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improper installation: Faux Stone Might Become The New EIFS - 2 - 03/30/12 02:47 AM
Faux stone may become the new EIFS - 2*. This is a follow-up to a previous post.
When I see a house with faux or cultured stone installed, I look around and point things out to the buyers.
On my inspection report, I include language which looks something like this:
" Faux stone siding is found on this house and cannot be viewed except from outdoors and examining the wall structure underneath for damage or rot is not possible without destructive testing. Improper faux stone installation can cause serious damage.
Specific problems noted with the visible components can include, but may … (47 comments)
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improper installation: Prone To Less Sediment - 03/13/12 04:38 AM
This sediment trap may be prone to less sediment. For sure it is prone!
Gas appliances should have a sediment trap.
There are various nicknames for the technique, but we'll go with that one.
The sediment trap is the vertical, downward protrusion under the gas line. It's purpose is to capture sediment or moisture in the gas before it gets into the mechanism to be burned.
OK, this one is on the wrong side of the gas valve, but that was the point of another post!
Sometimes I run into things I have not seen before.
It isn't unusual - I … (16 comments)
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improper installation: When Faux Stone Is Installed With Faux Glue - Elmer's? - 01/19/12 06:15 AM
We all know Elmer's Glue should not be used to install most housing products, but what really happens when faux stone is installed with faux glue?
Actually faux stone is not installed with glue at all, but a mortar-based mastic. It is heavy stuff!
IT MUST BE GLUED ON CORRECTLY OR IT WILL NOT STICK!
Virtually all over this house the faux stone was coming loose.
Some of it was sagging so much, it was bulging under its own weight.
I could push on it and move it.I could pull on it and move it.
My client said, "That's really bad … (54 comments)
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improper installation: "Upgraded And Modernized" - 11/28/11 04:47 AM
The house was built in the 60s but the HVAC system was "upgraded" in the 90s. And the feature list said, "Not just the system, but the duct work was modernized."
If the system was replaced in the 90s is may have been upgraded but it is due again. But that wasn't my problem!
As to the duct work, modernized would have meant that the smaller, metal ducts would have been replaced with something larger and insulated. That would be good news and would not be due again for a newer system.
Unfortunately, four of the six modernized ducts looked like … (33 comments)
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improper installation: Slipping Insulation - 11/27/11 05:54 AM
One VERY IMPORTANT thing I do on a one-year warranty inspection is sweep the house with my thermal camera to see if there is slipping insulation.
It is important to do this because the camera can definitively determine if the insulation has actually slipped. Done before the warranty is expired puts the fix back in the builder's lap.
But be careful. Some "one-year" warranties expire in 11 months! That's a another little trick employed in recent times. So check your contract carefully before you hire a home inspector.
These are two different views of the same room. It is the fourth … (39 comments)
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improper installation: A Sump Pump Should Be Anti-Septic! - 11/13/11 01:42 PM
When it comes to sump pumps, a sump pump should be anti-septic!
Now what do I mean by that?
A sump pump should always discharge outdoors, and away from the house.
But when a house has a septic system, instead of public plumbing, a sump pump should NEVER discharge into the septic tank. Here in VA it is not allowed to discharge into the public sewage system either, but that is another story.
There was so much to comment on with this sump pump. Some of it is not visible in either picture.
For example, it is plugged into an extension … (36 comments)
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improper installation: Flipper Forgot Step Two! - 10/17/11 04:48 AM
Sometimes the job isn't done until it's done! Some things take more than one step and this time Flipper forgot Step Two!
Step One was to install a new water heater.
And it was done well - there are a few things to look for and they were present.
Okay, it was small and really inefficient, but new!
Well, he used the old plumbing, including the gas shut-off valve being on the wrong side of the sediment trap, but we've already had that lesson.
You can see that's been there for a while!
Would he take the time to replumb the … (46 comments)
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improper installation: A New Staircase Isn't Always A Stairway To Heaven - 10/03/11 05:28 AM
Sometimes new things impress buyers as they walk around a house, and very often a new staircase isn't always a stairway to heaven.
The deck has been there a while.
The stairs have not.
There are buyers who're sure, all that glitters is gold,But they're not buying a stairway to heaven.Oooh, they're not buying a stairway to heaven.
The building code limits the maximum stair tread height at 7 3/4". BUT THE RISER HEIGHT SHOULD BE UNIFORM.
There are reasons for this code.
When walking up stairs the brain remembers the height of each.
When things vary it is easier to … (20 comments)
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improper installation: One Day, Two Houses and Two DIYs By The Same Guy? - 07/07/11 06:23 AM
Throughout the post, there is a hint of what home inspectors don't like to see during an inspection. This hint appears 7 times and is in bold print. See if you can find it.
As we know, heat that exhausts from something typically wants to go UP. It does so because typically cooler temperatures are UP and heat seeks cold. That's physics.
You and I are not qualified to change physics. Neither is the DIY guy. I affectionately refer to DIY guys as Uncle Bob. The reason is that so often DIY jobs are the same, yet in different places and … (23 comments)
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improper installation: There MUST Be Continuity For Load Transfer - Danger, Danger, Danger! - 06/30/11 08:23 AM
There is almost never an inspection on new construction that does not stir up a bees hive! So often I run into things that I KNOW an architect did not design. It is the supervisor and subcontractors on site that are very, very relevant to the final product people buy and end up living in.
Nice house. Pretty porch arrangement. That upper veranda comes off of the master bedroom. Very nice porch.
Very unusually, I could see the underside of the upper porch from the front stoop. There was no covering.
