What I'm Seeing Now

After hurricane Katrina there were shortages of various construction materials.  There was too much that needed to be done at one time.  One thing in short supply was drywall.  This immediate need inspired the importation of tens of millions of square feet of drywall.  No problem - so builders imported drywall.

It sat on barges at sea until it was approved.  Some say it absorbed moisture.  Some say it did not.  But it was approved and admitted and used in thousands of houses in Florida, Virginia and perhaps elsewhere - 2004, 2005 and 2006.  It turns out the drywall was bad stuff!  Really, really bad stuff!

One main component of drywall is gypsum.  Gypsum is the mineral used in many things in addition to drywall, like plaster of Paris and chalk.  It naturally contains other elements, like iron and sulfur.  This drywall apparently contains abnormal amounts of iron and sulfur.  As drywall gets wet and then dries, it emits gases, like iron and sulfur. 

These gases stink like rotten eggs. 

They quickly corrode copper, like AC coils, plumbing and electrical connections. 

And they cause health problems - eye, nose and throat irritation, respiratory difficulty, bleeding noses and, with enough exposure, even death. 

This drywall is affecting all the houses it was installed in in these very negative ways.  How can you live in such a house?  How could you ever sell such a house?

Can you imagine that disclosure statement?  Oh, and in addition to smelling so bad, the AC goes out every other year, the plumbing leaks continually (yes, that is mold over there) and the house might burn down tomorrow...

It is now the subject of a huge lawsuit.  Environmental Expert.com says the problems appear to be related to the presence of iron disulfide (FeS2 pyrite) in the material. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbonyl sulfide, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon disulfide (CS2) are also suspected as culprits, the Web site said. The possibility that the drywall is emitting hydrogen sulfide fumes is disturbing. And the amounts emitted!  Exposure to 50 parts per million of hydrogen sulfide for more than ten minutes can cause extreme irritation. Inhalation of 500 to 1,000 parts per million can cause unconsciousness and death through respiratory paralysis and asphyxiation, according to environmental experts.  Are the amounts of these gases emitted by this drywall coincidence, accident or on purpose?

It is the subject of news reports -->  http://www.foxnews.com/video-search/m/21792361/toxic_homes.htm

Oh, did I mention where this drywall comes from?

CHINA

And the beat goes on ...  That news report came out the day after my recent post on Chinese recalls.  Prescient?

How do you recall thousands of houses?

I think we need to recall China...

My house is 10 years old.  I received an insert from the mortgage company.  It is an offer to purchase a home warranty.  Everything in my house is original except the disposal.

I have never purchased one!  My clients often do.  You are going to have to help me here.

This one is underwritten by HomeSure of Virginia.  I am not familiar with them.  It covers everything that my disaster insurance does not - appliances, systems, etc.  Everything.

Terms:  $38/month, added to my mortgage payment.  Deductible $60 per service call, 24/7.  (That is cheap compared to some I have seen)  They have their own "pre-qualified" service agents, of course.  Also, there is an offer to purchase anything at a 30% discount BEFORE it breaks.  Not bad it seems.

I have until Feb 28 to decide.

-- What do you think? 

-- Do you have experience with HomeSure? 

-- Should I wait another 5 years or so - 5x12x$38 = $2280, less than a furnace or AC system (which would need upgrade to a SEER 13)?

This is a really wonderful forum to ask questions like this!  ¡Tantas gracias!

If you are interested in quick answers to leaky house questions, general or specific, there is a useful website to log on to.  Your Leaking House, created and maintained by Carl Brown and Dale Duffy.  It is populated by knowledgeable home inspectors nationwide who contribute and share their experiences and solutions.  More than anything it is a site created to allow inspectors to vent - new construction, old construction, remodeling - it is all discussed.  Roofs, stucco, faux stone, vinyl, foundations, flashing and brick - you name it, if it leaks, you will find it there.

We all need to learn.  Beyond that, sometimes we need quick answers. DON'T BE SHY!!

And, don't think for a minute that sometimes home inspectors do not need help from other inspectors!

There are aspects of the site that will inform.  Others that ask questions to teach with terrific photos.  There are many things to navigate.  They claim it is an on-going project, so long as houses leak and water causes damage.  That is certainly true.

You will find the message board to be a congenial one.  No one has all the answers.  There is a good measure of good-natured teasing that goes on.  But in the end it is informative and understandable.

You are encouraged to log on when you have questions or need solutions.  Or if you have something to share!  Feel free to ask questions and they will be answered, quickly, and almost certainly by more than one inspector.  

And welcome...!

Add this to your bookmark list -->   http://www.your-leaking-house.com/   You'll be glad you did...

For a long time now, I am signed on to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to receive their emails. The send me recall notices. I told them which things I wanted notices on – consumer products, toys, tools, electrical, etc. – and they send me emails when testing orders a recall. I do it to help myself be a better home inspector.

Some days I get four or five. I get them nearly EVERY DAY.

I cannot keep up with it all! I do not know how the CPSC keeps up with it all! They must have a quillion employees. I am forever writing down products, brands, serial numbers – it is a never-ending effort.

And it is shocking!

Here is my problem – for the categories that I am emailed about, way over 90% of the recalled products are manufactured in China. Maybe 1 or 2% of the recalls are manufactured here. I realize that a huge portion of the Chinese economy comes from trade with the United States. You’d think they would want to be more careful. Enough of this could have a serious economic impact on them. Well, that is, if we wise up...

Question: The Chinese are NOT incompetent people. Why aren’t they more careful?

Answer: Since they are not incompetent people, it must be intentional.

It has been insidious. It is pervasive! So many of the products we use everyday are produced in China. It is a huge list. And a frightful one. Food (and DOG food) that is tainted and deadly. Clothing, and pajamas, and sheets, and curtain material and furniture material that will quickly and easily burn. Baby toys that are full of lead and mercury, and do not need to be. Video and computer games that have embedded programming worms that will damage computers, or make it easy to obtain information from them.  Light fixtures that have insufficiently-sized wiring and will burn. Circuit breakers, which look EXACTLY like those produced by American manufacturers, that are meant to cause a fire in time. Improperly sealed batteries that will leak poisons – poisons not found in our batteries. And these batteries look just like ours.

The list goes on and on.

It used to be that this, and other cultures of piracy, only used to mimic successful products for the profit of selling knock offs at a cheaper price (that is, after someone else’s brains, entrepreneurship, and risk taking got a popular product to market). Now the piracy seems intent on doing damage.

The emails continue to come.

One has to wonder – with all the good work the CPSC is doing to catch this stuff, what all is getting in that they are NOT catching?

One has to wonder.

When I see the sticker, “Made in China,” I shy away. But their products are impossible to avoid.

I think we need to recall China.

A while ago, I arrived at a house to do a home inspection.  I habitually get to home inspections early to get various things done before others arrive.  The buyer's realtor knew that, she knows me too well, and she told the listing agent.  I was met early by both realtors, buyer and seller.  They told me that the seller was a single, very senior, recently-widowed woman who desperately needed to sell the house for financial reasons.  They outlined all that had been done to the house to ready it for sale.  And, oh, that there was a new, one-year old roof.

The message was not too subtle.  At the time I thought they were trying to sway my opinion before I had one.

Feeling undue pressure, I was not happy about it then, but I was happy to hear yesterday of the end result.  I had an inspection yesterday with the selling agent, who brought me up to speed.

The roof was a shambles.  From the street I could see various downward bulges.  The roof flashing had not been replaced and was coming loose.  The shingles were curling.  The plumbing penetration sleeves had not been replaced.  I was not impressed from the outside.  All I could think was uh-ohhhh.

The interior was beautiful.  It reflected the beauty of the seller, whom I adored immediately.

