Stories at this level: 39

The Old House Web is pleased to offer excerpts from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide. Over the months ahead, we'll publish the entire book in installments.

• Low-pitched roofs
  How to identify potential trouble spots on flat (or nearly so) roofs


• Decks, porches and balconies
  How to inspect for current or potential trouble spots.


• Site drainage issues
  How to inspect the grounds of your old house for drainage questions.


• Windows and doors
  Here's how to inspect these complex systems from the outside for exterior defects.


• Background about this series of stories
  The Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide


• Termites, ants and other wood-destroying organisms
  Fungi, ants, beetles and other pests can destroy houses -- new or old. Here's how to identify these pests.


• Moisture, insects, structural problems...
  The basement or crawl space is often the most revealing area in an older building


• Air conditioning
  Inspecting cooling systems


• Alternative cooling systems
  Inspecting geothermal systems, heat pumps, evaporative coolers


• Bulging, bowing and cracking
  Inspecting the construction and condition of retaining walls


• Site improvements
  Checking landscaping, stairs and walkways for safety, condition


• Gutters and downspouts
  Inspection and regular cleaning key to healthy roof drainage


• Preparing for inspection
  Get the most out of your house inspection with some early preparation


• Home Inspection: Checklist #1
  Examining the site of a house


• Home Inspection: Checklist #2
  Looking at possible trouble spots on the outside of your home


• Home inspection: Checklist #3
  Examining the home's interior


• Home inspection: Checklist #4
  Examining structural issues


• Home inspection: Checklist #5
  Electrical system


• Home inspection: Checklist #6
  Checking the plumbing in a house


• Home inspection: Checklist #7
  Heating, ventilation and air conditioning system


• Siding
  Inspecting the outside skin of your home


• Inspecting chimneys
  Height is key in preventing down-drafts


• Interior spaces
  Inspection procedures common to all interior spaces, including finished attics and basements


• Site improvements
  Outbuildings, yards and courts


• HVAC
  Components of the HVAC system


• HVAC
  Fuel-burning units, general


• HVAC
  Forced warm air heating systems


• HVAC
  Forced hot water (hydronic) heating systems


• HVAC
  Steam heating systems


• HVAC
  Electric resistance heating


• Structural components
  Inspect floors and footings for cracking, damage


• Seismic and wind resistance
  Homes in hurricane, earthquake zones should be examined for vulnerability


• General masonry inspection
  Cracking, vowing, spalling, sweeping...and other general issues about masonry structural systems


• Masonry foundations and piers
  Uneven settlement, ground movement, moisture can all cause problems


• Above-ground masonry walls
  Examine masonry walls for this long list of common problems


• Inspecting chimneys
  When to rebuild home chimneys


• Wood structural components
  Sloping, springy floors, wall cracks, sticking windows all signs of wood structural problems


• Iron and steel structural components
  Corrosion main source of problems


• Concrete structural components
  Inspect floors and footings for cracking, damage