Complete Home Inspections Blogs

Last week was a long week for me. Just so-o-o-o much to do! I was in a 5 year old condo for on my third inspection for the day, and was staring at a scuttle hole access for the attic. Being bone tired from the previous two very challenging properties, I really did not feel like trekking down 2 flights of stairs to get the ladder out of the back of my vehicle and hauling it back up. Nevertheless, I made the trek and I was glad that I did. When I opened the access and popped my head in, it appeared as if the builder forgot to insulate the attic. So much for QC!

At the end of the inspection, the anxious sell asked me if I had found anything major that would “Kill the deal.” Generally, I do not tell the sellers anything as the contract is between my clients and myself. In this case, I made an exception and stated that there wasn’t any insulation in
the attic.

The owner stated, “I was wondering why the utility bills were so high.”

I asked her if she had had the property inspected when she purchased the property. She said, “No. I was told by the Realtor and the builder that the property had been inspected by their QC department and the codes department. I was told that I did not need to waste my money on an inspection.” One of the requirements for obtaining a CO in this area is having the proper amount of insulation in the attic. OOPS! It seems as if the QC department and codes official did not want to get their ladders either!

What she wasted in energy costs and having to have the attic insulated would have more than paid for having the property inspected before the closing at escrow.

This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton an ASHI Certified inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing home inspections for Nashville, Brentwood and the Middle Tennessee area. The views and opinions expressed are just that - views and opinions of Michael Thornton and those who comment. View other posts that I have in ActiveRain Real Estate Network, which is a social for real estate professionals. Other posts are submitted to Blogger and Real Estate 411. Information is provided with the intent of educating and assisting home owners, home sellers, home buyers and real estate investors with information they can use to make better real estate decisions.   

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I constantly promote new construction inspections. Click here to view a post on Active Rain that is open for public comments.

This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton an ASHI Certified inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing home inspections for Nashville, Brentwood and the Middle Tennessee area. The views and opinions expressed are just that - views and opinions of Michael Thornton and those who comment. View other posts that I have in ActiveRain Real Estate Network, which is a social for real estate professionals. Other posts are submitted to Blogger and Real Estate 411. Information is provided with the intent of educating and assisting home owners, home sellers, home buyers and real estate investors with information they can use to make better real estate decisions.   

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Up sizing might be good when ordering fries or a drink at your local burger joint, but not so for electrical wiring. While doing an inspection in the Brentwood area, I noticed that the home
owner had just put in a new gas heating system and had the old electric system removed. Here in Tennessee, HVAC contractors are required to pass the electrical codes examination in order to be a licensed mechanical contractor. When I opened the panel I was aghast. The mechanical contractor landed the power lead for the new system on the old system’s 100 amp breaker. What is wrong here is that the wire is only rated for a maximum of 20 amps. In the event of an overload in the circuit, can we spell “TOASTER”?

This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton an ASHI Certified inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing home inspections for Nashville, Brentwood and the Middle Tennessee area. The views and opinions expressed are just that - views and opinions of Michael Thornton and those who comment. View other posts that I have in ActiveRain Real Estate Network, which is a social for real estate professionals. Other posts are submitted to Blogger and Real Estate 411. Information is provided with the intent of educating and assisting home owners, home sellers, home buyers and real estate investors with information they can use to make better real estate decisions.   

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It is not uncommon for older properties to have wiring inconsistencies due to the age and experience of the property. The attached slide show demonstrates some of these common problems encountered in this 1949 ranch style property, and the easy solutions.

Under Sized Tap off Main - While it appears as if the original fused panel had been upgraded at one time, it is not uncommon for more the need of more circuits to be added. As this property had been built before the age of modern heating and cooling products, the electric panel was appropriately sized. When the electric heat pump had been added there was not enough room in the main panel so a jumper off the bottom of the main was added to power the sub panel for the HVAC unit. The danger here is that the under sized wiring cannot handle the 200 amps coming off the bottom of the main and poses a potential fire hazard. This needs to be corrected by a licensed electrician.

Missing Wire Clamps - Several of the wires going through the panel box are not properly secured to the panel via wire clamps. All wiring that penetrates the panel needs to be properly secured to eliminate chafing of the insulation and potential arcing. This is an easy repair for a licensed electrician. 

Double Tapping - Although double tapping of breakers is allowed, the restriction governing this is that the breaker must be designed for this purpose. Older breakers such as the ones pictured are not. The easiest repair for this situation would be for a licensed electrician to either install split breakers or to install a breaker designed for double tapping.

Junction Box Extension - The junction box pictured has exposed wiring which is a potential shock hazard for probing fingers or foreign objects to enter. Also, it is installed in an exterior location which is prone to dampness. As we all know, life happens. The easiest repair for this situation is for a licensed electrician to install a weatherproof junction box extension here and properly secure the conduit for the branch circuit.

This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton an ASHI Certified inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing Nashville home inspections, Brentwood home inspections, and Middle Tennessee home inspections. The views and opinions expressed are just that - views and opinions of Michael Thornton and those who comment. View other posts that I have in ActiveRain Real Estate Network, which is a social for real estate professionals. Other posts are submitted to Blogger and Real Estate 411. Information is provided with the intent of educating and assisting home owners, home sellers, home buyers and real estate investors with information they can use to make better real estate decisions.   

brentwoodhome inspections, nashvillehome inspections, middle tennessee home inspections

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It is not uncommon to see cast iron or galvanized pipes used for waste disposal systems in older properties built before the 1970’s. These systems typically have a useful life expectancy of around 50 years or so. As a licensed professional inspector
for the State of Tennessee, I explain to my clients and to the real estate professional the reason that the buyer needs to budget for eventual age replacement of older cast iron systems. I also explain to the buyer, that these situations are inherent to older properties and these situations are very common. Kinda like buying a used car. I hope that this slide show will help.

Taped Repair
- Cast iron and galvanized steel and get sclerosis - very similar to what happens in your arteries and rust from the inside out. At first, small leaks will form and typically, the home owner will tape these leaks as an easy “fix” to the problem.

Burst waste line
- Rust expands. As the lines continue to rust and trap impurities such as soap scum and the like, more pressure is put on the weakened walls of the pipe causing it to burst. Often times, this goes unnoticed for years, causing a health condition under the property.

Cross Section
- A cross section of a waste line left under a property shows years of build-up in the line. This generally is the cause for slow drains in older properties. Typically, the cost of replacing the pipe under the property will be reasonable depending upon the amount of pipe in the system. However; repairs to lines between the property and the main sewer lines will be more costly as the old lines must be dug up and replaced.

This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton an ASHI Certified inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc.providing Nashville home inspections for Davidson county and Brentwood home nspections for Williamson County and other areas of Middle Tennessee. The views and opinions expressed are just that - views and opinions of Michael Thornton and those who comment.  This post is included in the ActiveRain Real Estate Network, which is a social network for real estate professionals.  Information and is provided with the intent of educating and assisting home owners, home sellers, home buyers and real estate investors with information they can use to make better real estate decisions.  Visit my other posts on blogger - real estate 411.

Tags: Plumbing by admin
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The ASHI standards of practice mention one more item while inspecting the interior of a property. They state that the home inspector does not have to inspect  any interior recreational facilities. This covers items such as an indoor swimming pools, the surface of tennis courts or bowling alleys, or any sort of special indoor sports facilities that may be found within the property.

This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton an ASHI Certified inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing Nashville home inspections, Brentwood home inspections, and Middle Tennessee home inspections. The views and opinions expressed are just that - views and opinions of Michael Thornton and those who comment. View other posts that I have in ActiveRain Real Estate Network, which is a social network highlighting the best of Web 2.0 and Blogger. Information is provided with the intent of educating and assisting home owners, home sellers, home buyers and real estate investors with information they can use to make better real estate decisions. 

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Although considered to be part of the heating inspection, the inspection of fireplaces and wood stoves is typically included in the interior inspection of the property. Our inspectors will identify the type of fireplace and give the fireplace a visual examination to check the condition of its hearth, mantel, firebox, and damper. We are not required to ignite or extinguish a fire. When the flue can be seen with a flashlight and inspection mirror, the inspector examines it for creosote and soot buildup. However, this is not always possible, and ASHI guidelines state that the inspector is not required to inspect the interior of the flue.

Some fireplaces have a metal insert, which is really a stove with a door on the front. This insert may sit all the way or partially in the fireplace. There can be problems with the connection between such an insert and the chimney, but it’s virtually impossible to inspect this connection during a visual inspection of the insert. Therefore, ASHI guidelines state that the home inspector is not required to observe fireplace insert flue connections.
 

This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton an ASHI Certified inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing Nashville home inspections, Brentwood home inspections, and Middle Tennessee home inspections. The views and opinions expressed are just that - views and opinions of Michael Thornton and those who comment. View other posts that I have in ActiveRain Real Estate Network, which is a social network highlighting the best of Web 2.0 and Blogger. Information is provided with the intent of educating and assisting home owners, home sellers, home buyers and real estate investors with information they can use to make better real estate decisions. 

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The inspector operates doors in the home to find defects such as defective hardware, deteriorating finishes, unlevel installation, and water penetration around sliding doors to the exterior. Separation doors between the dwelling and the garage are examined for fire resistance and applicable standards or requirements for when the property was built. Note that building standards have changed through the years. What was
acceptable years ago may not be acceptable today.

Our inspectors identifie the type of windows present in the home and opens a representative number of them to check operation. Our inspectors watch for leaking insulated glass, missing hardware, and rotted sills and sashes. As a courtesy to our customers, we also evaluate the condition of exterior doors and lighting fixtures. Home inspectors are not required to observe or report on the condition or suitability of draperies, blinds, or other window treatments. Window treatments are a matter of interior decoration and beyond the scope of the home inspection. Besides, our inspector’s tastes aren’t necessarily any better than anyone else’s (they could very well be a lot worse).

This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton an ASHI Certified inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing Nashville home inspections, Brentwood home inspections, and Middle Tennessee home inspections. The views and opinions expressed are just that - views and opinions of Michael Thornton and those who comment. View other posts that I have in ActiveRain Real Estate Network, which is a social network highlighting the best of Web 2.0 and Blogger. Information is provided with the intent of educating and assisting home owners, home sellers, home buyers and real estate investors with information they can use to make better real estate decisions. 

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The kitchen of the home is thoroughly inspected, including the condition of the countertops and the built-in cabinets.  Cabinets doors are opened to examine door operation and any hidden defects which may be hiding inside, especially defects such as leaking plumbing and wood
rot found underneath the sink. Drawers are pulled out and checked for smooth operation.

Note: Although ASHI standards of practice don’t require the home inspector to observe household appliances, a good property inspector is going to inspect some selected appliances. As a courtesy to our customers, we cursory inspect built-in items such as garbage disposers, built-in microwave ovens, ranges, cook tops and built-in ovens, trash compactors, dishwashers, and refrigerators. Ovens, microwaves, and ranges are not tested on every setting and self-cleaning cycles are not evaluated. Appliances are tested for functionality only! We do make comments in our reports if the appliances are at or approaching the end of their service life so that our clients can budget for eventual age replacement of major items.

This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton an ASHI Certified inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing Nashville home inspections, Brentwood home inspections, and Middle Tennessee home inspections. The views and opinions expressed are just that - views and opinions of Michael Thornton and those who comment. View other posts that I have in ActiveRain Real Estate Network, which is a social network highlighting the best of Web 2.0 and Blogger. Information is provided with the intent of educating and assisting home owners, home sellers, home buyers and real estate investors with information they can use to make better real estate decisions. 

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All interior steps, stairways, balconies, and railings are inspected for condition and safety hazards. The inspector examines treads and risers for proper measurements, headroom, proper lighting at stairways, and general condition.

This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton an ASHI Certified inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing Nashville home inspections, Brentwood home inspections, and Middle Tennessee home inspections. The views and opinions expressed are just that - views and opinions of Michael Thornton and those who comment. View other posts that I have in ActiveRain Real Estate Network, which is a social network highlighting the best of Web 2.0 and Blogger. Information is provided with the intent of educating and assisting home owners, home sellers, home buyers and real estate investors with information they can use to make better real estate decisions. 

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