What a Home Inspector in Tampa May Discover About Your Siding

Synthetic siding products make excellent outer coverings for Tampa homes. Newer options include vinyl, fiber cement, and a wood fiber product. These coverings provide superior protection when installed correctly. Most modern contractors are highly experienced at installing these synthetic siding components. Your home inspector in Tampa from Beryl Project Engineering also knows siding. He or she can determine when signs reveal that your siding may not be performing as designed. 

Older styles of siding were made for houses with simpler designs and could be easily installed. Large roof overhangs protected the siding, windows, and doors from water intrusion. Older homes typically lost massive amounts of air and heat because of poor insulation. This kept any water invasions at bay by drying the outer siding and components rather quickly. 

Newer homes are wrapped much tighter with more complicated siding components that can trap moisture. These better insulated homes do not allow much air to escape. The moisture stays in place and causes mold and rot to begin. This can also become a problem with older homes covered in newer synthetic siding components. 

Signs of Moisture Problems with Your Synthetic Siding

Your Beryl home inspector from Tampa can determine if there are moisture problems occurring behind your home’s siding. Here are a few of the tell-tale signs: 

  • Peeling paint above or below horizontal trim at exterior doors 
  • If using fiber cement siding, the nails must be embedded into studs, not just the OSB sheathing 
  • Inadequate clearances between flashings and siding 
  • Caulked gaps between flashing and siding 
  • Nails that break through the surface of the siding 
  • Kick-out flashings are not properly installed 
  • Cut siding and trim edges are not painted 
  • The roof-to-siding clearance is too small 

If these or any other issues cause concern for your home inspector in Tampa, he or she will make note of this in the inspection report. Some cases may prompt the inspector to ask for the siding to be removed to determine if more serious moisture damage has occurred. The siding contractor that completed the job should be contacted to cooperate in this endeavor. 

Quality Home Inspections in Tampa, Florida 

Beryl Project Engineering provides quality home inspections in Tampa, Florida and surrounding communities. Our home inspectors have over 20 years of experience serving our community and building a reputation for reliability and impartiality. We are the home inspectors in Tampa that you can trust when buying or selling your home. 

It takes seasoned experience to spot the kinds of signs we describe in this article. This is just one example of the kind of quality we provide in every home inspection. Beryl Project Engineering is proud to be covered by the InterNACHI “Buy-Back Guarantee” because of our level of quality. You can make buying or selling decisions with confidence based on the reliable reports we provide. 

Call Beryl Project Engineering at 813-616-3301 or message us online when you need a home inspector in Tampa or the surrounding towns and counties.