1381 Montezuma

1381 Montezuma is a good house that needs some preventative work done this year. Water needs to be redirected (fixing gutters and downspouts), and a termite treatment should be done. There was some mud and significant wetness in the basement as a result of the gutters. This extreme basement wetness can eventually cause the joists to sag (the same as soaking wood in water to bend it).

Downspout isn't connected to anything. Water pools near foundation and erodes sidewalk and foundation. Should be fixed to prevent foundation damage & slow termites down.

Roof appears to be an overlay. Black algae seems to indicate the gutter is leaking in the corner. I didn't see any damage on the inside. Not a huge necessity to fix.

Chimney should have counter-flashing. Roof looks like an overlay, likely 1, possibly 2 layers underneath. Next re-roof will be expensive for double, or triple tear off. Chimney will likely leak w/in 10 years. Doesn't need to be addressed right away.

Dirt splashing against siding indicates that the water is overflowing from the gutters. It should be addressed. I recommend cleaning the gutters and downspouts, along with directing any downspouts away from the foundation. First it would be good to check-flow on the drainage pipes currently hooked up.

Downspout dumping right by foundation. This will cause foundation problems down the line and should be addressed.

Cleaning and then caulking these cracks will likely extend the life of the porch concrete. Salt and ice will cause the cracks to grow over time.

The circuit breakers need to be adjusted in the box, and blanks should be installed so fingers cannot reach through to live wires when flipping breakers.

Some electric issues like this should be addressed. Box needs a cover panel on it at a minimum. I recommend having an electrician in to check things out.

Stair seems unsupported. It's old and has been around for a while, but could break if someone stepped on it wrong.

Hole in plaster from leak above. No signs of wetness when I was there. Seems to be an older problem. Ceiling certainly would look nicer patched.

Termite damage in basement. Termite treatment should be gotten. Eventually, you may want to replace some of the wood. I am not sure it is eminent at this point in time. Some significant rot is noted (my entire key went into a joist).

These visible tunnels indicate termites.