The roof was a mess.  The bulges were caused by two things - broken sheathing and the lack of clips between the panels.  Two trusses were cracked.  I found five leaks, particularly near the chimney.  The bath vent had been disconnected and was blowing humid air onto the roof, causing "evidence" of mold.  There was no FRT plywood.  Well, there were no stamps indicating that it was FRT.  It had the same general appearance as  regular roof sheathing.  Some FRT plywood has noticeable coloring, and this did not.  I thought it was not FRT.

I told the group of what I found.  The seller had the receipt from the "roofer."  It clearly stated "new FRT plywood," "new plumbing penetration sleeves," "new flashing," "top-grade sheathing," (it was 17/32" oriented strand board, not top grade to be sure), yadda, yadda.  I thought it a bit pricey too, but that is opinion. 

She called the roofer.  "He is a home inspector and he is supposed to find problems.  He doesn't know what he's talking about.  Of course it's FRT."

Houston, we have a problem.

You have to understand - I felt HORRIBLE.  But what to do?  When I left, everyone there was distraught.  So was I.

Well, mystery of mysteries, someone got involved.  Anonymously, but involved.  Is that outside the purview of a home inspector?  YES, yes it is!  He must not have done it as a home inspector.   That someone must have done it as a friend. 

Somehow three roofing companies and a county inspector contacted the surprised seller.  Out of the blue!  They all did so with no strings attached.  They made severe, um, recommendations to the previous roofer.  It seems the home inspector did know what he was talking about after all...

The end result - the seller got a newly installed roof, top to bottom, with a very interested county inspector making sure it was done correctly, EVERY STEP OF THE WAY - total value $14,100.

The agent yesterday told me the whole story.  Afterward she gave me a wink and said, "Thanks for your help."

She knows me too well...

My recommendation:  Wink and thank your home inspector.  They really like that!

Recently I did and inspection on a new home on which I had previously done a pre-drywall inspection.  That was three months previous!

The builder was VERY slow to finish the house. The supervisor said they had "taken their time to get it right." At this point you are supposed to cough and say, "Um, okaaaaay!" He also challenged the buyers that if I found "anything" (his word) he would be surprised. They have their final walk through next Monday morning. Boy, is this supervisor going to be surprised!!

There was the typical stuff on a new home - the attic unit AC condensate line that does not drain - the master bedroom AFCI which, when tripped, also turns off the master bath AND hall bath water closet fan and light - the overflow drains in all three bath tubs that are NOT connected and would have flooded the house - the water heater vent that is not inclined -- you know, the usual stuff. That is not all, by far not all, but you get the drift!

The coup de grace was this -- I had taken my 11 year-old daughter (World Champion Toilet Clogger - Junior Master Division) promising a Daddy/Daughter date after the inspection. She willingly came along, and brought a puzzle and a Nancy Drew book to occupy herself during the inspection. We all had a very nice time during the visit.

Afterward, I was in the kitchen working on the report. The buyers were measuring rooms and windows, visualizing furniture, etc. My daughter was on the family room floor, laying prone, and reading Nancy Drew. She came and got my flashlight and was playing with it also. I little while later I hear, "Daddy, there's holes under the windows!"

We ALL descended on the family room. There were three, large windows along the back wall. Tall, with sills that were barely 1" above the floor molding. I had not checked, but under the sills, and only visible if you were laying on the floor, are 1/2" gaps, never filled, exposing the entirety of the wall all the way through to the missing Tyvek, which was never installed under the vinyl siding!! No Tyvek (advertised by the builder), no insulation along the bottoms of the windows (leading all to wonder as to the sides and tops), and gaps never filled, finished or drywalled.

Admittedly, these gaps are a mere 4" above the carpeting -- but I had NOT checked! Picture this - we are all four laying on the floor in front of these windows, in awe, and in disbelief. My daughter is laughing, the buyers are groaning and I am very proud. The buyers were MOST grateful to her...!

Results:

1. The buyers are demanding that the undersides of various, random windows be opened up indoors to determine the presence or lack of insulation.

2. The buyers are demanding that siding be removed in spots outdoors to reveal the presence or lack of Tyvek, as advertised.

