Charles Buell Consulting LLC

Consulting on Building Science and Forensics in the Seattle Area (Formerly Charles Buell Inspections INC)

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Should we care whether the builder knows what they are doing or not?

Should we care whether the builder knows what they are doing or not?

In terms of what Home Inspectors do, does it really matter whether any of the trades that built the house are licensed or not?

Well, YES and—-NOT REALLY!

Our home is our castle
Our home is our castle?

I am not talking about this from the standpoint of some lofty ideal where we get into all the “shoulda-coulda-woulda’s” about the trades-

–my statement is purely aimed at dealing with: the way things are.

I think in some respects it makes our job easier when the trades are licensed, and it generally means there are likely to be fewer mistakes; but, when they are not, it just makes what we do as Home Inspectors all that much more important.  If there were no mistakes made by builders, there would be no reason for Home Inspectors to inspect new construction.  One doesn’t have to inspect very many new houses (usually just one) to know that inspections are necessary—above and beyond the various jurisdictional inspections.

Add to this the fact that some jurisdictions provide no oversight of the construction process and we are for sure going to have our hands full as inspectors.

An interesting thing that people seem to ignore (or be unaware of) is that almost all States have adopted at least some version of the IRC (International Residential Code) and the NEC (National Electrical Code)—-as well as other codes.  What this means is that work done in those States must comply with at least these “minimum standards” whether inspected by a “local” jurisdiction within that state or not.  Just because there is no place to go and get a permit or call to get an inspection done, is not a “license” for the builder to do whatever they please—-people’s lives can be at stake—-and all work still should meet whatever regulations are in place.

Some inspectors fear, quite erroneously that if they call out some defect that they will have nothing other than their opinion to back up what they are saying.  In most cases they would be able to support what they are saying in the same way an inspector working in a jurisdiction with oversight would be able to.

It seems to me that if I am going to be calling out defects in jurisdictions with little or no oversight, and I am licensed as a Home Inspector myself, I automatically carry more weight in what I say—-especially when that State as a whole has adopted regulations that I can use to support my opinions and/or recommendations.  If I was unlicensed I would be just another wannabe professional that the general public may or may not have any confidence in.  Sure Home Inspection Associations can help—but unlicensed home builders also have associations that they belong to.  While these associations help, they do not greatly improve my job security.

Frankly, I think it is ridiculous that there are no real requirements to be a General Contractor (Education, Continuing Education, Testing etc.) here in my own State, but what does this REALLY have to do with what I do as a Licensed Home Inspector?  Not much.  All it does is make what we do as home inspectors even more important because we become the de facto safety net for the consumer.  This is not at all about being code inspectors—it is more about being all there is—-kind of like inspecting the huge amount of houses built prior to any licensing or any codes.

 

By Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle

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Staying away from the edge of the cliff!

Staying away from the edge of the cliff!

cliffsI had an inspection a while back where there were a huge number of problems with the house—big and small and in between.  There was concern that if the seller saw the “entire” report (or even the entire summary) they might “freak-out” and not accept the counter-offer.

The idea was that if I would simply create a  “CliffsNotes” version of the report, the seller would only have to see the REALLY BAD THINGS and then perhaps the deal would move along a little more smoothly.  They were trying to make the point that a small number of big issues would be better than a list that included all concerns

I very politely informed the agent that, if I were to do such a thing, it would leave both of us open to tremendous liability in the event that some inter-related things might not be adequately discussed in an “abbreviated” format—-and send us all off a cliff.

It is funny how quickly the word “liability” can move the conversation in a different direction.  The devil is in the details—not in the short-cuts.  While the deal might fall apart—it is better that everyone be as informed as possible.  I am impressed with how rare the deal falling apart actually is.  A difficult deal is ultimately better than no deal at all for all parties it seems.

 

By Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle

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How many things will your home inspector miss?

How many things will your home inspector miss?

We only see what we see.  This seems obvious enough, but I think there is the perception that inspectors see everything.

clutterWhile I like to think that issues of “significance” won’t be missed on an inspection, there is a whole host of “less significant” issues that WILL be missed in the context of a home inspection.  This is a “promise” I feel that I can keep.  If the home is heavily staged or packed to the gills with storage and belongings the odds of missing things goes way up.

It is important for the buyer to realize that in the “relatively” short time the inspector is at the home the inspector will do their best (hopefully) to be as inclusive of defects as possible.  However, it would be unrealistic to expect the inspector to find everything.

Managing client expectations is an important part of the inspection process.

The inspection report can be seen as a guide to the kinds of defects that are present and should be anticipated.  For example I might report on a missing junction box cover in a particular location.  When all belongings and storage are removed from the home—others may be discovered—and in some cases even “anticipated.”

I was reminded of this the other day when I found something that could easily have been missed.  For some reason I did not miss it—but would not have been surprised if I had.

Inside the crawl space under the front porch there was a “less than professionally wired” receptacle that I noted.

Back of a receptacle visible in the crawl space
Back of a receptacle visible in the crawl space

The more curious thing about this receptacle was that I had not noticed it on the outside—-and with good reason.

It was not there to notice.

Siding
The siding at the exterior

If it was there, the area outlined in red would be its approximate location.

Where the Receptacle should be at the exterior
Where the Receptacle should be at the exterior

The siding was new and the receptacle location had been sided over.

Sometimes it is good to be lucky as well as good.

 

By Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle

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