One of the most common problems I find as a home inspector is bathroom vents not exhausting to the exterior. More often than not they simply expel right into the attic.
Sometimes a half hearted attempt is made to pipe the exhaust vent to the exterior through the soffit. This method is generally not allowed. Air is drawn into the soffit as a means of attic ventilation. As a consequence the air from the bath vent is then sucked back into the attic.
On a recent inspection I found this bathroom vent with a finished louvered end placed in the soffit of this home. I couldn't decide, maybe who ever put it here couldn't as well, where the vent had been intended to be placed.
Had they intended to put it through the roof or install the louver in the soffit? I guess no will ever know, but I do know this; that vent has to be moved.
James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:
| Learn more about our Infrared Thermal Imaging & Diagnostics services. | Learn more about our energy audits, the Home Energy Tune uP®. |
Being a home inspector is more than a little like being a detective. Often clues present themselves, if you know how to recognize them, and a conclusion or more often a theory can be drawn.
During a recent inspection I noticed that the home had a newer addition. The buyer said he was told it was built in 2006. The addition included a two car garage, large kitchen add on and master bedroom. It was built over a full basement. The original house has a partial or low basement.
Upon entering the garage I noticed the stairs didn't feel right. It turns out each stair was of very different heights. Stair height can not vary between stairs by more than 3/8 of an inch. Clue #1.
I next noticed there was an attic with a pull down stairway above the garage. Going into the attic I noted the garage and the interior living areas were all common to the space. Because of this there needs to 
be fire separation walls. The placement of these walls depends on a few factors. In the case of this addition a fire rated pull down stairway would be required. Also all the walls inside the garage would have to be covered with gypsum board. The exterior walls in the garage were not covered. Clue #2.
Next onto the basement. The basement stairway lacks a handrail, lighting and light switches at the top and bottom of the stairs. Clue #3.
All these clues, and there were others, add up to one thing; an un-permitted or un-inspected addition.
I have found many people believe that a building permit is what is required when building an addition or deck for example. These people would only be half right. Pulling a building permit should be one of the first things that is done before starting a project.
As the project progresses it also has to be inspected by the city building official. He signs off on the completed work as meeting code. His signature should be found on the permit which is supposed to be displayed in plain view.
My customer near the end of the inspection alerted me to a building permit he saw in the side window of the garage. I had walked by it earlier and not noticed the faded paper. Looking at the permit it lacks even one signature from the town building official. I was not surprised at all by the lack of sign offs.
What this all boils down to is the entire project was built without a single inspection from the town. Some of what was discussed here are fairly serious safety deficiencies. Additionally there were some structural issues uncovered.
So when you hear some say a permit was pulled for the work the next question should be; was it closed meaning inspected.
James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:
| Learn more about our Infrared Thermal Imaging & Diagnostics services. | Learn more about our energy audits, the Home Energy Tune uP®. |
A few weeks ago I told the tale of my new resident woodchuck Chuckie. I had found out about my little friend by his not so graciously chowing down on my vegetable garden.
Well it turns out ol' Chuckie actually has two homes, one under my deck and one under the neighbors. My neighbor has vegetables and I heard Chuckie helped himself to his tomatoes.
The gardens are pretty much gone now and Chuckie has taken to eating acorns outside my window. I believe he does this to taunt me.
I had thrown moth balls around and under the deck because I had heard it would drive Chuckie away. After salting the perimeter Chuckie disappeared for a few weeks. I thought I had seen the last of him.
But as you can see that is not case. I suspect he was vacationing across the way at his second home while the mothballs melted away. Cunning little rodent.
I have another card up my sleeve for Chuckie. My Father-in-Law just purchased a Have a Heart Trap because he has a couple of Chuckies cousins making a mess of his yard. Once he's taken care of his problem I will be borrowing the trap for Chuckie.
Hey Chuckie! The moving men are coming soon!
James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:
| Learn more about our Infrared Thermal Imaging & Diagnostics services. | Learn more about our energy audits, the Home Energy Tune uP®. |
How many times as an inspector or real estate agent do you go to a home and find a note about the pets? The most prevalent is not to let the cat out. Dogs are almost always taken away or crated.
