Seattle Home Inspector's Blog

     I seem to have frogs on my brain the past few days.  I am not even hopping mad or anything.  My post yesterday about my neighbor's pet frog perhaps was the seed for today's post. 

     Scientists consider the presence of frogs in the eco-system to be a barometer of how well that eco system is doing.  I remember when I was a kid in Connecticut you could not drive down the road at night without running over frogs----the road would literally be covered with them if you were near a pond or swampy area-----there was also an accompanying smell that I will likely never forget.  I think more and more these creatures seem to be disappearing---and not directly from being run over or served in fancy restaurants.

     As a builder I always used to monitor how well my suppliers, like lumber yards and plumbing supply houses were doing as an indication of how healthy the building industry was doing---and thus the likelihood that people would need my services.  One of my best friends (who I have known as "Frog"---since we were college room mates)  runs a concrete foundation & decorative concrete business in Eugene, Oregon, and I would watch the ebbs and flows of his business as a barometer of how the building industry was doing.

     For those of us involved in Real Estate:  Realtors, appraisers, mortgage brokers, inspectors, and stagers----what are the barometers that measure how healthy our "eco-system" is? 

     For the last few weeks business has been very slow.  When this happens I like to go around to Sunday open houses to sort of take the pulse of the industry----to see if it still has one.

     I see a lot of optimism on the part of the agents I talk to----and see tremendous pent up demand to go with the growing stock pile of listings.  What surprised me though was to learn that the agents were more interested in how I was doing, as they felt that Home Inspectors are a good barometer of how well the industry in general is doing.  I never considered myself a barometer----don't even own one----give me a good old fashioned barometric damper any day----something I can relate to.

     But I do see their point----if inspectors are busy, that would be a good sign.

     I am just not sure that I particularly like the idea of being my own barometer----it would be rising all the time!

     I know that real weather doesn't work that way.

Charles Buell

     Did you ever stop to think about the word "incredible?"  For most of us it can conjure up feats of greatness, heroism, or efforts that amaze us.  It actually means, "Too extraordinary, or improbable."  The beginning inspector can earn there way to being extraordinary, and we all start at a point somewhat less than extraordinary.  It actually takes time to build the kind of relationships and credibility that it takes to make a living in this business.  Other people can sell us as "incredible" and it takes on a different meaning than if we try to sell ourselves as incredible----that just comes off as non-credible----disingenuous.

      Jack Feldman's recent blog about "incredible" numbers of inspections performed over a very short period of time are just that-----"not credible."

     Matt Stigliano reminded me the other day of how I approach Inspection Report writing.  When I started doing home inspections there were several companies offering Inspection Report Writing software----none of them would do what I wanted them to do----especially when it came to pictures.  They have gotten much better, but now that I have a Bazillion hours creating my own (in Excel), the thought of changing takes on the proportions of the government bailout.

      From the beginning, I wanted to produce a written record of the house that was very specific to that house at the time of inspection----with as little CYA and filler as possible.  I wanted to avoid the kind of canned verbiage that was common with these commercial programs.  Take for example this common commercial software idiocy:  "There are missing light switch covers at one or more locations."  Who the heck comes up with this stuff?  I will come back to how I approach this a little later.

     My reports are broken into four basic components:  1. The Cover & Index, plus the Buyer and House information (the kind of stuff that would be on the MLS listing); 2.  The Summary Section (this is all the safety issues and stuff that is going to cost a bunch of money to fix); 3. The Information & Maintenance Sections (this is where all of the "details" about the house gets listed; and, 4. The Narrative Sections (this is where I discuss in detail the kinds of stuff that might end up in the summary). 

     What I am attempting to do with the report is to not only provide the buyer with a document that they can use in determining whether they want to buy the house or not, but also a place to put all the other information about the house that I accumulate during the short time I am at the inspection-----the beginnings of their owner's manual if you will.

     Since my primary note-taking tool is my camera, I can gather tons of information about the home that would not be possible to collect in the context of the inspection if I had to rely on pen and paper---unless the inspection was to take much longer.  I photo all data plates, temperatures, water pressures etc so that not only are these things documented but I can then transfer the information to the report when I get back to my office.

     So my report would not just say:  "Clothes Washer---present" (assuming there is nothing wrong with it), but would say:  "Clothes Washer, Kenmore (Whirlpool), Serial # xyxyxyxyx, Model # ABxxxxyyyyssss, Overflow Pan present without drain, No High water alarm present, Water Shut-offs present, Rubber hoses present (little blurb about what is wrong with rubber hoses), Drains to Stand Pipe, etc."  We are assuming in this case that there really isn't anything "wrong" with the washer.  Otherwise I might add things like dents, and chipped enamel, whether the unit is nearing its expected life, signs of past flooding, present leaking, draining to the laundry sink (and issues associated with that practice), ungrounded electrical outlet, etc.  In other words I am attempting to document everything I can, and in the process give the buyer real information in a context that is relative to only that item I am talking about----and in the context of the age of the home and what was required at the time of installation and/or construction.  This approach is then applied to the whole house and its many components, and provides a document that is very specific to that home and doesn't contain 10 pages of information that has nothing to do with that house.  I do everything possible to minimize statements like:  "Leaking pipes in basements and crawl spaces are common with older galvanized pipes"----when the house doesn't even have a basement.

     Regarding my little rant about the missing light switch covers, I would comment on the missing covers based on how many were missing.  If there is only one missing I say where it is missing.  If they are all missing I recommend that all switch covers be installed where missing.  Again, it is an attempt to convey what is going on as opposed to writing less----and as a result not providing any real information.

     The absolute worst kinds of reports are those check-list type reports that are twenty pages (in triplicate) of mostly boxes to check that have nothing to do with the house and in the end provide virtually no information of any real value.

      There are those that will argue that what I am doing is "too much" and not necessary for the buyer to have to make a decision about the house.  But from the get-go, that is not what I am interested in.  That part is easy.   I do not see myself as merely someone to facilitate a sale----I am an information provider.  My business model as a builder and now as an inspector has always been to provide real service---to do what I can to make sure the buyer has an experience of being taken care of.   I am also sensitive to the fear that so much information will be overwhelming at an already emotionally overwhelming time in the buyer's life.  A very important part of my conversation with the buyer is to prepare them for the "volume" of information.  I like to warn them that all my reports are really long even if there is nothing wrong.  Basically it is the Narrative portions of the report that has the information that is typically considered the stuff that would help the buyer make a decision---and that information condenses-out even further in the Summary of "Significant" findings.  Most of the agents I have the pleasure to work with appreciate this framework that I use.  They know that "information" protects them. They also help to prepare the buyer for what to expect from my inspection and the report----long before the buyer calls me.

      I have had many buyers come back to me years later and say how they used the report as a punch list of things to do on the home and as a resource for information about the house when they couldn't remember some detail about the house.

      While my inspections take typically 3-4 hours----it is pretty rare for me to get the report done in less than 6 hours.  For this service I am able to command higher prices per inspection than some of my competition, reinforcing the notion that you get what you pay for when you hire an inspector.  I have yet to have a buyer tell me they would appreciate it if I would give them, "a little less information next time----please."

       Click here if you would like to see my Sample Report.

Charles Buell

     While all the defects associated with this installation will be over the heads of many of my Rainmates, I am sure all of the inspectors will appreciate the full extent of the problems with the installation----if it is fair to call it an "installation."

     This is someone's idea of a 30 amp Remote Distribution Panel (sub-panel) for a detached garage.  We have 240 volts protected in the house main panel with a 30 amp breaker.  The wire buried in the ground is #10-3WG NMB (code for "indoor") romex.  All of those nice shiny copper colored wires you see sticking out of the box are all live----just waiting for completion of the installation.  The 15 amp rated receptacle was "functional."

     I will start a list of issues with this installation----I am sure someone will come up with others.

     1.  No proper panel box

     2.  No proper cover

     3.  Feeders not terminated with disconnect means (breakers/fuses)

     4.  Wrong wire

     5.  Wires not properly restrained

     6.  Exposed hot conductors

     7.  Improper access

     8.  Over-fused wires run from this junction

     All it really needs is a good electrician to redo the entire installation (and then the electrician could work on the rest of the wiring in the structure).

Charles Buell

     If you have sent your kids to public school you know what I am talking about.  Sooner or later parents become nit pickers.  So----sooner or later----as an inspector, I am going to be a "nit picker" as well----well not the same kind----hopefully.

     I don't go out of my way to be a nit picker----sometimes it just happens.  I think the kind of nit picker that most agents have a problem with is when those seemingly unimportant items end up in the "Summary of Significant Findings" section of the report.  This is "bad form"----as Captain Hook would say.  While this stuff should be mentioned in the context of general "information" about the home, placing it in the Summary gives it "weight" that it doesn't deserve.

     Take for example this P-trap connection on a Garbage disposal.

     At first glance it looks sort of normal.  But actually it is installed backwards. 

     The next couple of pictures will help explain what is wrong with this installation.  Traps are engineered to be self scouring (cleaning) by virtue of their shape.  Note how in the top picture the flow of water enters from the sink (disposal in this case) at Point C and the blue arrow.  The force of the flow of water accelerates when it hits the bottom helping it flow up and over the hill and down the drain at the left blue arrow.  In the bottom picture we can see that when the trap is installed "backwards" the distance labeled "B" is much greater than distance "A"-----a much higher hill for the water to get over.  It also doesn't have the help of acceleration provided by its being installed the other way.  The flow of water is actually reduced because the flow of water runs into a more vertical wall in the lower installation.

     So what will happen if this is not fixed?  Well eventually the trap will clog up with debris and water will just not drain properly.  It isn't a difficult fix---something any plumber can do when they are at the home for other reasons or something that even a knowledgeable homeowner or other qualified repair person can fix.

     I think I won't be putting this on the summary.

Charles Buell

     Stairs to basements in older homes are often steep and built to less than satisfactory standards.  It is almost as if they were constructed as an after thought, and were fitted in any way they could.  They often have sharp winding turns, insufficient or missing handrails, low clearances to bang your head on, and insufficient or missing side barriers.

     While these stairs might have been somewhat satisfactory when the only thing down there was the furnace and the water heater, as these basements took on more everyday uses such as laundry rooms, family rooms, and additional bedrooms, these stairs represent an increased safety risk.

     Improving these stairs so that they are not so steep and are safe by current standards can be very costly and might even require relocation of the stairs and/or changes in the floor structure to improve them.  This is usually not done. 

     One requirement that becomes necessary as the basement is developed into "living space" is for there to be a light switch at the top and the bottom of the stairs.   This is especially important as a safety "upgrade" if the stairs are themselves to remain dangerous----and least you will be able to see where you are falling and others will be able to locate you to pick up the pieces.

     In older homes, a switch only at the top was quite common.  A home I inspected the other day used to have a switch located at the top of the stairs but it was abandoned in favor of one located half way down the stairs----sort of "ideally" wrong for whether you were going up or down the stairs.

Charles Buell

     Everyone knows that every home should have proper functioning Smoke Alarm/Detectors.  The required location of these devices has evolved over the years to the current standards that call for them being installed in every room that can be used for sleeping and on every floor level.  In new construction, they also have to be "hard-wired" and have a battery back-up.  They should be tested frequently and replaced every 10 years.  How often does that get done?  Not very often I would guess.

     Now the reality is that the "actual" functionality of these units will vary and most likely they will continue to work long after the manufacturer's recommendations.  Welcome to the world of conservative engineering, and planned obsolescence.  To protect themselves----the manufacturers are going to be as conservative as possible when "predicting" the life of units that save people's lives.  We could call this "well justified planned obsolescence" or "CYA Engineering."

     Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to easily test these units----beside standing on a chair and pushing the test button----or poking it with a broom handle?

     While not designed with this function in mind-----this toaster I found in a recent kitchen would also function as a smoke alarm tester.

     There is no way that a toaster located under wood kitchen cabinets is ever going to be safe.  Sooner or later the bottom of the cabinet will catch on fire.  There was some overheating/discoloration on the bottom of these cabinets----the occupants have gotten away with this installation for 8 years.

     This unit is apparently much older than the kitchen and has been recycled from days gone by----perhaps from the 50's when all kinds of built-in kitchen gadgets were created.  While it was an interesting idea and might be acceptable in a different location----there may be a good reason no manufacturer seems to make these recessed wall toasters anymore.

     Even a regular toaster will function as a smoke alarm tester if so desired-----it ruins the toast though!

Charles Buell