditions that have overcome basement protection in many MN homes. You are likely discovering that basement protection that has worked for many years has simply been overwhelmed by seasonal conditions.

Homeowners, follow these 9 Steps to prevent a repeat of this year’s conditions causing moisture problems in the lower level of your home.

  1. Clean out and cover, window wells
  2. Fill all low spots along the side of your foundation
  3. Grade the soil away from the exterior wall, to an angle of 6 inches fall, in the first 10 feet from the foundation. If you don’t have 10 feet from the foundation to an obstruction or the boundary line; create a swale. Swales will be described in the very next blog.
  4. Clean out and replace or repair any damage to gutters
  5. Make sure gutter downspouts extend at least 6 feet away from the foundation
  6. Verify the neighbors’ gutter extensions are not directed towards your house
  7. Test the sump pump
  8. Make sure the sump pump exterior discharge pipe extends at least 10 feet away from the foundation (not into the laundry tub or floor drain)
  9. Have a battery backup sump pump installed

 

MN real estate agents, when contracting a home inspector in the future; be certain that you have employed someone who is on top of their game and very knowledgeable about grading, drainage, and sumps. Fail to employ a knowledgeable and diligent inspector and you may pay the price in a year like 2013.

When buying or selling a home, it is important to use the services of the best MN home inspector that you can find. Do your due diligence, and be certain that you are employing somebody who doesn’t miss the details. Ask yourself…

Can this inspector find the elusive signs of occasional water problems as well as all the other issues found in today’s homes?

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

Moisture Problems – Sumps to Big Bumps (Part 13)

Basements and crawl spaces with sump baskets may or may not be drain tiled. And drain tiles can be located on either the interior or the exterior of the foundation footing. Contractors will give varying opinions on which method is best, but it really doesn’t matter. In real swampy locations, ‘cautious’ contractors will install drainage tiles on both sides of the foundation. Home inspectors in Minneapolis and St. Paul pay very close attention to the existence and quality of installation of these sumps in order to protect their clients from future water damage and mold problems.

Steep Hill Requirements

 

Next, what about big hills? Historically, home buyers and Realtors have been very skittish about homes that back up to large hills. The obvious concern is the large volume of water running directly towards the house. Frankly, many people walk away from purchasing a perfectly good home just because of this topography. Steep hills in building code terms are those that have a 45 degree slope or greater. The question is should we be apprehensive about this. The answer is no…just as long as the correct detail to earth slope, drainage swales, and possibly retaining walls are observed.

So, if we obey the principles of controlling surface and subsurface water, we should be able to buy or sell a home, with confidence, in almost any location and keep the water out of the basement. As a MN home inspector for the past 25 years, it’s amazing to me that so many homeowners don’t do this. They sure would sleep better on those dark rainy nights if they did.

Did you know small moisture intrusion problems in basements are a much greater mold concern than a major flood…WHY?

Doug Hastings
Home Inspector Minnesota
Kaplan Instructor

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