Detached structures are not normally as important to homeowners as their primary dwelling (and for obvious reasons). We don’t live in detached structures, and they don’t directly affect our house.
Still, detached structures are valuable pieces of property that shouldn’t be overlooked. They often house important and valuable items like cars, motorcycles, lawnmowers, expensive stored items and other valuables. Taking care of detached structures should be a top priority, but it’s easy to neglect or overlook structures we don’t actually live in. However, doing so is a mistake.
Some common defects with detached structures are missing gutters and downspouts, significantly deteriorated mortar joints of concrete block walls (if the walls are masonry), missing photoelectric “red eye” safety sensors for overhead, mechanical garage doors and inadequate sealing that allows pests easy access to the interior.
Of course, some of these defects may be acceptable to most homeowners with detached structures; BUT, fixing these deficiencies is usually fairly easy and inexpensive, and making these repairs is a wise investment to ensure that these structures (which are quite valuable) remain in a good state of repair.
If you have a detached garage, shed or other outbuilding, I encourage you to take some time to perform a simple check on your own. See if gutters and downspouts are present, if mortar joints are intact or deteriorated, if garage door safety sensors are in place, and so forth; and make the time and financial investment necessary to remedy any defects. You won’t regret this small investment in the additional structures on your property.
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Hill Inspections 