Ray Wilson - NYS Licensed Inspector

This is a subject I have blogged about before, but today I found a real serious issue in a newly constructed home. It seems someone dropped 2 two by fours into the chimney flue for the fireplace during construction in a home I just inspected today.

I was laying on my back looking into the fireplace and checking out the chimney flue. The flue damper was jammed and I could not open it easily. It felt like something was resting above this damper. After a few minutes of trying to open the damper to check inside I finally got it open, and a 2 by 4 almost nailed me in the forehead! There was another on top of it also!

Yikes! I wonder what would happen if these were jammed above the damper and didn't cause the damper to be a problem to open. These could have caught fire when the new occupants tried out their new fireplace. Makes me shudder to think. I can't imagine someone did this on purpose, but maybe a disgruntled construction worker did this. Who knows.

Well at least the buyers felt they needed an inspection. They did not use a real estate agent for this transaction - they were dealing directly with the builder.

So you think new construction doesn't need an inspection? Think again! - Ray

People are sometimes shocked to hear there are termites and carpenter ants in their home when I perform an inspection. The usual response is "we don't have termites!". Then you show them and they realize they do. Some will still not admit it.

If you think that because you never had termites that you will never get them, or carpenter ants - which can cause a lot of damage too - then you are kidding yourself.

First off, remove any tree stumps from the property. These are foods for wood destroying insects, and when they finish eating there, they look elsewhere, like your house. Wood debris and old fencing is also a target for these ravenous creatures. Remove any wood scraps and any wood-to-soil contact.

Ivy and other plants growing against the house and garage can also invite carpenter ants, so have the foliage growing on the house removed. I see some beautiful homes with ivy covered walls - this is really a bad idea. Your a ringing the dinner bell for wood destroying insects.

Crawl spaces that are never checked are one of the most common areas for termites to enter a home, and if you as a homeowner don't go in there, how do you know whats going on? You don't! Also, concrete steps against the foundation are probably the single most accessible area that termites enter a house from. They can enter where piping enters the foundation walls, and if you have a floor pit in the basement for the house main trap and you have a wooden cover on it, you might as well put up a sign that says "Eat at Joes". Moist wood attracts all types of insects. And if you have many spider webs and spiders, that should be a clue that you have lots of food for them. Spiders eat other insects, and lots of spiders means lots of insects.

So take precautions with your home and don't wait for an inspection to happen before you figure it out. Maintain a contract with a qualified pest control company. I deal only with local family owned businesses when it comes to termite inspections in conjunction with my inspection. The big companies like Terminex do not do nearly as good a job as the small independent companies, I have found.

Some home inspectors have a certification to inspect for termites, but in New York state you must have an applicators license to treat for wood destroying insects. If you do not have an applicators license and you are performing a termite inspection for a client, in my opinion, you are doing a disservice to the client. Well experienced termite guys should do termite inspections. What would you rather have: an inspector who took a class on termites, or one who treats homes and businesses every day for a living? I know which one I would choose. - Ray

Asbestos was once considered a wonder product because it had so many fine attributes. It was a great insulator for heat, it was tough (used in floor tiles), and was also flame resistant. Only years later did we find it ain't so good.

If you see those old faux (fake) chimneys on houses from the 50's and 60's, many times there is asbestos insulation surrounding the exhaust piping as it enters the ceiling above the boiler or furnace, and it can extend up through the attic.

I often see a 'ring' of this material in the metal bulhead above the heating plant where the exhaust piping enters the bulkhead. If the faux chimney is in poor condition, or in some cases when the raincap is missing as it has rusted away and rainwater is entering the exhaust piping, this can be a real problem.

I saw a house yesterday where the faux chimney was in such poor shape that the rainwater was soaking the asbestos material and depositing this water/asbestos 'solution' onto the exhaust piping and top of the boiler. The water evaporates and leaves brown/gray asbestos powder behind.

I will always recommend a licensed asbestos contractor evaluate the exhaust system in a situation like this. That brown or gray powder can be accidentally blown around the basement, especially if the homeowner or recent buyer doesn't know what it is. - Ray

I rarely experiece this, but once in a while it happens. I show up for the inspection and the selling side abruptly approaches me (even before I get out of my truck) immediately with comments like 'you KNOW the house is 'as is', or 'there is no room for negotiation', or 'the seller CANNOT put a DIME into this house', or 'the sellers are already taking a serious beating in this market'.

YES I KNOW! How can you not know.

I see the heartache and troubled couples on a regular basis that are loosing their dreamhome, and I do not enjoy it. I does bother me. I couldn't dream of loosing my house because I cannot afford the adjusted monthly payment.

I isn't all the fault of the predatory lenders. Some people bit off more than they could chew. That doesn't make it any easier for the people involved.

I guess this abrupt pre-inspection 'warning' is due to the fact that many agents have experienced that overzealous inspector who rattles off repair quotes like an auctioneer. Many times I ask of the agent what kind of prices are quoted. It seems more often than not that these prices are so over-inflated that they cannot be based on any kind of reality.

It is not the inspectors job to decide what the 'discounted' price of what the home should be. It is not the inspectors job to decide exactly what and how an item is to be repaired, and at what cost. This is the realm of the licensed professional contractor.

I have been asked things like 'Are we getting a good deal?', or "How much to fix all the electrical problems?'. These are things I cannot answer, and I should not be put 'on the spot'. I can sometimes come up with a 'ballpark' number on certain things, but I really shy away from it - you really have to push me for this, but I do resist. I always recommend a contractor be called. I know this is an inconvenience, as sometimes the agents do not want contractors in the sellers home quoting repairs, but it should be an option. Put yourself in the buyers' shoes. They would like to know what is involved monetarily.

This is not the job of the inspector in my opinion. If the inspector is also a contractor and does quote prices, you have to ask yourself this 'Are you a contractor, or are you an inspector?' Do one or the other. If you can't make a living at either one by itself, you must not be very good at it.

In New York State, my association lobbied very hard to enact the licensing law, and we drove out many of the part timers, and the plumbers, and carpenters, and the electricians who all thought they were inspectors, and it ,for the most part, worked.

It is working now too as many of part timers are now gone, (especially in this difficult market which is not as bad here as in other areas) and the people who are dedicated to this profession full time can make a better living.

We get the continuingh education, and eat, sleep, and breathe inspection. That is the way it should be. But this is MY opinion. Yours may differ.

So, yes I do know there is 'no room', and I do know thay 'cannot afford to replace the boiler'. The buyer sometimes doesn't want to hear it. This is all just part of the 'game' we call real estate.

Just wanted you guys to hear this from a different perspective. Thanks for listening - Ray

I performed an inspection in a wealthy neighborhood today. The house was unusually large - over 2500 square feet. I generally charge the same fee for all houses under 2200 square feet, but the bigger houses take much more time and can have much more to them.

I asked the agent what the square footage was only because I know the area is known for large homes and mansions. She said it was a normal size home.

I said 'Normal for WHO?' This place was sprawling, and I soon told the buyer the fee would increase by only $75. And I got an attitude from the agent! Un-freakin-believeable!!!

I kick butt on my competition as I am at the lower end of the fee scale as I am an independant and I can charge less than the franchise guys. The buyer pays for the big franchise fees. I have no such fees.

I asked the buyer and his agent "Did you want a regular inspection, or a Meticulous Inspection?'

When the inspection was over, the buyer had no qualms with me and gladly wrote out the check to the fee I indicated. The agent seemed annoyed. Oh well. I told the agent to call one of my franchise competitors next time and even gave her the number. When she hears they are more than $150-200 more than me, she may call back. - Ray