1. Top 10 Most Common Home Defects
Presented by
National Association of
Certified Home Inspectors
Chicago Chapter

2. Copyright 2005 National Association of Certified Home Inspectors
Top 10 Home Defects
Here are examples of the top ten most common defects found during home inspections. While common. Most of these defects can be easily, and inexpensively, fixed.
If left unattended to, these conditions can only get worse and lead to much more expensive repairs, and in some cases, structural failure or fire.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Foundation: Drainage
The house’s foundation should not be covered and be visible for at least 6” for brick walls and at least 8” for siding and stucco walls.
Gutter downspouts should lead away from the foundation at least 6 feet, 10 feet is better.
Covering the foundation can lead to water infiltration, insect intrusion, rot, mold and structural failure.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Foundation
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Top 10 Home Defects
Foundation
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Top 10 Home Defects
Foundation
True Story:
Brand New 4,400 SF House
With A BIG Hidden Problem
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Top 10 Home Defects
Foundation
Nice brick planter at the front covers the foundations weep wicks with 3” of soil.
The result?
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Top 10 Home Defects
Foundation
Rotted Rim Joist and Sill Plate in 4 Months! $36,000 fix!
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Top 10 Home Defects
Foundation
Result – If Not Fixed.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Electrical Defects
A house’s electrical system can cause the most dangerous problems if it is not properly and professionally installed and maintained.
Always have any electrical work done by a licensed and insured electrical contractor.
Electricians in Illinois are not licensed by the state. Some are ‘licensed’ by a municipality, requiring only minimum liability insurance.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Electrical Panels – Location, Inaccessible
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Top 10 Home Defects
Electrical Panels – Owner Repairs
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Top 10 Home Defects
Electrical Panels – Double Tapping
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Top 10 Home Defects
Electrical Panels – Double Tapping Main
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Top 10 Home Defects
Non-Professional / Homeowner Wiring
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Top 10 Home Defects
Electrical – Animal Problems
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Top 10 Home Defects
Roof
Roofing problems are common, and the most easily dealt with. Make sure that all roofing work is done professionally and properly.
Roofers in Illinois are required to be state licensed and insured, but most are not.
Contractor E & O insurance guarantees the quality of the work.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Roof Drainage
New House
Builder Saved $20.00.
Buyer Lost Roof in 2 Years!
All upper downspouts must drain to lower gutters.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Roof Drainage
12,000 SF House.
Downspout draining directly onto cedar shake roof.
Note the shake curling.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Roof Leaks
Quick Fix for Leaky Roof
Owner tries quick repair with elaborate siphon system.
Wound up ruining the bedroom ceiling because the bucket filled and broke through.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Roof Deck Rot Due To Moisture
Lower gable attic, roof decking old, but serviceable
Upper gable attic, roof decking rotted and soft. Upper attic had un-vented bathroom exhaust fan.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Heating
Heating systems are most commonly plagued by the lack of the proper amount of combustion air. Make sure that the furnace has an adequate source of combustion air. The rule is 10 cubic feet of air for each cubic foot of gas burned.
Without exterior venting, a 100,000 BTU furnace requires a room 25 X 25 X 8 at a minimum!
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Top 10 Home Defects
Heating - Insufficient Combustion Air
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Top 10 Home Defects
Heating - Insufficient Combustion Air
Yellowing flame means carbon monoxide is being produced.
Beware of furnaces installed in closets that do not have an exterior air intake vent flue.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Heating - Insufficient Combustion Air
Failed heat exchanger caused by insufficient combustion air.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Heating - Insufficient Combustion Air
Brand new high efficiency furnace.
Improperly installed.
Note missing combustion air vent on left.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Improper Maintenance and Repair
Always have all house repair done by professional, licensed and insured contractors.
Make sure that you are fully informed when you make any do-it-yourself repairs
Most times, money you think that you are saving, up front, is eaten up later.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Improper Maintenance – Owner Repair
Leaky sink drain?
What to do?
The Old Diaper Trick.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Improper Maintenance – Bad Plumbing
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Top 10 Home Defects
Non-Professional Repairs
No grounding.
Wires not enclosed, not waterproof.
Sink electrified!
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Top 10 Home Defects
HVAC –Owner “Innovations”
New and “improved”, supercharged water heater.
The only smart thing about this setup is the fire extinguisher.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Structural Damage
Structural damage is probably the most expensive type of damage to repair. If not done properly, your house can collapse.
Structural problems, though rare, are usually very expensive to repair.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Structural Damage
Floor joist cut to allow for heating duct. Structural integrity of the floor in danger.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Structural Damage
Welding torch hole cut in steel beam in garage to facilitate the garage door opener.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Structural Damage
1875 Apartment building.
Central foundation at the middle is failing.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Structural Damage
Old pier with washed away footing and CMU blocks set on their sides.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Structural Damage
Diagonal crack with multiple plane. Uneven settling, commonly seen in clay soil conditions.
A real structural problem.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Structural Damage
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Top 10 Home Defects
Plumbing Problems
Plumbing problems are most commonly caused by inadequate maintenance or owner repairs.
Plumbers, in Illinois, are required to be state licensed and insured, but many are not.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Plumbing Problems – Water Heater
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Top 10 Home Defects
Plumbing Problems – Improper Fixture Use
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Top 10 Home Defects
Water and Air Infiltration
Water infiltration is, often, the most easily avoided house problem. Remember, to a house, water is the enemy.
Water in wood = ROT, regardless of the age of the wood. A brand new 2 x 4 can completely rot in 4 months if its moisture content is greater than 38%. Kiln dried wood has a moisture content < 4%.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Water and Air Infiltration
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Top 10 Home Defects
Water and Air Infiltration
Thermal imaging to display ceiling water infiltration.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Water and Air Infiltration
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Top 10 Home Defects
Crawlspace / Attic Ventilation
Along guarding against water infiltration, proper ventilation is the best way to make sure that water is kept out.
Crawlspaces and attics must be ventilated in order to avoid wood rot and mold.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Crawlspace / Attic Ventilation
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Top 10 Home Defects
Crawlspace / Attic Ventilation
Clothes dryer vented to Attic
6 month old house
Rotten roof decking
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Top 10 Home Defects
Crawlspace / Attic Ventilation
Bathroom Exhaust Fan Vented to Attic
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Top 10 Home Defects
Crawlspace / Attic Ventilation
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Top 10 Home Defects
Crawlspace / Attic Ventilation
Weird things found in attics and crawlspaces
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Top 10 Home Defects
Crawlspace / Attic Ventilation
Weird things found in attics and crawlspaces
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53. Top 10 Home Defects Crawlspace / Attic Ventilation
The deadly “Assassin Kitty”!
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Top 10 Home Defects
Non-Inspected Construction Defects
Just because your house passed a governmental code inspection, that is no guarantee that it is free of defects. Code inspectors are overworked and building codes are merely minimal requirements.
Even brand new houses can have substantial and expensive defects and safety hazards!
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Top 10 Home Defects
Non-Inspected Construction Defects
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Top 10 Home Defects
Non-Inspected Construction Defects
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Top 10 Home Defects
Non-Inspected Construction Defects
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Top 10 Home Defects
Installation Defects
Hair dryer installed near bathroom basin, against manufacturer’s instructions.
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Top 10 Home Defects
Old / Defected Electrical Equipment
Zinsco
Federal Pacific Equipment
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Top 10 Home Defects
Thank you for your time.
Questions?
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