3. The buyers are demanding that the tops and sides of various windows indoors be exposed to determine the presence or lack of insulation.

4. I am going back to do an IR investigation throughout the house.

5. My daughter got a Big Kid ice cream sundae instead of the Little Kid's sundae after dinner.

6. She is available for home inspections. Please call her mother, the dispatcher in our household, to schedule any inspection dates at least 1 week in advance. She has volleyball, basketball, computer club, karate and dance, so you may have to work around that. Busy kid...  and straight A's too!

I have a feeling that this was a VERY EXPENSIVE find for the builder to have to rectify.

My recommendation: 1. Bring your daughter to home inspections. She may be the "Secret to the __________ Find" for you too... 2. Arm her with a Nancy Drew book and flashlight. 3. Have her look around as you look around and yell when the sees something, anything, amiss. Laying on the floor seems to work best.

And I? I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference ...

I did an inspection.  I do them now and again.

This one involved a dual agent - she "represented" both sides of the deal, buyer and seller.

She did not tell me that prior to the inspection.

It would not have made a difference anyway, but she should have been upfront.

The house was a flip.  It was seriously remodeled.  The term "severely remodeled" could also apply.

There was much done to this house, and VERY unprofessionally.  During the inspection, I used the word "unprofessional" a lot.  There were electrical things done that were "unprofessional."  Plumbing "unprofessional." Drywall "unprofessional."  Siding "unprofessional."  Floor tiling "unprofessional."  It went on.  Who knows what multitude of sins were covered by unprofessional work.

Then I used another word, a four-letter word really, I said, "This work was almost certainly done without a permit."  That bodes other issues - legal, county, insurance, breakage, leakage, hidden unknowns, future fixes, etc. 

Mr. Rogers at this point would say, "Can you spell e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e, boys and girls?"

The whole time, and unknown to me, this agent was fuming.

Quick side note -->  All the inspectors reading this now are nodding their heads - they may even have a headache at this point from such nodding.  Take a teaspoon of honey - the headache goes away quick...

Back to the post -->  She called me the next day.  "YOU blew the deal up!  YOU have no right to proclaim work to be unprofessional!  YOU were way out of line!"   And on and on...  spitting, scratching, a bit of clawing, curved back, straight tail...  conjure your own image.

Here is the kicker, "And YOU offended the seller!"

I let her have her say.  Why not?  I have known her for years.  My turn, "C'mon Looloo Belle, I did not blow the deal, the house did.  I have been a general contractor, in addition to being a home inspector, for three decades, so I have every right, as a professional, to proclaim unprofessional work to be unprofessional.  And exactly why would a person who is NOT a professional be offended at being called such?  He could not qualify for a permit if he filed for one!  Would you buy that house for your kids knowing about it what you know now?"

No answer.

She has not called back since.

Her buyers did though!  They were very grateful for my frank assessment.  They were disgusted with that agent and had a different one for the next inspection, which they asked me to perform.  They referred me to two different friends, for two more inspections, who's realtors I picked up as clients as well.

What a happy ending!

Sigh...  I'm feeling so good right now I'm going to make some hot chocolate!  Maybe I'll check into the Bristow Bistro   http://bristowbistro.blogspot.com/

My recommendation:  Hire a freaking professional to do your remodeling!  BE a freaking professional no matter what you do!  Get a freaking permit!  And cover your freaking hind end with the Golden Rule! 

Wow, I feel so much better now!  Thanks for listening, Doc.  See you next week?

I have received three calls* in two days for freezing pipes.  That is not so unusual...

It's where the pipes are freezing that makes this so odd.  You see, in every call, it is the kitchen sink cold water pipe that is freezing!

It has been very cold and got to 5 degrees F last night at my house in Northern Virginia.  We get that now and then, but not often.  I say "cold" fully realizing that 5 degrees is T-shirt weather for some of you people...  but that is beside the point.

Often in the past I have gotten calls because the pipes servicing the large master bath tubs have frozen.  It is a large, enclosed space, with plumbing inside.  Sometimes the exterior wall(s) does not get properly insulated.  Because of that I always look for complete insulation there on pre-drywall inspections.

