middle tennessee home inspections: Photo of the Day - 04/28/08 04:49 PM
Home inspectors are not just a pretty face in the crowd. They really have to know their craft especially when it comes to new homes and framing inspections. As part of the services we offer for our clients, framing inspections are imperative since far too often, major framing faults and structural failures are hidden forever by drywall.
While conducting a framing inspection for one of my clients in the Brentwood, TN area, I came across this framing fault, which by all intents and purposes, is a failure within the structure waiting to happen. Keep in mind that all structural loads … (7 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: How Old Is Your Heating & Cooling System? - 04/24/08 06:47 AM
This is the first in a series of posts that I am going to make on how to read the serial numbers for the more popular units in my area. I am going to start with Goodman heating and cooling products out of Houston, TX. These are very common to see throughout the south and here in the Middle Tennessee area. One of the questions that I get asked quite frequently by real estate agents and home owners alike is what the age of the unit and will it adequately cool my house? As inadequate tonnage and older units can lead … (5 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Not All Home Inspectors Are Created Equal . . . - 04/19/08 04:07 AM
Not all home inspectors are created equal. The truth to that statement became really apparent yesterday while inspecting a relatively new property in the Franklin Tennessee area. The owner agent for this property confidently told me that he had just had this property inspected by HIS inspector a few months ago for their 11 month warranty inspection and, I probably won't find anything. Ouch! I hate it when people tell me that. I thanked him and went on about my business of inspecting this property for my client. Now, just because the property has been inspected by someone else doesn't mean … (22 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: House Bulldozer, Bulldozer House, Now That We Have Been Formally Introduced . . . - 04/17/08 05:59 AM
If any of you have been in the real estate business for any length of time like I have, I'm sure that like me you have fond memories of people or properties that you would not have rather seen or met. I know that I say that a little bit sarcastically, but the other day I had an encounter with a very pleasant young man who was purchasing a rustic property in the Fairview section of Williamson County, Tennessee. This encounter got off to a rather auspicious start when I found out that I had to drive through a running creek … (10 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Contunuous Radon Monitors v/s Charcoal Canisters - 04/14/08 06:48 AM
The middle Tennessee area is considered a high radon belt according to the EPA. There are several different types of radon monitoring equipment in the marketplace approved for real estate transactions. The most common are the charcoal canisters and the continuous monitoring equipment. Some home inspectors like to use the charcoal canisters for doing their radon testing. These are inexpensive costing about $10 each as compared to $1500-$4000 for a good grade of continuous monitoring equipment. I prefer to use the continuous monitoring equipment and here’s why: One cannot get instantaneous readings from the charcoal canisters. The charcoal canisters must be … (9 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Photo of the Day . . . - 04/11/08 06:08 AM
There is a right way and a wrong way to do things especially when it comes to installing a roof covering. The pictures in this post are a pictorial representation of how NOT to install rolled roofing or shingles for that matter. While inspecting a property in Franklin, TN, this 3 year old installation definitely had some problems that will cost the seller some bucks.
This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing home inspections for Brentwood, Nashville, Davidson and Williamson Counties of Middle Tennessee. The views and … (11 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Photo of the Day . . . - 04/03/08 06:59 AM
The other day while inspecting a property in Nashville TN, I ran across this unique way of stopping a leaking gate valve. As this property had been rehabbed, and the caulking was still soft, I really cannot blame this one on the home owner. Once again, just proving my case that there are some real quality craftsmen out there that will stop at nothing to show their ineptness or their skill with a caulking gun. Well, at least they did not use duct tape!
This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton of Complete Home … (6 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: These Bands Don't Play Cool Tunes! - 04/02/08 04:44 AM
Unlike the Fab Four, best known for their hit song, “I Wanna Hold Your Flashlight”, there are some bands out there that don’t play cool tunes. An example of this is the Carbon Fiber Band. Every time I see this group, it normally spells trouble.
Carbon fiber bands are generally applied to basement walls to abate movement caused by hydraulic pressure from ground water. Without some type of relief, excessive pressure will cause the block walls in basements and crawlspaces to cave inward resulting in weakened bearing walls. Although, carbon fiber bands will slow the movement, relief of the hydraulic … (11 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Photo of the Day . . . - 03/30/08 06:23 AM
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This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing home inspections for Brentwood, Nashville, Davidson and Williamson Counties of Middle Tennessee. The views and opinions expressed are just that - views and opinions of Michael Thornton and those who comment. This post is a contribution to the ActiveRain Real Estate Network.
Below are links to other sites or articles that I have written:
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Photo of the Day
Tennessee Highways … (11 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Photo of the day . . . - 03/29/08 04:15 AM
Home inspectors in the State of Tennessee do no have to be licensed for pest control like some other licensed states. However; when inspecting a property, I do keep an eye out for these little critters that can literally eat you out of house and home. While inspecting the crawl space in a property in the Spring Hill area of southern Williamson County, I came across several mud tubes indicating active WDO (Wood Destroying Organisms). There was plenty of construction debris left in the crawl space to act as a smorgasbord of bait for these hungry guys.
