Home inspections that sting...!

Structure Tech

Adjustable Support Column

Adjustable support columns like this with steel supporting pins should only be used as temporary support columns, according to an American Society of Home Inspectors article.

Bad Deck Support

Decks just aren’t something you want to mess around with no matter how high they are off the ground. The risk of harm is great when a deck collapses. Make sure you know the signs of early deck failure or safety hazards.

Bad Egress

Nothing about this screams safety or viable emergency escape. It looks bolted to the roof and there’s a chain to help keep it in place. This is one of those scary things home inspectors find, like critters in the attic.

Bad Deck Support

Something tells us a support system for an upper deck shouldn’t look like a woodpile. Might be a little wobbly on that upstairs landing. Then again, you may be taking flying lessons if you try to use it.

Bad Roof Design

Hmm, hope the gutters work. Maybe who ever constructed this roof tried making some kind of artistic architectural statement. What’s sure is that a roof slanted towards a vertical wall will never work no matter how creative you get with a gutter system.

Baseboard Heater in Crawl Space

It might sound like a good idea to heat your crawl space in winter perhaps to prevent frozen pipes and warm your house a little more. But it’s extremely dangerous. It’s a fire hazard and  it’s not going to warm your home any more, at least until the house stops burning. Better to insulate the crawl space because it can save you money and block it to prevent critters from getting in.

Beam Splice Not Over Post at Deck

Somebody’s tape measure must’ve been off when they put together this deck. Looks pretty unsafe considering the splice is only sitting on a sliver of the post. Most building codes require at least one inch of bearing wherever a beam is supported by a post. Always check with the local building inspector!

Beam Through Chimney

Yup, that’s a beam going right through a chimney. Kinda guessing/hoping the chimney isn’t in use anymore. You’d never find something like this inside the most expensive home in your state. Would you?

Bent Outlet Cover

This might deserve a showing in the Museum of Modern Art for how well the outlet cover bent and hasn’t broken. It pays to put some thought into electrical box placement to avoid this stuff from happening. Perhaps Salvador Dali was the electrician?

Boulder Footing

If this boulder wasn’t being used for a footing on a deck we swear we could’ve mistaken it for the brain of the person who came up with this idea. I mean really?