DIY Home Inspection Checklist

DIY Home Inspection Checklist

By inspecting your home regularly you will be able to identify problems early, providing you with the ability to find the time and the money to fix them. Detecting problems early is also likely to save you money and prevent secondary problems from arising. For example, dealing with a pipe's small leak is much easier than dealing with the ensuing water damage a flood causes.

Print out this step-by-step Do-it-Yourself Home Inspection checklist and take the time each month to look at your home.

Outside

Roof

Have any of the tiles or slates slipped? Are there any missing or broken?
How are the timbers? Is the roof sagging in any areas?
Are the gutters and downpipes leaking or overflowing? Are they damaged or sagging?

Chimney

Is it leaning? Are there any damaged bricks?
How are the chimney pots? Broken? Leaning? Do they need to be replaced? Does the mortar need to be redone?
How are the flashings? Have any slipped or are any missing?

Walls

Are any of the bricks crumbling or otherwise damaged?
Have the mortar joints eroded?
Do the walls have any cracks?

Doors

Have the timber doors rotted?
Do any need to be repainted or stained?
Is the sealant around the doors damaged?

Airbricks

Are all of the airbricks open and unobstructed by spoil or paving?

Be sure to look not just at your main home but also all other structures on your property as well.

Inside

Floors

Step lightly on the floors, focusing on the areas near the walls, to identify bounciness which can indicate rot.
Look closely at floorboards for signs of rot and infestation, such as the tiny holes of woodworms.
Are any floorboards damaged or loose?
Look at skirting boards for signs of rot of infestation.

Electrics

Turn each switch on and off to check for signs of sparks and crackles.
Look at sockets for burn marks.
Are any of the electrical fixtures loose, broken, or cracked?

Gas

Review your records and ensure that your gas appliances have not gone beyond 1 year since their last inspection by a CORGI registered gas fitter.
Look at your gas fire and around it for signs of burn marks.
Turn on your gas fire and ensure that the flame is an orange-yellow colour, not a bright yellow one.

Plumbing

Turn on each tap to check the water pressure and visual quality.
After turning off the taps, check that they do not drip or otherwise waste water.
Look at the pipes to check for leaks.

Plaster

Are there any areas where the wallpaper keeps coming off or is crumbly.
Are there any cracks, particularly those that are long and straight, which could indicate a structural problem.

Next Steps

After you have completed your home inspection you need to sit down and review your list of identified problems. Try grouping the issues into the following categories:

1. Work that must be completed immediately by a specialist.

2. Work that must be completed immediately, but that I can do myself.

3. Work that will less expensive/easier to complete at a later time (such as a different season).

NOTE: The work will only be easier and less expensive if the problem is stable and will not worsen or create more problems with time.

After completing this list you can get started hiring the service people you need and planning the projects that you will complete on your own. You should also consider whether any of these repairs will be covered by your insurance, and begin filling out the necessary paperwork.

Completing a do-it-yourself task can be rewarding, cost effective and often very enjoyable; but, only when your safety is maintained. Taking on a task that you are not skilled enough to complete can be dangerous and end up costing you more in the long run. For those projects that are not in your do-it-myself future, you can count on trained professionals.

Protect and maintain your home with reliable and professional care from British Gas' many Care and Repair packages. Learn More.

^Top |

RSS |