INTERIOR
- Are your floors even? You might want to roll a ball on the floor or use a level.
- Do you have cracks in the walls around windows and doors? Even hairline cracking is a sign of significant structural movement.
- Do you have any doors that stick or do not close (normally or seasonally)? For example, in winter they do not operate correctly, but in summer they do.
- Is the molding around doors or windows separating at the corners?
- Does your refrigerator door swing open or shut by itself?
EXTERIOR
Any crack in masonry that you can stick the edge of a nickel in may be a sign of structural damage.
- Inspect all masonry. Do you see cracks between the mortar and brick? These usually appear in a stair-step pattern or as horizontal or vertical crack straight through brick and mortar.
- Inspect the areas around doors and windows. Do you see space or separation between wood trim and brick? Sometimes the space has been filled with caulking; beads should be no wider than 1/2″.
- Inspect the chimney. Is it leaning away from the house? Look for excessive caulk or wood trim that looks out of place. Check for double caulk lines.
- Inspect the exterior trim molding. Where the brick meets the molding or freeze board at the roofline, is there misalignment or space in the corners?
- Do you see settling of brick steps or stoop?
YARD
- In dry periods, do you see cracks in the soil?
- When it rains, do you have water standing or running around your home?
- Do you ever have standing water in your crawl space?
- Is it usually moist in your crawl space during or after a dry spell?
BASEMENT
- Do you see horizontal cracking between the block and mortar? A crack usually means the basement wall is bowing inward. You can usually verify with a plumb line or straightedge.
- Do you see cracking in the concrete floor?
- Does water or moisture seep through the wall after a dry spell followed by rain?
- Does water or moisture seep through the wall during a prolonged wet spell?
- Do you ever notice efflorescence or calcium deposits on the block wall? This usually looks like a white raised chalky film and can usually be dusted off.