… (9 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Photo of the day . . . - 03/28/08 05:31 AM
Home inspectors have to know and look at more than the house they are evaluating. A classic example of this is happened yesterday while I was inspecting a property in Spring Hill, TN in southern Williamson County. Driving into the subdivision, I noticed that all the houses had new roofs except the “AS IS” property that “Really Was”. Surprisingly, this was something that neither the real estate agent nor the buyers noticed when they put a contract on the property.
Last year, houses in several subdivisions in the Spring Hill area were heavily damaged by hail, and many areas … (10 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Photo of the day . . . - 03/27/08 06:06 AM
One of the services that I provide for my clients, are pre-drywall or framing inspections on new construction properties. While inspecting this new construction house on Nashville’s east side yesterday I came across this unusual foundation for the brick veneer siding. Apparently, when the block foundation stem wall was installed, the masons either encroach upon the brick shelf section or else the foundation was not wide enough to incorporate a brick shelf. In desperate need for foundation to support the load for the tons of bricks to be imposed on the foundation, these ingenious guys found an untreated 2x4 lying around … (8 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Photo of the day . . . - 03/25/08 05:21 AM
Every now and then I run across a home owner who likes to color coordinate their outlets to match the color of their walls. This is definitely not a good idea and especially when it comes to GFCI outlets. When these are painted over, the paint will often jam the mechanical test and reset buttons. If the buttons are jammed, the device may fail to trip resulting you going z-z-z-zt, which is not a good thing! I consider these a safety hazard and I recommend replacing the device.
This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of … (8 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Photo of the day . . . - 03/22/08 05:26 AM
This seems to be my week for picking on plumbers. I don't know why, maybe it's just because I have seen too many things that have have done which does not make any sense. Yesterday, while inspecting a rehabbed property in a mature section of Nashville, TN, I came across this installation of a water faucet at the kitchen sink. The faucet has been installed backwards as evidenced by the valves opening away from you instead of towards you. I had to give this poor fellow a grade of "C" for consistency, as he did the same thing on the … (20 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Photo of the day . . . - 03/20/08 07:06 AM
I was inspecting a new construction property in Nashville, TN yesterday and ran across this professional installation of an air handler and condensate pump. Professional contractors will install a bracket on the side of the air handler on which to mount the pump and an outlet for power. This contractor took a short cut and went down to Walgreen’s or where ever was convenient and purchased a $1.29 extension cord and left it like that. The mechanical codes official signed off on this installation, making me wonder if they had even been there at all or was this just another drive-by … (6 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Photo of the day . . . - 03/19/08 06:04 AM
While inspecting a new construction property in Nashville, TN yesterday, I came across this “unusual” venting system for the gas water heater. The water heater was located in the mechanical room off the finished basement and all that separated this room from the finished basement area was a louvered door which violated codes as well. To keep the cleaning crew working in the basement from getting asphyxiated, I turned the gas off to the unit.
Now I know that the codes officials miss minor things from time to time, but this was so blatant that I believe that even Ray … (12 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Photo of the Day . . . - 03/15/08 06:14 AM
It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words plus or minus a few. I am sure that this driver pulling this mobile home had a few choice words to say, and I would bet you a "milyun" that the words weren't, "Rut Ro!" or "I knew that I should have made that left at Albuquerque!" Well, at least we all know how much a house weighs. Maybe you can make up some of your own.
This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing … (13 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Plumbers - Origin of the Word . . . - 03/04/08 06:12 AM
A plumber is a tradesperson (questionable term at times) who installs and maintains the potable (drinking) water and sewage systems in our homes. But, did you ever wonder where the term plumber comes from or how it originated?
I have done some research on this as I knew some of the origins but did not know how far back the term went. The word plumber actually dates back to the early Roman Empire. Remember the aqueducts you studied in school? Well, once the water was in the city, it had to have a way to get into the houses. In … (8 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Another GE Appliance Recall . . . - 03/03/08 04:45 AM
General Electric has issued another recall for some of their appliances. Back in December 2007, GE issued a recall of some 92,000 Microwave Combo Wall Ovens Due to a Fire Hazard. The link to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC ) regarding this recall is HERE. These appliances were sold at department and appliance stores between 2000 and 2003. These were vended under GE's Profile label and also sold under the Sears Kenmore label. If you or anyone you know has purchased this combo unit, check the serial numbers and call GE's toll free number.
GE also has had a recall … (6 comments)
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middle tennessee home inspections: Would You Take a Bath In This Water? - 02/23/08 06:10 AM
Part of the property inspection is to check the plumbing fixtures and functionally test whirlpool tubs. I was surprised when I came back in the bathroom to see the bath water looking like this. Yeech! Who would want to take a bath in this?
It is not uncommon to see water heaters that are in vacant properties and which are approaching the end of their service life, start to build up rust on the inside of the tank. I suggested to my buyer to have the water heater replaced and have the water lines purged.
This posting and the … (16 comments)
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