What I'm Seeing Now

Anytime you have to find a hiding water heater, there are going to be other hidden surprises.

Here is one.

When I can’t see wiring, and other things I have seen around a house that give me pause, if not fright, I wonder about them, and want to know. I’m like that. So when I saw this cable duck under things stored in a kitchen cabinet, I wanted to see what I could. So I moved stuff out. 

And, after I moved out a bunch of stuff, this is what I found!

Look carefully.  Tucked away in that little cavity in the back of the cabinet is the top of a wire nut. It is one of two. They make up this disposal’s connection.

It might be surprising that this has not shorted out by now from water or stored-product spills, but looking carefully you might see the electric tape on the wire nut. I think that effectively sealed it off to no moisture would get inside.

It’s still incorrect!

But tape is obviously better than no tape…

A better installation would have utilized a visible and accessible junction box.  I like to see such boxes secured properly to the cabinet, with connector clamps holding the cables to the box. Sometimes I see them fixed to the floor of the cabinet, which is alright but not preferred.

As you already know, there should also have been a connector clamp holding that cable into the bottom of the disposal.

My recommendation: If the connection won’t come to you, sometimes you have to go to the connection. You might be surprised what you find out!

The water heater was no where to be found. 

There was this fine laundry room, beside the fine "bathroom" (door to the right).  That bath could be a story in itself, but I digress.

The laundry room was special in its own right.  You can see the water connection on the wall.  And there was no drain, so I assumed that the washer drained into that special floor drain in the foreground.  That is packaging tape over it now - keeps the snakes out.

I don't know where that floor drain goes.  Perhaps to the creek behind the house.

The dryer receptacle is on the wall, just hanging around waiting for a dryer.  It really was hanging - it should have been attached to a stud, assuming there is actually a stud back there.

That receptacle strip on the floor probably serviced the washing machine, or so I assumed.  It comes from somewhere - I never did find out where it was plugged in.  Perhaps to a receptacle behind the drywall, but I did NOT want to assume that.

The dryer vent is on the wall just to the left of that dryer receptacle.  I know you don't see it, but it is there.  At least it's outdoors, and from it you can see the back side of what I assumed to be the drywall.

Where does that plug in the receptacle strip come from?  Ah, the mystery!  I had to bet it was from something in the water heater closet.  That is, IF, the biggest word in the English language, IF the water heater is where we assumed it to be.

As you know, I cannot be invasive on a home inspection, and wasn't.

But what about the Realtor?!  I think we found ourselves a LOOP HOLE!!

And there it was!  With just a gentle invasion of the wall we found the water heater!  The Hardy Boys could not have done better!  The shut-off valve for the rear hose bib was there too!

This is very comical!  You need to know all that is going on here.

To the left is the fabulous "kitchen" "sink" "installed" in the "counter."  I use those terms loosely, hence the ""s.  There was a lot of leaking, creating what I assumed to be mold.  I cannot say it was mold, for legal reasons.  We would have to do a mold test.  But, it was mold...

The "sink" drains into an ejector pump in the floor in front of the water heater.  The "bathroom" drains there too.  I did not have to assume that because the cover was not sealed and when we ran the "bathroom" water you could tell that it must have been draining there for some time.  A long time.  You catch my drift? 

Good thing you aren't catching the drift I did when we gently opened that space up...

Do you see the cable coming out of the wall?  That is connected to the ejector pump, and that's what is plugged into the receptacle strip in the upper photo.  The vertical drain line for the ejector pump is visible just to the left of the gentle wall opening. 

When we ran the ejector pump it seemed to drain into the house DWV line.  I assumed that anyway because I could hear it.  It might go into that creek behind too, for all I know...

I get to have fun like this nearly every day!

Laughing is good medicine.  I am very healthy, and now you know why!  I LAUGH A LOT...!!

You can assume that I love my job.  Fortunately I live in an area where the local, shall we say, population provides me lots of opportunity to laugh and very good health.  Don't assume otherwise!

My recommendation:  If you can't find a water heater, you should assume you need to get a Realtor involved.  A strong one... 

And, unlike a mortgage, that would be a great assumption!

 

 

This is what greeted me in the front window of my inspection yesterday.  I knew I was in for a treat!

The inspection was indeed a treat, but writing the report was not!  I knew from this particular Realtor's name that there was fun to be had in this inspection.  Reputation you know.  But an inspector has to be careful - there are lots of things that are hidden and not easily detectable.

