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How Many Things Can You Find Wrong Here?

By Jay Markanich

Home Inspector with Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC 3380-000723

December 01, 2009 11:42 AM

So if I was to ask you, how many things could you find wrong with the installation you see here?

By way of information:

This was a new home I inspected today.

That downspout discharges the entire front roof over the main house to the gutter you see here in front of the garage. That is a lot of square footage of rain water, approximately 1500.

That is not faux stone, but granite.

The siding is vinyl.

That drip edge under the shingles is interior casement molding. It is wood, unlike most of what is on the house.

There is NO wood trim - what you are looking at is all MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard).

Toward the right is a small, metal roof draining into the gutter.

I'll wait for your answers. There are some things you cannot see in this photo.

My recommendation: Get a home inspection on new properties!

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Jim Cheney

Saint Francis Property Santa Rosa, CA - Santa Rosa, CA

Rincon Valley Realtor 707.494.1055

New homes need inspecting too! In our area builder's use very transient labor, and nobody is watching what they do. A lot of buyers think "I have a year warranty, if something goes wrong I'll call then" For a couple hundred bucks, lets get if fixed now while the builder still wants your money.

Dec 01, 2009 11:45 AM

Ray Mikus

Green Light Real Estate - Montpelier, VT

Green Means Go!

Well, I suppose if it doesn't rain much in Virginia...LOL

Dec 01, 2009 11:49 AM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Jim - we have too much of that around here too. I call it 7-11 construction...

Ray - it rains here, a lot! We get the white stuff too.

Dec 01, 2009 12:02 PM

Reuben Saltzman

Structure Tech Home Inspections - Minneapolis, MN

Delivering the Unbiased Truth.

Looks like a bad design. There should never be that much water concentrated in to one area. I'd like to see was the rest of that chimney looks like.

Dec 01, 2009 01:10 PM

Eric Middleton

Closer Look Property Inspections Inc. - Uniondale, NY

Professional Property Inspector

Hey Jay- are you serious, is that casement moulding under the shingles? Thats a first for me. There appears to be missing step flashing. What's going on with the counter flashing? Under the gutters and on the side of it there are gaps that looks like wind driven rain over time can do some damage. The downspout not extending to the gutter is common. Wrong but common. It makes for good report writing.

Dec 01, 2009 01:25 PM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Reuben - that's not a chimney, it's stonework siding. There's a lot going on there.

Eric - I'm pretty sure it's casement. I could not tell if there was step flashing beside the stonework. Again, there's a lot going on there!

Dec 01, 2009 01:39 PM

Charles Buell

Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA

Seattle Home Inspector

Jay, not even MDFX? Craziness abounds all over the place.

Dec 01, 2009 03:33 PM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Charlie - is that a new Mutual Fund?

My problem with this new wave of very expensive MDF trimming product is that they NEVER (you should never say never...), um, they NEVER prime it, and give it one watered-down coat of paint. Secondly, I see anyway, they install the stuff with brad guns and invariably use interior brads which rust quickly. Wood will deteriorate quickly if not installed, primed and painted properly, but not as quickly as that stuff. Also, when they cut it they leave so many rough-looking edges. It is not usually an impressive installation.

Dec 01, 2009 09:19 PM

Suesan Jenifer Therriault

JTHIS-Professional Home Inspection Team - Blakeslee, PA

"Inspecting every purchase as if it were my own".

So much for new construction regardless of where it is. Here most builders and Realtor deter buyers from getting a home inspection on new construction. The buyer is usually sorry within the first year.

Dec 03, 2009 01:49 AM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Fer sher Sue... dumb move.

Dec 03, 2009 07:24 AM

Bill Saunders, Realtor®

Meyers Realty - Hot Springs, AR

www.BillSellsHotSprings.com

Hi Jay,

Is that tar I see, and shingles for flashing?

Dec 03, 2009 11:24 PM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Bill - the flashing is metal and glued on with a roof tar made for that purpose. Pretty common. My question was whether there is step flashing under this counter flash you see. I don't think there is, but cannot tell as they glued the counter flash to the shingles, which is not commonly done.

Dec 03, 2009 11:49 PM

Bill Saunders, Realtor®

Meyers Realty - Hot Springs, AR

www.BillSellsHotSprings.com

Would there be any way an infrared image might help with that? (Like indicating 2 layers of metal in the thermal image as the bricks retain heat)...just a thought, and probably a small one at that.

Dec 05, 2009 03:14 AM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

No Bill. The camera does not see through things, only temp differences. It could not determine multiple layers of metal. You are thinking out of the box though!

Dec 05, 2009 03:33 AM

Bill Saunders, Realtor®

Meyers Realty - Hot Springs, AR

www.BillSellsHotSprings.com

I was wondering if there would be a temperature variance between a single layer and a double layer of flashing that would show up...I'll get back in the box now :)

all the best...

Dec 05, 2009 04:36 AM

Egbert Jager

Diamond Home Inspection - Calgary, AB

I know I come to this discussion a little late but let me add kick out flashing and vinyl siding too close to the roof deck. Do I win anything? <grin>

May I ask a few questions? Is that J-trim at the botom of the vinyl siding? What has the builder done at the vinyl siding-stonework siding-roof intersection (not visible in the photo but approximately beneath the downspout) to direct water out of this horrible detail? (Problem is compunded if the botom j-trim is directing additional water here)

These new(er) multi-layer architechtural shingles are durable and good loking but they don't bend, and valleys are already really hard to do correctly.

What sort of 'roof' covering is present on the right side of the picture, just above the eavestrough and below all that wonderful moulding?

I keep wanting to scroll this pic and see more to the left and right to see what else was (and wasn't) done! Love these kinds of challenges!

Jun 23, 2010 02:43 AM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

All that and more Egbert! There was a lot wrong here. And the valley is as you suspect - cut shingles and vulnerable over time to leaking. Unfortunately I can't get a picture posted that allows scrolling, but I am like you, I want to look more and more! Thanks for stopping by, even late!

Jun 23, 2010 03:08 AM