What a Chicago Home Inspection Misses on a Brick Two-Flat

A Chicago home inspection on a brick two-flat gives you a general read on the building, not a repair scope for the outside. What a report covers is set by the inspection agreement you sign, and inspectors differ, so we will not tell you what yours will skip. We can tell you what an old brick two-flat has outside that deserves a second look, and what to ask in writing. This is not a knock on home inspectors. It is about matching the right expert to the right part of the building before you close.

What is a home inspection built to tell you?

It is built to give a buyer an overview of a house in a few hours: systems, visible conditions, things to watch. It is a snapshot. Read the agreement and the report's scope and exclusions before you rely on it, and ask these questions before the inspection, not after:

• Will the inspector walk the roof, or view it from the ground or with a camera?
• Will they look at the porches and stairs under load, and note what they cannot see?
• Do they comment on masonry condition, or only note "visible cracks"?
• What do they treat as outside their scope and recommend a specialist for?

The honest answer to the last question tells you who to hire next. The sections below are where, on a two-flat, that second opinion tends to matter.

What does the outside of a brick two-flat hold that deserves a second look?

What should you ask about the brick and mortar?

Brick that looks fine from the sidewalk can still be failing. Old Chicago brick is soft, and the mortar that works on it is softer still. The standard for repointing is mortar that is softer and more vapor permeable than the brick and no harder than the original mortar (National Park Service). Mortar that is harder than the brick pushes moisture and salts out through the brick face instead, and salts crystallizing inside the brick can make the face spall (National Park Service). Salt crystallization and freeze-thaw of wet brick are both causes of spalling (National Park Service).

Questions to put in writing: is the mortar original or has the wall been repointed before, and with what? Are any faces spalling or flaking? Are the joints open, and on which elevations? An answer of "some tuckpointing needed" is not a scope. If it comes to repair, the City's Express Permit lists tuckpointing as eligible masonry work (City of Chicago), so budget for a permit and a licensed mason contractor.

What about lintels, sills and the openings in the wall?

Every window and door opening has something carrying the brick above it. On many older buildings that is a steel lintel, and steel lintels need flashing, weep holes and periodic maintenance to avoid corrosion (BIA). Cracking above openings is commonly tied to excessive lintel deflection from inadequate design, or unprotected steel (BIA). Look for diagonal or stair-step cracks above windows, rust stains, and brick that has dropped.

This is a part of the wall a generalist may only describe from the outside. A lintel replacement up to 6 feet fits the City's Express masonry permit, and one longer than 6 feet needs drawings from an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer (City of Chicago). If you see signs of a failing lintel, ask a masonry contractor or structural engineer to look before you remove a contingency.

What should you ask about the roof and parapet?

Many two-flats have a flat or low-slope roof. Ask when it was last redone, whether anyone has been on it, and whether water stands on it after a rain. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association defines ponding as water that stays on a low-slope roof for 48 hours or longer, and says it can overload the deck, clog drains and accelerate membrane deterioration (ARMA). A roof can look intact and still be ponding.

The City says a permit is required for any work on low-slope roofs, even on residential buildings up to four stories (City of Chicago); confirm the current rules with the Department of Buildings (DOB). So a roof problem is also a permit and a licensed contractor question. The parapet, the short wall around the edge, is brick that takes the worst of the weather. Our exterior inspection checklist shows where to look.

What about the porches and stairs?

Rear porches are the part of a two-flat that carries people every day. DOB says inspectors check joists, beams, columns, stairs, hand and guard rails, ledger boards, connections and footings (City of Chicago). A walk-through from the yard cannot confirm the connection at the wall or the footings under the posts.

Also ask about permits. A permit is always required to repair or replace structural porch parts, with plans from an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer (City of Chicago). In the best-known Chicago porch collapse, the building had been converted from five units to three without a permit (CBS Chicago). A porch that was added, rebuilt or enclosed with no permit on record is a flag, and your attorney should hear about it.

What does a home inspection not tell you about records and violations?

An inspection looks at the building. It does not search the City's files. DOB's "Search Building Department Records" lets you check permits, inspections and violations by address (City of Chicago), but the City's own dataset says its data is historical, should not be relied on for real estate transactions, and tells lenders and title companies to check the title commitment for outstanding enforcement actions in the Circuit Court or the Department of Administrative Hearings (City of Chicago). Read buying a two-flat with open violations before you close.

The reason this matters is the maintenance rule. The City requires the exterior of a structure to be maintained in good repair, structurally sound and sanitary (City of Chicago). Inspections of occupied buildings are largely complaint driven, and the inspector who answers a complaint also checks exits, including exterior stairs and porches (City of Chicago). In other words, the new owner inherits a building that can be cited tomorrow.

Who should you add before you close?

For a brick two-flat, a short list:

• A masonry contractor to walk every wall, the parapet and the lintels and write a scope. Our buying guide explains what to bring.
• A structural engineer or architect if you see a leaning wall, a deflected lintel or porch connections that worry you. Plan-based permits need an Illinois-licensed architect or engineer (City of Chicago).
• A roofer if the roof is flat and you cannot see it.
• An attorney and a title company for violations, liens and permits.
• A drainage check. A one inch rain puts about 1,250 gallons on a 2,000 square foot roof, and soil that slopes toward the wall or downspouts that discharge next to it push that water to the foundation (University of Minnesota Extension). It is a general building science point, and it is usually a cheap fix.

Then put the findings into a number. Our exterior repair budget guide shows where the money goes, and our landlord and buyer guide covers the rest of the exterior. If you are under contract, our violation and repair team can walk the outside with you and write up what we see.

Common questions

This article explains general rules and common situations in Chicago. It is not legal advice, and City rules change. For a specific property, check with the Chicago Department of Buildings or a licensed professional.