Property & Building Inspection · Task 2 of 19

Exterior study notes

The exterior inspection covers wall coverings, flashing, trim, doors, decks, porches, balconies, stairs and guards.

Key points

• Flashing (head, kick-out, step) sends water out and away; caulk alone is not flashing.
• Vinyl siding hangs loose to expand; tight nailing makes it buckle.
• Brick veneer needs open weep holes at the base and above openings.
• EIFS/stucco: stains, cracks at openings and missing clearance at grade may hide water damage. Refer for invasive testing.
• Decks: ledger bolted and flashed, proper hangers and posts on footings, guards above 30 in., 4-in. sphere rule.
• Garage vehicle doors: test auto-reverse; photo-eyes no more than about 6 in. above the floor.

Exam tip

ledger failure is the classic deck-collapse cause.

Practise this task

Try free exterior practice questions with answers and explanations, or look up terms in the glossary.

These notes are an original study aid and may contain errors. Verify against current IRC, NEC and NFPA editions and your state's standards of practice.