What I'm Seeing Now

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A Front Hose By Any Other Name Squirts Just As Sweet

On new construction a home inspector has to pay attention to everything.  You never know what will be encountered.  Even things that appear to be correctly done might not be!

On this new house, on the exterior inspection, I noticed that the house did not have a front or rear hose bib, but one on each side.

No problem!  I have seen that before.

Inside the house, under the kitchen sink, there was a valve with a tag on it which said: "Rear hose bib shut off."  Since the kitchen was right over the hose bib on that side, I was pretty sure they were calling that one the rear hose bib.

But then I got into the furnace room.  And this is what I saw!  Thinking it must service the bib on the other side of the house from the kitchen, I turned it off and went to see.  I was right.  But if the other one is the "rear" hose bib, this valve should read "Front hose bib shut off."

I guess...

My recommendation:  Don't assume anything on a new construction inspection.  You never, ever know...   And if I was buying this house, I would relabel the bibs altogether.

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC  

Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia.

Office (703) 330-6388   Cell (703) 585-7560

www.jaymarinspect.com


Comment balloon 11 comments • Jay Markanich • March 29 2010 06:40AM
A Front Hose By Any Other Name Squirts Just As Sweet
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