The Hidden Damages Under Your Cladding (Why You Need an Inspection)

When it comes to building maintenance, the saying “out of sight, out of mind” can be downright dangerous. Under the seemingly innocent cladding, some hidden horrors may be lurking. That is why you need an inspection.

Many contractors are out there offering assessments, but without a baseline understanding of your building’s condition, it’s impossible to know what needs attention.

Think of it like maintaining your car: when you get a new (or new-to-you) vehicle, you check the fluids, check the brakes, inspect for wear, and get a baseline on its health so you can plan future maintenance. Similarly, an inspection provides that baseline for your building, giving you a roadmap for preventative care and, ultimately, a more valuable, long-lasting property. And while reserve funds might be tight, it’s better to budget for maintenance now than to wait until small issues turn into costly nightmares.

Watch the webinar on this topic here.

Case studies

Here are 10 spookiest damage cases we’ve seen recently; they might make you think twice about if you really don’t need an inspection.

Case 1

Typical elevated walkway with posts and beams.

Does your walkway look like this?

The beams were PT (preservative-treated), and no one realized they were damaged until we knocked on them, and heard hollow sounds. And when we opened it, here's what we found…

Hollow beams.

Case 2

The before & after pictures of opening the vinyl siding.

Vinyl siding looks nice, and it's relatively easy to inspect the area underneath without removing the siding. These pictures show that there were leaks at the utility panel, but we didn’t expect the sheathing damage and missing insulation at the 2^nd floor.

Left: Sheathing damage. Water damages the corner of the roof. Right: Utility meters.

Case 3

Left: The deck looks fine from the outside. Right: After opening, it looks terrifying.

The deck looks awful after opening. It's basically all gone.

So, how would you have known if there was something wrong with the deck? You might feel the “bounciness” on your deck at some point, and there might be stains on the siding. That is when you want to have an inspection performed.

Case 4

Removing a few pieces of siding revealed extensive damage.

Case 5

These pictures show that poor WRB installation leads to lots of water damage and gypsum damage.

Case 6

Walkway soffits were stained with rust marks, revealing leaking deck and rusty structure of walkways.

Case 7

This is a tile and stucco project, but there is water damage underneath and deck beams are mushy.

Case 8

New windows were installed (left) but it turned out they were improperly installed. Therefore, there was lots of water intrusion underneath (right) and then being painted over.

You might wonder why your windows leak since the unit above put new windows in. After the inspection, the truth is revealed.

Case 9

The before and after pictures of opening a corner of the stairs.

Case 10

The before and after pictures of opening a corner of the balcony.

Since the horizontal flashing wasn’t installed correctly, there were leaks all over the place. This building was only three years old, so a warranty inspection was done before the warranty ran out. This is a very popular modern design for new townhomes, which has been a very common design for leaks and failures.

Ways to Avoid These Horrors

Are the cases above horrifying? Don’t freak out! Here are some ways to avoid these horrors.

• Have invasive inspections done every 5 years. If you haven’t had one done, now is the time. Set aside $3-5k for a small inspection in next year’s budget.
• Stay on top of your maintenance guidelines – cleaning, sealants, painting, warranty provisions, etc. (Not sure when to do maintenance on these items? Check out the guide below)
• Keep an eye on your building with your visual DIY guide for inspection – catch small issues early
• Get your Reserve Studies to a healthy place so surprises aren’t horrific.

DIY Inspection Guide - This is part of the guide showing where to find water damage that might be hiding beneath the surface.

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An inspection could save you from some frightful surprises lurking under your cladding. To truly protect your building, it’s all about understanding two things: knowledge and budget. Inspections aren’t just about protecting your building—they’re about safeguarding your investment for the future.

So now take a minute to reflect. Do you know what condition your building is in? Do you have the funds to fix it?

Schedule a free call with your building doctor today to better plan out your inspection. You can also make an appointment to have a wellness check for your building, just like you have the annual health check for yourself.