Nashville Home Inspector – My Client paid me $300.00 and I saved him $9,000.00

During a recent Nashville Home Inspection, I found significant water damage in a crawlspace. The damage was caused by missing flashing where the deck attaches to the rear of the home.

Home Inspectors In Nashville TN – A vanishing Commodity.

Hello everyone, John Watkins from Nashville Home Inspection here.  While Searching the inter-net last week for TN Home Inspectors license status I noticed a disturbing trend.  30% of the Home Inspectors in TN that obtained their license in June of 2006(the first year licensing was required for TN Home Inspectors) had let their license expire.  That means almost 1/3 of the home inspectors in TN that were working within the last 2 years are no longer inspecting homes.  Or I should say are not legally inspecting homes.  Before you refer or hire an inspector you need to be sure he is licenced because licensed home inspectors must have E & O insurance.  E & O insurance is the only way that customers who are the victims of poor quality home inspectors can hope to recoup any damages suffered as a result of a poor home inspection.  Do not assume your inspector’s licence is valid.  I was suprised to see many experienced home inspectors in Nashville and Franklin had let their license expire.  It is easy to research.  go to: http://licsrch.state.tn.us/   you can search TN Home Inspectors lisence status in minutes.

Why Is My Gas Bill $500.00 A Month?

During a recent 1 year warranty inspection the home owner asked if I could determine why his gas bill was so high.  I found a big leak in the flex gas pipe near his furnace.  He is lucky his family was not harmed by gas inhalation or an explsion.  In short, just because it is new does not mean it is safe.

Sewer Gas Venting Into the Attic.

This plumbing vent is loose and disconnected in the attic.

This Water Heater Can Kill You!

I found this deadly situation in a 1 year old $900,000 home!

Foundation Issues on a Crawlspace Home.

Watch this video on structural issues

Are Your Deck Joists Properly supported?

All of the floor joists under the deck of your home need to be supported with a ledger strip or with joist hangers. Unsupported floor joists are a real safety issue.

Nashville Home Inspection 

Every Time An Advancement In Structural Engineering comes along, So Does A Bigger Moron!

In the past few years, Wood I-Joists have been used in increasing numbers for building new homes.  Quite simply, Prefabricated Wood I-joists are environmentally sensitive products. The design of prefabricated Wood I-joists allows a manufacturer to utilize smaller diameter, faster growing, and generally lower quality trees and still produce a quality product. Secondly, when compared to other building materials, production of wood materials uses less energy and produces less carbon than materials such as steel and concrete.  

I-Joists are very strong when used as the manufacturer recommends.  The web portion can be drilled to accommodate plumbing pipes and electrical wiring.  The trouble begins when some “Moron” with a big hammer beats huge holes in the webbing with no regard for structural integrity or human safety.  Large, non symmetrical holes are not allowed and severely compromise the structural integrity of the joists.  The joists can sag and even break, compromising the structure of the floor and home.  Tile and wood flooring can crack and break.  Ceiling and walls can develop cracks.  The cost of repair can be huge!  Below are photos I took in 1 year old homes. 

   

Luckily I discovered the problems before the one year builder’s warranty was up.  The builder will have to pay for the costs of repair.  Not my client.

Common Problems with Fiber Board Siding.

Fiberboard Siding (often referred to as Hardboard Planking) was manufactured by several companies including Louisiana-Pacific®, Masonite®, Weyerhaeuser® and Georgia Pacific®.

While this type of siding was made by numerous manufacturers, each company’s fiberboard siding is made in roughly the same manner and tends to have the same issues.

After this siding has been installed for some length of time, it tends to expand slightly. This causes the area around the nail heads to become damaged.  This in turn allows moisture to penetrate into the siding and deteriorate it.

As the moisture level increases, the siding’s edges tend to expand. This expansion breaks the paint, which, in turn, allows rainwater to be absorbed by the siding causing a breakdown of the glue holding the wood fibers together. Deterioration of the siding increases as the moisture content of the siding rises.

Fiberboard siding also tends to expand and contract along its length, thus breaking the seal where the boards’ join together.  This contraction breaks down the caulk that was applied during installation, again leaving the siding vulnerable to water penetration.

It is critical that the caulking on this type siding be maintained in good condition. Also, regular repainting of the siding is an absolute must.  Hand painting of the bottom of each course of the siding with a brush is the only way to ensure that the exposed fibers of the siding get sealed. 

It may be possible to slow down the deterioration of fiberboard siding by regular painting and caulking; however, home owners should be aware that there will be problems with their siding in the future.

Home Seller’s Pre-inspection Checklist.

At Nashville Home Inspection we understand that many times the inspection process is time sensitive and essential for an expedient closing. That is why we have prepared this pre-inspection checklist so that we can do our job efficiently.

First, we would like to answer some of the commonly asked questions about our service: 

What is a home inspection?
 
We are a real estate support service that evaluates the overall structural, mechanical and electrical condition of the home. We examine nearly all-visible construction components and evaluate whether these items are still serviceable. We make notations of items that may need attention to help preserve their long-term integrity. We also give our client helpful advice on general home maintenance. 

Is this a building code compliance inspection?

No. Many homes were built before building codes were ever established. When building codes were established, many counties adopted (or enforced) their own version of these building codes. It would be impossible to verify the governing code for every time period in every county and make a compliance type inspection.

We inspect residential resells for function and safety.  In other words do the systems and components of the house function properly and are there safety hazards present.

Home sellers, please do the following:

Confirm that all utilities are on and pilot flames are ignited. 
Please provide keys for all doors & gates.
Please make sure that all domestic animals are secured. 
Change or clean dirty A/C filters. Clean range exhaust filter if there is a greasy build up. (fire hazard)
Check batteries in smoke detector.
Free windows that have been painted shut. 
Replace torn weather stripping around exterior doors. 
Replace any missing switch or receptacle covers.
Clean gutters and down spouts.
Trim back any tree limbs that may be touching the roof of the house.
Keep foundation vents open. (except in frigid weather)
Have your HVAC system serviced if it has been over a year since the last service. 
Call Nashville Home Inspection (615)- 573-4468 if you have any questions about how to prepare your house for inspection.