home inspector charlotte nc: Heavy Hidden Termite Damage Reveal on Charlotte Home Inspection - 03/21/12 09:53 AM
While at a South Charlotte inspection Patrick Waddell finds a large amount of termite damage in a townhome. Underneath the staircase I noticed that there was some mud on the back of the moisture barrier so I pulled back the carpet and then pulled away the moisture barrier. What I found was active termites. Further investigation found that they were in several areas of the the front wall and the left wall under the staircase. I walked up the staircase and notices some wavey areas of a freshly painted baseboard. Yep...it was damaged and covered up. Further up the wall I … (2 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Termites Swarm Out of Outlet during Home Inspection - 03/21/12 09:37 AM
Do you know what swarmer termites look like? While performing a home inspection in Charlotte NC, Home Inspection Carolina home inspector Preston Sandlin found swarmer termites coming out of an electrical outlet. When termites are present and Spring comes the first few warm days after a rain are very proned to termites swarming to start a new colony. The swarmers are the reproductives of the termite caste system. They will usually swarm towards the light or a window. So check around your windows for these guys or the wings. If your not sure take a picture of it and email to … (21 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: I Ate the Last Home Inspector - 10/07/11 01:00 AM

Charlotte home inspector Chip Sprague got quite a surprized when he did his inspection off Rocky River Rd today near Concord NC.  He was performing his normal routine checking along the crawl space foundation wall when out pops this large king snake who was not to happy to have an intruder in his crawl space.  Chip said after he regained his composure to get his camera out and take a picture the snake was about 7ft long and about 2-3 inches in diameter at his thickest.  Chip said "You know that thing they alows say about them being more afraid … (9 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Problem in Crawl Space Found on Charlotte NC Home Inspection - 09/23/11 06:23 AM
Charlotte home inspector Preston Sandlin was inspecting a home in Charlotte NC when he discovered a an exhaust vent fan depositing into the crawl space coming from the bath vent fan.  Let's think about this for a second.  The reason you have a bath vent is to take hot moist air or steam out of the bathroom so mold or mildew does not build up.  Well if this is what it causes in the bathroom what makes you think it wouldn.t have the same or similar effects in the crawl spece.  This vent fan should deposit outside the house and not … (1 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Charlotte Home Inspector Uses Infrared to Find Energy Loss - 09/20/11 01:19 AM

Charlotte Home Inspector Preston Sandlin uses thermal infrared cameras to scan houses during home inspections allowing Home Inspection Carolina to see things that other home inspectors can't.  Take a look at this picture and you can see the cold spots at the top of the wall where energy is being lost.  What has happened here is that the insulation has settled causing a cold spot.  This could easily be rectifies by drilling a small hole and spraying insulation and thus reducing enery costs.  If you getting a home inspection in the near future consider getting a an infrared thermal scan … (1 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: How To Tell If Your Contractor Is Intoxicated - 02/19/11 06:01 AM
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Charlotte Home Inspector Preston Sandlin was inspecting a home in the Dilworth section of Charlotte NC when he noticed an improper repair.  If you look closely at the picture you can see that the back band sill has been replaced.  They had to cut the joists because they ran perpendicular to the band sill.  When they resupported  the joists they just used 2x4's.  This isn't strong enough to support the house.
Preston Sandlin and Home Inspection Carolina have providing thorough quality home inspections in the Charlotte NC area for over 15 years.  Preston … (1 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Worst Deck Ever Found on Charlotte Home Inspection - 02/12/11 08:56 AM

