Special offer

April Fool… this is no Joke. Wenatchee and Moses Lake Home Inspection

By
Home Inspector with NCW Home Inspections, LLC

April Fool… this is no Joke. Wenatchee and Moses Lake Home Inspection

When things go terribly wrong this is no joke. As a home inspector I may have to be the bearer of some tough information.

Let set the scenario. You buy a home, not just any home, but a brand new home. Nice neighborhood, big home and some pretty details. You are excited and all is well.

Now several years go by and life events happen and find this big beautiful home is too much for you and you must sell. You know that you have not been able to maintain the home as you would like but you are getting older and the home is still in pretty good shape.

So on the market you go and you get an offer. So now here comes the home inspector to evaluate your castle of many years.

This is when the story gets sad. As a home inspector I will have to present what I find, the good the bad and the ugly. In this little story the person who owns the home is now the bearer of a situation that is none of their doing.

This home was built during the building boom and construction practices may have not been proper. When the concrete work was performed the soils were either not properly prepared or improper footings where installed or more likely both.

The front brickwork and concrete of the home is now pulling away and cause some major damage. This is not an easy or quick fix. The homeowner is now left with a major issue and the contractor has now been long gone.

 Fracturing of brick veneer  Siding being pulled from home by settlement

 

Concrete Settlement- see line from pour Brick Arch fracture

What I could not show was the soffit and roof has been pulled down several inches.

The moral of this story is that even a new home is not a guarantee. Having a professional home inspection in the beginning would have pointed out some issues with the work and having a re-inspection before the warranty period may have given some clues to this event. This specific issue may not show its ugly head for a while.

But having a professional home inspector perform periodical check-ups may have caught this situation much earlier and there may have been a chance to go back to the builder.

A good home inspector will give you insight into how your home performs and can give you direction to help protect your investment.

“I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.”


Abraham Lincoln


NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…  
    
Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service

Comments (4)

James Quarello
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC - Wallingford, CT
Connecticut Home Inspector

That looks like some serious movement. But doesn't the ground out your way move on occasion?

Apr 01, 2012 09:28 AM
Donald Hester
NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA
NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Jim, We do not see the same seismic activity over here as Seattle and the coast see. This was good old poor  work. There was other concrete settlement issues also.

Apr 01, 2012 01:26 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Movement, movement, movement.  An engineer friend of mine says that once things start moving they are likely to continue until you do something extra to stop it.  This house looks like fun.

Apr 01, 2012 07:33 PM
Donald Hester
NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA
NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Jay, This one is a sad story for everyone involved. THe owner is left holding the bag for poor work.

Apr 02, 2012 02:25 AM