Rude and Uninformed Agent "Educating" a Home Inspector - 04/25/08 05:27 PM
The other day I was at a home inspection and arrived early. I knocked on the door and asked the seller if I could start early. He was very nice and said yes. I always start on the roof, and that day was no different. It was a concrete tile roof … (45 comments)
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Enter at Your Own Risk - 04/25/08 10:59 AM
The other day I inspected a house over 4,000 sq. ft. that had a crawlspace. I finished the inspection and was explaining the report to the buyer. Here are some of the items I found in the crawlspace.
This support member was notched (where it meets the wall). Someone put in a concrete … (18 comments)
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Don't Rock the Boat (or the House) - 04/22/08 01:23 PM
Last week I inspected two houses built in the 1930's. One of the houses had unreinforced cripple walls and the sill plate was not bolted to the foundation, which is typical for the age of the home. The other home had some retrofitting done to the foundation. Here's a picture.
The plywood is … (4 comments)
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An 8-ft Tall Child, Dog or Cat? - 04/22/08 12:29 PM
I love to laugh and my job as a home inspector provides many opportunities for this. Last week I came across this in a garage.
If you look above the spring you'll see the laser sensors for the garage door. I wrote about laser sensors in The Eye of the Tiger. The laser sensors … (14 comments)
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Flippin Out in the Attic - 04/22/08 11:21 AM
This weekend I inspected a home built in 1931. It had a flat roof, so the attic was only about 16-inches tall. I popped my head in the attic (one of very few I couldn't enter) and had to chuckle at what I saw.
Isn't that hilarious? Okay, you're probably thinking, "This … (12 comments)
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Comparing Apples and Oranges - 04/21/08 06:01 PM
Have you ever heard that saying, "comparing apples and oranges?" It means you can't compare two things that really aren't comparable, for whatever reason. Well the same thing is true for homes.
Specifically this is true when talking about electrical wiring. There is aluminum wiring and copper wiring. The two are definitely … (9 comments)
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My Cousin Vinny's Home Inspection - 04/15/08 04:02 PM
I remember the line from the movie "My Cousin Vinny" where Vinny is examining a witness in court and states, "Well, I guess the laws of physics cease to exist on top of your stove."
Well it appears I encountered this during the weekend.
If you look right above the microwave, the bottom … (13 comments)
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Argghhh Matey, Walk the Plank! - 04/15/08 10:06 AM
It's quite common to see the furnace located in the attic in this area. When the furnace is in the attic there should be a light in case someone needs to work on the unit and there should be a platform so you can get to the unit and have access … (13 comments)
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Another Notch in the Belt - 04/14/08 11:22 PM
Well let me say that another notch in the belt is just fine (except for when there are no notches left and you have to just buy a bigger belt). But that's not what this post is about. It appears that some people treat trusses just like they do a belt... just … (18 comments)
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A Dam on a Roof? - 04/14/08 10:48 PM
Most people realize that the purpose of a roof is to get water off of it. You simply don't want water up there any longer than it has to be. Seems like a simple concept, right?
Well, some in the roofing industry don't seem to get it. Look at the picture below.
The … (2 comments)
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My First Home Inspection in the Amazon - 04/14/08 12:59 PM
It sounds amazing, but I did a home inspection in the Amazon. Heres' the picture to prove it. I don't know why they needed electricity in the Amazon?
Okay, okay, you got me, I wasn't really in the Amazon, but it sure felt like it when I had to access the main … (16 comments)
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A Water Fountain in the Cabinet? - 04/11/08 07:07 PM
Sometimes as a home inspector you see things that make you laugh and really wonder what people were thinking when they installed something. Here's a great example.
I was inspecting a house the other day and was in the kitchen. I was looking for the air gap for the dishwasher but couldn't … (6 comments)
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Bracing for the Big One - 04/11/08 06:08 PM
Another earthquake safety item in California are braces for the water heaters. The braces keep the water stationary during an earthquake to prevent the unit from falling over or from a gas line, water line or electrical line from breaking. Most people are familiar with earthquake braces and that two are required.
However … (5 comments)
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Automatic Gas Shut Off Valves for Earthquakes - 04/11/08 05:53 PM
I still don't see very many of them but there is a relatively new safety item called an automatic gas shut off valve. It is a valve that goes on your gas line, near the meter, that will automatically shut off in case of an earthquake (obviously a California issue). Here's what … (9 comments)
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"Green" with envy - 04/10/08 06:38 PM
Sometimes during a home inspection you get to see some very interesting things. I saw this from the roof. Nothing looked too unusual to me. It was overcast that morning.
I then remembered that there was a pool but for some reason my calling center didn't have the extra fee for a … (10 comments)
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You Should See the View From Up Here - 04/02/08 01:55 PM
The other day I was looking at my camera and remembered I had a panoramic view option. So I was on a roof during an inspection and it had a beautiful view. So I thought, "Lets try that panoramic view option." It's pretty neat, you take up to 4 pictures and … (17 comments)
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Does the Right Hand Know What the Left Hand is Doing? - 04/02/08 11:17 AM
I came across this the other day during a home inspection. Air Conditioning condensers have a data plate which has various information on it. One part being the maximum and minimum breaker or fuse size allowed. This particular data plate indicated the minimum size was 30-amps and the maximum size was … (11 comments)
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Chim Chim-e-ney Chim Chim-e-ney Chim Chim Cha- OUCH! - 04/01/08 02:32 PM
I couldn't help but think of Mary Poppins and good old Dick Van Dyke when writing a post about chimney vents. Unfortunately this is not a funny situation. The silver cylinder is the vent for the chimney.
Of course fires burn in a fireplace and the combustion gases, heat and smoke … (12 comments)
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Do You Have a Tired Evaporative Cooler? - 04/01/08 01:06 PM
Sometimes during a home inspection I see things that just make me laugh. I came across this and just had to share it with everyone. I guess the evaporative cooler was overworked and underpaid and just had to sit down and take a rest. We all need that every once in a while, right?
… (14 comments)
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