Spring is near and now’s the time to ensure the exterior structures of your Wisconsin home are sufficient with a quality Milwaukee home inspection. Two important aspects of Wisconsin exterior home inspection includes your homes siding and garage. During your Wisconsin exterior home inspection your certified Milwaukee home inspector identifies problem areas of your homes garage and siding and suggests preventive maintenance to protect your siding and garage from future deterioration.
Siding protects your home from future structural damage. The House Detective, your Milwaukee home inspector is an expert in inspecting wood, aluminum and vinyl, and brick and stone siding. Moisture and insects are the leading causes of wood siding deterioration. The House Detective, your Milwaukee home inspector will look for cracks, delamination, buckling, mildew, and peeling paint. By evaluating the severity of the damage, your Milwaukee home inspector can advise a homeowner on whether the wood siding needs replacement or just paint or stain.
Aluminum and vinyl siding are nearly maintenance free products, but sometimes problems arise. Your Milwaukee home inspector determines if dented aluminum siding will harm the home’s structural integrity. Mold and mildew may be cause for siding replacement or just a cleaning. A solution of 30% vinegar and 70% water is an ideal home siding cleaning option. Pressure washing is generally acceptable as long as it doesn’t strip the paint or dent the siding.
A brick or stone siding inspection will reveal cracks or missing mortar. A Milwaukee house inspection will determine whether to fill the siding with mortar or concrete caulk. Filling cracks and replacing mortar prevents the entry of water and insects,and further structural damage to your Wisconsin home.
A Milwaukee home exterior inspection closely examines the garage. A Milwaukee home inspector will look for a firewall. The wall between garage and home should be constructed so it takes a fire one hour to burn through to the home. The door from the garage to the living space needs to be solid and fire resistant, or a minimum of 13/8-inches thick. Hollow doors are easier to burn through. Doors should have weather-stripping to prevent carbon monoxide fumes from entering the home.
The Milwaukee house inspector will make sure garage doors operate correctly. In the winter, automatic garage doors tend to operate slowly or stop entirely. A simple adjustment from the Milwaukee house inspector gets them working properly. There should be two force setting screws to adjust the opening and closing force of the garage door. One screw should be labeled “up” and the other “down.” Adjust the appropriate screw until you get the force and speed you desire.
A quality Milwaukee home inspection will examine the structure of the garage. Homeowners often weaken garage frames by removing beams or using rafters to hang storage lofts. Underground moisture causes the cement floor to crack and lift. The Milwaukee house inspector may advise the homeowner of engineering solutions if lifting is in excess of one inch.
For a complete and thorough exterior home inspection in Milwaukee, Waukesha, and throughout Southeastern Wisconsin, choose the ASHI licensed and certified Wisconsin home inspectors at the House Detectives. Our Milwaukee home inspectors are dedicated to providing Southern Wisconsin with high quality Milwaukee home inspection services, helping you better understand your home. Contact the House Detectives for a free Milwaukee exterior home inspection quote.