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El Niño home inspection checklist

A walk-through San Jose homeowners can do themselves before the first big storm. 52 checks, in the order you would walk the house.

Photos of what a problem looks like
A labeled drawing of the house
No climbing on the roof

Tickwhat looks right. Your ticks are saved on this device.

Leave blankwhat does not, or what you could not see. A blank box is a place to look closer.

Skipanything your house does not have.

Published Oct 8, 2026 · Silicon Valley Building Service and Repair

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Silicon Valley BuildingService and Repair

(408) 667-4946siliconvalleybuilding.comCSLB #1050108 · Licensed and insured

El Niño home inspection checklistA walk-through you can do yourself before the first big storm. Tick what looks right. Circle what does not, and what you could not see. Cross out what your house does not have.Address: ____________________________________ Date: ______________

Short on time? Do sections 1, 2 and 3 first. Most rain leaks start at the same few places: gutters, roof flashing, and old caulk around windows and doors.

BEFORE YOU START

Stay off the roof. Most of the roof list can be seen from the ground. Use binoculars or the zoom on your phone camera.
Not steady on a ladder? Skip it. Look at the gutters from the ground and hire the cleaning out.
Look into the attic and the crawl space from the opening. You do not need to go in.
Bring a flashlight, a garden hose for the gutters, and your phone for photos.
Water coming in now? If it is near a light fixture, an outlet or the electrical panel, turn off that circuit at the breaker first, and stay out of standing water. Then call an emergency water mitigation provider for the water and the drying.

Shingles or tilesThe roof covering.
FlashingMetal strips that seal the roof around the chimney, skylights, vents and walls.
Vent pipe collarThe rubber ring around a pipe that comes up through the roof.
Gutter and fasciaThe trough at the roof edge, and the board it hangs on.
Downspout and splash blockThe pipe that carries gutter water down, and the pad that steers it away.
CaulkThe sealant line around window and door frames.
AtticThe space under the roof.
Crawl space ventA screened opening low on the outside wall.
Storm drainThe inlet at the curb in the street.

Parts of the house named in this checklist. A red number beside an item points to this drawing.

1. Roof, from the ground

Stand in the yard or across the street, and look at each side of the roof. Use binoculars or your phone camera zoom.

What a problem looks like

Curled, worn shingles with ragged edges.

Bent, corroded flashing at the base of a chimney.

Shingles: none missing, torn, cracked, curled or loose. Tiles: none cracked or slipped.⁴
Flashing, the metal strips that seal the roof around the chimney, skylights and vent pipes: none loose, bent or wavy, and no old, cracked sealant. 2⁴
Where a roof meets a wall that rises above it: the metal strip along that joint is in place.
The rubber collars around the pipes that stick up through the roof: not cracked. 3
Valleys, the channels where two roof slopes meet: clear of leaves.
No tree limbs rubbing on the roof or hanging over it, and no dead limbs above the house.⁴

Call a pro if anything is missing, loose or lifted. If you could not see a whole side of the roof, a roofer can look.

2. Gutters and downspouts

Have the gutters cleaned first. Then run a hose into each one, or watch them in the next rain. You can judge all of this from the ground.

What a problem looks like

A plant growing in a gutter: it has been holding debris and water for a while.

Gutters are clear of leaves.
Water comes out at the bottom of every downspout, and none spills over the front of the gutter.
No joints drip.
Every gutter is fastened tight to the house. None sags or has pulled away from the fascia, the board it hangs on. 4
Each downspout empties at least 3 to 4 feet from the foundation, not against the wall.⁴
Splash blocks, the pads under the downspouts, are in place and tilt away from the house. 5⁵
The soil next to the house slopes away from it, and no low spot holds water against the wall.
Yard drains and drainage ditches, if you have them, are clear of leaves.⁵

Call a pro if a gutter has pulled away, or water ends up against the wall or the foundation.

3. Outside walls, windows and doors

Walk all the way around the house.

What a problem looks like

Caulk, the flexible sealant around every window and door frame: not cracked, missing or pulling away. 6
The same caulk at trim joints, siding joints, vents, outdoor faucets and pipes that pass through a wall.
Siding: no loose or rotted boards, gaps or holes.
Stucco: no cracks wide enough to take water.
Exterior doors: from inside with the door shut, you see no daylight around it, and the seal strip around the frame has no gaps.⁴
Window and door frames: no rot. Press with a thumb: the wood is firm, not soft.

Call a pro if wood is soft or rotted, or a crack or gap is too big for caulk.

Want this on paper? Get the free two-page printable.

4. Attic

Look from the hatch: stand on a steady ladder with your head and a flashlight through the opening. Do not walk in the attic unless you know where it is safe to step.

No daylight around vent pipes or the chimney.
No water stains or dark streaks on the sloped roof beams or on the wood panels between them.
Insulation is dry, not wet or matted.
No stains or rust where pipes, fans or the chimney pass through the roof.

Call a pro if you find wet wood, wet insulation or daylight coming through.

5. Ceilings and upper walls

Go room by room with the lights on.

What a problem looks like

A tan water stain and a cracked seam on a ceiling.

