tnpappas Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I appreciate everyone who has provided their insight, comments, judgments and advice about my previous mock inspection reports. I tried to incorporate the advice I received on this latest mock inspection. So for those of you who have the time and are willing to help, or maybe looking for a little laugh, let me know what you think. All advice is welcome. No need to hold back. I can not improve if I am not aware of where I am making mistakes. The report is at http://www.troypappas.com/uploads/Mock4.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hspinnler Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Hi Troy, I think you are on the right path, especially if this is a practice inspection & report. There are some typos with captions, like the word "fastners" for caption on deck ledger picture. In addition to lag screws, 1/2" carriage bolts with washers may also be used. Did you mean to say "mold fungus" or mold or fungus? To me, "get worse" - somewhere in there sounds slang. Is the flashing at roof wall intersection really damaged? Same with the ridge vent. Seems like the vent and flashing just needs some additional fasteners followed by sealing of nails heads and overlaps. To be more specific about the gutter, perhaps you can say it is pulling away from the fascia board instead of the roof. Your picture of the burner compartment of the HVAC unit looks like it has a nameplate on the right hand side. That will give you the actual manufacturer's name including M/N & S/N. You have several pictures of your infrared thermometer in the report which I would not do. You are taking surface readings of the temperatures of the vent ducts or boots and not the actual ambient air temps which generally should be taken as close to the air handlers as possible. I use a pocket digital thermometer with probe like my HVAC tech. At the top of the water heater, that is "galvanic action" that is occuring due to contact with disimilar metals. A dielectric union is needed to connect the galvanized nipples to the copper pipes. Regarding the chimney, consider adding a statement for an NFPA Level II inspection by a CSIA certified chimney sweep which is recommended "upon sale or transfer of a property" See this link: http://www.csia.org/HomeownerResources/ ... fault.aspx Securing of wiring in not regularly accessed area of attic? I'm not concerned UNLESS, it is unprotected or in the area of travel such as a passageway to a furnace, strewn across a scuttle hole, in contact or close proximity to the ground in a crawlspace, or just excess amounts of coiled or laying in a heap. Is that piping across the threshold to the back door uninsulated and subject to freezing? That vent for the bathroom exhaust looks like a plumbing vent stack. Is it a portion of one of those abandoned ones? On older houses here, they use metal single-wall vent connectors. How about a photo of the back of the house along with the front for your cover page? Regarding exterior wall cladding photos and open penetrations, don't zoom in so close that the viewer cannot easily determine where the defect is. You can probably align those big yeller arrows to point towards the areas of concern. Some photos are a little fuzzy. That could be the conversion to pdf I guess. Hope this helps. [^] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnpappas Posted August 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 161 views and only one person had anything to offer. Help me learn here people. I promise this is the last mock inspection I am putting up for review here. Again, I appreciate all of you who have offered their reviews previously. I thank you as well Hank for your comments on this report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hspinnler Posted August 6, 2009 Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Hi Troy, Don't get discouraged. People have stuff to get done too and reading and commenting on someone else's inspection report may not be high on the list of priorities. Do you have any questions about the comments that were made? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randynavarro Posted August 6, 2009 Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Yea, fortunately I'm a bit swamped right now. Maybe I'll pitch in when things slow down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Moore Posted August 6, 2009 Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 OK, OK... A few observations that Hank didn't get to: RED text: Denotes a brief comment of significant deficient components or conditions which need relatively quick attention, repair, or replacement. These comments are also duplicated in the Report Summary page(s). What is ââ¬Årelatively quickâ⬠Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted August 6, 2009 Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Quote: â⬢ The master bath toilet is loose. Have the toilet secured to the subfloor structure to prevent future damage from leaks.quote] Unless a toilet was just installed and became loose as the ring compressed, the toilet should be pulled and the wax ring replaced. Have the toilet secured to the subfloor structure to prevent "future" damage--- is there current damage? When I find a loose toilet, I recommend that they pull the toilet and check for damage due to the potential for leakage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnpappas Posted August 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Thank you, gentlemen. As always I have learned so much from all of your feedback. I really do appreciate you all helping me to improve my reporting skills. Have a good day inspecting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlieb Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Originally posted by Brandon Whitmore Quote: â⬢ The master bath toilet is loose. Have the toilet secured to the subfloor structure to prevent future damage from leaks.quote] Unless a toilet was just installed and became loose as the ring compressed, the toilet should be pulled and the wax ring replaced. Have the toilet secured to the subfloor structure to prevent "future" damage--- is there current damage? When I find a loose toilet, I recommend that they pull the toilet and check for damage due to the potential for leakage. and confirm the mounting flange is not damaged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 Thread Drift: Last fall I took my own advice and increased my attic insulation from R-25ish to R-50ish. It sure does make a difference. In the spring when it is nice outside (60 - 75) durng the days, but still drops down to the 30 - 40 at night, we leave our furnace off and in the morning it was still be 65 - 70 inside the house. My electric bill for July was only $100 and we keep the a/c at around 75ish all the time. I also have a SEER 16 a/c which helps a lot. Good for you. I wish more folks would figure this out. I finished up a new construction consulting gig a few months ago. From the start, I kept insisting on R20 foundation, R40 walls, and >R60 attic. Everyone thought I was nuts, including my client. I didn't stamp my feet, but I just kept calmly and knowledgably arguing for the (seemingly) excessive R values. The contractor was in outright revolt, and couldn't stop talking about "diminishing returns". The customer grudgingly went with my recommendations. He recently called to tell me his utility bills. They're almost nonexistent. The contractor said he's never had such low heating bills during construction (almost half of what he's used to) in his entire career. Like it's a big surprise or something........ Adding insulation is all return, all the time. Don't listen to the goofballs and their minimal energy codes. Insulate the crap out of everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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