Poor Design + No Gutters = Wood Rot

January 17th, 2009 at 5:09 pm

 

 

In this video of a recent Houston home inspection, we discover that the wood trim around the rear exit door is rotted. During the inspection, we find that the house has been poorly designed.  We see this in many newer homes in Houston. It seems that the architect failed to provide adequate coverage over the rear door and windows of the house. In most every case, where we find little or no coverage over the back door, wood rot it is evident.

Other then installing an awning or some type of covering over the doors and windows, a second alternative would be to provide gutters along the rear of the house.  Most Houston home inspectors will recommend that gutters be installed around the entire house.  This recommendation is made primarily to help drain water away from the foundation.  However, in the situation we are reviewing today, gutters will provide some protection from rainwater coming in around the back door. 

Most of the gutters installed today in the Houston area are made of aluminum.  Houston home builders will normally only install the very minimum amount of gutters along the front of the house.  The home owner  should contract with a reputable construction company to install the additional gutters needed around the entire house.