Roof inspection in Hobbs, New Mexico. Uncle bob is back in business.

Uncle Bob has returned to the land of enchantment.

At Desert Sun Home Inspections in Carlsbad, New Mexico.

There is hardly a day that goes by when I don't get to see the handy work of Uncle Bob.

For those of you that don't know who Uncle Bob is, he is the person in the family that will attempt to fix anything in the home no matter how important it is to have the repair done by a professional.

It seems that every single family of any size has an Uncle Bob in their family.

And it seems he has returned to New Mexico with a vengeance.

I got to inspect a home yesterday that was purchased by the now owner Five years ago.

He did'nt get a home inspection when he bought the home.

And was present at the time of the inspection. He was telling me that there was a lot of issues with the home and he had been repairing then ever since he bought the home.

After I got done inspecting the roof. I asked the owner of the repairs were made or if the roof was replaced.

He said the roof was replaced about four years ago. I asked what company did the roof and he said it was him and his buddies.

That explains a lot.

Take a look at this roof that is only Four years old.

The bottom row of the shingles are not properly attached and this one shingle has slipped down befor it could get sealed in place.

Apparently the crew that did the roofing job knew very little about how to roof a home. The transition from the gable section of the home to the flat graveled roof in the rear of the home had not even been addressed.

This is a crucial area that needs immediate attention.

Then we get a good look at the pipe penetrations on the roof.

I think they probably thought it was a very good idea to use metal tape to seal the pipe penetrations.

This will not work. There is a better way to seal the pipe penetrations on the roof. Uncle Bob seems to be back in business in New Mexico.

Have a great day every one.

All eaten up over this home inspection. Termites and what they can do.

When I got to this inspection I could clearly see why the home owners did'nt want to have a termite inspection. I was told by the listing agents that the seller had put off having a termite inspection for months.

Was it because they "KNEW" or was it a case of 

"I want the buyer to pay for the termite inspection."

I normally ask if a termite inspection had been completed by a pest management company before I ever get to the home. In many cases the termite inspector is on my heel's as I inspect a home, being there just before or just after I had been there.

I ask about the inspection for the simple rule of what if I see termite damages and the inspector had rendered a full bill of health for the home. Then what?

In the case of this home, it was plain to see the termite inspector really did a good job when it come to finding the hungry little critters that could ruin a home in the matter of months.

Take a look at some of the exposed damages to this home after the termite inspector had been to the home and the owners started to check on the extent of the damages.

Although the structure is still sound, there are the issues of termites. Even a couple of these critters can cause you thousands of dollars in repairs. Plus the buyer may walk.

This damage was the result of the small addition in the rear of thwe home not being tied into the home properly.

This is a major cause for concern.

Take a look at this rear addition. It is a One in Twelve pitch.

And it has shingles on the roof.

This is not the proper way to shingle a pitch that's so low in pitch.

Needless to say the buyer did walk on this home. But I have an inspection on the board for this buyer for another home.

Have a great day every one.

New furnace install. So what's wrong with this picture? Everything.

When inspecting homes for Desert Sun Home Inspections in Carlsbad New Mexico.

We find all kinds of things that should not be the way they are.

Lets take a look at a new furnace install that was not to code nor was it installed to the manufacturers installation recommendations.

Just because you don't get a permit for this furnace, you should still install the furnace the right way.

Heating and cooling contractors think that they can save the $60.00 permit fee and no one will be the wiser.

But when I show up and perform a home inspection on this home, I find what they thought would be a "out of sight and out of mind install".

This makes me upset, the owners of the home was relying on the contractor to install the new furnace with the up most professionalism.

This did not happen in this case.

Look at this install, can you tell me what the issues are?

This furnace was installed in 2011. And do'es not meet the furnace manufacturers install instructions.

Here we have a brand new furnace that has no sediment trap for the gas supply line.

There is a reason for the sediment trap to be installed for the furnace. But not done in this case.

At least they did run the piping out of the furnace body. I have found the flex line running into the frnace body in the past.

What about the ceiling of the funace compartment?

This is always a big concern when inspecting home.

Just as I thought, the ceiling in the furnace room was open, not completely but still open areas in the ceiling.

These should have been sealed back up and not left in this condition.

Generally speaking, heating and cooling contractors need to be baby sit when installing anything. A third party inspection is highly recommended when you have new appliances installed.

Have a great day every one.

Health inspections in Carlsbad New Mexico. What to do now.

Mold anyone?

On the Day I got back from my road trip I was very tired. The next morning I had a inspection about a home owner that had been getting sick. I arrived at the home to find It is a geodesic home. Pretty cool unless you have to roof the home. A contractor had done just that about Two plus years ago.

