Knock-Knock! Whose That? Inspector, Inspector for Door & Window Inspection. Really!!! Well, yes. Often unsaid and unnoticed, its very essential to check if Doors and Windows are in good shape.
Doors and Windows keep your home secured and safe. The exterior door i.e. your main door keeps you secured from unknown visitors, While the interior doors i.e. door of every room allows you to have your privacy. Similarly, Windows keep dust and pests away. They also help protect you home interiors from harmful UV rays. So As mentioned earlier, its very essential to check if Doors and Windows are in good shape.

What to Check while Door Inspection?

  • Solidity – Door, the most essential feature for security of occupants, needs to be firm and stable. For Stability look for any – Crumbling of plaster, clacking of frame and noticeable gap at frame joints. Other invisible flaws like deficient anchorage frame hardware like fasteners, clamps and other support concealed to side frame or base cannot be seen with naked eye. It therefore becomes difficult to judge solidity of door in new houses.
  • Decayed Frames – Well it difficult to actually find out for any decay, since decay is often caused due to lack of seasoning of wood.
    What is seasoning of wood? Well seasoning is a process of drying solid wood/lumber to remove moisture contained in walls of wood cells to yield seasoned solid wood.
    For improper seasoning of wooden doors, you eventually find wet patches at bottom portions and sometimes wear-&-tear of paint at fastened walls. It also affects the stability of wood as moisture can lead to decay of wood.
  • Inspect for Rattling of Door and Door panels – Rattling is caused due to poor workmanship. Poor Workmanship in fixing the panel rather then any door hardware. Rattling can eventually increase the gaps impacting the stability of door frame which can also cause the panel to bend.

Pointers to Window Inspection

Windows are biggest luxury you can have these days. Windows are big attraction. They grab attention. When you are doing nothing, chances are you are looking at window. They are biggest focal point. People tend to look at view outside window or balcony. Windows connect your home to outer world. Lastly, Windows bring in all the daylight inside. Therefore, it’s very essential to inspect your windows before you move in.

  • Gap around Windows Frame – Any kind of gaps in Window Frame will allow moisture to seep in through it, weakening the window frame fixed to adjacent walls.
  • Glass Fit to Frame Size – Moving glass or improper glass size can cause the glass to break. On breaking, it can cause severe accidents to home owners or pedestrians below.
  • Sliding Window HardwareSliding Windows is quite a modern trend over past few years. Open and shut the sliding Windows to check for easy movement. Try to shut the sliding completely and look for lock. Does the Window lock appropriately? If any of these are faulty, get it changed or repaired before you move in.
  • Mosquito Net – Most builders provide mosquito net in every room. Well if not, inspect if you could have an additional channel for mosquito sliding or could it be installed in existing one.
  • Safety First – If Window Sill are below a specific height, then an additional grill or panel shall be provided to avoid tripping. It could also be fatal to life. Check for, especially in bathrooms and common areas.
  • Drip mould at Chajja / overhanging roof space – A drip mould especially on topmost floor is essential to restrict the water from splashing inside the unit that flows vertical om external wall. A window with no drip mould can cause seepage problems.

Lastly, and most importantly,

Do not forget to inspect every door and Window of your New Home.