Charlotte Home Inspector Preston Sandlin was recently inspecting a home near Dilworth in Charlotte NC in which the listing agent assured him was in great shape he came across one of the worst decks that he has ever seen.  There were som many code violations on this deck we didn't really know where to start.  The supports were all wrong and the railing was very loose and had no guard rails.  The deck should be condemned.  Don't buy a deck like this without having a thorough home inspection.
Preston Sandlin and Home Inspection Carolina have providing thorough quality home inspections … (2 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: How Do You Inspect a Hot Tub - 02/06/11 08:23 AM
How Do you inspect a hot tub?  Well the first thing is to check for leaks and cracks.  Most hot tubs are going to have a pump and a filtering mechanism.  all of the these need to be checked.  Water pressure should also be checked and all the various cycles of the pump and filters need to be checked.  Finally the heating mechanism and the chemicals in the water balance needs to be checked.  For this you need thermostats or better yet an infrared thermal imaging camera.  If you want a thorough hot tub inspection and you live near Charlotte NC … (1 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Do You Have Spingtails - 02/06/11 07:54 AM
Springtails manage to get their name because of the forked tail, at the end of their abdominal area which will be curved below their very own body. This helps these tiny pests to spring frontward kind of like a small flea, hence the name Springtails. They happen to be small, whitish-gray or light shaded pests; around 1/32 to 1/8 inch in size and their antennae are actually long and they have a small unique head. They happen to be wingless insects and do not fly, and the females will raise offspring in clusters located in damp areas.
 
Springtails are actually … (2 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Charlotte Home Inspector Uses Infrared to Find Missing Insulation - 02/06/11 07:43 AM

Charlotte Home Inspector Preston Sandlin was recently inspecting a home in Weddington NC using his infrared thrmal imaging camera when he noticed a cold cavity between two of the ceiling joists.  There is a gap there where insulation was missing.  This was a good find because this area is not accessible from the attic.  Preston would not have found this if he didn't have an infrared camera.  If you would would like one of the most thorough inspections you could get call Home Inspection Carolina.
Preston Sandlin and Home Inspection Carolina have providing thorough quality home inspections in the Charlotte … (0 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Charlotte Home Inspector Featured on HGTV's My First Sale - 02/05/11 08:48 AM

Charlotte Home Inspector Preston Sandlin recently filmed an episode of HGTV's "My First Sale" Preston was filmed doing an inspection for Nancy Troutman's client Sherika Horsley.
Preston Sandlin and Home Inspection Carolina have providing thorough quality home inspections in the Charlotte NC area for over 15 years.  Preston has a masters' degree in Education and has taught Home Inspection classes for years.  He also is a certified infrared thermographer.  Home Inspection Carolina has  been on TV many times and has a Charlotte Home Inspector radio show .  So you are in need of a home inspection in Charlotte NC, Gastonia … (1 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: How To Install a Skylight - 11/20/10 05:25 AM

Installing a full size sky light can be fairly complicated because it is necessary to cut a large hole install a large skylight on the roof, frame up a chase then drywall, paint and insulate it, but there are some new products I recommend you look into. They are called
"Tubular Skylights" and for as little as $250 you can install these skylights in existing attics yourself. You can purchase them at your local Home supply stores and install them yourself with limited skills and basic tools. They have a dome that goes on the roof and mirror finished tubes … (2 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Charlotte Home Inspector Finds Hidden LeaK - 11/09/10 01:29 PM
 

Charlotte Home Inspector Preston Sandlin was performing a home inspection in Gastonai NC and he performed a an Infrared Scan with a thermal camera.  He picked up a cold anamoly under the water supply for the toilet.  You couldn't see the leak with the naked eye but you could see it with the infrared camera.  The leak at the supply line shows a cooler temperature where the water tries to evaporate and cools.  Home Inspection Carolina Wouldn't have caught this leak without the thermal Image camera.
Preston Sandlin and Home Inspection Carolina have providing thorough quality home inspections in … (3 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Charlotte Home Inspector Finds Unfinished Wood on New House - 11/07/10 01:54 AM