Funny thing is most of time you never see the cat. It is cowering under a bed or closet somewhere in the house afraid of all commotion and strange voices. Once in a while you get one that is quite social and hangs around the whole time being cute.
The other day I was inspecting a small one floor condo which had a small section of basement at the front of the unit. There was the cat note on the door when I arrived. It said there were two cats inside.
After we got in the house one of the cats cautiously came out and became very friendly. Progressing through the inspection the where abouts of feline number two became a topic of conversation. Eventually there was a search mounted in case the scaredy cat had some how slipped out the door.
After some looking around under beds and in closets no cat was to be found. There was one place that had not been checked, the basement.
One of the agents said with a shudder there was a place in the basement where she was fearful the cat might be. We all went down stairs and went over to a large covered object against the wall. I pulled back the cover and saw this.
We never did find the cat and that snake had a mysterious lump in his belly.
James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:
| Learn more about our Infrared Thermal Imaging & Diagnostics services. | Learn more about our energy audits, the Home Energy Tune uP®. |
Electricity is a mysterious energy source. You can't see it but you most certainly can feel if you come in contact with an energized wire. After which you may just have a new hair do.
I was inspecting a home the other day that had clearly been recently updated. Nice looking place which an obviously single couple was occupying.
Remodeled always gets my radar going at ultra high frequency. Often there is work done by someone other than a professional. As I went through this home it was clear the remodeler was the homeowner.
As they say the devil is in the details and that is where it was apparent our homeowner was the handy man. Not to take any thing away from the guy because all in all it was not bad workmanship.
But as I said electricity is a mysterious energy source and takes a level of knowledge above the homeowner handyman to comprehend.
In the electric panel I found a newer 220 volt wire. It didn't look right from the start. The wire appeared to be for the newer dryer.
I noticed that the ground wire was not connected to the panel. This was odd because there was a ground terminal in this panel. I put my voltage detector on the wire and;
Houston we have a problem!
There should not be any current coming through the ground wire unless there is a ground fault or other problem.
My guess is Harry Homeowner crossed some wires. When he discovered that the wire was hot, he then probably decided to leave it as you see it. After all the dryer works.
This problem is often referred to as back feeding but usually occurs on the neutral wire. That wire is in very close proximity to the panel and if it makes contact would energize the panel. Then all someone has to do is touch and the panel and zzzzzzt, new hair do or worse.
Bottom line here is it's a danger and needs to be repaired by a licensed electrician. This illustrates once again why professionals should be doing the work and not the homeowner or his Uncle or Cousin, etc.
James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:
| Learn more about our Infrared Thermal Imaging & Diagnostics services. | Learn more about our energy audits, the Home Energy Tune uP®. |
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Customer service focused, Connecticut licensed, ASHI certified home inspection company. We specialize in residential & small commercial building inspections, energy audits & infrared thermal imaging.
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC is a full service, CT licensed, ASHI certified home inspection company based in Wallingford, Connecticut. Our inspectors perform home inspections in Fairfield, Hartford, Middlesex, New Haven, Southern Litchfield and Western New London Connecticut Counties. All home inspections and reports provided by JRV Home Inspection Services meet the Connecticut Home Inspection Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics mandated by Connecticut State Regulation and overseen through the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.
JRV Home Inspection Services does not claim to adhere to other Standards of Practice put forth by every home inspection organization in existence today. Nor do we assert to follow a multiple list of Standards as other inspection companies' may proclaim. That would obviously be in direct conflict with the Connecticut Standards. In Connecticut there is only one Home Inspection Standard, any others are inconsequential.
Why use JRV Home Inspection Services? We will let our customers explain.
In our opinion our greatest asset is a satisfied customer. Because of our strong, continuing commitment to our customers, we reward them for their referrals.
