One of the most important items during a home inspection is the foundation.  Most of the homes in my local area have a slab on grade foundation, which means there is a concrete slab on top of the soil.  That means you cannot get underneath the foundation and most of it is not visible.  You have to use other clues when evaluating those foundations.

But there definitely are homes that have a raised foundation (maybe 20% of the homes I inspection) and some with basement (maybe 2-5% of what I inspect.  It is critical that a home inspector always enters the crawlspace to evaluate the foundation.  It must be fully entered and the entire crawlspace checked.  The only reason to not enter a crawlspace would be an obstruction or a hazard.

Below is a picture of James Zazueta as we were inspecting a crawlspace.  We where coveralls, an aspirator and gloves when we enter crawlspaces.  Please always confirm you home inspector will enter crawlspaces and attics for their home inspection... we will.

I hope this gives you a little more information about a home inspection and its value.  Be safe out there.

Posted by Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection

Many times as home inspectors we have to piece together many clues we collect during a home inspection.  We must always be alert and keep in mind what we have observed through out the inspection so we don't miss anyhting.  Sometimes just looking at one item doesn't give the big picture.  It takes experience and knowldge to truly performa good home inspection.

But other times things just fall in your lap.  They're self explanatory and leave no room for interpretation.  Sometimes life just throws you an easy one...

Need I say more?  I thought I'd give every one a good laugh this morning.

Posted by Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection

I came across this in July.

Isn't that amazing!  Okay, I'm kidding, I left out some vital information...  The light switch is inside the shower... ouch!  I'm not quite sure how inexperienced you have to be to do something like that.  I guess there's just some generous contractors out there who really like to give home inspectors great job security.

Please read through my other blogs for other interesting pictures and comments.

I hope this gives you a little more information about a home inspection and its value.  Be safe out there.

Posted by Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection

Earlier in the summer I came across this in a crawlspace.

The owner had replaced some plumbing so there were numerous trenches (about 2-3 feet deep) throughout the crawlspace.  Some of the trenches were very close to the post and pier foundation supports, which was my concern.  So I knew the trenches had to be filled in.

It just so happens that my client (the buyer) was an Engineer.  He said that of course the trenches had to be filled in for stability.  However, due to the limited space under the house, the soil could not be properly compacted when filling in the trenches.  Therefore a type of concrete slurry would have to be used to provide the proper support for the foundation.

It just goes to show you how important it is to hire a home inspector that enters crawlspaces.

I hope this gives you a little more information about a home inspection and its value.  Be safe out there.

Posted by Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection

Is privacy really that important?  Here in California we have walls to surround our backyards and even half walls in the front yards to separate ourselves.  We have caller ID so we can scan our incoming calls and we have *67 so no one knows who we are when we're calling.  Well, yesterday at an inspection I discovered someone who was obviously fed up with all the privacy.  I'd even dare to say their house was a complete revolt against privacy.

Here's a picture I took that shows just how much they hate privacy.

So who's going to join this trend?  We can all live as one...

This was a funny blog, but mostly I blog about safety issues and interesting items I find during home inspections.  Please feel free to browse through my other blogs.  I always try to combine humor with education.

Posted by Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection

Most of you who know me know that I like to write catchy titles to get someones attention.  Well, this one is not just catchy, it's the down right truth.  I actually came across a house with a hole in the roof.

The buyer had no idea, the realtor had no idea, the bank (who owned the house) had no idea and the listing agent had no idea.  It was pretty obvious, but if you don't know what to look for it does no good.  Many buyers are apt to overlook items in a house because of all the emotions that go with buying a house.  Now of course this is an obvious example, but there items that a home inspector looks for that are much more obscure, but many times just as important.

Here's a view from the attic.

Like my mom used to say, "I need that like I need a hole in my head (or my attic)."

I hope this gives you a little more information about a home inspection and its value.  Be safe out there.

Posted by Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection

I know summer is pretty much over for school kids around here but it's still a good time to talk about pool safety.  I will focus on one specific area of pool safety today: barriers.  I will also focus one one specific type of barrier: chain link fences.  Of course the purpose of a pool barrier is to keep people (specifically kids) out of the pool (that seems pretty self-explanatory).  So here's a quiz: Do you see any problems with the picture below? (the measuring tape probably gives it away)

Don't you just love the beautiful green color of the water?  Okay, back on track.  The link in the fence should not be larger than 1 1/4-inches, otherwise a child might get their foot in it and use it as a ladder to climb over, thus defeating the entire purpose.  One solution is pictured below, though there is a problem there too, can you find it?

Adding slats can solve the problem, however the slats need to be attached at the top and bottom of the fence, which they are not in the picture above.  Pool safety is serious and should be part of any pool inspection, in addition to the equipment.  There are also many other aspects of pool safety I didn't touch on here, hopefully I'll get to other blogs soon.

I hope this gives you a little more information about a home inspection and its value.  Be safe out there.

Posted by Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection

I saw this a few months ago so I thought I'd share it with everyone.

Okay, I'm not focusing here on the worn roof, the rusted air baffle or the dish cable.  Can you see what else is wrong here?  A hint: It has something to do with the air baffle.

First of all, what is an air baffle?  The air baffle is that rusted piece on the roof.  It allows ventilation in the roof, a critical aspect of any roof.  So back to the question at hand...  The problem is that it is installed backwards.  It is installed below the ridge, so the water will be running from the ridge (the shingles that are all in a row in the picture) down towards the air baffle.  Since the air baffle is installed backwards, it will act like a big scoop for the rain water, a BIG mistake!  I couldn't believe it when I saw it.  I really don't know how anyone could make a mistake like that and I honestly hope I never see one like that again... but as always, I'll be looking.

 I hope this gives you a little more information about a home inspection and its value.  Be safe out there.

Posted by Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection

I recently performed a home inspection at a home in Fontana at Sierra Lakes.  I personally have golfed at Sierra Lakes and can tell you it's a nice course and a challenge to play.  It is at the Foothills of the mountains and is just North of the 210 Freeway and East of the 15 Freeway, giving it easy access.

The homes in the community are nicely kept and some have great views.  The house I inspected had a great view of a par 3 hole, you could see the entire hole from the balcony.  Here's a panoramic picture I took.

What a beautiful view.  I can just imagine sitting out there when the sun is setting and enjoying a nice breeze...

And if you have any questions about home inspections, please read my other blogs.

Posted by Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection

I truly have been busy lately with the new baby, a growing business and now a new employee, a home inspector.

Please help me to welcome Jimmy Zazueta as he joins Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection.

Jimmy and myself grew up as cousins.  Though we're not blood related, our moms were best friends since junior high school.  Because of that, I can attest to Jimmy's work ethic, dedication and customer service; all traits that are vital to my Pillar To Post home inspection business.  He has the same desire to provide the best home inspection possible as he also realizes that we are not only just performing home inspections, but a vital service for someone's future home and family.  This is more important than ever with so many foreclosures and the unknown condition of the home.  We will work for you to provide the best insight and home inspection around.

Jimmy and myself will be performing home inspections as a team until things are set in place and ready for Jimmy and myself to perform inspections independently and thus provide twice the opportunity and time slots for home inspections.

As you see Jimmy in the field, please welcome him and introduce yourself.

Hopefully soon I will be able to get back in the swing of things and post blogs more often.  I thank you all for your support and kindness!

Posted by Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection