omaha home inspector: What Does "My House Is Built To Code" Mean? - 01/31/15 08:53 AM
Homebuyers purchasing new construction need to educate themselves on the building process and products/systems that are selected to go into their home.  Having knowledge before you select your Builder, researching products and systems before you break ground, and making sure there are quality sub-contractors, will make the process go smoother and leave you with a much better finished product.
Builders are quick to point out that their homes are "built to code".  So what does that mean?  If you are within the city limits of Omaha, Bellevue, Papillion, Elkhorn, Gretna, etc., then the city's Code Enforcement Officer will be the one … (1 comments)

omaha home inspector: Protect Your Family With Low Level Carbon Monoxide Detectors - 01/26/15 09:51 PM
Regular store bought carbon monoxide detectors are manufactured to go off when the CO levels reach 70 ppm for 1-4 hours! These detectors will not protect your family from low levels of carbon monoxide. At lower levels, these detectors will not protect infants, young children, grandparents, and people suffering from asthma, bronchitis, or other medical conditions that cause difficulty breathing. Under low level CO conditions, it can lead to death of the more susceptible. Long term exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide can cause permanent physiological and nervous system damage to any of us.
For a more indepth look, read … (2 comments)

omaha home inspector: Garage Floor Doesn't Slope to Drain on New Construction in Plattsmouth - 01/25/15 07:09 AM
The Builder forgot to install the floor drain in the garage on this brand new home in Plattsmouth, Nebraska.  To fix it, they broke out the 3 concrete panels where the red arrows are on the right of the picture and the panel where the floor drain is circled in blue, installed the plumbing piping and drain, then poured the concrete floor the 2nd time.  Unfortunately, they didn't bother to make sure the garage floor sloped towards the drain.  The red arrows show which direction the concrete slopes.  The green box indicates where the new concrete floor around the floor drain … (1 comments)

omaha home inspector: Small Mistake/Big Expense on New Home's Driveway in Gretna, NE - 01/21/15 11:18 AM
Stone veneer needs to have a minimum 2" space between its base and a driveway, sidewalk, or patio.  During the freeze/thaw cycles we have in Omaha, Nebraska, the concrete flatwork will raise & lower.  If the stone veneer is blocking it and preventing it from raising up, then the concrete will give.  In the case below, the stone veneer held solid while the driveway not only cracked but caused the other end of the panels to raise up.  The only fix for this is to tear the damaged panels of the driveway out and pour new.  Except, the next time they … (0 comments)

omaha home inspector: The Water Meter Almost Won At Hide-n-Seek - 01/18/15 11:14 PM
If you're going to be a home inspector, you need to have a sense of humor.  Not only did they drywall around the meter, they then installed a drop ceiling light covering it up.  It took the entire home inspection on this Omaha, NE home, but I found it!

For more funny photos, check out www.omaha-home-inspector.com
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omaha home inspector: Possible CO Poisoning From Furnace in Bellevue, Nebraska - 01/14/15 05:36 AM
At the time of this home inspection in Bellevue Nebraska, the weather was 20 degrees F with a cold snap that blew in afterwards that dropped the thermometer to 0 with -30 windchill.  The elderly homeowner had passed away a few months earlier and his son had temporarily moved into the house to help the family distribute and donate his father's possessions.  There was a carbon monoxide detector down by the furnace that had a peak level of 23 ppm and one up in the master bedroom that registered 27 ppm.  During the inspection, I didn't register active CO gas but … (0 comments)

omaha home inspector: Electrocution Hazard On 3 Newer Omaha Homes!!! - 01/14/15 01:28 AM
During our home inspections, we always have to be on our toes.  We never know what dangerous situations we're going to come across.
Below are 3 photos taken from 3 different homes of their main electric panels. 
The first photo was of a brand new 5,000 s.f. home.  I was performing my inspection amongst about 15-20 sub-contractors all rushing to complete the build prior to closing.  Imagine my surprise when I lifted off the main panel cover to find that 1 of the screws had gone partially through the sheathing of one of the main service entrance cables which was running … (0 comments)

omaha home inspector: Why Is There Frost In My Attic??? - 01/11/15 11:58 AM
Now that the cold weather is upon us, it's the easiest time of year to pop your head up in your attic and look for frost.  Frost buildup on your roof deck or on the nails poking through your roof deck are a sure sign that your attic ventilation is improper.  When the weather warms up, the frost will melt and leave drip stains in your insulation.  If there's a whole bunch of frost, it can drip so much that it dampens your insulation decreasing your R-value.  If left uncorrected, excess moisture buildup in your attic can lead to mold, cause … (2 comments)

omaha home inspector: Dryer Vent Fire Hazard in Omaha, Nebraska - 01/07/15 11:47 PM
I ran across this fire hazard on a home inspection in Omaha the other day.  Some knucklehead ran the dryer vent through the fire wall into the garage and connected it up to a disconnected B-vent.  The B-vent cap was loaded with dryer lint.  There wasn't any way for the dryer to exhaust outside with it being clogged.
For more home inspection photos, go to our website & check out our photo galleries at:
www.omaha-home-inspection.com




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omaha home inspector: When Your Client Leaves You Speechless on a Home Inspection - 01/04/15 01:16 PM

I had the pleasure of finding this review from our client on Christmas Eve;-)  This was from a home inspection we did in Omaha, NE back in July 2014.  Thanks for the Christmas present Jason!
 
“Greg is the real deal. If you want to know about the problems your potential home has and will have, he is your guy. If you think ignorance is bliss, use any random rubber stamp inspector and save the surprise for later. In our case, we were looking at a home that was at the top of our comfort level that was "pre" inspected … (1 comments)

omaha home inspector: Home Inspection: Serious Electrocution Hazard...HOMEOWNERS and HOME INSPECTORS MUST READ!!! - 03/21/11 01:38 AM
HUGE SAFETY WARNING FOR HOMEOWNERS!!!  While performing a home inspection in Glenwood, Iowa, I was checking the A/C sub-box's wiring.  I went to put the metal cover back on and the cover hit the lugs, sending sparks flying.  Luckily, I had my hands in the reflex position to contract away from the wiring and not extend towards it.  (Note: If you ever check electrical boxes, backhand the panel before attempting to open it.  If the metal cover is energized, your muscles will reflex away from the box.  If you have your palm side of your hand touching it, your muscles will … (22 comments)

omaha home inspector: North Omaha Home Inspections: Inspecting Bank Owned Properties Filled With Mold Is Becoming Too Common - 03/14/11 02:27 AM
It really doesn't seem to matter what neighborhood these bank owned properties are in.  The bank takes over the property and turns off the utilities.  In the moist Spring, Summer, and Fall, there's no air conditioners running in these homes to keep the humidity at bay.  If the foundation leaks water into the basement, the sump pumps don't work because the power has been turned off.  As deep snow begins to melt, ice damming leaks in through the roof.  Mold grows and flourishes.  Drywall is extensively water damaged and/or covered in mold growth.  Anything mold can survive off of becomes a … (1 comments)

omaha home inspector: Omaha Home Inspection: Surprise Behind Door #2!!! - 02/26/11 03:23 AM
I inspected a 7,000+ s.f. church that was built roughly in the 1920's in North Omaha last week.  This place was spectacular to explore, BUT a true challenge to inspect!  As I was getting a tour by a church member, he opened up a door in the basement with storage stacked in front of it.  The door led down to the sub-basement.  It turned out there were actually 2 sub-basements.  The 2nd one had an old mammoth Octopus furnace.  This photo is of the other sub-basement.  It still had the original coal furnaces.  Both sub-basements had almost every square inch taken … (2 comments)

omaha home inspector: Omaha Home Inspection: #1 Reason to NOT Install CPVC on Your Sprinkler System - 02/10/11 09:09 AM
#1 reason why NOT to install CPVC on your sprinkler system: During the winter months, it's extremely brittle.  If you forget to winterize it for just 1 cold night, the line bursts.


For more cool home inspection pics, check out our galleries at: www.omaha-home-inspection.com.
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omaha home inspector: Omaha Home Inspection: Client's Dodged a Bullet - 02/08/11 02:28 AM
Is your house sitting on the lowest elevation in the development?  One house in Omaha I recently inspected was.  The home was built in 2005 by a tract builder.  During the home inspection, I noticed 2 vertical cracks in the basement exterior wall.  These cracks weren’t typical.  Most vertical cracks that form are wider at the top and gradually become smaller as you go down the wall.  These are indications that one portion of the foundation has settled causing the wall to separate.  Instead, these 2 cracks were wider at the bottom and narrowed as you went up.  The only educated … (0 comments)

omaha home inspector: Omaha Home Inspections: It's Ice-Damming Season - 01/26/11 12:09 AM
Last week, we had 6"-9" of snowfall combined with blowing winds.  Some house roofs had 2'-3' of snow on them.  A few days later we had 41 degree day melting the snow too fast, then at night it froze again.  Since, we've had more snowfall with more warm days and cold nights.  Every time the snow melts too fast, the water becomes blocked by the heavy snow/ice that's formed on the roof.  When it pools, it sneaks it's way up under the shingles.  If that area doesn't have an ice-dam membrane, it can end up leaking through your roof.
If this … (2 comments)

omaha home inspector: Omaha Home Inspection: Snow in Attic - 01/04/11 12:31 AM
During the Christmas 2009 Blizzard, the Omaha Metro was hammered with record snowfall and driving winds.  It caused snow to blow in turtle vents, eaves, and any small teeny tiny hole it could.  I did inspections where the pile of snow/ice below turtle vents was about 2 1/2' high and about that wide.  Of course, if a homeowner wasn't fast enough to notice it and remove it from their attic, then it would melt and drip down through the ceiling leaving a nasty water stain.
The photo below is from this winter 2010/2011 and a gentile reminder to climb up into … (0 comments)

omaha home inspector: Omaha Home Inspection: Reasons For Concrete Cracking At Garage Floor and Driveway - 12/10/10 01:25 AM
There are very few driveways installed properly in the Omaha Metro...and that especially includes new construction!  Minimum concrete depth of a driveway is 3.5".  At the approach, minimum concrete thickness is 5.5".  Expansion joints need to be installed at the street (or 8' in from the street), at the garage floor, and at the sidewalks that meet the driveway.  As the concrete street expands and contracts, the driveway needs these joints to absorb the movement.  If the expansion joints aren't free of concrete, then cracking usually occurs at the weakest point because they can't take the absorption like intended.
The photos … (0 comments)

omaha home inspector: Omaha Home Inspection: What's the point of shingling over a rotted roof deck? - 12/03/10 02:14 PM
This South Omaha home has new vinyl siding, new vinyl windows, and a new roof.  HOWEVER, the vinyl siding isn't flashed properly or finished in some areas, you can see straight through the walls because the windows aren't installed right, and the new shingles are covering a rotted AND sagging roof deck...AND the top layer of shingles is the 3rd layer.  It pays to have a professional Home Inspector look farther than what's on paper by the listing agent.
Make sure you're not buying a money pit and check out: www.Omaha-Home-Inspection.com.

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omaha home inspector: Omaha Home Inspection: Roof Defects - 11/29/10 01:26 AM
This roof had a whole bunch of surface cracks in the shingles throughout.  Some of the cracks had developed all the way through the shingle and a few had the tabs blown off.  I see this quite frequently.  One of the possible causes is inadequate attic ventilation.  During the hot summer months, these shingles are literally baking under the sun if the attic ventilation isn't assisting on keeping the underside of the roof deck cooled.  In 2009, 49% of the houses I inspected had poor attic ventilation.  This roof was supposed to last 20-25 years.  It's only about 15 years old.
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Greg Wayman, ASHI Certified Inspector - 402-330-1701 (Foundation-2-Rooftop, Inc.)

Greg Wayman

ASHI Certified Inspector - 402-330-1701

Omaha, NE

More about me…

Foundation-2-Rooftop, Inc.

Office: (402) 330-1701

My blog is packed full of home inspection related articles that are useful for homeowners, Buyers, Sellers, and real estate agents. I also post interesting inspection pics regularly as I run across something on my inspections that peak my interest. Enjoy!


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