Ray Wilson - NYS Licensed Inspector

It seems I just can't get out of the basement lately - with my recent blogs that is. A seller of a home I inspected yesterday finished off the basement and installed 2 complete bathrooms and a kitchen. They put in a waste ejector system inbelow the concrete floor for the wastewater from these plumbed-up rooms, but also ran the washing machine waste line, and main floor kitchen sink into the waste ejector system.

Yikes! The system overflowed when operated. Too many drain pipes are connected to the waste ejector system, and the open hole in the cover of the reservoir made the basement smell like a sewer. This is obviously a poor installation - food debris was present in the puddle left by the overflow. I'm glad nothing else was visible in the puddle.

The seller stated he did all the work himself. I kinda knew that would be the case for some reason.

Waste ejector systems work fine when installed correctly, but many people don't know that 2 pipes should exit the cover of the reservoir. One for the wasteline to the main waste or soil pipe (with a check valve in place so nothing flows in the opposite direction), and a second pipe to atmosphere, and when I say atmosphere I mean exterior atmosphere.

The seller also had hid mold on many wall surfaces by propping boxes and stored items against walls. Sneaky sneaky! The seller was not thrilled to see these things obviously. He was also now quite suspicious of the seller. Can you blame him? -Ray

I baffles me when I walk into someones basement and see the paper vapor barrier facing down. The vapor barrier, also known as kraft paper, is prevalent on most brands of insulation. This vapor barrier prevents water vapor from penetrating through and into the substrate material - such as your sub-floor.

The reason I am baffled is that if you are a professional insulation installer, you know the vapor barrier should face the living space. And if you don't know it, it is PRINTED RIGHT ON THE INSULATION!

I guess the boss does not tell his emplyees these things, unlike in the old days when people use to train their employees. New construction is where I see this most often, but of course, Harry Homeowner does the same thing sometimes. Next time you are in a basement, and you see insulation above you, and it is installed wrong so you can see the vapor barrier, read the instructions on the paper - it is plain as day. -Ray

I received a call from a recent client who was buying a house that needed a roof. She asked me for the phone number for a roofing contractor to do a free estimate on a roof. She is a single mom with 2 kids who makes a decent salary. She asked me for other contractor referrals as well, but I don't refer contractors.

I told her to ask the agent from the office she dealt with as many times these offices have relationships with local contractors who they screen so they can be sure they are recommending licensed, insured contractors that are reputable. I also mentioned for her to check AngiesList.com for reputable contractors.

The bond of trust I have with my clients is a wonderful feeling - they see I am out to help them and am on their side. They sometimes seem disappointed that I don't set them up with my buddies in the trades, but I don't go there. I have heard a lot of my competitors hand out business cards for all their buddies in different construction trades.

She settled on a roofing contractor that was $3000 less than 2 other roofers, and I thought that was suspicious. She is looking to save money, and I understand that. But it sounded fishy. She called me just before a recent snow, because she felt something was wrong as a leak had begun after a rain and she wanted me to take a look - the work was not completed, but the leak was from an area that was finished. The roofer put up tarps in the unfinished areas to cover the plywood and open skylight hole as snow was in the forecast.

I had some time and I offered to look at the roofing job for free, so I got up on a ladder to look at the finished area and saw some problems. No flashing was visible around the chimney, although they removed what was previously there. This is a problem. But the big thing was NO ROOFING FELT (tar paper) under the new shingles. This is a big problem. Obviously the roofer was a scammer, and I had the photos to prove it.

She called the real estate office she got the referral from, and the BBB and the local town officials who deal with unlicensed contractors. Turns out the guys license was up 2 months previous, and this was a 'side job' which was 'tax-free' according to the verbal from the contractor.

The contractor is now in hot water, and luckily my client only gave the guy $1500 to pay for materials, so she didn't get totally screwed, but she came close. I have seen at least 4 new roofs without tar paper since the start of my inspection business. The cheapest part of the materials (roofing felt) is one of the most important parts of the roofing installation.

So hire licensed, reputable contractors, and check the status of their license! IT IS WORTH THE PHONE CALL! My client tells EVERYBODY she meets about me. This walking, talking billboard is the best free advertisement a home inspector could ask for. What did I really pay for this advertisement? It took me 15 minutes of my time. Some inspectors would charge for this. Talk about ROI! -Ray

I have done a lot of blogs related to basement finishing lately. It seems it is one of the most important things on buyers' minds. They simply MUST finish the basement as living space. I do not understand this mentality. Why do you want to live underground? Did you buy too small a house?

I inspect really large houses too, and they have finished basements. It is almost always damp in these basements, unless you really do it right. Complete sealing off of the mositure that naturally penetrates through concrete floors and walls, and making sure groundwater and runoff don't permeate the basement is essential if you want dry comfort.

I have a woodworking shop in my basement, so I do like hanging out down there, but there is a limit to the amount oif time I can spend down there. I like my nice couch and loveseat in my livingroom. I like the view out of my windows. I like the glass block sidelites I made next to my front door.

Yesterday, I did an inspection in Baldwin, NY for a couple, and the first thing they asked me is 'Can we finish the basement'? I said 'yes', but to really do it right is not cheap. So many people don't put up plastic vapor barriers, or insulate properly, or first determine if water seepage will be a problem in the future. On Long Island, water infiltration is common. We live on an ISLAND!

My advice to buyers in this area is to live in the house for one year before any large expenditure for basement finishing. Wait and see what happens when you have 5 days of rain in a row. Wait for the spring thaw to see what happens in your basement. To spend thousands on basement finishing to have it ruined by a storm or prolonged rain is senseless. Whats the hurry anyway? - Ray

Many circuit breakers that are in service for many years have never had to perform their safety function. They stay on and never trip because the circuit has never been overloaded. This is generally a good thing, but circuit breakers should be shut off and turned back on at least once a year.

Some electrical service panels and their circuit breakers are left exposed with no covers which can cause problems. Every brand of circuit breaker has what is called an 'arc chute'. This is a small passageway that gives the arc (the spark of electrical energy when a circuit breaker trips) a place to go to atmosphere where it gives off its energy. When you leave a cover off a service panel, this arc chute can fill with dust, or worse, saw dust (if you do any woodworking like I do). This saw dust can ignite and be the root cause of an electrical fire.

Any doubts as to the condition of your service panel should facilitate a call to your local electrician. Have him/her check out the panel, exercise the breakers, and perform any maintenance that may be needed.

I have blogged many times regarding electrical problems I have seen in peoples' homes. Frayed paper insulation, frayed cloth insulation, spider webs, opne knock-out holes, loose wiring, lack of romex connectors, over-stripped conductors, rust from water infiltration and damp basements are common things for me to see.

The cost of calling in an electrician is far less than the cost of a fire, or the cost of loosing a life or many lives. -Ray