It seems the trend lately, when rehabbers fix up a house and put it on the market, is to do everything that shows or is cosmetic in nature perfectly, and then totally fall down by cutting corners or disguising the things that they think people will not notice. This is a very disturbing trend, especially if you are the buyer, or the home inspector that has to come in and "burst the bubble" so to speak.
I know times are tougher, and real estate sells a little slower maybe, and prices may be down a bit too. But are those excuses for not doing a complete job, and trying to pass something off as being "totally rehabbed, A-1 condition" when you know that is not the case? I just inspected a house that from all outward appearance looked very nice, and every room was finished in grand style. The roof and siding had been replaced, as well as the windows and doors. Kitchen and baths were totally remodeled, including granite couters, tile floors and showers, even premium fixtures and cabinets. The basement was totally finished into a very nice rec room in the front 1/2 of the house. Re-plumbing and wiring had also been done, along with a brand new air conditioner unit outside. New deck, new gutters, new garage door. Every surface had been expertly painted, and new carpet and Pergo flooring in every room. So, you can see why it was easy for this family to fall in love with this house. They even told me "We don't think you will find very much wrong"....WRONG!
Well, that is where the love affair ends. Enter the big bad home inspector, with his ladder, clipboard, camera, flashlight, and an array of inspection tools at his disposal. Some things were fairly obvious- at least to me. Such as the garage roof, which had some extensive rafter and sheeting replacement... right next to very obvious exposed roof sheeting boards that were water damaged, and had large chunks missing! And then of couse they put brand new shingles over it. The garage concrete had cracked and heaved, and was in need of immediate replacement as well, and the bottom wood wall plates on the garage were severely water damaged too. The basement totally amazed me, since the back 1/2 of the basement (not finished, where the furnace, water heater and laundry area was) had extensive interior waterproofing done, complete with under slab drainage, and a sump crock and pump to remove the water. Trouble is, the front 1/2 of the basement that WAS FINISHED, brand new drywall and carpet, DID NOT have ANY waterproofing measures done before the drywall and carpet were installed. Result? Carpet was wet around the perimeter when I came through, and a slight smell of mold/mildew was already developing.
Top it all off with a 25+ year old furnace with corrosion visible in the heat exchanger (Remember, the A/C unit was brand new), and an open uncapped sewer line in the crawl space, and many other smaller defective items that are too numerous to mention. Add it all up, and we have a "bursted bubble", because neither the agent, or the home buyer had a clue about almost all of it, except for the garage floor. I guess it's all in a days work for a home inspector, but I would much prefer to hand the client a "clean slate report". Rehabbers and house flippers need to beware... There just aren't too many buyers out there any more that will not get a home inspection, and most of us inspector-types are not going to miss those things.
There are many causes for basement moisture problems, including grade sloping towards the house or foundation, improper or malfunctioning gutters, downspouts or underground drainage, cracks in basement walls, static water pressure that builds up outside a homes foundation from a spring or water source, and also using improper, or non-porous material to backfill with around the perimeter of the house...just to name a few. But what about when the moisture is coming in from "above grade"? That is when there is moisture and visible moisture marks on the inside of the basement wall, but they start from a point that is actually above the level of the outside ground. What causes this?... Since we all know from kindergarten that water does not flow uphill on it's own. The top two courses of block you see in the picture above are actually above the ground level outside. So, how are they getting wet? This phenomenon is most generally related to siding (exterior wall covering) that is allowing water to enter behind it. Most generally, it is associated with the now very popular "vinyl siding", because the installation of it requires that spaces be left between pieces and corners, so that the siding can expand or contract in different temperatures. This "loose installation" often means that rain & moisture can be driven by wind to get behind the siding, and once this happens, it can then come in at the top of the block or the wood "sill plate" that sits on top of the block. This condition can be very perplexing to remedy, since there is not one "cure all method" for stopping it. The one method that I usually recommend involves removing the siding in the effected areas (usually corners, but can be anywhere), and installing a product known to the roofing industry as "ice and water sheild" under the siding, and covering all the way down to the starter strip of the siding. This method has been effective at stopping most water penetrations when installed properly. 
Above grade moisture marks on block wall.
Homeowners sometimes think they are wise in doing electrical work themselves, and saving all that money that the "professional" would have charged them. Well, that may be the case... IF THEY DO IT RIGHT!
