Home Inspections

[mtnairlover]

Hey guys...

Can you all give me some hints as to what I should be sure that my home inspection should cover?

I'm going tomorrow morning to do the home inspection and have asked for a Radon check as well as have ordered a sewer scope.

Yes, I'm just a tad nervous and don't want to miss anything.

Hints/suggestions would be helpful (a shot of Brandy...some hand-holding...=D).

Thanks!

[salsashark]

Are you doing the inspection or do you have an inspector?

Off the top of my head
Condition of mechanicals (water heater, HVAC)
Attic insulation condition
Evidence of critters
Roof/gutter condition - we missed a spot on my house where the squirrels were living!
Plumbing condition - water damage, age of toilets, broken shower tiles
Appliance condition - run the dishwasher, turn on the over and let it get to temp
driveway/garage? - if so, inspect condition of conrete... heaving, cracked, etc... garage door works?

I know there's more, I'll look around for ya.

[Shea]

My home inspection course was incredibly detailed. So uh, basically you're at everything, detailing the current state and recommending further inspection if it requires it.

Specific items are determined by the year of the house. Polybutalene piping, aluminum wiring, galvanized pipes, Federal Pacific service panels...on and on and on.

[Suki]

check the date on the water heater, the fucker that sold us our house said it was brand new and when we had the furnace replaced the guy said it was about 10 years old.

sprinkler system
outlets - i know, this may be more of a pain, but check them.
all lights
furnace/filter
any appliances that are being included
ummmm that's all i can think of right now in addition to what salsie said.

[mtnairlover]

Sorry, should have mentioned that...

Home inspector is: Home Systems Data

Sewer guys are: Hydro-physics

I just want to be sure they do what they're supposed to do. Trying to remain informed. I mean, they could feed me a load of schlock and I'd take it...so, yeah.

[jimwallace]

check water lines, make sure they dont have any funky routing going on, and hopefully no steel lines.

[Shea]

Sorry, should have mentioned that...

Home inspector is: Home Systems Data

Sewer guys are: Hydro-physics

I just want to be sure they do what they're supposed to do. Trying to remain informed. I mean, they could feed me a load of schlock and I'd take it...so, yeah.

Get everything documented Cathy. The inspector will give you his/her report (hopefully an industry standard one) and the sewer guys should give you a video (one you can pop in for parties and such ).

What year was the house built? And who built it (if you know)? Crawl space/structural floor or slab on grade?

[danielj2345]

http://homebuying.about.com/od/homes...7_homeinsp.htm

radon and sewer lines have been troublesome for many ppl in my area.

[mtnairlover]

http://homebuying.about.com/od/homes...7_homeinsp.htm

radon and sewer lines have been troublesome for many ppl in my area.

Thanks. So what area do you live in?

The house (attached home) was built in 1993. It's on the north side of Westminster off 133rd. I'm not sure of the builder, but will get that info. The house also has a radon evacuation system installed and it is constantly running...the main part of the system is in the garage. I just want to be sure it's doing the job it's supposed to be doing.

Thanks to everyone else for the input (Shea, James, Jim, Suki)...trust me...I need the advice if for anything, it helps me feel like I'm not doing this completely on my own (ooh scary thought)

Gonna put all this info in my notebook for tomorrow.

[RajunCajun]

Hey, my roommate's brother has a home inspection business. He does inspections as well as energy ratings. If you have specific questions about CO specific homes, give him a call, he lives and works in Denver/Boulder area and is a really nice guy! He wouldn't mind giving you some pointers.

Mike Broussard
720-985-8445

[Suki]

so you're moving closer to civilization???? whooooot!!!!

[TurboGizzmo]

Like i told you Cathy, make sure to keep them there for awhile, I know mine cost like ~$400 so i had the guy there 3-4 hours crawling over everything....

What was weird is they were still showing the house when i had the inspector there....people would try to ask him how the house looked he said "Here is my card" very professional response i thought

[mtnairlover]

so you're moving closer to civilization???? whooooot!!!!

Lol...yep, I be movin closer. My two oldest will be graduated. My youngest will be starting middle school and hell, my new job is in Westminster anyway...so wth, ya know?!

[mtnairlover]

Like i told you Cathy, make sure to keep them there for awhile, I know mine cost like ~$400 so i had the guy there 3-4 hours crawling over everything....

