3 ms·

They don't need to be thinking much, they need to be doing exactly that; running through a checklist of _major_ structural (foundation, roof, walls) or infrastr

They don't need to be thinking much, they need to be doing exactly that; running through a checklist of _major_ structural (foundation, roof, walls) or infrastructural (pipes, HVAC, electrical) issues with a house.

brianwawok 5y ago
Not sure what kind of inspector you got? * No general inspector I have gotten was qualified or willing to touch the roof. If I wanted to look at the roof condition, I needed to pay a roofing company separately to come out. * The electrical inspection consisted of taking the lid off the electric box, and looking for loose wires, and putting a "does this have ground" meter in all of the power outlets. Most of the interesting electrical issues that could exist are burred in walls and not accessible. * General inspectors are not HVAC techs, and can't really say much about HVAC beyond "The furnace is 14 years old based on the install sticker, and appears to turn on" * Structural issues were like.. look for visible cracks in foundation, but much is likely behind drywall and unable to be seen. Maybe put a marble on the floor and see if it rolls.
- treeman79 5y ago
  Thanks for this. I’m looking at starting a campaign to force mega rental companies to get home inspections and provide results to tenants. A large apartment building with a known history is very different then random houses where incompetent people did who knows what to the internals. Sounds like I may need to push more then a standard home inspection.
- duped 5y ago
  This might depend on where you live, in my area every inspector will check the roof (unless for some reason it's unreasonably dangerous to get up there). Obviously they can't see hidden problems but the really bad stuff (cracked foundation with seepage issues, water damage, mold, etc) is worth looking into. My inspector pointed out a number of things like old cast iron plumbing, some unidentified venting, electrical that wasn't to code, insufficient ventilation to the attic, etc. It didn't affect the price but it did give me a good checklist for what to fix in what order.
- quickthrowman 5y ago
  > Most of the interesting electrical issues that could exist are burred in walls and not accessible Assuming the electrical work was done by electricians and not total amateurs, there should be absolutely no issues inside walls/ceilings, every splice or termination must be ‘accessible’, which means in a junction box that is not buried in a wall. If a box is inside a ceiling or wall, an access panel would make it accessible. Electrical issues are almost always at the point of termination, unless you have animals chewing on your romex insulation. Bad splices and terminations cause arcs, which cause fires, which is why AFCI breakers are now mandatory for almost (unsure if it’s all or not, I work on the commercial side) every receptacle circuit inside a residence. Aluminum wiring caused fires because aluminum expands and contracts with heat faster than the terminal screws that were used in the wiring devices of the time. Now we have AL-CU devices that eliminate this problem. You can’t always count of electrical work being done properly though.

brianwawok 5y ago

Not sure what kind of inspector you got? * No general inspector I have gotten was qualified or willing to touch the roof. If I wanted to look at the roof condition, I needed to pay a roofing company separately to come out. * The electrical inspection consisted of taking the lid off the electric box, and looking for loose wires, and putting a "does this have ground" meter in all of the power outlets. Most of the interesting electrical issues that could exist are burred in walls and not accessible. * General inspectors are not HVAC techs, and can't really say much about HVAC beyond "The furnace is 14 years old based on the install sticker, and appears to turn on" * Structural issues were like.. look for visible cracks in foundation, but much is likely behind drywall and unable to be seen. Maybe put a marble on the floor and see if it rolls.

treeman79 5y ago
Thanks for this. I’m looking at starting a campaign to force mega rental companies to get home inspections and provide results to tenants. A large apartment building with a known history is very different then random houses where incompetent people did who knows what to the internals. Sounds like I may need to push more then a standard home inspection.
duped 5y ago
This might depend on where you live, in my area every inspector will check the roof (unless for some reason it's unreasonably dangerous to get up there). Obviously they can't see hidden problems but the really bad stuff (cracked foundation with seepage issues, water damage, mold, etc) is worth looking into. My inspector pointed out a number of things like old cast iron plumbing, some unidentified venting, electrical that wasn't to code, insufficient ventilation to the attic, etc. It didn't affect the price but it did give me a good checklist for what to fix in what order.
quickthrowman 5y ago
> Most of the interesting electrical issues that could exist are burred in walls and not accessible Assuming the electrical work was done by electricians and not total amateurs, there should be absolutely no issues inside walls/ceilings, every splice or termination must be ‘accessible’, which means in a junction box that is not buried in a wall. If a box is inside a ceiling or wall, an access panel would make it accessible. Electrical issues are almost always at the point of termination, unless you have animals chewing on your romex insulation. Bad splices and terminations cause arcs, which cause fires, which is why AFCI breakers are now mandatory for almost (unsure if it’s all or not, I work on the commercial side) every receptacle circuit inside a residence. Aluminum wiring caused fires because aluminum expands and contracts with heat faster than the terminal screws that were used in the wiring devices of the time. Now we have AL-CU devices that eliminate this problem. You can’t always count of electrical work being done properly though.