What is your home’s number one enemy?   Many people would answer termites.   Although termites are a huge problem in the state of Georgia, the big culprit is water entry and weather conditions.  From a home inspector’s point of view, damage caused by water is reported much more frequently than termite damage.   According to the National Pest Management Association, termite damage costs homeowners in the United States up to $5 billion a year.  The annual cost to repair moisture damage to U.S. homes is predicted to reach $34 billion by 2008, according to The Chelsea Group, an engineering and industrial hygiene consulting service.

One would think that homes are built to be watertight. In theory, they are supposed to be, but in the real world, most homes are rarely water tight.   Water intrusion in a home is a result of two reasons.  The first being improper control of roof water.  Local building codes in Georgia require roof drainage in areas where expansive or collapsible soils are known to exist.  The code says: “All dwellings shall have a controlled method of water disposal from the roof that will collect and discharge all roof drainage to the ground surface at least 5 feet from the foundation walls or to an approved drainage system.”  In other words, rain water should be removed from the surface of the roof and delivered to a location on the ground five feet away from the foundation.   Sounds easy, so why is it such a big problem?

A downspout is the vertical piping connected to the end of the gutter which discharges the gutter water to the grade level around the home.  If there is no elbow or extension connected to the end of the downspout where it meets the soil grade, wet basements and crawl spaces will result.  Let me stress, water entry WILL result, not may result.   Even if your home is built on a slab, roof water draining along the corners of the slab or foundation walls can result in soil wash out and could cause the foundation of your home to fail.

Have your gutters inspected each year after all the tree leaves have fallen.  You need to make sure the gutters are clear of all debris and that there is no excessive water standing in the gutters within 24 hours of a rain fall.  Climbing a tall ladder is not always necessary to determine if your gutters are functioning properly or not.  Look for these clues:  If you notice rusted spots along the bottom edges of your gutters, this indicates that they may be rusting through.  This is a result of age or standing water.   It is also a clear sign it is time to replace the gutters.  During a rain fall, if you notice excessive amounts of water flowing over the tops of the gutters, this may be indicative of stoppage preventing water to discharge properly.   It could also mean the gutter is too small in diameter to accommodate all of the surface water from your roof. Quite often, much of the gutter systems on a two story home can be observed from a second story window.  If water is not easily flowing out of the end of the downspout during a rain, the downspout is clogged and needs to be cleaned out.   If your downspouts are connected to underground extensions, ascertain that water is flowing out of the end of the extension where it comes to the surface of the ground.  If the discharge is poor or non-existing, the extension or downspout is clogged.   A clogged underground extension can easily allow water to drain toward the foundation causing water entry into the crawl space or basement.    Unless you are very experienced with ladders, I do not recommend the mounting of a ladder to clean or even examine your gutters.  Look for the clues and then call in an expert.  This type of service is rarely expensive.   If gutters were allowed to do what they were manufactured to do, there would be far fewer wet basements, crawlspaces, roof leaks, foundation settlement problems and problems with movement in sidewalks and driveway.

The second most common cause of water entry in a home is improper control of surface water.  Controlling surface water not only includes drainage in the yard but also decks, porches, sidewalks and driveways.   Anytime surface water is allowed to drain toward the home, regardless of its source, there will be a problem.  Our local building codes are also very clear about controlling surface water.  The code states: “Surface drainage shall be diverted to a storm sewer conveyance or other point of collection so as to not create a hazard.  Lots shall be graded so as to drain surface water away from the foundation walls.”  The building code also stipulated that even garage floors are to be sloped to allow fluids to flow away from the home toward the garage door.  A good builder should comply and ascertain that the soil grade around the home properly drains surface water away from the home.  Likewise, when the builder installs decks, porches, driveways and sidewalks, proper drainage must be considered. A good rule of thumb is this:  If water is standing on a surface 48 hours after a rain, this usually indicates a surface drainage problem.  According to the International Code Council, Georgia is rated to have very heavy probability for termite infestation.  Wet areas around a home will attract termites.   With the termites come problems that could devastate the structural integrity of the home.   Termites love to consume moist wood as their food source.   As a home owner, you should have your home inspected annually and treated immediately when termites are discovered.

Water intrusion in a home can lead to mold.  Mold growth in a home can cause several major problems.  Mold can create a health problem, in particular if someone in the home has a weak immune system.  We inhale the mold spores which attach to our immune system.   This process makes it more difficult for our bodies to fight off infections.  Mold can cause the property to lose value if the cost to remove the mold is more expensive than to re-build the home.  Your home then has zero value.  Certain types of molds consume moist wood as a food source and this process could lead to a structural problem in the home over an extended period of time.  The consumption of the wood weakens a structural component’s ability to carry its load.   If a home owner discovers mold growth in his or her home, then there must be a water intrusion problem somewhere.   Having the mold removed before correcting the water problem is pointless.   The problem may be caused by one or many factors such as a plumbing leak, roof leak, surface water draining toward the home, or roof water not being taken away from the foundation properly.    A home produces about twenty-five quarts of vapor each day.   That vapor passes through the drywall and floors entering the attic, basement or crawl space.   If these areas are not properly vented to carry the vapor to the exterior of the home, mold growth could result once the vapor converts back to water.   The problem must be located and repaired before the mold can be removed for good.

We all know that without water humans would not be able to survive, but our most important investment, our home, must be protected from unwanted water entry.  Water intrusion is, without a doubt, your home’s number one enemy!