Why Inspect Homes? Defect Clustering
     

How do you know if the work in your home was done legally and with permits and inspections? Hopefully you had a home inspection, and hopefully the home inspector recognized the signs.

But you as the home buyer have the right to go to the local town building inspectors office and ask what work has been done according to their records. Now it is not always possible for the inspector for the town, and your home inspector to know what was done and when.

Some things are concealed, But if the city inspector tells you that the last registered and permitted item was a roof in 1978 and the roof is new, or the furnace is new, then you have uncovered a problem.

[Oh by the way, the cover plate is missing on that switch on the furnace.]

Now it is not always possible for the inspector for the town, and your home inspector to know what was done and when. Some things are concealed.

But if the city inspector tells you that the last registered and permitted item was a roof in 1978 and the roof is new, or the furnace is new, then you have uncovered a problem.

[Oh by the way, the water heater was leaking]

The reason for the town inspector to come and inspect the work, is to ensure that repairs have been done according to code, and standards. I recently inspected a home for first time buyers, and I discovered a new furnace, that was not inspected, not permitted, and not done well at all.

How do I know?

After further inspection, the gas line was installed with no drip leg, and there was sloppy duct work and seeping seams. It seems that the only part o f this job that was correct, was that the heating was in the right house. The home buyer had no idea, and the Real estate agent had no idea, and it was up to the home inspector to catch this.

Well my first indication was the fresh patch of cement on the foundation where the oil fill pipes used to be, and then the PVC pipe at the foundation, which indicated a high efficiency furnace with direct exhaust.

[Oh by the way, another open electrical junction box - missing cover plate - amateur or incomplete electrical wiring should raise questions about other electrical wiring and devices in the home.]

I also noticed that there was no "Firematic" safety valve on the oil line.

The problem here is that there was only one pipe, and it was the wrong size, and not sealed, that's just for starters.

[Oh by the way, the PVC pipe on the far right should have been connected to an exterior combustion air supply source. right now it's just sucking air, and in a damp lint-covered basement.]

Once inside, there was no Emergency shut off switch at the top of the stairs as required, and then when I got to the basement, there was no "firematic" thermal switch, no switch cover plate, exposed wires, and no external air supply pipe. There was no filter assembly, and what's more, no sticker from the town inspector.

[Oh by the way, the same home had vermiculite attic insulation. Some vermiculite insulation contains asbestos and could be an asbestos dust hazard.]

[Oh by the way, the same house had a full chimney - stuffed with ash and fallen debris, and chimney cleanout door. The chimney cleanout was closed using the "slide-a-brick" methods that is leaky, unsafe, improper. The home needs more than a fire door on this cleanout opening - the chimney needs to be cleaned and inspected for safety.]

After getting the details, it turned out that the installer was the sellers girlfriends father, and this was before they broke up.

[Oh by the way, the home had at least one rotten window (at left) and squirrel-damaged flashing.]

He decided to stop and not complete the job since his daughter was no longer there. Its going to be a project to repair this heating to "Proper condition" and its going to cost money. the inspection saved them $1500.00 just there alone.

All told this inspection will have resulted in $20,000.00 worth of defects found for the Buyers. Not too shabby for a $350.00 home inspection.

• The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, $69.00 U.S., is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.
  Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a ten percent discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Just enter HRBUS10 in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
  
  Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for using this reference on PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Note: InspectAPedia.com ^® editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

• 
• 
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  Building inspection education & report writing systems from Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd
  

• The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
  
  Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.

• 
• 
• 
  Building inspection education & report writing systems from Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd