What I'm Seeing Now

This is the second post of some things to look for the first time you walk through a property with a client.  You will want to be even more scrutinizing if this is subsequent to the first visit and the client is serious about making an offer.  These are Red Flags that can be added to your list:

• Old windows and storms.  There is a reason window replacement is such a big business and one of the most common remodels on an older home.  Older windows are obviously less efficient, more drafty and energy wasters.  Plus, many don't work properly!  Often people sell houses before they absolutely have to do repairs or replacements.
• One repainted wall or ceiling.  This is a Red Flag.  Why would one wall be repainted?  It might be that the color used to be furniture friendly or a design-specific accent color.  But, often not - it's a cover up!  The same with ceilings.  During an inspection I will examine all ceilings with a flashlight laid horizontally along the ceiling looking for recent drywall repairs.  It is not out of line to ask the seller a question about a recent paint job.
• Wet basement drain.  Most homes have some form of basement floor drain.  They can clog.  What's in there - frog, muck, paint?  A continually wet condition can promote unfavorable health conditions - molds, bacterias, etc.  Always a Red Flag, it pays to look.
• Two layers of shingles.  This is a common option when wanting to sell a house.  It is cheaper and quicker.  It is often difficult to see.  Is it a quick cover up?  Red flag!  A clever roofer will hide the second-layer fact by removing the bottom course or side shingles.  A give away would be new shingles and an old plumbing penetration sleeve!  Or funky flashing.  A second layer of shingles will not get the same life span that a single layer will.  It appears to your buyer that he is getting a new roof, and he is not!
• Large, unsealed gaps.  These could be in the drywall or foundation walls.  Why wouldn't the seller seal them up?  Or, has a repair already been done and it opened up again?  Look for previous repairs.  Large gaps indicate movement.  From what source?

My recommendation:   Keep your eyes peeled.  Look around and ask questions.  It adds to your professionalism and value in the eyes of your client to be forthcoming with questions or observations.  Be a team - many eyes are better than two.  On inspections I say to my clients - "We are a team now.  Let me know what you see!"

You probably aren't a professional home inspector.  But realty agents, buyers and investors should always be critically looking at houses before any final decisions are made and an offer extended.  They have to.  Can I suggest that during these "inspections" you employ some common sense?

Here are some things realtors and buyers can do before they hire a home inspector to look at the home someone wants to buy.  They are not listed in any particular order, but any or all could be important during your house search.  I am going to list many Red Flags in three different blog posts that could indicate house  distress.

What is a Red Flag?  It is any visual sign or indication of a defect in structure or property.  Certain visual signs may or may not indicate a problem.  If observed in multiple numbers, especially in the same approximate locations, many indicators can point to a Red Flag condition.  A rule of thumb - the newer the property, the redder the flag!

These Red Flags won't be listed in any particular order, but any or all could be important during the house search. Some defects may be small but many of them add up. Others could be expensive to repair.  The first few are as follows:

• Brown stains on ceilings and walls.  You would think that a seller would repair, prime and paint such things, but many don't.  A brown stain is mostly indicative of leaks.  When?  Don't be afraid to ask the history of such things.  If the seller says they don't know, that is a Red Flag!
• Brown stains on foundation walls.  The same applies here as was said above.  On a foundation wall, such stains indicate ongoing moisture.
• Warped hardwood floors - especially near exterior doors.  This also indicates water.  Warping is not repairable.  The flooring must be replaced, AFTER the problem is solved.
• A moldy smell.  Your nose is your best mold detector.  Employ it!  Mold is not the original problem - it is a symptom of moisture.  Look around, see if you can tell where the wet is coming from.
• Poor grading.  Water is THE killer of houses, inside and out.  Houses don't make very effective boats.  Exterior water should not be encouraged to surround the foundation.  Look for grading, downspouts or landscaping that encourages water away from the house, especially if the front or back yards slope toward the house.
• Chipping paint around windows.  Sound small?  It might not be, especially if it is happening on lots of windows.  Water is getting into the wood.  Why?  Poor product or installation?  Amateur work?  How far has the water gone?  Has it progressed into the house structure?  Amateur work here could mean amateur work there...

My recommendation:  make a list.  Ask questions of the seller, if possible.  Be proactive.  Call somebody.  Many realtors call me from houses when they have questions, on the spot!  I encourage that and cheerfully provide answers if I can.  (A Scout is cheerful, so the Scoutmaster BETTER be...)  My realtor and investor clients use me as their consultant in their pockets.  Feel free to call too!

We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.

The eight (8) most economically prosperous countries in the world are those that most closely follow Adam Smith's economic model (The Wealth of Nations, circa 1776).  The eighty (80!) or so least economically prosperous are those that are the furthest from that model.  We have just voted a president, who, combined with a Congress so in lock step, has promised "fundamental change."  That fundamental change is intended, yes intended, to take us further from Dr. Smith's 8 and more toward the 80.  Pure and simple.  THAT is what "spread the wealth around" means.  Just two days ago, a congressman from Virginia, Jim Moran, said that it is about time that we disabuse "the simplistic Republican notion that those who have wealth should get to keep it."  That is VERY close to a direct quote.

Yes, he said that...  The word "wow" comes to mind...  So if I spend my lifetime building a stamp collection, or numismatic coin collection, or antique furniture collection, bank account, IRA, business, or any such so-called wealth, it is time to disabuse me of the notion that I should get to keep it?

The last time this country elected a socialist, redistributionist president who promised "change" (Mr. Carter), it got what it wanted - change.  Boy, did it get change!  This socialist, redistributionist, economic mentality has never worked at any time, in any place.

But this time, yes this time, it will be different.  If on nothing else then certainly on the many demonstrated, past  successes and diverse, lush résumé of our new president, this time, it will work!  HE will make it work!  "Yes [he] can!"

I am to believe that this time, finally, socialism and appeasement will work!

We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.

This is the last of my posts regarding new construction inspections.  It is the sixth of six things that I am finding often in new construction, pre-drywall inspections.  This list of six certainly does not represent all of what I am finding in new homes, but they are very common.  This is another one of those construction mistakes that may not manifest for some time, but will be a big problem once it does.

It is this - plastic plumbing support!

Much new construction now utilizes CPVC for supply piping and almost all use PVC for drain, waste and vent lines.  Often they are not supported well.  Plastic is not as strong or as firm as copper.  It needs different support. 

1. CPVC supply tubing is often run horizontally.  That is fine.  But the support used is typically a nail with a rounded, plastic holder surrounding the pipe.  Often they nail it too hard and it cracks.  More often the nail is on the upper side and if that holder cracks and breaks there is no underneath support for the horizontal pipe.  Then it sags.  If it sags near a joint it is vulnerable to breaking.  If it sags too much it is vulnerable too.  This is pressurized water, so small leaks quickly become big breaks which leak furiously.
   
2. Plumbing vent stacks which pass through the roof.  They do that to take advantage of atmospheric pressure to encourage gases to leave the house.  This also expels otherwise noxious, toxic gases into higher air.  These are often supported in the attic space with a small nylon or plastic strap.  These can move over time.  Or stretch.  Or break.  When they do the vertical tubing sags, becomes too short or actually passes through the roof and into the attic space.  Sewer gas is then being expelled into the house!  Yummie, I know.  I see it all the time on one-year inspections.  One day I was on the highway and saw a house in the distance that had both plumbing vents missing from the rubber sleeves still on the roof.  They had both sagged back into the house!  I did not have time to go to an exit, make my way to the neighborhood and try to find that house.  I would have if I could have!
3. Often AC units are in the attic space.  They are sitting above drain pans.  In proper construction there are two condensate drain lines - the one tied directly into the unit (primary) and another tied to the drain pan (auxiliary).  This tubing tied to the drain pan is of great interest.  It works off of gravity and typically drains out the side or rear of the house.  If you see it dripping, it means that the primary line has clogged and needs cleaning.  BUT, it should incline gently and consistently to that exterior drain.  Often it is not inclined or sags dramatically from lack of support.  In that case, gravity cannot take over, the pan fills with water and the water leaks into the house.  An upper-level AC unit can remove 8 - 10 gallons of water a day from the air.  That water represents a huge leak into your ceiling and does a lot of damage.

All of these things are easily seen on a pre-drywall inspection.  They are often hidden after and hard, if not impossible, to detect.

My recommendation -   always suggest to your clients a pre-drywall inspection when the opportunity presents itself.  Done properly, the money spent is valuable money spent, especially in the long run.

I am very proud for one of "my" boys!  Tonight I had the opportunity to see another young man become an Eagle Scout.  Tonight's event was for David S.  I am always impressed with the humble simplicity of the event.  It represents the culmination of many years of effort, and learning, and discipline, and encouragement.  I am always impressed.  With all the turmoil experienced by youth today, it is a blessing to me to be able to witness another one who is less influenced by the ever-increasing pap and emptiness that some of today's youth think is important.  Many young people would consider what David has done to be useless pap and empty!  They have no idea!

Since the first Eagle Scout in 1912, almost 2 million have achieved the rank.  Only about 5% of all Boys Scouts achieve Eagle Scout.  It is quite an accomplishment.  Some of what they need to do is required, and some elective.  But all with the goal of creating a well-rounded, circumspect, dignified young man.  Robert Baden-Powell intended that to be the case, and had Luke 2: 52 as his model.  What a legacy Baden-Powell has wrought!

David is one of "my" boys, for many years now.  I have been involved with Scouting in one way or another for 47 years.  Currently I am a Venturer Coach (the older boys) and merit badge counselor (13 I think).  As leaders, we have had many, many boys reach the Eagle rank.  We think of each of them as "our" boys.  I think about them individually and collectively every day.  Sure it takes time.  But it is time well spent, very well spent.  I do not mind.  It rubs off and makes me better too!

Boiled down Scouting represents service.  It is a program that gives - it gives to those who participate and to society in general.  Some like to say that it is important that we all "give back."  I SO disagree.  We all need to give.  It is the cheats, thieves, rapists, murderers, scammers and selfish, mean, societal scum who need to give back.  Until it hurts.  Had they spent more time "doing a good turn daily" than trying to take something that wasn't theirs to take, their lives may have turned out differently.  We pay the price for their courses of action.  Eagle Scouts, on the other hand, give us a great deal.

At each Eagle ceremony I attend, I always make it a point to say to the recipient that he doesn't yet realize what this will mean to him in life.  This accomplishment will follow him all of his days.  I tell him not to be shy to put on a resume or job application that he is an Eagle Scout.  Think about it!  What employer would not want to hire someone who has striven to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent?

I am very proud for one of "my" boys...

Every year I will be driving home and hear on the news that it will get below freezing during the night.  Last night was one of those for me!  Note:  Obviously this is long past true for some of the country.  When I hear that temperatures will dip below freezing, it reminds me to get into my fall/winter chore list.  I thought it would be appropriate to share some of it with you.

• Winterize the exterior hoses.  Turn off the interior valves, open the exterior bibs and loose the little cap beside the interior valve to let water drain out.
• Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Spruce up any disastrous exterior caulking.  Be sure to use the right caulk for the right application! Caulking is the cheapest and easiest energy saver.
  
• Boilers - check the safety relief valve.
• Steam Boilers - Each month, flush the blow-off valve on the low-water cutoff; test the water feed valves.
• Furnace - replace (or clean) the filters monthly; oil the fans or circulators; manipulate the duct dampers or register covers to divert more hot air downstairs and less up (do not close off air completely to any level or room).  Oil furnaces should be checked for back puffing.  Ideally, all furnaces should have annual maintenance exams by a licensed professional.
  
• Clean moss on the roof - be sure to use something that does not kill the grass or garden shrubbery.  A product called "Spray and Forget" is a recent favorite of mine.
• Clean gutters of debris.  If your house is near many trees, solid gutter covers are highly recommended.
• Place sticky cricket catchers in the basement and garage.
• Septic system - pump the tank if it is time.  If you have two fields this is a good time to divert to the unused field.
• Check your chimneys for creosote and sweep if needed.
• Improve foundation drainage as necessary.
• Test GFI outlets.
• Check the garage door reversing mechanism.
• Gas water heater - drain some water from the bottom valve to remove sediment.
• Open crawl space vents.
• Dryer - clean behind, clean what is possible of the vent inside the wall and check the vent flap outside for lint.
• Private water system - pump air into the tank if the pump turns on often.
• Kitchen - clean dust from behind or under the fridge; clean the range hood fan and replace vent screens; clean disposal (vinegar and baking soda work well, followed by lemon peels).

This is by no means a complete list, but it will serve you well.  Preparation is everything.  As a Boy Scout Venturer Coach, I can tell you it is good to "be prepared...!"

My recommendation:  Be regular and have foresight!  Home maintenance, in the long run, costs about 1% of the value of a home per year.  Pay attention to the small stuff, and the big things will take care of themselves.

Some problems in a home can be a ticking time bomb.  This, my fifth of six posts regarding What I'm Seeing Now in new home construction, eventually will be a big problem.  A true ticking time bomb.  Or bombs.  There are actually two things:

1. Drywall screws used to secure toilets.  Properly installed toilets can be very secure.  They often hold a lot of weight, for many years.  The installation, though, depends on how the base, called a flange, is secured to the sub floor.  This is easy to see on a pre-drywall inspection.  The flange should be secured with four stainless steel screws.  They should each anchor directly into the wood sub floor - not into a gap, or a seam between two pieces of wood, but solid flooring.  This flange holds the brass screws that bolt the toilet base to the floor!  It must be secure!  It is a damp space.  Drywall screws are not meant for damp applications.  They rust.  As they rust they cause the floor to rot.  This happens quickly and in an unseen area.  It can become a BIG problem.  Who would use drywall screws to secure the flange?  Any unprofessional, perhaps a "plumber" picked up that morning at 7-11.  And I see this very often!!

1. Drywall nails used in shower stalls.  In the olden days lead pans were used under shower stalls.  They lasted a long time.  Today lead is prohibited.  Instead a rubber membrane is secured under the plastic or fiberglass or tiled stall.  It wraps six inches or so up the side walls.  It should be secured with stainless steel or galvanized roofing nails.  Often, instead, interior drywall nails are used.  Drywall nails are not meant for damp applications.  They rust.  As they rust they cause the stud to rot.  This happens quickly and in an unseen area (does this sound all too familiar?).  Who would use drywall nails to secure the rubber membrane?  Any unprofessional, perhaps a "tile" guy picked up that morning at 7-11?  I see this very often too!!

The second post intentionally mimicked the wording of the first.  That is because I see unprofessional work every, every, every day.  It is tiring, maddening, and my clients lose patience with the work and supervisors who are reluctant to fix the problems.  It might take a while for this unprofessional work to manifest as a problem, but it will.  And when it manifests, it will manifest big! 

The moisture invites molds and rot.  Once the molds happen they can be very difficult to eradicate.  And expensive.

My recommendation:   Look around for the use of improper materials.  This could be anything from caulking used in an inappropriate way to drywall screws used where they shouldn't be.  Oh, that drywall screws were used to secure drywall!*  Imagine, no nail pops!  The real value of the pre-drywall inspection is that these sorts of things are visible.  Take advantage!

When I finished my basement I used screws to install my drywall.  It was done right - I really screwed it up!

They say to never say never. Well, in this fourth of six posts regarding new construction I am going over one more thing regarding insulation. What I'm Seeing Now is something that you should never trust - that everything that should be insulated, is insulated.

For example:

1. Corners. Some carpentry employs a framing technique called "California Corners." They may be called something else in other places, but that is what I have learned to call them. In such corners the two corner studs are perpendicular, but there is a small space, about 3.5 inches square, between them that will need to be insulated. If not, believe it or not, that small uninsulated space will influence the whole room!

2. Under fireplaces, bump outs and bay windows. Often, on a pre-drywall inspection, I see where the under side of a gas fireplace or bay window has already been covered with soffit material. Covering it before it is insulated makes it very difficult to insulate completely. And more than that, when they do insulate, if the paper-backed vapor retarder is not touching the under side of the subfloor above it is almot as though it was never insulated at all! And these are areas which need vapor retardation! How often I have heard people complain that when the gas fire is not lit they feel cold air pouring out from the space.

3. Behind bath tubs on exterior walls. Sound unimportant? It is not. Particularly the big master bath tubs which sit in the corner. Sometimes it appears that the exterior walls of these spaces have been insulated, but sometimes it does not extend all the way to the floor. I always check. If the insulation has not been installed for the pre-drywall inspection I suggest that the clients check. Bath tubs are closed, often tiled, spaces. They are full of dead air, and are highly influenced by the outdoor temperature. I have had people call me to ask why the water on the master bath tub is not flowing. Because the pipes have frozen!

4. Cathedral and tray ceilings. And ALL the way to the edge! This is another example of insulation that must be stapled or it will slip (see my post 1 of 6). So very often on a thermal infrared inspection I see that such insulation was never put to the edge, or has slipped, or has fallen from its original vertical position. Those spots are huge energy wasters.

My recommendation: Suggest to your clients (or have a peek yourself while with them) that they check these kinds of areas. The energy costs add up! No insulation, or poorly placed insulation, is the near equivalent of keeping a window open. These areas will influence the indoor environment summer and winter. Don't assume that they will get done. You know what happens when we assume... Better yet, hire a certified home inspector to help with the process!

Sometimes home inspectors say things that might sound trivial, but they aren't.  This blog entry is one of those things.  It is the third in this list of What I'm Seeing Now:

Bath tub overflow drains.  This is something that might seem insignificant,

until someone takes a bath!

Then, suddently, when things start dripping below, where is that water leaking from?

On a pre-drywall inspection I always check the overflow drain to make sure the overflow joint been glued together.  Often, and I mean OFTEN, they have been dry fitted and never glued by the plumber.  How can you see if the fitting is glued?  Take the cover off the overflow drain (some pull off and some screw off) and look inside.  If you see purple primer then in all likelihood it has been glued.  Plumbers put the purple primer on immediately before the glue.  If there is no purple primer you would have to look very carefully for glue.  But even if the glue is there, it can still be an improper fitting. 

The purple primer removes grease, dirt and finger grime from a PVC fitting so that the glue adheres properly.  The glue literally melts the two pieces of plastic together and makes them one.  Without purple primer does the glue adhere?  It may or may not.  But with it there is a "properly" fitted joint. 

So, look inside!  Or suggest that to your clients.

On final walk throughs where I have not done the previous pre-drywall inspection I will check for purple primer.  If there is none, I fill the tubs and make the overflows don't leak.  Yes, there have been more than one incident of leaks!  It makes a mess that no one, particularly the builder, appreciates.  But, hey!  That's why we're there!  Better for the clients to find out then...

My recommendation:   be a snoop.  Suggest to your clients that they snoop.  Some things, like this one, may sound trivial or insignificant, but really aren't.  Your best bet - hire a competent home inspector for a careful pre-drywall review.  For that, my clients INSIST on Jay Markanich.

This post continues with What I'm Seeing Now and my list of typical pre-drywall problems.  You will recall that I will list six in total.  This post treats the second - weight transference and support.

Structurally, how weight is transferred and supported in a structure is critically important.  Is the house balanced?  For example, does the support under one side of a beam match the support under the other end?  Are load-bearing walls on the upper level, resting on top of the load-bearing wall below and all that supported by foundation wall or steel beam in the basement?  Load must transfer onto something that can properly support it.

Not too long ago houses were more simple.  Rooms had four walls, a couple of windows and doors, and lots os places to hang pictures!  Not so any more!  Buyers today are demanding wide-open spaces, high walls, cathedral ceilings, rooms which open to other rooms (kitchen to eating area to family room), floating cat-walk hallways, tall stone fireplaces, and so forth.  All this needs proper support.  Materials have been created to accommodate this architecture - so called MicroLaminate beams and posts, huge I-beam floor joists, etc.  Loads must be supported and structure balanced.    This sounds like common sense and it is, but here is What I'm Seeing Now --

1. The other day I saw two different load points rest onto two 2"x4"x14' studs nailed together.  They were alread bowing and coming apart.
2. A multiple stud array under steel beams that is not strapped together and separating.
3. A load-bearing column intended to rest on a steel beam, but missed it by nearly two feet.
4. A load-bearing wall similarly missing a steel beam underneath.
5. Columns which rest on floor joists, without a supportive column below.  Yes, the floor joist was bowing!
6. Wide windows without proper headers, which are bowing, or soon will.  Windows are NOT load support!
   
7. Bay windows not strapped, which will encourage them to bow outward.
8. Load-bearing walls constructed out of 2x4's, which should have more properly been 2x6's.  I have seen all the studs in walls such as this bowing very shortly after they were built.
9. Long, steep roof valleys which drain directly onto what will be a vinyl-sided wall above the corner.
   

This certainly isn't all, but will do for now.  I can add to this post later, or create an addendum.

I said previously that the builders all have good specifications and that the supervisor on site and the subcontractors are all important in seeing that those specs are met.  And that is true!  These flaws above would not be designed by an architect.  Often these houses have been built all over the country, and without the red flags above.

My recommendation:  You can be the eyes looking for such things.  Think common sensically. Tell your clients to look for things that don't feel right (they visit the house 5 times a week anyway...) and report them to the supervisor.  The client is the boss of the project, though the builder doesn't want them to think so.  Let them participate!  But most important -- hire a competent home inspector for a pre-drywall inspection.  It's some of the best money your clients can spend, except for, perhaps, YOUR fee!