And in that underside I could see how two of … (15 comments)
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improper installation: Please, Box It Up For Me - 06/14/11 07:21 AM
For a few months the lights on our thirteen-year-old wall oven would flicker each time the oven was used. I didn't know what it meant, but suspected an electrical problem. Was it the unit, the computer board, connections?
Then during a baking session one of the elements exploded in sparks in the upper oven! I looked into it and I could replace the element for around $50. The lower oven still worked, but the same flickering was occurring.
We have been in this house thirteen years. We built it new.
Disgustedly I have had to replace every single appliance in … (52 comments)
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improper installation: Don't Trim Those Toe Nails! - 06/03/11 07:35 AM
Toe nailing is a valid carpentry technique. But for the most part it is a temporary tacking of one thing to another by nailing two things together at an angle. Then proper attachment can be made. Toe nailing is seldom, if ever, intended for long-term attachment or support with heavy material.
Walking around this deck, only about 4' high, I noticed that every single guardrail post had been toe nailed to the decking!
Don't trim those toe nails!
You can see how substantially attached that post is to the deck (he sarcastically notes). Many wobbled a lot! Rock on dude...
Despite … (54 comments)
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improper installation: Gas Shut-Off Valves - 05/23/11 06:41 AM
When a house has gas appliances, the gas shut-off valves should be easy to get to. And you should know where it is! The idea is to have it nearby should it need to be turned off for repairs or emergency. All codes reflect this!
Walking into a recent inspection on a flip, before I put my bag down, I noticed that the very nice granite counter top was cut to accommodate a much larger gas cook top!
That was funny in itself, which the Realtor and buyers had not noticed on their previous trips to the house.
The Realtor looked … (33 comments)
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improper installation: A Sinking Into The Ground, Fault Interrupter - 05/18/11 04:59 AM
For a few days now I have been anticipating doing a home inspection on a flipped property. Unfortunately Mr. Jay, of Mr. Jay's Neighborhood, was otherwise occupied and could not make it today.
I CAN TELL YOU HE WOULD HAVE HAD A BLAST ON THIS HOME INSPECTION!
One reason I was looking forward to it is that I had understood this particular flipper had pulled permits. There had not been a final inspection yet. He was waiting for me to look at the property so see what I came up with. To me, that's not a good sign. A builder confident … (22 comments)
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improper installation: Gumming Up The Works - 05/08/11 05:28 AM
It was a dark and stormy night...
It really was! We had just moved into our new house, about 13 1/2 years ago. It still had that new house smell.
OK, I had done the final walk through and there were 400 things the builder "promised" to take care of. Yes I ended up doing most of them myself. I like to take care of things right away. But the house still had that new-house smell, and we had never experienced that before.
It was September and deep into the night. I could hear a storm whipping up in the distance, … (34 comments)
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improper installation: Regular Fireplace Flue - 04/28/11 05:05 AM
Sounds like another boring post. Just a regular fireplace flue, photo attached. More or less ho hum.
So, have a look! It's actually very nice.
The vinyl siding is not melted.
The siding also has a nice bead at the bottom, making it a mid-grade siding. Not bad.
The flue is straight up and down.
There's a little garden, though somewhat unkept, to the right side.
Some storage to the left side.
All is right with the world. Until you take a closer look!
I post this so when I show you the next photo you will know I am not … (34 comments)
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improper installation: Mr. Jay's School of Inspectology - Flipper's Fun Fantasy!! - 04/23/11 06:46 AM
You know what the sign says, "Gorgeous inside!" And the listing information full of fun facts! This house was totally remodeled, inside and out. FYI - these are only a few of the photos I could publish. I won't comment until the end. See what you see and what is wrong. Have some fun. I did!
<----- 1
2 ----->
3 ----->
<----- 4
5 ----->
<----- 6
7----->
… (29 comments)
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improper installation: How Not To Support A Deck - 04/15/11 06:40 AM
This "GORGEOUS INSIDE AND OUT!" house is a flip and the seller has stated firmly that he had "done so much to the house [he] won't fix anything found on the home inspection." To me, that's like painting yourself into a corner. DO YOU WANT TO SELL THE HOUSE? But I digress.
There were a few things I had to mention to my clients! Well, many "few!" For example, this post shows one example of how not to support a deck.
On this house, the flipper retained the original posts, joists and ledger beam (the board attached to the house) and … (34 comments)
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improper installation: Whistle While You Work - 03/16/11 06:37 AM
The house is old but the HVAC system is very new. The compressor outside said 2009, so it is a good bet the indoor units are similarly new. They were.
Entering the furnace room, not only was the furnace and AC equipment new, but so was the water heater.
Both exhaust flues were newer also. And they both entered into an older double flue, which had been there for some time.
The double flue was very long, approximately 15', and while I am not a fan of exhaust flues hitting another at a 90 degree angle, it is permitted here.
However, … (57 comments)
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improper installation: Duct, Duct, OBtuse - 03/02/11 08:50 AM
Have you ever played duck, duck, goose? Everyone sits in a circle, and one stands to walk around the circle touching everyone on the head. At each touch the word "duck" is said, which means you can remain sitting, or the word "goose!" If goose is said when your head is touched, you must chase the toucher around the circle, catching them before they get to your position. If you don't, you must sit in the middle of the circle until the chased person is finally caught.
Substitute the word "OBtuse" for "goose." OBtuse is an adjective, and means to be … (40 comments)
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Jay Markanich - Northern VA Home Inspector
Bristow,
VA
More about me…
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC
Address: 12315 Sherborne Street, Bristow, VA, 20136
Office Phone: (703) 330-6388
Cell Phone: (703) 585-7560
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An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.
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