With barbecue season already here, homeowners should heed the following safety precautions in order to keep their families and property...

Attic pull-down ladders, also called attic pull-down stairways, are collapsible ladders that are permanently attached to the attic floor....

At Least One Receptacle There must be at least one receptacle outlet installed outside at the front and back of the house that has direct...

Attachment Wood decking should be attached to each supporting member (joist) with at least two 8d threaded nails or two No. 8 wood...

Guard A guard is nothing more than a barrier to block a human body from a fall from an elevated walking surface. It does not require any...

Joist Connection Deck joist framing into the side of a beam or ledger board (where the joist end connects) must be supported by approved...

Calculating spans and cantilevers for deck beams and joists is beyond the scope of a home inspection. This section of the course will go...

The most common cause of deck collapse is when a ledger pulls away from the band joists of homes and buildings. The two most common ways...

The illustration above depicts the minimum distance of untreated support members from grade. Untreated joists should be at least 18...

Inspecting the footings, footing sizes, footing depths, and buried components beyond the scope of a home inspection. The home inspector...

Load The image above depicts an evenly distributed deck load. Building codes require decks to be designed to carry a uniformly...

The performance of all roof coverings is based in part on the slope of the roof surface. As the slope of the roof decreases, water...

A home inspector must inspect the roof because any roof can leak, and it's required by the standards of practice. To inspect a roof that...

Hail and wind can cause significant damage to a roof, particularly an asphalt shingle roof. After a storm, all of your neighbors should...

There should be underlayment installed on most roofs that I inspect. And if it's readily visible, we'll take a look at the underlayment....

Low-Slope Roof Coverings A roof that is nearly level or slightly sloped is called a low-slope roof. No roof should be actually level and...

When closing on a home, making the decision to place an offer on a home, or needing a project inspected before making a final payment to...

Like the bark on a tree or the skin on your body, siding is a home’s front line of protection against the elements. To do its job, siding...

Deck Construction Until about fifteen years ago, decks were considered structures that anyone could build, and just about anyone built...

Attics are the space between the roof and the ceiling of the highest floor of the house. They’re usually full of insulation, and...