unprofessional work: Don't Bury The Dishwasher Until After It's Dead - 08/02/10 06:53 AM
This is my favorite recent short sale again.  The one where if there are things done incorrectly outside, there are likely to be things done incorrectly inside!  Well, the day does follow the night...
Whenever I enter a house and see ceramic tile that has been installed unprofessionally*, one place I am sure to look is under the dishwasher.
Why?  Because that is a make or break issue.
Why?  For the reason you see here.
This ceramic tile was put up to the edge of, but not all the way under, the dishwasher. 
Often the top of the dishwasher is not … (72 comments)

unprofessional work: Cause And Effect - 08/01/10 07:16 AM
Sometimes when I pull up to the front of a house I can see problems from the car!  This particular house, a short sale, showed a lot of deferred maintenance.  But what maintenance that had been done was done incorrectly.
It is important that when repairs are made to a home they are done properly.  If not, what was done can lead to more problems and exacerbate the original problem.

Take for instance this "repair."
Look closely and you can see six rusty nail heads.  These nails were not made for outdoor* applications.  They are interior nails.
But as the … (67 comments)

unprofessional work: Have A Nice Summer. See You Next Fall... - 07/28/10 06:03 AM
Some accidents aren't accidents at all.  That's because some things don't happen accidentally.  They lie in wait.
This is a homeowner-installed retaining wall, 4' high, behind a townhouse.
The wall itself is poorly constructed, bulging, coming loose and generally unsafe.
So why not put a rickety staircase against it!  Homeowner built!
This is a two-foot wide stair with five treads.  Each tread is attached to the "stringer" with two nails.  Each "stringer" is attached to the wall with a single nail! 
You can see the one nail just above the knot. 
The stair is poorly positioned against the wall.  It is … (26 comments)

unprofessional work: Counter Yer Counter Flashing! - 07/25/10 07:17 AM

If you're like me, your roof flashing can be a real pain!
You look up and there it is, sometimes with and sometimes without that pesky counter flashing!  It seems that counter flashing is always loose!  And it leaks!  I got fed so up myself that I came up with Counter Yer Counter Flashing!
Hi, Billy Jays here!
You will never experience leaking again! 
You will never experience loose counter flashing again!
You will never experience the stares and head shaking of your neighbors again!

 
You will want to call now once you see our newest roofing aid:  … (12 comments)

unprofessional work: Feeling Trapped - 07/24/10 06:55 AM
The smell was there as soon as we opened the door to the unfinished furnace room.  The staining on the floor was evident.  Further inspection found some evidence of molds on the sub floor and floor joists above.

Looking to the left I saw the mother of all traps!  This is to capture and eliminate the AC condensate discharge.
And it wasn't leaking now, because they repaired it!  And they used purple primer!  Well, thank goodness for that.
It looked like it glued nicely to that ABS joint too!
To fix the leaking someone recently added that little extension to … (22 comments)

unprofessional work: Black Goop - 07/21/10 06:17 AM
Even before going around back to see what the roof had to show, I was able to confidently say to my client that I suspected a second layer of shingles over the first.  The roof looked newer, but the plumbing penetration sleeve was covered with black goop.
"How do you know that?" was her question.
My answer - "Experience."
Roof tar, or what I call "black goop," is what a non-professional will use for roof repairs.  It does not last long, being deteriorated by the sun's UV rays, and it cracks and leaks.
Even from the ground my client could see … (29 comments)

unprofessional work: We Don't Need No Stinkin' Flashing! - 07/20/10 06:27 AM
Apparently the roof was leaking.  So two things were done to "solve" the problem.  A new layer of shingles was laid over the first (not always the best solution).  And instead of placing flashing where it was needed, a few tubes of caulking were expended to stop any leaking! 
Note:  CAULKING IS NOT FLASHING!

This is what I saw from behind this house.  Before I went inside I knew what we would be dealing with.  This is a big red flag!
It is obvious that the roof sheathing is rotting.  And from repairs on the siding it was obvious that … (31 comments)

unprofessional work: This Is A SHOP Light! And That Is An EXTENSION Cord! - 07/14/10 07:14 AM
The key word in shop light is "SHOP!"
It is a light intended for the basement shop, or the garage shop, or the unfinished room shop, or the WORK SHOP!
It is not intended for under the deck!
Or any outdoor place for that matter.
Do you see the wiring?  That is an extension cord!
The key word in extension cord is "EXTENSION!"
An extension cord is for temporarily extending the cord for a tool or appliance to gain an outlet it cannot reach otherwise.  It is NOT to be used for permanent wiring. 
The other end of this extension cord … (56 comments)

unprofessional work: Another Dangerous Dryer Vent - 07/09/10 06:41 AM
I have posted and I often see posts about dangerously-clogged dryer vents.  Maybe one day people will understand how important keeping a dryer vent clean really is!
More and more I am seeing another kind of dangerous dryer vent.  One that will be hard to get to for cleaning, either from inside or out.
Often builders are more and more in the habit of terminating a dryer vent either very high, 30' or so, on the exterior wall, or through the roof!  And I'm not sure why. 
Certainly two things spring to my thinking:
1.  Out of sight, out of mind.  … (25 comments)

unprofessional work: Maybe They Were Intended As Weep Holes - 07/08/10 06:46 AM
Weep holes - spots left intentionally to allow moisture or water to get out.  Masons leave weep holes in facade brick walls.  Window manufacturers leave weep holes at the bottom of storm windows.  Weep screeds are placed behind synthetic stucco to allow moisture to pass away.  Weep holes are good.
This Flipper must have seen the need to replace the door to this now very famous deck.
And maybe the new door should have some flashing to keep the water out.
He wrapped it over the ledger beam, which was carefully nailed (!) to the house.
He had to fold it … (21 comments)