The report had 165 items in the summary of concerns.  That might not be the record, but it is up there.

Here is a tour of things the Realtor saw and yet proclaimed this house to be in "Move In Condition!"

Enjoy...

 

This is one of the two rear downspouts.

The other was missing and it was draining right onto the AC unit below.

 

 

The new retaining wall, just outside the basement door, should be a lot of fun for the kids!  It's only 18" off the ground and should make a great climb!

 

 

 

Here's the new master bedroom suite!  It is located in the converted garage.  These are two walls.  Notice anything missing?

Right!  No where to plug in the alarm clock!  Anywhere.

Oh, and that double switch on the wall?  I could not figure out what either controlled.

 

 

 

 

 

Right in the middle of the master bedroom ceiling is the attic access ladder.  It comes down slightly to the right of the middle of the room.  In order to install the array of new lights and fans in the "remodeled" house one needed lights in the attic.

Here is one of three, all connected.  Never did find the switch.

 

Moving to the kitchen, there was a dishwasher (not attached to the counter or cabinet and one hinge was loose) but no other appliance present.

The house had been converted from gas to all electric.  This is the "new" receptacle for the range.  It was not labeled in the panel box. 

The black cable is attached inside and seems to service something else, undetermined during the inspection! 

And, yes, that is one interesting ground line and connection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All that new electrical required new wiring.  Much of it was in the furnace room.  This is an example of the many junction boxes in that room.

Cables hung all over the house.  They came from somewhere, as you can see, and went somewhere and were not attached to the wall.

The many switches in that room controlled nothing we could see.

 

 

 

 

That same furnace room had lots of the new plumbing.

It was supported very well ... with duct tape.

Right under this photo is the new heat pump.  Eight inches in front of it is the new washer/dryer set.  It's going to be a bit difficult for the buyer (a single lady) to get that filter out!

 

 

 

 

This is the fine new breaker for the fine new heat pump.

I'm not sure the heat pump needs a breaker with quite that much amperage.

Okay, I am sure.  It doesn't...

 

 

 

 

A new HVAC system needs new ducts and registers. 

This is the upstairs hall bath register. 

What, you don't see it?

That's it right there, in the floor, between the end of the door and the tub.

Well, yes, it's covered with tile, but it is there!

Oh, yeah, the register in the living room, did not blow any air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is hard to see.  It is one of two negatively-inclined drain lines.  This is connected to the ejector pump beside the new basement bathroom.  The basement bathroom was created from the old laundry room, I think.  Below the gravity drain from the house, the effluent from the bathroom needs to be pumped upward and then into a current drain line so it can leave the house.

The problem is that this negative incline must go on for a while, because when the ejector pump is engaged and the effluent pumped out, a WHOLE LOT comes back into the pit!

It is negatively inclined because that pesky toilet drain above is in the way.

 

 

And finally, the chimney outside and the fireplace inside seem to have moved a bit.  A lot of bit.

In the family room both sides and the center have cracked and moved noticeably.

Good thing they fixed that with some Great Foam and caulking!

Woohoo!  That ought to handle it.

The exterior cracking was hidden behind some garden timbers.

 

 

 

 

 

I had 165 such items.  These are only a few photographs.  If these are the kinds of things we can see, what is happening where we cannot see??!!

Oh, there were no permits for any of the work.  Obviously.

My recommendation:  If you are going to put a "Move In Condition" sign on a house, be really, really sure!

 

 

 

Well, at least not for free.

I get interesting phone calls. This one was from a seller. “Your home inspection cost me a lot of money. I cannot sell my house until I fix the problems you said on your report. I have a contractor here now. You need to stop by immediately and tell him what to do. I am the house on Virginia Avenue.”

“Ma’am, I remember the house well, and all the problems. But, I am not nearby, have an appointment now and another after that. I can’t drop all that simply to stop by your house. But, please understand, what repairs you do or don’t do on your house are not my purview. My clients were the buyers. I don’t return to the houses I inspect to make sure any repairs are done correctly, unless you want to pay me.”

“Well, they aren’t buying the house, because of you! So I am your client now. And you have cost me so much money already I certainly will not pay you! My Realtor tells me she cannot sell the house until I have done everything on your list. You need to at least be available by phone when my contractor has questions. There is a lot to do!” (Wow…)

“If he is a professional contractor and knows what he is doing, he should not need to call me. I am not your general contractor.”

