Providing home inspections in Colorado takes a little more thought than just putting your telescopic ladder and tool bag in the back of the truck. Successful Colorado Home Inspectors understand that our environment can cause unique problems for Colorado Homes.
Our elevation alone causes a whole host of problems. Due to the fact that most of the Denver Metro, Boulder, Fort Collins, Castle Rock, Front Range area is at or above 5280 feet we get more of the sun’s radiation which in turn cuts the lifetime of our roofing materials, siding, exterior wood decks down considerably. As Home Inspectors we have to be sensitive to this and other conditions mentioned later so as to provide the highest quality most comprehensive inspection for our clients.
With our proximity to the mountains we also have some serious winds that come out of the west. Home Inspectors in Colorado MUST keep this in mind, particularly when inspecting exteriors or new construction. Current building practice is to have Hurricane Clips on all rafters and truss locations. This prevents something that is called “uplift” where wind (or downward pressure on the ridge) can cause the rafter or truss that bears on the exterior wall to actually lift up. 
This causes a multitude of problems as you can guess. Sometimes you will see a roof that is wavy, or a gaping hole at the connection of the soffit to the house. There are different ways to fix this but as a home inspectors we need to be aware of the conditions that can cause this. Winds also can wreak havoc on shingles. Wind can cause roofing shingles to be lifted completely off the roofing substrate. Products that are installed per the manufactures specifications should not have this problem. As a Seven Stars Home Inspector we read these labels so we know how to determine if there is a problem with the install or if there is some other problem that we should look into a little closer.
Home Inspectors in Colorado also have to be aware of water intrusion. Obviously the roofing on your house and the siding or cladding on the exterior is your first line of defense. If these systems are installed incorrectly it can cause major water issues down the road. Here in Colorado we love our landscaping and most people don’t think about outside landscaping causing water problems. Well one common problem we as Colorado Home Inspector’s see all the time is grass, mulch, bushes and other landscaping mediums located too close to the house. Sometimes these items are in direct contact. This allows any water that is on the leaf or grass to transfer to the bottom side of the cladding. This creates potential rot as well as water intrusion into the home.
In Conclusion, having your home inspected by a Certified Colorado Home Inspector is one of the most important decisions you can make. You should also consider having your home inspected once a year. There will be a future article on this so come back here frequently. Thank you for stopping by to learn more about home inspection in Colorado