A Northern Virginia Home Inspector's Perspective

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Home Inspector - Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - 3380-000723

ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS

2014 

Walking around as I do during a final inspection on a new construction, I was looking for the register of the HVAC duct which services the kitchen, saying here duct, duct, duct.   I was having a hard time finding it.  I looked on the ceiling and on the floor.  Each room should have at least one. ...
11/28/2014
I often see painting errors on new construction, and I often think -- you do know that not all paint sticks on everything, right? This is a brand-new home.  Nobody has moved in.  This is the final walk through. This is the FAMOUS REVEAL!  It's when the builder can finally SHOW OFF THE HOUSE. Pain...
11/25/2014
I get this question a lot:  What do I do about broken window seals? For sure, sooner or later, most double-pane windows (gas filled) will develop a broken seal.  The intert gas inside, argon or krypton, will leak out, get replaced by air, and that air will bring in condensation. People often ask ...
11/22/2014
On home inspections I imagine hearing this question a lot - "Honey, can we please move the laundry room?"  And the answer - "Sure.  I can make it work." Ladies and gentlemen, let the games begin! Later - veeeeooola!  The new laundry room! It is now in the old, and current, furnace room!  The spot...
11/21/2014
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You may have a hard time seeing this and knowing what it is, so let's play What Am I? The homeowners who are trying to sell this house are trying to prevent cold air from getting in when, um, hints to follow, this "thing" is not running.  I'll give a lot of hints and we'll see if you can tell wha...
11/20/2014
When this buyer called me to ask me to do a final inspection on his new house, I asked if he had done a pre-drywall inspection, to which he said, "We were in Europe."  Another thermal imaging story. This is a new home where the buyer was, from the builder's point of view, the bothersome type. The...
11/18/2014
A tisket, a tasket, a bad disposal gasket.  Food for thought. The first words - tisket and tasket - are nothing words really.  They are merely alliterative to go with the children's sing song. And the rubber disposal cover is technically not a gasket, but it's referred to as one. However we have ...
11/17/2014
You have probably seen this and it is most likely due to roof deflection, sag and creep. This roof is composed of rafters which meet a center ridge beam.  The center beam is probably not terribly thick.  What you see is the result of weight and time and gravity. Such a roof looks a little bit lik...
11/12/2014
HVAC duct planning is a difficult enough of a science, but some installations are designed to fail as  HVAC ducts should not have holes inside the walls. Why do I say planning duct work is a difficult science? Because their job is to balance air flow and the indoor temperature, and that ain't eas...
11/11/2014
Free Enterprise Provides Stuff You Do Need, And Plenty Of It   “I wanta buy stuff.  Stuff I don't need.  Stuff settin' out there, you jus' feel like buyin' it whether you need it or not.  Uncle John.”   John Steinbeck (1902-1968) - from The Grapes of Wrath   Does that quote not just comment on th...
11/10/2014
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Jay Markanich

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia
local_phone(703) 330-6388
smartphone(703) 585-7560
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An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.