At Desert Sun Inspections in Carlsbad, New Mexico. We pride our selves with finding the issues at hand. I think we did just that with this inspection.

Since then the owners have had nothing but issues with the roof and the contractor had been back several times at the request of the owners.

But look at the repairs made to the roof.....

Notice the roofing materials used on the low or almost flat slope above the front door?

Caulking is everywhere. This contractor should have been better prepared to deal with the roofing issues of this style home.

There is a right way and a wrong way to shingle a geodesic home.

Here we have windows that leak into the home when it rains.

This is a wrong way. Looks like "Murphy's Law" was in full force when this job was being done.

There are mold issues within the home.

Another issue is when the roof was installed the roof vent for the upper bathroom was removed and never re installed. Not the bath vent discharges in the the ceiling of the upper bath and not to the outside of the home. Even with the bath vent removed,and never re installed the roof still leaks.

I don't render any legal advice. Nor do I offer any recommendations for any contractors for anything.

But these owners need to seek a professional that can help them resolve the issues with the roof.

Have a great day every one.

When is the right time to upgrade the homes plumbing parts? Uh ..Now.

I have been inspecting homes for a long time. I get to see what the owners don't see even when they live in the home.

At Desert Sun Home inspections, I always have the buyers best interest at heart when inspecting for a potential buyer. It's my job to point out all the defects with the home. No matter how small the defect may be.

That get's me back to the original question of...

When is the right time to upgrade the homes plumbing parts?

It's a pretty simple answer that many if not most all home owners don't know the answer to.

It's when ever the upgrades are needed, that means the parts will eventually fail. When they do and they will, they need to be upgraded.

There are very few home owners that actually inspect the plumbing systems within the home.

If this owner did, then they would have seen what I saw when I was inspecting the home.

At first glance the water heater looks really good.

But with further inspection of the water heaters

 pop off valve. Or better known as the water heater's temperature relief valve.

This one is leaking, and that's a good thing.

Much better than it not releasing and having the water heater blow up as in the commercial for a leading insurance company.

So check your home for any plumbing issues. You will be glad you did, especially when you do find a problem.

Remember the Active rain Meet up in Russelleville Arkansas

 Meet us at Ruby Tuesdays Restaurant on the 16th of April at 12:00 noon.

If you want to attend the meet up then contact Myself or James dray Via an E-mail or phone call.

Have a great day every one.

New furnace install. Do it the right way please.

When inspecting homes for desert Sun Home inspections in Carlsbad New Mexico,

I run into all kinds of new mechanical units like the water heaters, furnaces and water softeners.

Many are not installed correctly. Not at all in some cases. In fact many are not installed the right way. You would think installing a furnace would be a "no brainer". I mean how hard is it to install a simple water heater or a simple furnace?

Here we have a new furnace installed in a home, not a big deal happens every single day right?

Here is an new furnace stack coming out of the old furnace stack. Really? There needs to be protection for the vent standing there waiting for anything to enter.

But are the units being installed the correct way. In most cases not at all.

Here we have the actual furnace that was installed. See there is no drip leg for the gas supply line to the unit.

This is a dead give away that there was no permit pulled for this install.

When there is a permit pulled for an install, there seems to be everything in it's place and correct. Why is that? Maybe because the installers know the unit will get inspected and they will have to pay for another inspection and fee if they are not right the first time.

Many installers simply go the easiest way and don't ever think they are going to get inspected because they never did get a permit for the install.

But you can bet when they charged the client. There was a permit fee added to the bill. I have seen this for my own self many times.

The furnace venting needs to be protected from the elements, like weather and insects along with any flying debris that might plug up the vent by failing down the venting.

Have a great day every one.

When "Grandfather get's thrown out" Time to upgrade. Or is it?

I get these questions a lot. the buyers find things when I'm inspecting homes. I had already made a note of the issue at hand. But then there are the Realtors who says this.

" That is not an issue, because it should be grandfatherd in".

I tell the Realtors who are there "FOR THE BUYER" HUH???

Which side are you on?

Let me explain it in simple terms.

"If a home owner upgrades a certain item in the home, like the exhaust venting in a bathroom, then the venting needs to be installed to the proper specifications by the manufacturer".

This is no matter when the home was built.

As far as the Grandfather.....He get's thrown out of the home at this point.

Case in point. Here is a bath vent that was installed last year. But it was never vented to the exterior of the home.

You can clearly see the vent is not vented to the exterior of the home.

Not to mention the home has a lot of missing insulation.

Grandfathered in..? No it's not. This is a new vent and it needs to meet the current install specifications. Not what the home owner or the Realtors think it should be.

Right is right, let's not make it more difficult by making these remarks in front of the buyers and sellers. Ask me off to the side later.

Have a great day everyone.