But kitchen pipes!  That is unusual, in my experience anyway.  Apparently the small space between the base of the sink cabinet and the sub floor is poorly insulated.  Would that shock you?  I should mention another thing - ALL OF THESE CALLS CAME FROM HOUSES LESS THAN TWO YEARS OLD.  There, now you should NOT be shocked.

There is no way a home inspector can see that space.  Such cold air is probably not very detectable even with an IR camera (I looked at my cabinet with my IR camera and I don't think so anyway...).  So what do you do?

When asked for a solution my question was whether the pipes were visible in the basement.  None was.  So I suggested they get the kids down there under the sink with a blow dryer, set on hot with the fan on high, and go at that pipe for a couple of minutes.  Then open the valve just a bit.  Once a trickle is started the ice will melt quickly.  Hopefully no pipes have burst! 

Well, at least I show everyone where the water main is...

* All these near-panic calls were from friends.  I am the go-to guy...

Why is there no time to do it right the first time, but enough to come back later and try to fix it? How profitable can that be? Why, on a final walk through, does a builder create a list, sometimes a huge list, of things they agree they will come back for later? Why not give it your best shot the first time?

Interestingly, when I do an inspection on a house that was built by a builder for himself, I usually say, “Why are you getting an inspection?” It is said only half tongue in cheek. Is it unfair to say that? Not in my experience… those houses are different!

Consider the blog title. How would you respond to these ads?

Sparkle Water Company, “Our Water Meets the Minimum Standards Required By Law.” How much of that would you store in the basement for emergencies?

Bob’s Bridge Builders, “Our Bridges Meet the Minimum Tolerances Required By Law.” What if this was the most-used bridge in the city?

R&R Cruises, “Our Boats Are Equipped With the Fewest Life Boats Required By Law.” Okay, we’ve heard that story… I missed the movie though.

Dudley Do Right’s Deli, “We Use the Lowest Grade Meats Money Can Buy.” Can I invite you out to lunch?

I can tell you, companies that consistently apply minimum standards do not stay in business long. We consumers drive them away. Why, then, do we accept what many builders are putting out? THAT is the question of the hour.

Why DO we accept the minimum in the houses we buy? Why should we have a need for home inspectors on a new house? When my clients ask me if this or that is a good builder, my answer always is, “It depends on the supervisor on site every day and the subs they use.” The same builder in two neighborhoods – the siding is great on one and lousy on another. Why is that? We all know.

But, WHY IS THAT? Because the Golden Rule in business is not consistently applied. I log into a number of home inspector message boards, nationwide. I can say unequivocally that all of us experience the same things. We all see the same things. We all wonder about the future of home building. When a doctor sees a runny nose he thinks a dozen things you and I do not. When home inspectors see certain practices, over and over, we think things that do not occur to buyers. BUT THE BUILDERS ALL KNOW!

Here is something else I am reading. It goes like this – the builders have been losing money for a while. When the market rebounds, imagine all the cuts they will be making to insure a profit! I think they, the collective of home inspectors, are right!

Centuries ago I spent a couple of years in South America as a missionary. I lived in a mud hut and slept on a grass mat. Took ICE cold showers and baths. Ate things you would never imagine. And had a wonderful, life-changing, life-molding experience. I learned two languages, Spanish and Quichua, an Andean Indian tongue, essentially Inca. It was VERY hard to learn. I taught them to read, do first aid, arithmetic, profit-making business practices and the Christian Gospel. The people were industrious and terrific. They came from a different background than I, and parables were the easiest way to communicate some principles.

This is one parable we came up with (remember, this is high in the mountains of South America):

The Master of the finest House advertised to build a new house. Many applied to build it. He selected his builder and began.

The Master’s plans were carefully drawn. He demanded that only the best materials be used. His House was to be the finest ever. The builder agreed and started out. He was to carefully select the finest stone, and wood, and clay for bricks. The thatch for the roof was to be thick and long.

