Do-It-Yourself Home Inspection Tips for 3 Major Areas of Your Home

By Anonymous -

Although it is important to have your home professionally inspected, every homeowner can do brief, routine inspections of their home in order to spot potential red flags. By catching potential issues early on, you can often save yourself from having a problem that gets worse and could cost you thousands of dollars to fix. Many areas of a home could potentially warrant the need for repairs, but there are three major areas that you shouldn't miss when you're inspecting your home.

Electrical Wiring

Faulty electrical wiring can cause serious problems in your home. Electrical wiring malfunctions cause up to 50,000 house fires per year, so a wiring problem is definitely an issue to look out for. 

What kinds of things should you check for during an inspection of your electrical wiring? You need to be on the lookout for odd smells from appliances and outlets, lights that dim or flicker, sparking, outlets that heat up easily, fuses that blow or trip often and an electrical “buzzing” sound. Electricity should not produce any sound when it is running efficiently. You also need to make sure that all wet areas of the home, such as kitchens and bathrooms, have an appropriate ground-fault connector (GCFI). 

Plumbing

Always be on the lookout for plumbing leaks. While you may think a small drip here or there is no big deal, even minor pipe leaks can have major consequences. Signs of leaks include soaring water bills, mold or mildew in various areas and musty smells in different rooms. If you can hear the sound of running water, that is normally a bad sign as well. One of the best ways to determine that you've got a hidden leak in your house is to check your water meter. If you shut off all of the water in your home but your meter is still running, you probably have a leaky pipe somewhere and should call a plumber for professional leak detection services. 

Foundation

Make sure to inspect your home's foundation on a routine basis. First, inspect the exterior of your home. If you see areas that bulge or lean, there could be an issue. Then, look at the interior of the home and watch for horizontal-shaped cracks that are over a quarter-inch in size. That is a red flag that there's stress on your foundation.

They say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That is definitely true when it comes to these home inspection tips. By taking a little time to look over three areas of your home, you can make sure that it is as safe as possible for you and your family.


Roofs are one of the most common areas heavily affected by wear and tear. JCF Construction is here to help with all of your roof replacement and repair needs and more! 

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