Home inspection clients often ask how long items in the home will last.  Generally, home inspector's answers have been limited to a best guess based on a visual examination of the components.

In February, 2007, the National Association of Home Builders and Bank of America published a study of the life expectancy of nearly every component in your home.  From flooring to cabinets; roof materials to foundation materials; HVAC components to water heaters - it's all in the report.

Note - the items in the report list averages.  Use, maintenance, manufacturing process and environmental factors can all have a significant effect on the useful life of any system or component.

Additionally:

This report should be used as a general guideline only.  None of the information in this report should be interpreted as a representation, warranty or guarantee regarding the life expectancy of any individual product or product line.  Readers should not make buying decisions and/or product selections based solely on the information contained in this report.

We provide this report as a courtesy.

We did not participate in the compilation of the report and we do not offer any warranty or guarantee of any item it contains.

Home Component Life Expectancy Study