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Many of you are painfully aware of the specific problem areas in your home. You may have lived for years with a basement that periodically floods, archaic plumbing, or an inadequate heating sys tem. We include this checklist as a general guide to help you evaluate those areas of your house that need overhauling. You may not want to tackle all of them at this time, but it's wise to repair critical areas as soon as possible and incorporate the remaining repair jobs in some future master plan. We have known many renovators who have spent considerable time cosmetically remodeling their homes only to find their work ruined by a leak from an ignored roof. Priorities must be established as to which jobs come first. It’s no use concentrating on interior finishes when the electrical work has not been completed. Most important, any renovation effort has to start with making the building structurally and mechanically sound and watertight. THE EXTERIOR The Roof The longevity of the roof will vary with the type of roofing material. Slate and copper last the longest, whereas asphalt shingles and built-up roofing need replacement more often. No matter what roofing material covers your house, check for breakage, wear, or blistering. Carefully examine the roof around vertical penetrations such as chimneys and vents Make sure those areas are sealed tight. If the roof is lumpy, uneven, or has lots of patches, check the interior of the building for signs of water leakage below those areas. If you have a pitched roof, look at the ridge. Sags in the ridge can indicate anything from minor settling to major structural problems. Pay special attention to the condition of the flashing. Flashing prevents water from getting underneath the roofing in critical areas such as chimneys vents, valleys, and skylights. Rusty, loose, or missing flashing needs to be replaced. Make sure that all gutters are intact and firmly secured to the building. Examine the mortar joints in the chimney. Are they crumbling? Are there cracks in the masonry? When examining your masonry chimney, check to see if the chimney flue is lined with tile. If not, you are living with a fire hazard. THE INTERIOR The Walls Start by checking for structural soundness. Look for bulges and bowing in the exterior walls; they could be a sign of a major structural flaw whose cause should be thoroughly investigated by a structural engineer. Look at the windows and doors. Do they line up squarely in their frames? Doors that don't fit squarely into their frames may be indicative of structural problems. Open and close the doors and windows to make sure they don’t jam. Check to see if they are flashed. If properly flashed, you can generally see the edge of the flashing at the top of the windows and doors. The trim should fit tightly to both window and siding. Joints between siding and trim should be caulked. Any decorative woodwork, such as corner boards and eaves trim, should be firmly secured and thoroughly caulked. These are critical points where water can penetrate and cause rot. Joints between dissimilar materials also need to be caulked. Examine the clapboard, shingle, or vertical wood siding. It shouldn't be cracked, split, or show signs of rotting. Missing siding or loose shingles should be replaced and renailed. When removing siding for replacement, check the underlying sheathing. Masonry buildings should be checked for cracking and mortar condition. Horizontal or hairline cracks are generally not a problem. Vertical cracks through brick or stone could be signs of more serious trouble. Should the mortar be soft or crumbly, it will have to be repointed. Examine the condition of the paint. Whole areas showing peeling and blistering could point to moisture penetration rather than paint failure. Check for interior leaks and make sure the vapor barrier is intact before repainting. Make sure that the wood siding is never in contact with the earth. The Foundations Foundations can be undermined by insects and water problems. There are many insects, including carpenter ants and termites, that can cause serious damage to your building. If you see signs of insect infestation (such as veins of dried mud along foundation walls), have a professional pest- control inspection. Water has to be kept away from the house. Earth around the building should always slope down, leading water away; otherwise, you are inviting water problems. Where downspouts hit the ground, make sure that the splash block is directing the water away from the house. If the downspout leads to an underground pipe, be sure the outlet empties downhill from the building. Check for sill damage. Poke a small knife into the sill; if it penetrates without much difficulty, you may have to contend with sill rot. The entire perimeter of the house, including the porches, should be inspected. Call in an engineer for further advice. The Basement Look for cracks and signs of bowing in the foundation walls. Hairline cracks usually indicate water-seepage problems. Vertical cracks or bowing are indications of serious structural problems. You shouldn't be able to see daylight between the sill and the foundation wall. If your inspection uncovers any of these conditions, have an engineer check your house. Having checked the sill around the house from the outside, take a look on the inside. Any signs of rot or insect damage? Is there any evidence of leakage from the plumbing system? Examine the girders and joists supporting the ground floor. They shouldn't sag at midspan. Excessive sagging is sometimes caused by undersized members or by the absence of support posts that either rotted or were removed in previous renovations. Do you see any makeshift props holding up floors? Have any structural members been cut to make room for piping or ductwork? It isn't unusual, particularly in the basement of older houses, to encounter asbestos. Asbestos was quite commonly used in the past in a variety of products: as insulation for boilers, furnaces, heating pipes, ductwork, and electrical materials. Asbestos is also frequently found in siding and roofing materials and in resilient floor tiles. Its use, however, isn't limited to the products mentioned above. For this reason, we strongly recommend that before any renovation work begins, you contact a licensed asbestos investigator. He will inspect your entire building and get laboratory tests of any suspect areas Living Areas Start by examining the walls and ceilings. Plaster should be checked for signs of cracking or loosening. Touch the plaster. If it's bulging or soft and spongy, it needs to be replaced. If the walls and partitions are constructed of gypsum board, look