The problems, in part, were: bathroom remodel which leaked from the toilet and sink drain into the furnace room below; severe mold issues in the furnace room beneath that bathroom (which the seller tried to “hide” with storage); new carpeting and newly painted basement walls, but painted only in certain spots; not well-concealed stains under that new paint; serious moisture issues – 80+% - in those basement walls (which could mean many things, all behind drywall); a remodeled basement bathroom with mold in the walls behind the shower (which the seller ALSO tried to “hide” with storage). There were other things, but this is what the contractor was working to correct for now.

My recommendation: When storage is artfully placed in areas where it typically would not be, there might be intention to hide something. When parts, but not all, of basement walls are freshly painted, there might be intention to hide something. When sellers are upset when things are moved and problems found, they know they are caught, and they are INTENDING to hide something. Head’s up!

And don’t try to sell undisclosed problems to someone else… but you already knew that!

Not often does do I have the opportunity to go back to a house following a home inspection.  I inspected this particular house just a couple of weeks ago.  And, in addition to its problems, it had high radon, requiring remediation, which the sellers had to accomplish.  So my clients asked me back to do a follow-up radon test.

 

When I arrived the front porch, which had many problems noted on the inspection report, presented itself! 

So I looked around!

First, I looked at the newel posts on the front guardrail.   Both had been rotting, high and low, and one had completely let go of the guardrail.  It was on the list of repairs my clients presented to the seller.

One post had been noticeably "repaired." The other, nearly as rotten, had had nothing done to it.

That is it to the right.  Can you see the repair?

My camera strap is playfully placed in front of the post.  But if you cannot see it, that is the repair in the picture below.

My client came out to see me looking at the "repair."  She said, "You aren't trying to ruin my Saturday morning, are you?  Don't say anything, it will only get me started."

So, I didn't.

It's easy to see the rot.  Look again.  Can you see the "repair?"

 

 

 

 

Now, look closely. 

That's it!  The piece of plywood beautifully fashioned and attractively centered on the post.  It is attached to the very rotting part of the post with drywall screws.

(Note:  drywall screws are meant for drywall, which is an INDOOR product.  They are NOT meant for outdoors.)

(Note:  plywood is not a very good outdoor product because it comes apart when water softens it.  It also rots easily.  It is meant for indoors.)

Those drywall screws will rust pretty quickly.  When they do, everything near them will rot away even more quickly.  I was impressed that they were holding at all because that post was pretty rotten!

The rail is attached with an interior finish nail, toe-nailed from underneath.  Solid!  Very, very solid!

OK, not so solid.

I saw the look on my client's face.  Nothing was said.  That wasn't the only poor repair they inherited.

"Are you going post-al yet?" very, very nearly parted my lips.  Fortunately, I didn't say it!  She was very, very close...

 

She said, "Do you remember the section of fence that was lying on the ground?"

"Yes."

"Well, they fixed it too.  With a bungee cord!  We made such a stink that they actually came back and fixed it properly.  We told them we were going to walk."

Bummer it had been fixed!  I sooooo wanted a photo of that!

My recommendation:  When you specify repairs, you might want to say exactly what you want done, what you expect it to look like when completed, by whom, and with receipts provided.  Not everything counts as a repair!

Every time I bring up deck flashing on an inspection I get called out!

I have had homeowners tell me that only roofs need flashing.  One said he has seen window flashing but had never heard of deck flashing.  Another called me a "$&*%%#@!" and that "you inspectors are just looking for stuff to mention on your reports whether they are true or not!"

Deck flashing is crucial to a deck installation.  Without it water can seep into the house via the lag or through bolts.  They are called "through bolts" because they go through the house to the interior.

Deck flashing, sometimes called "Z" flashing, fits under the siding and OVER the ledger beam, which is the beam attached to the house.  It forces the water to the outside, where it has little chance of entering the house.  It is made of metal.

Tonight I got an interesting email and phone call.  On a recent inspection I mentioned that the deck flashing was missing.  I further mentioned that the product I saw on the house was improperly placed and of an indeterminate material. 

It seems the seller and listing agent know better.  They told my client and client's agent that the deck was "built to code" and that "the flashing is indeed there, simply cut off at the top to make it look better."

Yes, that's the quote in the email...

Here are photos of the "flashing" in question.  YOU be the judge!

That is the left and right view of the same ledger beam.  It includes a very pretty hole extending into the interior.  I would LOVE to see the wording of that code!

Ignorance is bliss I guess, but while there is no interior damage yet (the deck is only a year old) there likely will be and my client will inherit it.  My job is the purchaser and his protection.  My report doesn't speak to the code, onto to proper installation.  And what sellers and listing agents say really has no bearing on my report.

But, who am I to question that job above?!

My recommendation:  Don't buck the home inspector!  And when people want to make fools of themselves, get out of the way.  Just be sure to stand your ground...

Recovery after surgery used to mean bed rest and soft food.  Lay flat, get some sleep.  Catch up on your reading.  Draw the blinds and drapes.  No excitement.  That's probably why it took so long to recuperate.

There is a different philosophy now!  There are specific things to do.  Lung exercises, rolling exercises, leg exercises, brain activity, certain foods and walking.  Lots of walking. 

Tuesday it will be two weeks since the "miracle surgery."  Last week the doctor wanted her to walk 1 mile a day!  She tried but couldn't.  I measured off the upstairs hallway and she had to walk from one end to the other 96 times to equal a mile.  We thought she could do four trips a day, with 12 laps per trip.  She walked a lot, but probably not a mile in any day.

This week the doctor wants her to walk 2 miles a day!  And to try to do it outside.  Well, that is certainly less boring than the hallway.  And there is about 1/8 mile in front of the house that is flat. 

So, we pried her into her shoes and carefully down the stairs.  Out she went and up and down the street four times.

She was a little scrunched and wobbly and dragged her feet a bit.  I had to hold her firmly by an armpit.  But she did it.  Not bad for a first trip.  And that was in addition to a few walks in the hallway today.

The very fact that she can do this is miraculous in and of itself.

She was a little embarrassed by her appearance - posture, walking gait and so forth.  If I was her, the hat would have been more embarrassing to me!  Wow, the nerve it takes to wear that hat out in public!  I don't think she knows what kind of a year they had.

Ignorance is bliss...

Gotta be!

 

After a very difficult travel day, which began in the doctor's office at 10am and ended in bed at 8:30 last night, the miracle surgery patient got home.  A very happy little girl got home about the same time.  After over a week at a friend's house, although taken care of very well, she was quite happy to be back in her home with her parents and her dog.  This has been a traumatic week for everyone!

We want to thank all those who expressed concern, sent messages, sent emails, made phone calls, gave flowers, sent flowers (the room is filling up), picked up our mail, are providing meals, offered prayers individually and in church, and basically gave us their love and support.  Many of you we have never met!

And now the healing begins.  She is told to stay in bed from 4-6 months, walk each day, blow into her respiratory therapy device, and eat protein, veggies and fiber.

There are pills with various purposes, ointments for the same, and a short walk to the bathroom.  She is quite tired, quite cared for, and quite glad to eat something other than "the worst hospital food I have ever had, and I have been in a lot of hospitals!"  Well, you can't have everything.

In applying ointments this morning I had opportunity to count her healing surgical holes (no stitches, super glue).  Usually her surgeries leave her with 3.  This time I thought there were 5.  Instead she has 11, and perhaps one more!   They did a lot of work!  I think she looks pretty good following such an ordeal!  (She did NOT want this photo taken...)

Between Dr. Liu and his primary assistant surgeon, they called on her a total of 17 times.  They also called by phone or were called by the hospital another 25 times or so.  Dr. Liu called again this afternoon, just to check in.  These are terrific doctors and people.

So, again, thank you all for everything you have done.

We’ve been in Chattanooga TN since Sunday for my wife to have a serious surgery. It was to repair problems to a previous surgery caused by a car accident she was in three years ago. The previous surgery, in Oct 2000, a breakthrough surgery then, was performed by Drs. Harry Reich and C. Y. Liu, both pioneers in laparoscopic surgery. The car accident pulled some of those things apart and damaged others, so a fix was in order.

Two top doctors in Washington DC and one at Johns Hopkins said that what needed to be done could not possibly be done laparoscopically. One said it would be a “miracle surgery” if it was.

Well, her miracle surgery was done yesterday. She is fine, swollen, bruised and sore, but fine. Usually she only has two holes in addition to the big one in the navel. This time she has twelve. It was deemed a terrific success.

The other “miracle” is that Dr. Liu came out of semi-retirement to perform this surgery. It is said to be his last. How fortunate for my wife. Because it was using breakthrough technologies and techniques, my wife said she met a bunch doctors from all over the country who came to Chattanooga to watch it being done. We’re told that some of them are familiar with my wife from medical textbooks and JAMA articles she has appeared in. When you sign that piece of paper allowing that, you don’t know what might come of you!

My wife says Dr. Liu brings in his special equipment to do all this and that the operating room looks very sci-fi and futuristic. Much of what he uses is of his design and invention. Even the operating table is different.

He truly is the best in the world.  We are grateful and thankful for his service to us.

The team and staff at Parkridge East Hospital in Chattanooga are terrific. They are competent, helpful and friendly at the same time. All in all, this is a very friendly town – I have been called “Hon,” “Darlin’”and “Sweetie” more in the last few days than in all of my life previous! I bet if I asked for a pina colada (virgin) and a foot massage, they would somehow accommodate me.

And this hospital is so proud to have Dr. Liu operate there they can hardly stand it. He puts them on the map. When he walks down the hall it is with Rock Star status! He has invited many Fellows here to study with him. One of the Fellows who participated in this procedure remembers reading about my wife in med school. That is both interesting and weird at the same time!

If you Google the Women’s Surgery Center in Chattanooga, virtually everything on the left-hand navigation was redone or repaired. Pelvic floor reconstruction is a complex surgery by any measure, especially when it is coupled by so many other procedures.

After it was done, Dr. Liu gave me my DVD of the operation, a little over 4 hours. He always gives me one. I have many others, from many other surgeries! It’s quite a collection. You might say I am one of the few spouses who can really say that he knows his wife inside and out. He won’t allow me anywhere near the surgery because he says I am “too jocular.” Can you believe that? So he makes me DVDs. Well, better than nothing I guess… I know, having a DVD of an operation sounds like a big yuck, but it is really interesting to see.

Dr. Liu is a very matter-of-fact person. He is not one to joke around. But I got a smile out of him when I thanked him for putting her in room 207 because of the good feng shui. He smiled and shot his hand upward at an angle, demonstrating that he understood. It is good feng shui to have numbers that go up and not down… don’tcha know.

Now it’s careful recovery and a hopeful return home on Monday. That will be difficult as well. That’s when the real fun begins. Wish us luck!

It took me a couple of phone calls over a week's time to put it together.

But I did.

It was a husband and wife tag team.  With the same foreign accent.  With the same questions about my prices.  With the same suggestions about what discounts I should offer.  All on an inspection they wanted to schedule in the same area of the same city.

They found my website and knew all about me.  They knew my pricing backwards and forwards.  They started by trying to negotiate down my inspection price.  How much could I discount it?  That didn't work.

Then they took a different tact - that I should do an IR scan on their whole house as a part of the inspection.  It should be free.  I would make more money if I offered free IR inspections because more people would call me and that I should begin on their house.

Oh, then there was the "other" inspector out there who will do an inspection cheaper than I, and throw in IR and a free termite inspection.  It got comical.

Amazingly, I quoted them each the same price for what they were asking.  I do discount an IR exam $100 IF it is done at the same time as the home inspection.  That is on my website and beyond that I didn't budge on my pricing.

They were consistent with this negotiating technique while each calling me independently over the course of many days.  I eventually put them together.

Then yesterday the wife called to say there was an inspector they called who would give her, in addition to all of the above, a free 6-month home warranty and she wanted me to offer her one too.  I called her by her husband's name and she got dead silent. 

"You are very clever," she said. 

"Not really.  I started bowling when I was 8 and I can add really well.  But as you see, I don't subtract well.  Not only do I not offer a home warranty, I have you sign an agreement which specifically states that I do not warrant anything in the house beyond the day of the inspection.  I can't warrant that my furnace will be working 6 months from now, how could I possibly warrant yours?  You probably also think the government is going to provide you better medical coverage then you have now and for free!  If you are looking for a free home warranty, you are looking for the other company to do your inspection.  You should call them.  And good luck."  (Yes, I said that...)

I hung up.

Of course I blew them off!  Free IR?  Free termite?  Free home warranty?  I know there are those home warranty programs out there and I have read the exclusions.  Those companies are making a LOT of money offering "peace of mind."

My recommendation:  Be who you are.  Don't be who "they" are.  And remember the very time tested economic principle - There is no such thing as a free lunch.  Because there isn't...