What was weird is they were still showing the house when i had the inspector there....people would try to ask him how the house looked he said "Here is my card" very professional response i thought

Yep, I'll do that. Looks like the house was taken off the mls listing...so that's good. The seller (a bank) already cashed the earnest money, too.

[Shea]

Thanks. So what area do you live in?

The house (attached home) was built in 1993. It's on the north side of Westminster off 133rd. I'm not sure of the builder, but will get that info. The house also has a radon evacuation system installed and it is constantly running...the main part of the system is in the garage. I just want to be sure it's doing the job it's supposed to be doing.

Thanks to everyone else for the input (Shea, James, Jim, Suki)...trust me...I need the advice if for anything, it helps me feel like I'm not doing this completely on my own (ooh scary thought)

Gonna put all this info in my notebook for tomorrow.

If the radon fan is pushing air it's doing it's job. However a test will determine if there is radon present and at what levels.

If the home was built in '93 I would say the furnace/water heater should be looked at extra carefully. "They" say that they have a life of 10-15 years and they most likely have never been replaced. Don't fall for the "just serviced" bs. I would make it a condition of sale that they have them replaced or, probably better for you, knock the replacement cost off the sale price. That way you can make sure they are replaced with quality gear.

Another big thing is water intrusion. Most likely a production build and they throw those things together really quick (and backfill is never really taken seriously). Checking the crawlspace for water/dampness, perimeter drain setup, sump pump, make sure gutters drain "at least" 5 feet from foundation, CHECK and DOUBLE CHECK grade around every side of the house. Should be a 6" drop in the first 10' from the house. Make sure the exterior finish is not touching grade (bare concrete 4" up to stucco, etc).

So much stuff to look for...

[mtnairlover]

Yeah...no kidding.

The house has a finished basement. The area below the family room basement window suffered water damage. It was weird cuz the paint was all buckled and falling down just below the window. The texturing that was done at the base of the sill was also all flaked off. There are no visible water spots where I could see that water was defiinitely coming in around the sill. I'm hoping to get a real good idea of what happened in that area.

[Shea]

Yeah...no kidding.

The house has a finished basement. The area below the family room basement window suffered water damage. It was weird cuz the paint was all buckled and falling down just below the window. The texturing that was done at the base of the sill was also all flaked off. There are no visible water spots where I could see that water was defiinitely coming in around the sill. I'm hoping to get a real good idea of what happened in that area.

Bad juju. Demand an engineering letter stating that the foundation has not been compromised and that the drainage issues have been fixed. If you go ahead with the purchase make extra sure your homeowners insurance covers water damage from "horizontal sources".

[mtnairlover]

Thanks, Shea...I'll do that. I most definitely will not go into something that has major problems, cuz I ain't no money bags.

[Mental]

I got bitten once with shingles. How my home inspector missed the roof, I have no idea.

[asp_125]

About the leak, could be minor (someone left the sprinkler on), could be major.. improper grading or leak in an irrigation pipe. The sill if it's wooden, may be compromised and in need of replacement.

The inspector I used spent 3-4 hrs crawling in, over, on, under every part of the house. Including climbing on the roof to check the shingles and the chimney and flues.

Check the electrical junction boxes to see if there are enough to service the load, the big power draws are in the kitchen and laundry and HVAC. I had one circuit that blows if I ran the Microwave and the A/C at the same time that I had to rewire.

[lovinCO]

Home inspector is: Home Systems Data

Sewer guys are: Hydro-physics

Cathy these are both reputable companies that I've worked with, they'll do a good job for you.

[64BonnieLass]

Yayyyyyy Cath!! I'm so excited for you.

I'll be thinking of ya today.

[IT WASN'T ME!]

You also need to check for dissimilar metals on the water supply piping (steel touching, or conected to copper). If you have it, it will rot out your entire plumbing system, usualy in two or three years.

[dapper]

You also need to check for dissimilar metals on the water supply piping (steel touching, or conected to copper). If you have it, it will rot out your entire plumbing system, usualy in two or three years.

For those that bitch about what could be wrong without giving any useful assistance toward the issue should leave it in the inspectors hands.

Dielectric unions <---that's what you should have added in your post 'it wasn't me'.

Public water has a neutral pH level. Acidic water is where steel to copper connections have the small electric charge which can put holes in copper pipe, if without dielectric unions. Dielectric unions separate the two metals to prevent electrolysis.

Cathy, write down your Q's and ask your inspector any question if you have a concern.