Sometimes, when doing a home inspection, even if you as the inspector know what you are looking for it can be hard to tell what you are really seeing. This is particularly true as no destructive testing is done. For example, the photo at the left is a deck where it meets the exterior wall of the home. A home inspector wants to verify that there is a metal flashing that goes under the exterior siding and down over the ledger board. This reduces the chances that moisture and, even decay, might move into the wall of the home. The problem here is that there was limited access below the deck, which did not allow looking for a flashing underneath, and the area above, where the flashing might normally be visible, was fully filled in with caulking compound. Generally the deck looked to be well-built, so I would have expected a flashing to be in place but I could not see it. Another concern, which again could indicate that everything was not built to the highest standards, was that the stairs (right photo) in various locations had risers of different heights and wood to earth contact was apparent in numerous locations.

Thanks for looking.

www.kingofthehouse.com

Bellingham WA home inspector

Steven L. Smith