for loose nails or screws. Is the joint tape coming loose? Damp plaster (or gypsum board), curling wallpaper, or peeling paint is an indication of a leak from the roof, pipes, or exterior walls. It may also be caused by water from a shower or a wet bathroom floor above. If the leak is extensive or long-standing it may have caused the structure to rot. Walk across the floor. Is it bouncy? Is there. A pronounced sag? Jump on the floor. Do the windows shake? The floor joists may be undersized or cracked. Look at the window and door trim. Windows and doors that aren't plumb and true may be the products of a faulty floor structure. How about the stairs? When you jump, are they very springy or just squeaky? Too much vibration could be a structural problem. Has the original flooring been covered with layers of assorted materials? The bottom layer may bring a pleasant surprise or a bitter disappointment. Look around the window frames for water leakage. Do the windows move up and down freely or do they stick? Do they fit tightly or can you feel a draft coming through? Cracks in the walls around doors and window frames may indicate weakness in the wall framing. If you haven't used the fireplace yet, open the damper and look up the flue. Can you see light? Darkness may indicate a blocked flue. Smoke damage on the mantel is evidence of a smoky fireplace. The Attic The attic should be checked for leaks and for adequate ventilation. Look for water stains under the roof. Chimneys, valleys, dormers, and eaves are particularly vulnerable to leakage. Examine the top plate for rot. Rotted top plates, just like rotted sills, present a very serious problem. Is the attic ventilated properly? Look around for louvers or fans. The presence of mildew would indicate insufficient ventilation. Insulation Look in the attic and the basement to see if they are insulated. Is the insulation properly installed or are some of the sheets hanging loose? Are you planning to insulate the floor joists over the basement? Touch the exterior walls. If they feel cold on a winter day, or damp from condensate, they are probably not insulated. The Electrical System Do you have an electrical service panel or a fuse box? If you have a fuse box, you probably have very little incoming power. Anything less than 100 amps of incoming power is inadequate. Most new homes are equipped with 240-volt three- wire service with an entrance capacity of 200 amps. What is the general appearance of the wiring in the cellar? Frayed or tangled wiring is a clear sign of outdated wiring and is a fire hazard. Is the electrical system grounded? Look at the ceiling fixtures. Do they all have switches or are there some with pull chains? How about the number of outlets for your needs? The National Electrical Code requires for new houses that outlets be placed a minimum of every 12’. Do all the rooms have a sufficient number of outlets? Do you use many extension cords or multiple plugs? If so, you should consider rewiring. Do the kitchen lights dim when you turn on the toaster? Outlets above the kitchen counter should be part of one or more small- appliance circuits. Anything less is inadequate for today’s appliance demand. Do the bathrooms have ground-fault circuit interrupter outlets? This type of outlet is generally installed in rooms with plumbing fixtures for grounding protection. You can distinguish them from regular outlets in that they have two buttons which say “test” and “reset.” In addition, any kitchen-counter outlets that are closer to the sink than 6’ need a GFI. All receptacles in the house must be grounded. The Plumbing System Is your water supplied by a well? Have you noticed any problems with the pump? If your water is muddy after running for a long time, you may need a larger storage tank. What is the pipe material? A knife and a magnet will help you to identify the pipe materials. If the magnet sticks, the pipe is either galvanized steel or cast iron. Galvanized steel is gray, whereas cast iron is black. The magnet will not stick to copper, brass, or lead. Scratch the pipe with the knife. Copper pipe will be orange-gold. Brass is a yellowish-gold color. Lead is silvery gray and feels soft when scratched with the knife. Cast-iron pipes used for the waste lines are durable. Check to see if any of the main waste lines in the basement are cracked. A powdery greenish surface accumulating in the horizontal runs often points to deteriorated piping. Galvanized-steel piping, which is often used for water supply, has a life span of about thirty years. If the house is much older than that, most of the hot- and cold-water supply will need replacement. Galvanized piping corrodes and clogs. Any lead piping will need to be totally replaced. Brass can be “red” or “yellow.” Yellow brass has a life span of about forty years. Red brass is more durable because it contains more copper. If you have copper pipes, your plumbing system probably needs little, if any repair. The Heating System New homes may have plastic piping. Plastic piping in the waste system is acceptable. If the water supply piping is plastic, investigate further as to its specific type and problems related to toxicity. Problems with the water pressure generally indicate pipes that are either clogged or of insufficient size. When the sinks are draining, do you hear a gurgling sound from other fixtures? This is a sign of inadequate venting or no venting at all. It could also signify a clogged line or vent. Do you run out of hot water when you are the second in line for the shower? Most likely the hot-water heater isn't large enough or it's not operating at full capacity and may need re pair. It should provide a minimum of 40 gallons for a family of four. When was the septic tank last cleaned out? The utility company should check over the gas lines. If you smell any gas at all, call the gas company immediately. Is the furnace fueled by oil or gas? Has it been converted from coal? Converted furnaces can be wasteful of energy. Was last year’s heating bill more than you had anticipated? It could be time to have your house evaluated for energy efficiency. How old is your furnace? Furnaces generally last an average of thirty years. Many old furnaces are energy-inefficient. Is your furnace operating properly? One way to check is to turn on the thermostat to higher than room temperature. Does it start quickly? Hot-air systems should de liver heat to the registers rather quickly. Hot- water or steam systems may take up to twenty minutes. You shouldn't smell fuel or exhaust in the house. Look at the radiators for signs of leak age. If you have a hot-air system with filtration, change the filters regularly. Next: In Preparation for Construction |