Charlotte Home inspector Preston Sandlin was recently inspecting a new home in sFort Mill SC when he noticed that the facia board on the front left corner of the porch was not primed and painted.  When the wood is exposed like this it is porous and suseptable to moisture intrusion.  No raw wood unprimed and unpainted should be exposed to the weather.
Preston Sandlin and Home Inspection Carolina have providing thorough quality home inspections in the Charlotte NC area for over 15 years.  Preston has a masters' degree in Education and has taught Home Inspection classes for years.  He also … (0 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Charlotte Home Inspector Finds Electrical Line Down in Crawl - 11/07/10 12:41 AM

Home Inspection Carolina inspector Preston Sandlin was recently inspecting this Charlotte home in the Chantilly section of Charlotte NC when he noticed thes electrical lines down in the crawl space.  Electrical lines that are down in the crawl are a shock hazard due to the fact there is moisture on the floor of the crawl and electricity conducts through moisture.  All electriclines and plumbing lines should be supported to the floor joists. 
Preston Sandlin and Home Inspection Carolina have providing thorough quality home inspections in the Charlotte NC area for over 15 years.  Preston has a masters' degree in Education … (0 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Downed Duct Found on Charlotte Home Inspection - 11/06/10 12:31 AM

While performing a home inspection in South Charlotte home inspector Cliff Crowe found a duct down in the crawl space blowing cooled and heated air directly into the unfinished unconditioned crawl space.  Although this made for a comfortable inspection of the crawl space it didn't help the homeowner's utility bill.  Fortunately this was really easy fix and the homeowners bills should be so high in the futture.  If you have questions about ducts or any home inspection question contact either Cliff or Preston at Home Inspection Carolina at (704) 542-6575.
Preston Sandlin and Home Inspection Carolina have providing thorough quality … (1 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Leaky Pipe Problem in Piper Glen - 11/06/10 12:16 AM

A home inspector from Home Inspection Carolina was recently inspecting a home for a new buyer in the Piper Glenn Subdivision in Cahrlotte NC when he noticed a leak under the master bathroom where the jacuzzi tub drain connects to the main sewer line of the house.  There is good news and bad news here.  The ggod news is that the leak was in the crawl below the subfloor so it was not affected but the bad news is that putting water into the craw space is not a good thing either.  Water in the crawl can cause mold, wood decay and wood … (1 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Disconnected Dryer Vent Found on Charlotte NC Home Inspection - 11/05/10 09:38 AM

During a recent Charlotte NC home inspection in the crawl space the home inspector from Home Inspection Carolina noticed a disconnected dryer vent.  This is a bad situation because it is blowing warm moist air into the crawl space raising the moisture level.  By raising the moisture level in the crawl the chance for mold rot, wood decay and termites raises dramatically.  Chaeck to make sure your dryer vent is connected today.
Preston Sandlin and Home Inspection Carolina have providing thorough quality home inspections in the Charlotte NC area for over 15 years.  Preston has a masters' degree in Education … (0 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Charlotte Home Inspector Finds Moisture Damage at Bottom of Garage Wall - 11/03/10 02:26 PM

Charlotte home inspector Preston Sandlin of Home Inspection Carolina was recently inspecting a home in Mint Hill NC when he found damage at the bottom of the grarage framing.  The problem here is that the wood runs all the way to the ground and it is not primed or painted on the back side so it wicks up the moisture.  The wood should have been trimed up off the grouns 1/4 to 1/2 inch and the wood shouls have been primed and painted on both sides.  Unfortunately we see thhis type of moisture damage all the time.
Preston Sandlin and … (0 comments)

home inspector charlotte nc: Charlotte Home Inspector Finds Missing Insulation with Infrared Camera - 10/31/10 03:32 PM

 
 
 
 
 
 
Charlotte home inspector Preston Sandlin was doing ahome inspection in the Springfield subdivision in Fort Mill SC recently on a brand new home.  He used his infrared camera to scan the house after he was done with his home inspection.  He found a cold spot in one of the front bedrooms at the bottom of the wall.  Please see the picture.  After investigating futher that wall was adjacent to the bonus room closet and sure enought thebuuilder had failed to put insulation there.  This sort of thing would have never been caught on a … (2 comments)