Louis Agudo- Roswell Home Inspector

Drop ceilings are an affordable solution instead of drywall ceilings in a basement. Drop ceilings are also homeowner friendly in terms of installation. Drop ceilings are also where I find many safety issues and defects.

Depending on how many rooms there are, I will pop up 1 or 2 panels per room to see what is up in the cavity between the ceiling and the floor frame above. What do I find? Electrical defects are the number one issue. Splices that are left in the open with wire nuts or taped together and not in an approved receptacle with cover are a safety and liability issue.

Ceiling tiles that are bellied is another example of what I find. What is causing that belly in the tile? Usually a recessed lighting fixture or supply/return registers that is not properly installed. The result could be a collapsed fixture and tile which could hurt someone.

Bathroom and dryer venting is another issue. I will find bathroom vents that exhaust into the cavity of the ceiling and floor frame above. What does this do? Dampness permeates this area and possible mold and mildew growth will occur. Dryer venting has the same moisture issue but also all the lint fills the cavity which is a fire safety issue.

I am also able to see leaks from plumbing fixtures above. This is easy to find and evidenced by the water stain on the ceiling panel. Also, looking at the underside of ceiling panels I will find where they have been replaced. Some tiles will also have a date of when they were made giving me an indication of when possible leaking or damage in that area occurred. I am then able to tell my client that they may want to ask the home seller about the new tiles that have been replaced and why, what or if there was a problem.

I do have to be careful removing ceiling tiles to gain access. If I break one, I feel I should have to replace it and some inspectors won't look up there for that reason. These are many more issues that can be found but these are just a few. I feel that if you want to do good job for your client, looking into a drop ceiling is necessary. Who knows what will be found? And Why Not?

Warning to Realtors. Do not turn on any systems that are not turned on.

Why not turn on systems that are off in a home during an inspection? Liability. My insurance coverage does not cover stupidity. When I am at an inspection and a water valve is turned off to a toilet, I don't turn it on. If an AC service disconnect is in the off position, I do not turn it on. If an electrical breaker is in the off position, I do not turn it on. If a water heater pilot is not lit or the water is not turned on to the water heater, I do not turn it on. Why? There may be a good reason why the system is not turned on and also for liability reasons.

This past week I had an instance where the water supply to a basement bathroom was not turned on. I recommended that a qualified, licensed plumber inspect and test all fixtures for proper functioning and draining of waste water. You're probably saying to yourself that is excessive. No it is not. The waste water drained into a holding tank for an injector pump that removed the waste water to the main waste line that was 6' in the air. The outlet for the pump was electrified but other then that, I do not know if it worked. My guess was that the water was turned off for a reason.

My client asked me why I am not turning the water on and I explained the reasons. He said that he needed to know and that he would turn the water on and accepted responsibility. He did turn it on. He tested the toilet, ran the sink and shower and was happy that everything worked.

We left the bathroom, turned the corner of the hallway and there it was, a flood. The pump was not working in the tank and the tank must have been filled with water. The tank overflowed allowing all the water that was run to flood the floor and carpet area. What a mess to clean up.

This issue was not divulged in the disclosure statement. My client and his realtor now understand why I don't turn on a system that was off and why I recommend further evaluation. I have a few more stories like this that I will share in the coming months. Now everybody, repeat after me, "I will not turn on any systems that are not turned on at time of inspection"

Oh What A Beautiful Morning

The past couple of weeks have been phenomenal. Gone are the hot humid days replaced by afternoon temperatures in the 70's. This past Wednesday morning was 56 degrees when I walked my daughter to the bus at 7 AM. I even had to wear a sweatshirt. Fall has arrived and it is beautiful.

With the arrival of fall and the cooler temperatures that accompany it, now is the time to get our homes ready for winter. There are steps that homeowners can take that are both cost effective and easy to do. For the next couple weeks I'll be touching on different areas of maintenance for our homes which will get them ready for winter.

Why is caulking important?

If there are voids in siding joints, voids where siding butts into trim or voids where trim butts into trim, now is the time to caulk these areas. Why keep our caulking maintained? We need to stop water, air and insect penetration. Water is a mortal enemy of wood. Remember that water easily sucks up through the end grain of wood. That is why most of the decay that I will find is at butt joints. I think most homeowners are familiar with the decay I'm talking about.

