When walking through a potential new home, it’s easy to look past a minor cosmetic blemish, but ignoring early signs of water damage can be a costly mistake. Buyers often view a little scuff on the wall, a squeaky hinge, or a slightly discolored piece of hardwood flooring as quick weekend fixes.
But as we often see at Wiemann Home Inspection, water always tells a story. And sometimes, that story is a nightmare. Here is a real-world example from a recent inspection, proving how a seemingly minor issue actually signaled major water damage.
Connecting the Dots of Water Damage
During a recent pre-purchase inspection, Tim evaluated a home that looked to be in relatively good shape. However, while checking the main-level living space, he noticed some water damage on the hardwood floor just inside the patio door, on both sides of the frame.
To the untrained eye, this might just look like someone left the door open during a rainstorm, or perhaps a dog tracked in some snow.
But a thorough home inspection connects the dots throughout the entire house. When Tim moved down into the basement, he found the second clue: actively wet water damage on the trim above a basement window. This window sat directly beneath the upstairs patio door.
Water was traveling.
The Recommendation: Calling in the Experts
As home inspectors, our job is to identify the defect and point you in the right direction. Because the moisture was active and traveling between floors, we noted the defect in the report and highly recommended further evaluation by a qualified contractor to determine the exact source of the moisture intrusion and replacement of any damaged materials.
The Reality: A Missing Crucial Detail
The buyers followed our advice and had a contractor open things up. What they found was every homeowner’s worst fear.
The issue wasn’t a spilled glass of water or a leaky door seal. The patio door and the exterior deck ledger board lacked proper flashing.
Flashing is the protective metal or rubber material that directs water away from vulnerable seams. Without it, every time it rained, the structure channeled water directly behind the ledger board and straight into the home’s framing.
Because this happened silently over a long period, it caused significant damage to the floor structure, the wall sheeting, and the underlying framing. What looked like a couple of warped floorboards actually required some reframing of the floor and wall structure.
The Takeaway on Preventing Water Damage
This is exactly why skipping a home inspection to check for water damage is never worth the risk. A fresh coat of paint or a strategically placed rug can hide a lot, but water always leaves a trail.
If you’re buying a home in the Des Moines metro, make sure you have an experienced set of eyes looking out for your investment.
Schedule your inspection with Wiemann Home Inspection today, and let us help you buy with confidence.