John's Blog

As home inspectors we run across some ugly looking things at times.  Wouldn't you love to take a bath in this sparkling tub? www.laroccainspect.com

This water heater metal vent line had such a big gap in it that the inspector could take a picture through it.  This was letting gases from the burners escape into the house causing a health hazard.

Look closely where our inspector is pointing and you will see that someone has stuck three wires in one breaker!  This is a fire hazard as it may cause sparking and it can also overload the circuit.   www.laroccainspect.com

Whoops! This vent pipe never got to the roof. It not only leaves a hole in the roof it also allows  for sewer gases to enter the attic.  It's a good thing that LaRocca Inspectors check attics! www.laroccainspect.com

Home inspectors look for a variety of things on the roof, here is a photo that shows an issue that we recently found while inspecting a roof. Skylights are supposed to set up on a curb several inches above the roof as part of a standard waterproofing. This one did not and it leaked, no matter how...

Here is a photo taken in a crawl space under a home during one of our recent property inspections. What you are seeing is a sewage pipe that is broken and is consequently leaking raw sewage into the crawl space. This is a major sewerage leak under the house that no one knew was there. It will req...

Here I am being interviewed by a local talk show host named Greg Mantell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laBIe-4K3YQ  Let me know what you think :) John LaRocca   www.laroccainspect.com

It's raining in SoCal today and weather reports show the likely possibility of a few days of rain next week. HERE ARE A FEW TIDBITS AND TIPS FOR USING THE RAIN TO YOUR ADVANTAGE: *While it's raining or just after it stops are the best times to observe or discover leaks and/or excess moisture in c...

Check out this business week article which interviewed my partner Chris and I about straying afloat in a struggling economy. It's called "Cautious Plans to Expand After a Grueling Year" Three entrepreneurs from hard-hit industries describe steps they took to survive 2009-and how they're planning ...