After more than 40 years in the construction trades I have noticed that the exterior of buildings is usually not given enough emphasis from a maintenance standpoint. The exterior is what keeps the weather out. It is to protect all that is inside.
I thought it would be informative and hopefully useful to go over some of the types and styles of exteriors I run into during a commercial real estate inspection. The exterior of a commercial building can be anything from concrete, to concrete blocks, brick, stucco or glass and steel to name the usual material.
Moisture is the number one issue with buildings. The roof is part of the exterior but that is a special area and is covered in other articles. This article is about the exterior sides of the buildings that can be seen.
At first glance the exterior may appear to be one of the easier aspects to a building inspection. In fact, it is one of the most important parts of any inspection. Many times I have looked at the exterior and some portion, such as around the fixed windows and it appears to be serviceable. However, upon a more detailed review, I have found a small opening that allowed moisture to enter which can create all sorts of expensive havoc.
The biggest concentration on the exterior is usually moisture related such as the grading against the building or any cracks or separations around doors and windows that could let moisture in.
The typical life for all rubber seals around fixed doors and windows is approximately 20 years. By that time they need some help. If I see a building built before 1990 I pay particular attention around all the doors and windows and look at the seals carefully to see what maintenance they have had, which they usually havent, and let it be known when some is needed.
There are two usual methods of maintenance around fixed window glass. One is to remove all the glass and the rubber seals and then replace the rubber seals and reinstall the glass. This is almost never done. It is too expensive and it doesn’t really do much better than caulking the seals with a high quality sealer that is less than 1/10th the cost. Caulking is the usual method. It is a relatively cheap and effective fix if done properly.
If the exterior is stucco then it almost always has cracks if you look closely. What are typical exterior cracks? They are hairline cracks about one-sixteenth or less that all stucco and many concrete buildings have if you really look. A crack in stucco or most any exterior surface that is more than one-sixteenth means most likely moisture is getting into the building envelope.
When I see a brick building I look very closely around doors and windows for cracks or signs of patching. If I see cracks or past patching I note it. If I see deterioration of the mortar I let this be known. (If I can knock out mortar with my pen easily or it is powdery I suggest a qualified mason examine the condition and evaluate how to best handle it.) Deteriorated mortar, usually in buildings from the mid thirties or earlier, can be very costly to fix. Depending on how the building is built it could be a structural issue. Sometimes I will find small areas of bad mortar that can usually be repaired easily. This is often due to improper mixing of the mortar at the time of construction. Sprinklers spraying against the building are a real no-no for mortar; it can deteriorate it rapidly and is never a good idea regardless of the surface.
I hope you found this informative and of use.
Bob Pace has been a Certified Inspector since 1994 and a licensed contractor for nearly 4o years. For more information about commercial real estate inspections visit his website at http://www.commercialrealestateinspectors.com to find out how he can help with your real estate inspection.
[tags]building inspectors, los angeles building inspections[/tags]
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