How to Inspect the Exterior Course

Welcome to InterNACHI's free online "How to Inspect the Exterior Course." This course is provided by our tuition-free college, InterNACHI® School.

Take the free course now.

Goal:

The goal of this course is to teach the student how to inspect the exterior systems and components of a home.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will learn how to perform an inspection of the exterior of a home. The student will be able to:

identify the components of the exterior;
inspect and evaluate each component for its performance;
understand how moisture, heat, and energy move through a home;
describe to clients defects observed at the exterior systems.

Course includes:

16 InterNACHI® CE credit hours;
59,503 words;
53 minutes of training video;
inspection and writing assignment;
research and writing assignment;
127 quiz questions in 18 quizzes;
60-question final exam (drawn from a larger pool);
instant grading; and
a downloadable, printable Certificate of Completion.

You will learn the following:

Learning Objectives
Inspection Tools
Inspection Procedure
Residential Standards of Practice
Identification
Doors
- Common Problems with Doors
- Egress Doors
Windows
- Common Problems with Windows
- Windowsills
- Putty
- Weatherstripping
- Shutters
- Awnings
- Fogged Windows
- Window Wells
Siding
Insulation Value of Siding
Siding Materials Chart
Siding Types
Wood Siding
Solid Wood and Lumber Siding
Plywood Siding
Shingles and Shakes
Hardboard
OSB Siding
Particleboard Siding
Considerations
Finish Problems
Chalking
Rot
Aluminum and Steel Siding
Grounding Metal Siding
Vinyl Siding
SIPs
Brick
Stone
Stucco and EIFS
Asbestos Cement-Based Siding
Clay and Slate Shingles
Asphalt Shingles
Masonry Exterior Wall Covering
Concrete Blocks
Manufactured Stone
Load-Bearing or Veneer?
Common Problems with Masonry Exterior
Foundation Cracks and Water
Inspecting the Visible Masonry and Foundation
Checking the Masonry
Masonry Foundation and Piers
Shrinkage Cracking
Sweeping or Horizontal Cracking
Above-Ground Masonry Walls
Eaves, Soffits and Fasciae
Wall Assembly
Housewrap
Waterproofing and Damp-Proofing
Permanent Wood Foundations
Common Problems with Walls
Inadequate Clearance from the Roof Cover
Dense Vegetation
Wood and Soil Contact
Water Intrusion
Flashing of Wall Components and Moisture Problems
Understanding and Inspecting Flashing
Flashing
Flashing and Caulking
Sealants for Through-Wall Penetrations
Kickout Flashing
Exterior Drainage Systems
Site Surface Drainage
Foundation Drainage
Roof and Surface Drainage
Roof Overhangs and Projections
Roof Drainage, Gutters and Downspouts
Checking the Site and Foundation
Inspection of Drainage Slope
Property Drainage
Sump Pumps
Landscaping
Fences
Ramps
Stairways
Risers and Treads
Guards
Spheres
Handgrips
Attachment
Emergency Escape and Rescue Openings
Basement Walkouts
Exterior Decks
Inspecting a Garage
Garage Door Opener Inspection
Chimneys
Defensible Space
Retaining Walls
Driveway, Walkways and Pavements
Buried Oil Tanks
Other Exterior Considerations
Additional Exterior Systems and Structures
Yards and Courts
Flood Zones
Exterior Water
GFCI-Protection for the Exterior
Clothes Dryer Exhaust
Private Wells
Septic Systems
Other Exterior Factors
Guide for Homeowners: Water Management and Water Damage Prevention

How to Inspect the Exterior Course
Course #3600, Student Catalog
www.nachi.org/exteriorcourse

Student Work	Time Calculation	Estimated Clock Hour Time for the Average Student
Attendance for "Seat Time" ¹	# of minutes of student attendance / 50	37.2
Participation in Learning Activities ²	# of minutes of online student participation / 50	4.0
Interactivity ³	# of minutes of student interactivity / 50	3.0
Reading the Course Text ⁴	# of words in the course / 100 words per minute / 50	12.0
Reading the Course Textbook ⁵	# of words in the book / 100 words per minute / 50 / 2	8.0
Academic Engagement ⁶	# of words in the course / 100 / 50	3.0
Direct Communication ⁷	# of minutes of communication / 50	0.5
Instructional Video Learning⁸	# of minutes of video / 50	2.0
Reinforcement Q & A ⁹	# of questions X 1.85 / 50	4.7
Writing Assignment of the Inspection ¹⁰	2.0 hours per assignment	2.0
Writing Assignment of the Research ¹¹	4.0 hours per assignment	4.0
Academic Activities for an Inspection ¹²	6.0 hours for each inspection assignment	6.0
Performing an Inspection ¹³	8.0 hours for each inspection	8.0
* nachi.org/catalog-credit-hour-calculation		57.2
Total clock hours		57.0 clock hours 57.0 InterNACHI CE Hours 5.7 CEU

This course is free to all InterNACHI members and can be taken again and again, without limit.

Reminder to members: InterNACHI's Code of Ethics 1.10 requires that you comply with all government rules and licensing requirements of the jurisdiction where you conduct business. InterNACHI's courses and Standards generally exceed the Standards of Practice that you are required to abide by locally.

This course has been approved by:

Upon completion of this course and passing of the 60-question final exam, the student can download and print their own Certificate of Completion, which is auto-generated in their own name.

The student's (InterNACHI member's) information is recorded on InterNACHI's servers for membership compliance verification and automatically logs completion into InterNACHI's online Continuing Education log.

Members will need their username and password. If you have forgotten your password, CLICK HERE (instant response) or email fastreply@internachi.org and request it (don't forget your name).

InterNACHI... #1 in inspection education.

InterNACHI® Members:

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Other inspection courses.

Some features that make InterNACHI's courses superior to existing continuing education options:

The course is free for all InterNACHI members.
The course is written in pure XHTML code for quick loading. The course loads fine on old computers and loads fast, even with dial-up.
The course is designed using a hierarchal menu coupled with a sequential page navigation. This provides the student with the option to easily repeat areas of weakness.
The course permits the student to start, stop and restart any part of the course as often as desired.
There are a variety of images within the course, including diagrams, illustrations and photos.
The illustrations can be enlarged for clearer viewing by clicking on them.
The text is integrated into InterNACHI's Inspector Glossary. Rolling over blue-colored terms provides their definition.
The final exam uses multiple-choice questions that reference the images.
The course's quizzes and final exam have numerous advantages over traditional exam systems:
1. The course, quizzes and final exam incorporate built-in intelligence which identifies and strengthens each student's unique subject weaknesses.
2. Not only is each question weighted with regard to score, but each answer is weighted, as well as the correctness of each answer being weighted.
  1. Answers to easy questions are weighted such that the student is penalized, in terms of score, for answering incorrectly, but rewarded modestly for answering correctly.
  2. Answers to difficult questions are weighted such that the student is rewarded, in terms of score, for answering correctly, but not penalized for answering incorrectly.
  3. Answers to questions regarding basic safety, or questions every inspector should know the answer to, are weighted such that the student is severely penalized, in terms of score, for answering incorrectly.
Upon passing the final exam, the student can print out a Certificate of Completion which is auto-generated in their own name.

The student's (InterNACHI member's) information is recorded on InterNACHI's servers for membership compliance verification, and automatically logs completion into InterNACHI's online Continuing Education log.

Why online inspector education is better than classroom inspector education.