unprofessional work: Deck Safety - Don't Trust What You See - 07/04/10 07:34 AM
We home inspectors have lots of message boards and ways to communicate with each other.  And we do!  We send around photos and report verbiage and ask advice of each other all the time.
Another thing we do is pass around photos of schlock work and we all laugh at some of the unbelievability of what we see!  But even we jaded home inspectors understand safety, and you should know that it is a big part of what we do.  Some of the things we report may seem innocuous and insignificant, like, "There is no anti-tip device installed behind the range," … (43 comments)

unprofessional work: Deck Trampoline - 07/01/10 07:03 AM
Walking down some deck stairs I noticed quite a bounce!  So much bounce that I worried about half way down that I might be injured.  I really expected the stairs to collapse.  Experiencing a deck stair collapse many times as I have, you don't want to do it again.  Here's what I saw when I got to the bottom:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I saw totally unprofessional work!  Frightful work.  Work done by someone who should not be fooling with deck stairs, or decks for that matter.
The left picture has an interesting array … (16 comments)

unprofessional work: Never A Good Sign - Presentation Is Everything - 06/30/10 06:34 AM

It's never a good sign on a final walk through to meander around to the back of new construction to see the stair well look like this. 
This is the builder's final presentation for the buyer before their settlement!  And it looks like this.
The yard was being watered, which was fine.  That accounts for the water.  But still, is this what you want your buyer to see?
Do you see where it looks like water might have been getting into the left door?
It seems so.
This is why chefs pay so much attention to the presentation of their … (26 comments)

unprofessional work: Put Yer Plug! - 06/29/10 06:37 AM

How often does that outdoor siding project bother you to the point you are dreaming about it?  And just how much worry is too much worry?
There's that hole in the siding you just can't figure out what to do with.  It's been there for some time.  You know you have to get to it, and you don't want to have to replace the entire side of your house. 
Soon your kids are looking in when you're shaving to ask, "Did you plug the hole yet Daddy?"
Well, worry no more!
Hi, Billy Jays here!
All you need is Put … (10 comments)

unprofessional work: "Uncle Bob" Wires Another House! - 06/21/10 07:51 AM
My phrase for improperly-wired stuff is that Uncle Bob came over to help out.  And he always wires things the way he used to do it when he served during "the big one."  Uncle Bob my term for unprofessional work.
Such was the case on a recent inspection.  From the back yard I noticed three spot lights and three exterior lights over a deck.  From there these lights all looked fine.  A closer look was needed.
When I went under the deck I saw where the wiring came from.  Inside the house, and through a hole drilled into the deck's ledger … (17 comments)

unprofessional work: One Way To Get Drier, Warmer And Cooler Faster - 06/17/10 06:56 AM
On a recent inspection of a flip I noted that the basement was changed (a laundry was turned into a bathroom and a family room turned into a laundry room).  This necessitated changing the heating and air conditioning duct work.  All the new walls required movement of ducts.
I was particularly interested in the position of the HVAC register in the master bathroom!
It is not certain if this is the ONLY place they could have chosen, but it probably is given the geography of the new wall arrangement below.
The floor register is just inside the door and right in … (17 comments)

unprofessional work: Happy Family - 06/14/10 08:42 PM
I love Chinese food.  One item on the menu, it seems, in every restaurant is a variation of something called "Happy Family."  It usually consists of three meats, say beef, chicken and pork, together with a bunch of veggies.  But the meal always comes with three things together.
In a recent inspection, of a flip, of course, the clients and Realtor were impressed with the quality of the work inside.  But, even though the house was remodeled by a Class A contractor, the buyers thought it wise to have a home inspection anyway.  That is very smart.
There were enough things … (8 comments)

unprofessional work: Stick 'Em Up - 06/13/10 07:05 AM
The electrical system of houses needs to be grounded.  Not in the psychological sense, but literally connected to the ground.
There are other things on a house that need grounding too.  The phone or cable system, satellite dish, the occasional TV antenna and even the aluminum siding, for example.  Without sufficient grounding these things can become real house zappers.  Or get zapped!
This homeowner decided to pour a new expanded, concrete driveway.  And, not knowing what he was doing, he simply poured it.  All the way to the back of the house.
The grounding rod you see here was in the … (7 comments)

unprofessional work: Duct, Duct, Loose - 06/03/10 08:03 AM
When is heating and air conditioning an afterthought?
When it is installed by someone who is NOT a professional.  And without permits!  Flipper!
There was so much wrong with this HVAC register it was funny!
First, they totally forgot it until the end of the process.  By then they had installed so much other stuff to block access to this room, that they had one small opening available for a duct - right along the exterior wall!
The space was so small, the only thing they could use was a dryer vent tube.  And they chose the white plastic one!  It … (14 comments)

unprofessional work: A Group Of Strapping Studs - 05/23/10 07:08 PM
This post might not be exactly what you expecting, given the title and all...
When an array of studs is used as support under major load points, they are just nailed together and need some help.
The help comes in the form of straps.  Ideally the straps should be placed high, middle and low.  The purpose of the straps is to prevent spreading out of the studs over time as weight and gravity do what they do best.
This is an array under a steel beam in a garage on a recent pre-drywall inspection.  The steel beam is visible on top … (16 comments)

 
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Jay Markanich - N. Virginia Home Inspector

Bristow, VA

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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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