home inspections Archives - Page 12 of 13 - Charles Buell Consulting LLC

August 17, 2011 by Charles Buell

Cross-training amongst the trades—it ain’t gonna happen.

I could do endless numbers of posts about how the trades don’t talk to each other. We have become so compartmentalized in the building trades that I am wondering how it is possible to get anything done right. I think a certain amount of basic info about all of the other trades should be incorporated into the training for each individual trades—it seems there either isn’t enough or “somebody” just doesn’t care.

Otherwise we would not end up with plumbers installing stuff like the picture below.

Poor plumbing installation — Plumbing installed in the way of the heating equipment

I that it will be very difficult—if not impossible—to get this burner out of the furnace for repairs or servicing. A different configuration of fittings could have allowed for both trades to do their job, but because the plumber didn’t know the requirements of the Heating Contractor, didn’t care, or hadn’t had his coffee yet, they have made the job of the Heating Contractor very difficult. Whatever the reason—-the Heating Contractor is not going to be very happy.

Of course the other possibility is that this was the work of some homeowner that was even more clueless.

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Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

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August 7, 2011 by Charles Buell

Knob & Tube wiring, and Octopus furnaces don’t get better with age

A common phrase that inspectors hear is: “but it has been that way for a gazillion years, what is the problem?” Very few “physical objects” get better with age. Getting better with age is left pretty much to the psychological—like friendships.

Knob & Tube wiring, while being an excellent method of wiring in its day, is not likely getting any better with age in your hot attic—-especially with Rocky the Rodent eating the covering off of it. And certainly not with the bathroom receptacle improperly spliced into it—-and the teenage sisters trying to dry their hair at the same time.

That old octopus furnace in the basement that was converted from coal to oil 69 years ago and then to gas 20 years ago is not likely improving with age either. It does look pretty cool though!

The furnace pictured above, being original to the house, is likely 102 years old. It may be growling away in the basement, providing plenty of heat to the home, but the black soot at all the registers is not likely a good sign.

Here is the permit for the coal to oil conversion from 1939 that was tacked to the wall near the furnace.

So what about wood in contact with the ground?

In Washington State, as both Licensed Home Inspectors and/or Licensed Structural Pest Inspectors, we report on conditions that are conducive to wood destroying organisms. One such conducive condition is untreated wood in contact with the ground—-or even too close to the ground. Certainly wood structures of the home that sit directly on the ground fit this requirement.

If it is new construction I can tell my buyer that this wood will decay in a month, or a year, or ten years. What do you tell them when it has been in contact with the ground for 107 years? Sometimes the right soil conditions can be very forgiving of wood. Sometimes wood just gets lucky. Typically wood in contact with the ground in the North West does NOT get lucky!

The wood supports for this crawl space post have been in direct contact with the ground most likely for the life of the home—-107 years. No concrete footing—-no moisture separation. In 1901 they might not have even known what a moisture barrier was. This support has withstood several major earthquakes, 107 years of rainy seasons, and showed only minor decay at the time of inspection—-the minor decay most likely due to the nasty looking ground cover that had been added around the support. The ground cover helps to focus moisture toward the wood support, “improving” the chances of decay, but not life expectancy.

So the question is only as to under who’s watch the wood will start returning to the earth.

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Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

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July 31, 2011 by Charles Buell

Things that start with keys.

Sometimes there is “obvious” and then there is “not-so-obvious.”

While the corner is “obviously” damaged, what was “not-so-obvious,” was that behind all that nice new paint, there was considerable decay/rot in much of the trim up the side of the window. As you can see by the length of the key, the decay is quite deep, involving not only the trim board but the sheathing behind it as well. So besides starting the car when it is time to go home this key hopefully is going to start the repairs to this long standing damage—-hidden and otherwise.

Homes are often painted prior to sale and can definitely make the house sell faster—-improving the “curb-appeal.”

For the trained inspector, fresh paint just makes them look closer—-or at least it should. When I inspect a home that I know has been painted prior to sale, the report will include a general warning that hidden damage is possible and that the exterior should be monitored for signs of deterioration after purchase. Sometimes the stains from painted over decay takes a few weeks or months to bleed through the paint—-or blister the paint.

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Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

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