Ray Wilson - NYS Licensed Inspector

I performed a home inspection yesterday in my hometown of Farmingdale, NY. The listing agent on site was quite agreeable and friendly, and stated a home inspection was recently performed by a competitor of mine. Who exactly it was I was not told, nor do I care, so I didn't ask. I was told that this inspector was well known and in the business for quite sometime.

The report according to the agent described the termite damage that was found as not needing repairs. Once I saw the damage to these 2 floor joists, I knew these joists were in need of repair. The floor joists were 12 inches apart, and were 2 by 6 lumber. 2 by 6 lumber is not allowed to be used as floor support in modern construction, but was common when this house was built in the 1920's.

The agent, while still remaining congenial and polite, wanted to call the other inspector who had said the damage was not in need of repair. I stated I did not need to, nor did I want to speak with him. Floor joists are installed for a reason. To remove one or two will not cause the house to collapse, but they do help support loads.

Now, if you happened to have a heavy piano located above this floor joist, or a heavy couch with a few heavy relatives on that couch, I doubt the floor would collapse, but a low spot could develop, or a nicely finished floor could crack, or if tile was in the area, the tile or grout could possibly crack.

Termite damage is common in older homes like this one, and many times hidden damage can also be present. I did find other termite damage in other areas as well.

My point is that these findings are based upon the individuals' expertise, experience and training. Opinions can and do vary. My opinion is different than anyone else's, and I reserve the right to state my opinion based upon what I see, and what my training has taught me.

In this case, the damage is relatively easy to repair, except for the fact that the contractor routed wires through one of these joists, which will need to be un-wired so the work can be done. If these wires were not there, and it was my home, the job would take me an hour, which includes the drive back and forth to the lumber yard for the wood. I am sure tha average contractor would charge at least $400 for this repair to these joists (without un-wiring). Not a real big expense, but an expence all the same.

Anyway, as I said, we all have an opinion. If you were purchasing this house (or I was for that matter), you would want the repair work done, wouldn't you? - Ray

I can't tell you how many times I see ceramic light bulb sockets in peoples' closets near cardboard boxes, cotton blankets, and other flammable material. These inexpensive bulb fixtures can be disatrous if a cardboard box in your closet crashes into a lit bulb without your knowledge.

These fixtures should be replaced with proper light fixtures that will protect the light bulb from damage in case something hits it. Also, I have been seing a lot of track lighting in bathrooms lately. Track lighting is NOT supposed to be installed in bathrooms and closets. This should be common sense to most people, but sometimes people just want what they want and don't have work done by professionals.

Have you ever seen the bumper sticker that says 'Wiring is no hobby - call an Electrician'. This is a bumper sticker I agree with. - Ray

A As a Long Island home inspector, I find nasty termite damage in 1920's tudors regularly. These homes can be such works of art, yet when you look at the bones, they have not been maintained.

I performed an inspection in Great Neck, N.Y. today, and the house was magnificent, but there were 8 completely termite-destroyed beams, and one badly damaged sill plate. The sellers were up in arms when I told them the news as many people deny the fact, but when they saw the damage, they couldn't say anything. You could literally push your finger through a 2 inch thick piece of structural wood.

If people only maintained a contract with a termite company, maybe this could have been avoided. I don't know if perhaps they may have purchased the house this way. The sellers told me they didn't have the home inspected when they bought it 15 years ago.

This will wind up costing the sellers 5 to 9 grand! Yikes! - Ray

Many agents get listings that they don't take the time to investigate. They walk through, but don't see much or give advice to sellers on what should be done before a buyer comes into the house, and then returns with their home inspector.

If some would take the time to advise on things like overcluttered space, dirty curtains, catboxes, and cigarette stained walls, there would be a much better chance on selling the home.

Todays' buyers are making ridiculous offers on houses because they think they can in this climate. Don't wait for someone to see the clothing hanging on the boiler piping. If the inspector can't walk through the livingroom without tripping on debris, a more complete inspection will keep the buyer at ease.

Have the boiler serviced, and remove garbage and stored items so the house can be shown properly. -Ray

I often see newer homes built within the past 10 years with multiple cracks in the poured walls of foundations, as well as in the floors and am asked by buyers why this happens. There are many answers to this.

If you have ever tiled and grouted a floor, you will know that the grout manufacturers recommend you spray a fine mist of water onto the grout joints for three days after completing the job to keep them moist because as this material dries, the moisture leaves too quicky, causing cracks. Well the same goes for concrete. When the moisture leaves the concrete rapidly, cracking can be the result. Do you think a foundation contractor comes back 3 days in a row to spray water on his newly poured foundation?

Other things such as pouring in weather that is too cold can cause cracks. There are chemicals that the concrete contractor adds to the mix to combat the effects of extreme cold, but it doesn't always work. Unfortunately these days, many contractors don't care what happens after they leave. As long as they get paid, they just move to the next job.

If an excavation contractor digs too deep for the job, they sometimes will back-fill with sand or soil, but unless it is virgin soil or it is compacted with a vibrating compactor, this backfill will settle as the years go by, causing more cracking.

Foundation floors also crack, and sometimes quite heavily. Some contractors were putting heavy plastic down before pouring the foundation, but this also caused a lot of problems. The idea was to keep moisture from leaching upwards through the floor as this happens naturally. I saw a new foundation floor completely removed on a modular home so the plastic could be removed and they could pour a new floor as the original poured floor looked like those pictures of the desert where cracking is present everywhere.

The house I inspected last week is less than 10 years old and cracks are present that are visible from inside and outside the house - see picture. When you can stick a pencil through the crack and pass it to someone outside the house, there is a problem. This crack as viewed from the interior is directly under a beam pocket - a recess in the concrete wall where the main girder rests. This beam pocket looked as bad as the beam pocket at the other end of this girder, so this is a major defect.

Sometimes, you just can't beat an older home when it comes to structural integrity. -Ray