Would I recommend caulking decayed areas? No. For me, replacement of decayed wood is the only way to go. I know that I will probably get some flack on this. Homeowners have had success removing the decay then applying a wood hardener, then applying an epoxy, shape and paint. This is acceptable if done right but for me it's a personal preference of replacing the wood.

Is wood replacement a repair that most homeowners can do? That will be up to the individual homeowner. Obviously the decay in the pictures is of wood that should be replaced. But how does trim get to that point. Lack of maintenance. Make sure to look at all the trim on the home. Take care of these areas before they turn into costly repairs and you will be better off for it. And Why Not?

Homeowners take their decks for granted. Decks are degraded by the environment. Occasionally powerwashed and cleaned. Once every Leap Year maybe some preservative or staining occurs. Homeowners drag all sorts of items across them. Splintering occurs, cracks, nail pops, peeling paint, mold and mildew. You name it and it's happening to the deck. Decks need to be maintained like any other part of our homes.

There is nothing more beautiful then a well made deck. From above, all decking boards evenly spaced. All fasteners equally spaced on the face of the boards and slightly countersunk. All post of the railing securely fastened, bolted to the deck frame. All railings securely fastened to the post. No more then 4 inches of spacing between any area of the railing for safety. All stair risers the same height from top to bottom.

When on the first floor looking up at the framing of the deck, we should see a securely fastened ledger board bolted to the home, not the siding. Flashing installed up the sidewall under the siding and over the ledger board to make for a water tight connection to the home. All joist securely fastened to the ledger board with metal fasteners. All joist securely resting on a double girder which in turn should be resting on post. The post should be securely attached to a metal fastener that has been embedded in the concrete footing. The concrete footing should be a minimum of one square foot by two feet in depth and depending on what area of the country you are in, below the frost line. The post should not be in the ground.

Of course, this is not the only way to build a deck nor is it everything that should be done when building a deck. I'm just trying to provide information of what should go into the building of a deck and what should be looked for. Sounds pretty easy, doesn't it. At least it should be for the people who build decks. Too bad it's not what I find on inspections.

Every year, all over the United States, there are serious deck accidents. The frame of a deck pulls away from the home because the ledger board was nailed to the home not bolted. Or the ledger board was attached to siding which has decayed over time also decaying the rim joist of the home. What I also see are girders that are nailed to post, not bolted but nailed. Girders should rest on post and also be mechanically fastened. This shouldn't happen but it does.

When a deck collapse happens, people get seriously hurt. People get burned from a hot grill. Disabling injuries can occur and in some instances even death.

How do we know if the deck is attached properly? I look for bolts. If there is an unfinished area in the basement or crawlspace, I'll look for bolts coming through the framing with nuts and washers attached. When I have no access, I bang on the bolts to see if they are secure. I want to see the girder on top of the post.

I look for safety when it comes to our decks and a deck collapse should get us all to take a closer look at our decks. By no means is this everything that should be looked at when inspecting decks but this information should give you a heads up when viewing a deck. A great time for a deck inspection is a month before the big 4th of July Party or the High School Graduation Party or the 25th Anniversary Party. When it comes to the safety of our family, friends and loved ones $200 doesn't seem like a lot of money to protect our investment. And Why Not!

I received a call from a Realtor yesterday. She told me that she was writing up a contract for a client and she brought up the issue of Radon. Stating the need to test for it and how the EPA recommends that all home-buyers test for Radon.

He asked her why should he pay someone $200 for a continuous monitor radon test when he can easily go and buy charcoal canisters at Home Depot and do it himself for under $50? She didn't know what to say. This is the information realtors need to answer this question.

This is easy. Charcoal canisters are biased to the last 12- 24 hrs of testing. No matter how long they are being used. Secondly they are sensitive to temperature and humidity. Thirdly, they are sensitive to air flow extremes. And finally, they can easily be tampered with and moved by an unscrupulous seller.

I use a Radalink continuous monitor and I am a licensed affiliate. This type of monitor takes an air sampling once an hour for 15 minutes until the testing is completed which is after 48 hrs or longer. It also keeps track of the temperature, barometric pressure and relative humidity. This way any variances can be accounted for in the testing. It is tamper proof and has a tilt feature if it is moved.

As with most things in life where people are trying to save a buck, You get what you pay for. And when it comes to our families, $ 150 doesn't seem like a lot of money to protect their health.