Inspectors Profile
James Quarello, the founder of JRV Home Inspection Services, brings to the company an over 20 year background in industrial equipment installation engineering and home remodeling. Mr. Quarello is a graduate of The Home Inspection Institute of Americas' intensive Connecticut certified HI-100 Home Inspector training program. He is also a graduate of Inspection Training Associates (ITA) New Construction inspection program and has passed the National Home Inspectors Exam (NHIE). 
Jim is a certified member of The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) and is active in the local Southern New England Chapter (SNEC-ASHI) where he currently serves as chapter President. He has also served in the dual capacity of Director and Education Committee Chairman. Jim holds Connecticut Home Inspector license # HOI 394.
Jims' qualifications include:
Articles Mr. James Quarello has written or been featured as a source. Mr. Quarello was highlighted in a local newspaper article titled, High-Tech Home Inspection, on using an infrared thermal imaging camera during home inspections and energy audits. Jim's article, Home Inspection 101, on choosing a qualified home inspector was published in the American Society for Quality Inspection Division newsletter. His article New Construction Progress Inspections was published on Ezine Articles earning expert author status and also in the September/October issue of the American Society for Quality newsletter. This article; Keep Your House Clean or Else, Jim was the primary source of information for this piece on Quinnipiac University student housing.
JRV Home Inspection Services conducts a thorough, 3 hours or more, home inspection consisting of a roof to basement evaluation of the readily accessible areas of the interior and exterior of the home and its mechanical systems. We spend all the time necessary to be sure you understand and are aware of the actual condition of the home prior to your purchase.
We are an experienced, professional, CT licensed, ASHI certified home inspection company serving Fairfield, Hartford, Middlesex, New Haven, Southern Litchfield and Western New London CT counties.
We present the finished inspection report immediately upon completion of the home inspection! Included with every home inspection is a Termite / Wood Destroying Insect inspection and separate report, and a 62 page home maintenance guide.
We will also include with your report additional information on radon, radon mitigation systems, well flow, lead paint, or septic systems if relative to your particular home. We also offer a wide choice of additional inspection services that many home buyers today require.
JRV provides these additional home inspection and environmental services
Termite/Wood Destroying Insect Inspection We include a CT certified termite inspection with every home inspection.
Radon Testing We conduct EPA & State approved continuous monitor radon testing in air. We can also sample your well water for radon. Our inspectors are CT DPH trained radon testing provides.
Water Quality Testing We are able to perform a wide variety of water quality sampling for certified laboratory testing.
Mold Sampling We strongly suggest reading the information contained on our mold page before deciding to have any mold sampling and testing performed.
Infrared (IR) Thermal Imaging or Thermography: We are currently among a very small minority of home inspection companies in Connecticut that can provide this state of the art inspection technology.
New Construction Consultation & Progress Inspection Service If you are building a new home or having an addition or large renovation done on your existing home, we can provide comprehensive project oversight.
Energy Audits-Home Tune uP: We can provide an energy efficeincy assessment of the home utilizing state of the art energy efficiency software to provide a detailed, itemized list of all available cost saving upgrades.
Septic Systems We strongly encourage hiring a professional, certified septic installer to inspect the tank and system thoroughly before closing. It is also advisable to obtain all records from the current owners to determine if problems may exist.
Lead Paint We do not perform lead paint inspections. We recommend hiring a State certified lead inspector from the current list of certified lead contractors or contact the Connecticut Department of Public Health Lead Program. Any individual or company performing lead testing not on the State list is operating illegally and putting you and your family's health at risk!
Because servicing our customers many needs is important to us we gladly accept most major credit cards.
JRV Home Inspection Services proudly offers our client testimonials as proof of our skill and dedication to providing the best, most comprehensive Connecticut home inspection available. We are more than happy to provide contact information for our past clients if you would like to speak with them directly about our home inspection services. Comments from our clients about JRV Home Inspection Services home and condo inspections... The inspection conducted by JRV more than met our expectations. An extremely thorough and professional job. The inspector, Jim Quarello, proved to be quite knowledgeable about the various systems in the home; and he gave us a comprehensive education of all facets of the home and the inspection process. For us, the purpose of the home inspection is to be sure that the home you are considering purchasing is a worthwhile investment. Jim's thorough work left us with a great sense of comfort. After watching Jim conduct the investigation and explain the results, we knew that, if anything in the house were not up to speed, he would've uncovered it. We enthusiastically recommend Jim's services. Bruce & Eileen Seeliger I would like to highly recommend JRV Home Inspections for your next purchase. I am an active real estate investor and recently had the privilege of working with Jim and his team. He inspected a seven unit building for me. I was most impressed with his systematic approach to the building as well as his tedious attention to detail. Although most of the units in the building were identical, he approached each one as if for the first time taking nothing for granted. He was extremely knowledgeable and did an excellent job of explaining any concerns or defects that had arisen. I enjoyed his professionalism and thought that his follow up in the days and weeks after the inspection were refreshing. I will be utilizing his services on all of my future purchases and will recommend his company to anyone I know purchasing a property. Tony D'Agostino I hired James Quarello to inspect a home I was looking to buy after friends of mine referred him to me. My friends recommended Mr. Quarello after he had inspected a home for them and they said he was very detailed and professional. They were dead on. Mr. Quarello showed up early, before my realtor and I arrived, was very thorough in his inspection of the house I was looking to buy, was patient, answered all my questions, knowledgeable on every aspect of home structure, repair, maintenance, and inspections. Overall I was impressed and relieved to have hired Mr. Quarello to inspect the home. I would definitely use him in the future and recommend him to anyone who is looking to have a home inspected in the future as well! Brian B. Dear Mr. Quarello, My wife and I would like to say thank you again for the detailed inspection you conducted at our future home. When buying a new home, the consumer is always worried that the inspector will run through the home overlooking the items that will later cost a fortune to repair. I myself being a carpenter am aware of a lot of the little things that should be carefully inspected. You took around four hours (and god knows most inspectors after 2 or 3 hours just want to pack it up!) and still were willing to stick around to make sure we were fully aware of the things we needed to know!! In a world where customer service is pretty much shot, its GREAT to see someone take such pride in the work they provide for the consumer, and explain everything we were not so sure about in such great detail to us was more than we were expecting. Thanks to you we now know our investment inside and out!, and that's priceless! Sincerely, Christopher S. Metzger Jim, We would like to thank you for your knowledge and professionalism during our home inspection. We found your performance impeccable and commendable, and this from two prior homeowners who never experienced such a systematic and thorough attention to detail. We walked away confident in our selection of inspectors and secure in knowing we were given full disclosure of inspection findings written and verbally as well as additional reading material for new homeowners. Later that day we found ourselves already speaking highly of your company and we plan on continuing to do just that at any opportunity which presents itself. Thanks again for making the process of buying a home that much easier for us. We will be recommending you to our family, friends and acquaintances. Sincerely, Jim & Tina I was very pleased with the excellent home inspection I received from JRV Home Inspection. They spent hours inspecting my home, individually met with me and answered every question I had, and enabled me to purchase an older home that was safe for my four year old even though I know nothing about building. Thank you so much for conducting our home inspection on our very first home. We were very pleased that you were able to accommodate our scheduling needs. We were even more pleased when you conducted our home inspection with such expertise. Thank you so much for your attention to detail & your ability to convey your findings with us. Since your visit we have been able resolve your finding with our seller, we feel confident that by recommending you to our friends & family they too will be pleased!. We look forward to our closing that is scheduled later this week! Kind regards and happy holidays, Lionel Bonilla, Tamara Laskey & Kids Dear Jim, We would like to thank you for your excellant inspection of our new home,our closing is one week from today. Buying a home is a very stressful process,but you helped to make things alot easier for us. We were pleased with the completely thorough inspection. You pointed out things we did not know about and made suggestions of repairs to be made, you eased our minds. Thank you for your help, we would highly recommend you to anyone purchasing a home. Warmest wishes!! Tim, Maria and Jaimi-Lynn Anderson
Fairfield, CT
Innovative Home Solutions
Hamden CT
Hamden, CT
Wallingford, CT
Wallingford, CT
Dr. John Pagano
Meriden, CT
Wallingford, CT
East Haven, CT
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