But, unfortunately, I most frequently come across what I call "Electrical Spaghetti" served up by the homeowner.
Here we have loose "Spaghetti" going everywhere. Homeowner, or amateur wiring is usually pretty easy to spot. The most common thing, is that none of the wiring is neat, and almost never stapled or secured properly to the framing. The wires at the top of this box should be fastened (staples) securely to the wood to conform to national code requirements.
Here is the other side of the wall, where wires are run Under joists, loose loops, and loosley run down the wall.
This is the homeowners idea of wiring the hot water heater. The wire connections are exposed, and the wire is run loosely over the water heater, not secured, or in conduit.
The yellow, looped wire is providing power to the relatively new furnace unit.("Spaghetti, anyone?")
Even when they almost got it right, they forgot the simple addition of a cover over the junction box.
Exposed wiring under kitchen sink= "bad electrical jujuj" .
The homeowner figured he saved about $1500 in doing all of this himself (and he did.. for about 6 months). But now that he is selling his house, the lowest estimate that came in to "fix" all of the things he did...
was $2350. I don't think he thinks he saved money ... any more.
Yesterday, I did an inspection on a "rehabbed" house for a very nice couple, who were sure they had found the house for them. The house had very nice "curb appeal", and if you didn't look too close, everything looked pretty good.
The seller "rehabber" had told them that he had a "great inspector" who was also very reasonable that they should use. Thankfully, they called and chose me instead.
I just had to share some of the findings on this one, because it shows to what great lengths some people will go to just to sell a house to some unsuspecting buyers.
First, there was the electric entrance cable that was missing all of its' outer insulation, and was "painted".
Of course this should have been replaced long ago.
Next, there was the extremely settled and extremely corroded gas line and fittings. The gas was shut off, but there was still leaking coming from the underground sections fittings. Time for underground supply line replacement? Me thinks so.
Notice the 'freshly painted' foundation?
Next, there was the 60 amp corroded main electric panel.
This next one is the one that had me scratching my head for a few moments until I figured out what they were trying to do. This is a corner of the basement, where I found dampness and new carpeting that was wet to the touch. I pulled back the corner of the carpet for a better look, and here is what I found....
Around the perimeter, they had chiseled out of the concrete floor, a little "channel" and installed some absorbent foam tubing, hoping to absorb some of the moisture that was entering the basement.
I guess it had reached it's capacity, because the surrounding carpet and foam padding were also wet.
This one was a first for me, after 23 years of inspecting, I have seen all kinds of efforts to disguise things, and all kinds of "waterproofing" methods, but never anything close to the stupidity level of this obviously laborious failed attempt.
I could go on and on about this particular house, and the shortcuts taken, but this should give you a good idea.
It just let's you know to what "lengths" some people will go to get by cheaply, or disguise something.
I'm still scratching my head deciding how to "write this up".
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I know, you have probably all heard it at least a dozen times.... but that's what makes it even more puzzling to me that I find SOO MANY smoke detectors not working, or operating improperly. Those of us that have the battery type that are not tied into any electrical system are the most at risk, because it is VERY EASY to forget to change those 9 volt batteries (that have now become quite expensive). Of course the rule of thumb is to change the batteries whenever the time changes to or from daylight savings time (about every 6 months). It's not that the battery type is unreliable, but it's more about US being unreliable in changing the batteries. (Hint: when you hear that little "chirp" every so often, and can't figure out where the noise is coming from... chances are real good that it is your battery operated smoke detector telling you that it wants a NEW BATTERY- NOW!) Even the ones that are "hard-wired" to the electrical system still have a battery backup that needs to be changed every so often. AND these detectors should also be tested with the "test button" at regular intervals as well. ( I know, you don't like hearing that screaching in your ears... maybe wear some earplugs before you do the testing- I do!) I usually test them near the end of the home inspection, put in my earplugs, and send everyone else outside. This way, no one gets the ringing in their ears. This house actually had the packing plastic still installed over all the smoke detectors! I'm afraid smoke would have a hard time getting through the plastic.
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Kevin is truly an experienced home inspector with great communication skills. He's been inspecting homes in Ohio for over 22 years! Specializing in First Time Buyers, Warranty & Investor Inspections.
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