What does the home inspector look for on the grounds around the home?
Your At Home Inspections, Inc. professional looks at drainage around the house, specifically noting if surface water run-off is directed AWAY from the house. This includes grading for proper drainage away from house foundation walls, addition foundation walls, retaining walls, patios, sidewalks, stoops, porches, steps, etc. Proper grading, drainage and surface water run-off control around the home is essential for minimizing basement and below-ground crawlspace leakage, and for reducing foundation settlement problems. The home inspector checks the paved driveway and walkway(s) for cracks, settlement, drainage problems, and trip hazards. Retaining walls are checked for vertical settlement, horizontal shift (often indicating failure) and the presence of safety railings. The fastening systems and support framing systems for stairways, decks, and attached porches are checked for fastener corrosion, proper framing technique, safety railings, wood rot, rust damage to structural steel, concre
