Welmoed

We use InspectIt and do like it. Like all the other packages, it has its strengths and weaknesses. It took us about five months to really get it customized to our satisfaction, including writing the comment library (we were starting from scratch, having used paper report forms). We still have to do maintenance every few weeks, adding new comments, tweaking the sections, etc. We use our iOS devices in the field to gather data in the software. The PC version is not nearly as polished, which is too bad. We'd love to be able to start our reports in the field and finish them in the office. Any decent software will be pricey. It's an investment.

I will miss his dry wit and ready smile. What a loss.

We're using InspectIt and it's great. We deliver our reports on-site; takes us about 10 minutes at the end of the inspection to fine-tune the comments and email it to the client as a PDF. No homework!

This one surprised me as I got up to the second floor of the log cabin. Every room had a variation of a dead deer in it. The song Gaston sings in "Beauty and the Beast" kept running through my head... "I use antlers in all of my decorating..." Click to Enlarge 78.94 KB

I would rather have that configuration than one where the closets are only accessed from the bathroom, so you have to walk through the bathroom to get dressed. I've seen a lot of those, especially in higher-end homes. Probably a case where too many doors in the Master Bedroom Enclave offends the senses.

We just do an online search in the county's database, which is free. Sometimes permits don't show up there (like for gas permits... they're handled by the gas company, which doesn't make permits available for online search, but they're usually very good about tags on permitted work). It's just part of our pre-inspection preparation, and can often provide clues about less-than-ideal work (e.g. deck permit pulled but not finaled).

Inspected a 1967 house this morning that had electric baseboard heat (12 zones!!). Almost every baseboard had an electrical outlet above it. I couldn't find an reference to when these were prohibited; anyone have a clue? I wrote them up as hazardous, of course.

Oh my gosh, that pocket door... Drool!!!!

Uhm... Yeah.

My WAG would be in the neighborhood of $60K.

They are CertainTeed Grand Manor. I heard back from the manufacturer that this does indeed look like a manufacturing defect, and they said the owner should contact them for possible warranty replacement. I passed along that information to the client's agent to give to the listing agent and owner. What will probably end up happening is that buyer will hold onto the information, negotiate a price drop for the "bad roof", buy the house, then hammer CertainTeed for a warranty replacement.

The roof on yesterday's house had these black drips on about half the roof planes. They weren't sticky. Owner has been there 8 years and said the drips were there when he bought the house and have not changed. Roof was stated to be about 10 years old. A little research seems to show that this was a manufacturing defect, so it might still be covered by a warranty. But the owner has no documentation as to brand or who installed it. Buyer's concern is that the drips could affect the life of the shingle, or that it's easier for water to penetrate. Has anyone else seen this, and, if so, what did you report? Click to Enlarge 69.34 KB

I'll probably get slammed for this, but doesn't this kind of take-it-apart inspection really go beyond the SOP? Is it really the job of the home inspector? Or do you guys just enjoy this stuff?

You have to hand it to them for creative spelling. Hooked on Phonics worked for me!! [:-graduat 1. Attic Lights 3. Washer 5. Bath 2 Lights Master Bath 7 Attic Outlets 9. Bedroom 5 lights 11. Bedroom 4 outlets 13 Bedroom 1 outlets 15 Dryer 17 Lights Hall 2 Furnace 4 Bedroom 4 lights 6 Bedroom 1 lights, Bedroom 2 lights 8 Bedroom 3 lights, bath 1 lights 10 Jacuzzi 12 Bath 1 GFI 14 Laundry 16 Bedroom, Bath 1 GFI Interesting that there appear to be two circuits for the Bath 1 GFI, and no circuits for any other bath GFI. Unless all the GFIs are on one circuit. But which one?? It is amazing to see what builders try to get away with, even on expensive houses. I'll collect the beer in Philly next January!

Les, isn't that what the conferences are all about? I've learned as much from sitting talking with other inspectors as I have in the classes.

Good information, for the most part, about choosing a home inspector. http://consumerist.com/2013/11/19/how-t ... spections/

As interesting as the unit looks, it will still need to be replaced after 10 years. I don't see where the added value is, other than it's a nifty gadget. Our house has at least a dozen units; I don't see spending $1560 to replace them. Do they "talk" to alarm systems?

I did a "walk and talk" this afternoon for a client who was considering bidding on a house and wanted to know if there were any major big issues before putting in his offer. One issue I found is in-slab ductwork. I was able to get a few pictures but couldn't say what the ducting material appeared to be. I was hoping someone might be able to give me an idea of what the ducts are made of. Yes, I know a definitive identification would involve taking a sample and sending it to a lab or something. He's just concerned about the possibility of asbestos (house was built in 1956). Click to Enlarge 50.62 KB Click to Enlarge 48 KB Click to Enlarge 59.8 KB

The root ball of a tree is usually equal to the drip line. That is, if the leaves and branches of the tree canopy reach out 30 feet from the trunk, the roots will -- or will try to -- reach out the same distance. So if a tree is planted so close to the house that the branches overhang the roof, the roots will be doing their darndest to push that way too, exerting a lot of pressure on the foundation. Once the tree is cut down, this pressure will go away. Decomposing roots shouldn't cause much of a problem. Removing the trees will also help extend the life of the roof. We do inspections in Silver Spring; you're welcome to give our office a call.