Upon clearing the land the builder found that there was a large rock under one corner of the house. It would make the stone corner weak. The builder thought, “It is under the surface and no one will see it.”

Upon drying the bricks he discovered that the clay was a little loose and they might crack easily. “Well,” thought the builder, “perhaps only a few will crack. And they will be easily replaced.”

Upon stripping the bark, the logs he found were not the width the Master wanted, and not quite as straight and long. But they were almost so! “They will probably last, and the roof will probably be strong.” The builder wasn’t sure, but hoped so.

Upon weaving the thatch, it was not as thick as he knew the Master wanted, nor as long. But it seemed to weave okay. “Maybe it won’t leak. If it does, well, thatch is easy to get and it can be woven again.” He stepped back to look – you could hardly tell it wasn’t quite what the Master wanted. He probably wouldn’t notice. The builder was the only one to know the truth.

When he was done, the builder called the Master to come see His new House. The Master hardly looked at the House. He looked instead at the builder.

“Did you build it according to the plans I gave you?” “Yes.” “Did you use the finest materials, use your very best skills, and build a house you are proud of and could happily live in?” “Yes, you can see that I did Master. It is my best effort.”

“Very well. It is yours! I intended all along to give it to you! I wanted you to have the very best, and to do for me what you would have done for yourself. And you have done that!”

WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER! In the end, we will get back what we have given. It will come back and be given to us. What is important is NOT about money.

My recommendation: That we demand more. That we don’t accept minimum standards. That it begins with us. We home inspectors really, really try to help our clients. We study, and learn, and apply, and continue in all that to be better and more able. Give us a shot! DO NOT assume that since it is new, it is okay. You know what happens when you assume?

Want to join a great national group? Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings. http://www.hadd.com/

Pretend you saw this ad in the paper:

We Build To the Minimum Standard Required By Law!

When was the last time you saw that ad from a builder?  Never?  Why not?

Would you buy that house? Would you take your clients to speak with that builder? Or to view that house?

Why have you never seen that ad?  Because that isn't how they say it.  What do they say instead?

All Our Homes Are Built Strictly To Code!

Well, the code is the minimum standard required by law.  Explain to me the difference between those two ads above.  There isn't any!

This very conversation happened just this past week.  Just before a new construction inspection, to me, and in front of my clients, the buyers, a supervisor said this:

Supervisor - (proudly smiling) "You won't find much wrong with this house.  We build all our houses strictly to code."

Me -- "Do you mean to say that you build your houses to a minimum standard?"

Supervisor -- (no longer smiling) "Absolutely not!  We are much better than that!"

Me -- "But you just said you build your houses strictly to code.  The code is the minimum standard required by law.  Is that what you meant to say?"

What I wanted to add but did not, for fear of being even more impolite, "If you built a house for yourself, would you build it to minimum standards?"  Well, that question might not have started things out on the right foot...

SO I ASK YOU...

If you were building your own house, would you build it to the minimum standards required by law?  Would you pick out the thinnest metal flues for the cheapest furnace you could find?  Or the thinnest metal bath tubs?  Or the cheapest cabinet drawer glides?  How about the least expensive light fixtures, shower heads, shingles, circuit breakers, faucets, counter tops, gutters, carpeting, plumbing, door bell, or any number of other installs?

Would you hide a multitude of sins under improperly installed stucco, or drywall, or insulation or flooring knowing that later it would leak, or separate, or mold and rot, or fall apart?  Would you leave rotting food inside wall cavities, used hypodermic needles under the basement stairs, purposely leave used condoms, beer cans and defecation in the sump pump pit, untreated lumber left buried beside the foundation walls*?  Of course not!  What would you do?

ALL THAT IS WITHIN THE CODE.

ALL THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED THE STANDARD OF PRACTICE.

ALL THAT STINKS AND I AM FED UP!

My Recommendation:  Stay tuned, boys and girls, for part 2...

* Yes, I have seen all that, and more.