No stains, rings or discoloration on any ceiling.
No sagging, bubbling or soft drywall.
No peeling or bubbling paint, and no seams in the ceiling splitting open.
Around skylights: no stains, rust or drips on the frame.
Around ceiling fans, recessed lights and ceiling vents: no stains or rust.
Corners where the ceiling meets an outside wall: no dark shading or stains.

Call a pro if a stain is new or growing, or the drywall is soft. A stain under a bathroom is often plumbing, and so is one that grows on dry days.

What you circled (section, which room or side of the house, date)

6. Windows, doors and floors, from inside

Check every outside wall, window and door. Anything stained should feel firm.

Window sills: no stains, soft wood or swelling.
Window tracks: the small drain slots at the bottom are clear, and the track is not holding water.
No stains or bubbling paint below windows.
Baseboards along outside walls: not swollen, stained or pulling away from the wall.
Flooring just inside exterior doors: no stains, no soft spots, and no boards curling up at the edges.
No musty smell in closets on outside walls.

Call a pro if a sill, baseboard or floor is soft, or a room smells musty.

7. Garage, crawl space and foundation

Shine a flashlight into the crawl space from its opening. Do not crawl in.

Garage ceiling and walls: no stains from the roof or the rooms above.
Garage floor: no water marks or dried trails leading in from the door or the walls.
Crawl space: no standing water, wet soil or damp framing.
Crawl space vents, the screened openings low on the outside wall: open and clear. 8
Foundation: no cracks with stains or white powder around them.
Sump pump, if you have one: it runs and discharges away from the house.
Main water shutoff: you know where it is and it turns.

Call a pro if there is standing water under the house or a stained foundation crack.

8. Street, sandbags and alerts

Four things to get done before a storm. Tick each one when it is done.

What a problem looks like

A curb storm drain covered with leaves and sticks.

The storm drain in front of the house is clear 9. Report a blocked drain to the City at 408-794-1900 or 311.²
You know where to get sandbags. Valley Water gives county residents free filled ones from November 1 through April 15.¹
You are signed up for AlertSCC, the county's free emergency alerts by text, email or phone.²
You have checked whether the house is in a FEMA flood zone on Valley Water's Get Flood Ready page.³

9. After the first real rain

Go back and look again. A fresh stain shows where the leak is.

Attic: no fresh stains on the wood, no wet insulation.
Ceilings: no new stains or drips.
Gutters drained without spilling over.
No water pooled next to the house.⁵
Photos taken of anything new, with the date and how hard it was raining.

Call a pro if anything new shows up. Keep the photos for your insurer and whoever does the repair.

If you could not tick a box

A box you cannot tick is not always a repair. It is a place to look more closely. Take a photo, write down where it is, and check it again after the first rain. For the reasons behind each item, see how to prepare your San Jose home for El Niño. If a ceiling is already stained or dripping, see roof leak after the first rain: what to check.

This checklist is a look with your own eyes. It does not replace a roofer on the roof, and it will not find moisture that has not shown on the surface yet. Our free El Niño storm check covers 50 points inside the house with a moisture meter and a thermal camera, then gives you a preliminary estimate for the roof, gutters, siding and caulking. Roofing is done by our licensed C-39 subcontractor.

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We reply the same business day, Monday to Friday. We use your details to respond about the work. Privacy policy. Office hours: Monday to Friday, 7 am to 3 pm. Water coming in now? Call an emergency water mitigation provider first.

Want a second set of eyes? Book a free El Niño storm check.We check 50 points inside your home with a moisture meter and a thermal camera, then give you a preliminary estimate for the roof, gutters, siding and caulking.

(408) 667-4946Call or text, Monday to Friday, 7 am to 3 pmsiliconvalleybuilding.com/el-nino-storm-check-san-jose

CSLB #1050108 · San Jose and the South Bay · Example photos are credited on the web page.

Sources

The items come from what we check on our own storm visits, plus published guidance from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, FEMA, the City of San José and Valley Water.

1. Valley Water: sandbag sites
2. City of San José: storm preparedness (AlertSCC signup: oem.santaclaracounty.gov)
3. Valley Water: Get Flood Ready
4. Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety: Thunderstorm Ready Home
5. FEMA: Protect Your Home from Flooding, low-cost projects you can do yourself (copy hosted by Los Angeles County Public Works)

Photo credits. Curled, worn shingles with ragged edges. DMahalko, Dale Mahalko, Gilman, WI, USA, CC BY-SA 3.0. Bent, corroded flashing at the base of a chimney. Sandul1234, CC BY-SA 4.0. A plant growing in a gutter: it has been holding debris and water for a while. Jack Blueberry (Unsplash), Unsplash License. A crack running down a stucco wall. Javad Esmaeili (Unsplash), Unsplash License. A tan water stain and a cracked seam on a ceiling. Ed! (Photography Gallery), CC BY-SA 3.0. A curb storm drain covered with leaves and sticks. Destroyeraa, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photos are examples and are not of our jobs.

Want a second set of eyes before the rain?

Call or text (408) 667-4946, or book the free El Niño storm check online. CSLB #1050108.

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