ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS
2015
Due to the many problems with the house, which had been on the market for a long time, following our home inspection I heard from the buyer's agent that the sellers said, "We are 99% certain the home inspector did it..."Did what?That.Someone pushed on the wall of this very unprofessional repair a...
07/30/2015
14
Comments
This might seem technical, but this is a post about galvanic corrosion.Let's simplify it.When certain (dissimilar) metals touch one can cause the other to corrode. This process is called, variously, galvanic corrosion, dissimilar metal corrosion, and electrolytic corrosion.Essentially, electrica...
07/29/2015
17
Comments
This is an example of freeze vulnerable plumbing.But things can be done to prevent it.This is a pre-drywall inspection (my third this week) and one of many issues about which comments were made.This is the service line for the rear hose bib.It goes up through the sub floor and out the exterior wa...
07/28/2015
This is a dangerous and virtually unusable kitchen cabinet.This is a new house! The homeowners have yet to settle. Nobody has lived in it.There is an electric cook top tucked into the granite counter. And this is what you see underneath.First, of all there is so much extra and unnecessary elec...
07/27/2015
When I see things like this I have to ask myself - Does this look done by someone with a mechanical license? A permit?In Virginia, installed chimney connections are to be done by licensed people. Virginia even provides that the person have a mechanical license.And why not? Chimneys are very im...
07/26/2015
38
Comments
This is not a good place for pipes to end.The ending tubes have been called various things. Charlie Buell's recent post called them "dead legs."Whatever you wish to call them, this is not a good place to end pipes!This is an exterior wall.The insulation has been pushed inward, and pushing it in ...
07/24/2015
17
Comments
These are the clues.The first was a front corner basement room.The foundation wall and floor in that room were recently painted, likely the day before.There is a foundation crack filled with caulking.There is new drywall on the side wall, pictured here, and the other two walls of the room. There ...
07/23/2015
Gutters and downspouts are an extremely important aspect of any roof design and IT IS NOT GOOD TO DESIGN A ROOF THAT IS GUTTERLESS! This 6 year old house has no gutters anywhere and never has.Can you see where a large portion of this roof rain water ends up?A gallon of rain water is...
07/22/2015
11
Comments
What's wrong with this thermostat?It's a fine thermostat, a brand universally used for replacement thermostats.It's new and programmable!It's in a good place in the house!It's a little off kilter on the wall, but that doesn't matter.It's okay in every regard ... except one.It'swrong!Why is i...
07/19/2015
You might find this to be true - my smoke detectors go off for no reason, and then they won't turn off.Do you know why?And worst - DO YOU KNOW IF THEY WORK RIGHT?What are the reasons? There are perhaps three.Reason 1: They are too old!There could be couple of problems here. If the smoke detect...
07/17/2015
Rainmaker
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Jay Markanich
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia
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An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.