RGM Management & Development
In a recent survey, the American Society of Home Inspectors identified the most common home problems. It is interesting to note that four of the top ten problems involved water or moisture.
1. Improper Surface Grading and Drainage
By far the most frequent problem. It is responsible for the most common
household aggravations, including water penetration into the basement
or crawlspace. All basements will eventually leak.
2. Improper Electrical Wiring
A number of respondents found this to be a significant defect. This
includes such situations as insufficient electrical service, inadequate
overload protection and amateur (often dangerous) wiring connections.
3. Roof Damage
Ranked third, leaking roofs are a frequent problem. This is caused by old or
damaged shingles or improper flashing and drainage.
4. Heating Systems
Defect items in this category include broken or malfunctioning controls, blocked chimneys and unsafe exhaust disposal.
5. Poor Overall Maintenance
This is a common problem with all homeowners. Signs of poor maintenance include cracked, peeling or dirty painted surfaces, crumbling masonry, makeshift wiring or plumbing, and broken fixtures and appliances.
6. Structure-Related Problems
As a result of problems in one or more other categories, damage is sustained by such structural components as foundation walls, floor joists, rafters and window and door headers.
7. Plumbing
Though not ranked as the number one problem, plumbing defects still rank high. This includes the existence of old or incompatible piping materials, as well as as faulty fixtures and waste lines.
8. Exteriors
Flaws in this category, such as windows, doors and wall surfaces, rarely have structural significance but may pose discomfort to the occupants, due to water and air penetration. The most common culprits are inadequate caulking or weather-stripping.
9. Poor Ventilation
In an effort to save energy, many homeowners have "oversealed" their homes, resulting in excessive interior moisture. Significant moisture can lead to rotting and failure of both the structural and non-structural elements.
10. Miscellaneous
This category includes interior components (often cosmetic in nature) that were so infrequent that they did not rank individually on the survey. Homeowners should understand that regional climates, local building codes and the age of the home have a direct bearing on the ranking of these defects. For instance, the statistics relating to electrical and plumbing problems and roofing may have varied from one location to another and thus rank differently from the averages in this survey. Additionally, in older homes, problems such as heating system failure, inadequate electrical service and wiring and worn plumbing was found much more frequently than reflected in the nationwide survey.
MOLD
The expression "unless you've been living under a rock" won't apply when it comes to our health. That's because mold can and usually does grow there as well. Mold (and there are over 1,000 different types) is the new "fear dujour" when it comes to alarming homeowners. We've gone through urea formaldehyde; we're working our way back through lead and asbestos. Now comes mold.
Mold is a microscopic organism whose sole purpose in our ecosystem is to decompose material. That works great in our landfills and gardens. When it effects the structural integrity of our houses and our health, it's not so great.
Why is mold so prevalent today? We didn't even think about it say 30 to 40 years ago. First, remember that thirty years ago in the early seventies, we underwent our first energy crunch. That's when we started adding more insulation, weather-stripping and caulk to our houses.
I don't remember much from my school days but the expression, "for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction" sticks in my mind. By tightening up our houses, we affected the indoor air supply.
Also, prior to the 1970's, preservatives were abundant in building materials. But during the sixties and seventies, our landfills were starting to fill up because materials such as gypsum boards were not degrading at the dump. The solution: remove or reduce the preservatives. The materials do not know that they are in the dump (That same old high school expression applies here as well).
Mold needs 3 things to survive: moisture, food and air. You cannot remove air from the house so it must stay in the equation. Food is the house itself. It grows on hard surfaces and porous surfaces, from the basement walls to the underside of the roof structure. I've seen it in bathrooms, living rooms, and bedrooms. It can thrive on furniture, clothes, and toys. Almost nothing is immune from normal circumstances, so that being the case, you cannot remove food from the equation.
The only one of the 3 things that mold needs to survive that you can control is moisture. Mold cannot grow without moisture. Once a leak occurs, mold can start to grow within 24 hours.
Obviously we will want to correct all courses of water immediately but some are unavoidable. Floods, sewer backups, ice dams, broken pipes and leaky water heaters are things that just occur. They need to be immediately addressed, cleaned up, and dehumidified.
Other contributors to this problem are what we do daily in our lives.
Expert Tips
Home Problems Four of the top ten home problems involve water or moisture. More…
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