Defect of the Week

Twice in the past week, furnace flue pipes were found to be venting into the attics. This is a very serious problem as it can lead to structural problems for the house and can be deadly for the occupants. And what's more, it's a problem you would be unaware of when you buy your new house because you're not going to stick your head into the attic and check the flue pipe. That's why you hire me.

Whether the furnace flue pipe is installed improperly or has simply become disconnected for some reason, furnace exhaust gases that collect in an attic can cause mold problems, lead to wood rot, and can cause carbon monoxide poisoning if they backdraft into the living areas of the house. The furnace should be vented to the outside where the gases and the moisture dissipate harmlessly. Frequently, when a roof is being replaced, the flue pipe is lifted up by the roofers. This can cause the vent pipe sections to disconnect if they weren't properly screwed together and that creates a leak for the gases to escape into the attic. Other times, as in the past week, improper remodeling work might vent the gases just into the attic in order to save time, money and effort. Regardless, it's a fatal flaw that I always check for during an inspection. And, since it's the Defect of the Week, you see that it is a fairly common occurrence.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Reason #5,804 to have your house inspected

A brand new house, costing $300,000, was in beautiful condition. Until I poked my head into the attic during my recent inspection and saw that there was no insulation whatsoever.

So many misconceptions exposed in just one inspection:

1. A new home doesn't need to be inspected
2. An expensive home doesn't need to be inspected
3. The builder is offering a one-year warranty, so I don't need an inspection
4. No one has ever lived in this house, so there can't be anything wrong with it
5. Newly constructed houses don't need to be tested for radon - this house was tested and has a radon gas problem

Imagine your reaction when your heating and cooling bills were, literally and figuratively, through the roof in your brand-new, expensive home. And, the builder's warranty might eventually get you some insulation but it won't reimburse you for your gas and electric bills.

New houses can have as many defects as older houses. Sales price doesn't indicate quality. Warranties simply mean that you will live with problems before they are discovered and corrected. And all houses, new or existing, should be inspected before you buy so that you know the condition of the property at the time of the inspection and can negotiate to get necessary repairs done before you move in.

You're focused on floor plans, aesthetics, neighborhoods, and other factors when looking to buy a house. Let me look at the other aspects of the property for you and then give you a complete, written report (including photos) detailing my findings. Unless you want to climb a ladder, squeeze through an attic access, and see for yourself if there's adequate insulation in the house.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Timely maintenance

The year's flying by and it's time for some spring/summer maintenance on your house. First, clean out your gutters. Whether you're buying or selling a home, or just maintaining the on you live in, it's time for this twice-a-year chore.

It's easy to remember to do this in the Fall because all of the falling leaves clog things up. But, it's just as important to do in the Spring now that the maple tree "helicopter seeds"and the blossoms from flowering trees are down. Clogged gutters and downspouts lead to overflows and back ups that can put water in your basement. The clogs keep rainwater from flowing away from your house's foundation. Instead, it seeks out the cracks in your basement walls. So, now's the time to improve the drainage around your house's foundation by sloping the ground away from the house. And, keep the gutters and downspouts free from debris.

Then, check the condition of the outdoor section of your air conditioner. It should be relatively level and the outer coil should be clean. Dirt, pollen, cottonwood fluff, dryer lint and vegetation can clog the outdoor coil, causing it to work harder and waste money. I don't recommend power washing the outer coil. That is too harsh and can damage the coil or force the dirt farther into it. Gently brushing the debris down off of the coil or washing it with a garden hose is better. Some types of condenser units do need professional cleaning because of their design.

Thirdly, check the drainage on the interior part of your air conditioner, usually right above your furnace. If the drain hose is clogged, it can flood your furnace and ruin it. Once, a client buying a million-dollar condo simply said, "This inspection just paid for itself" when I opened the closet door to the air conditioner and found the drain pan overflowing, flooding the furnace and the floor, and starting to get the carpet wet. Make certain that the drain hose/pipe is near a floor drain or whatever your system is supposed to drain into. Sadly, simply seeing water flow doesn't necessarily mean that everything's okay. Remove the furnace's access panel and look for water. Remove the drain hose from the air conditioner and check for current or future clogs.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your own Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Not so fast

You have to move quickly to buy a house in Kansas City this spring as the inventory of existing homes keeps shrinking. In this "seller's market", your offer on a house may/will have competition. And you may begin to feel that you don't have time to really mull things over, revisit a house, or check things out thoroughly because you might lose the house to someone else.

This makes it even more important for you build a home inspection clause into your offer so that, before you sign on the dotted line, you'll be able to slow down and find out the condition of the house. Let me thoroughly inspect the property for you, from top to bottom, and give you a written report, complete with photos, detailing my findings. Buying a house is too important to just rush through the process trying to beat everyone else. Do what you have to do to get your offer in before others. But then treat yourself to a Complete Home Inspection before everything's finalized. You'll get some peace of mind knowing that your haste didn't stick you with a problem house.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Your inspection report

The written report you receive following your Kansas City home inspection is something I take very seriously. In fact, I was asked to give a seminar to other home inspectors during last January's ASHI Inspection World national conference on how to improve their inspection reports.

Following your Complete Home Inspection you receive a thorough and complete written report, customized to your house, detailing the results of the inspection. Your report begins with the summary of Recommended Repairs. This list of items that were found to be improperly installed, not functioning as intended, unsafe, or otherwise defective is organized by category to help you in your negotiations and in your decision making. Your report includes photos of the house, some showing various views of the house and its features, others pointing out problem areas that need to be addressed. And your report is laid out in an organized fashion, complete with a Table of Contents and Bookmarks to each topic, making it easy to navigate through the information. Essentially, it’s a whole lot of peace of mind for you.  (Watch a video about Your Inspection Report).

A realtor who had just experienced her first Complete Home Inspection sent a follow-up E-mail last week that said, "I just finished going over the report. I wanted to thank you for the professional report. Even though there are issues with the house, you didn't blow them out of proportion and terrify my buyer. This is his first home so he's already overwhelmed. Thanks again and I will definitely use you in the future."

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-02222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Mold hazards

The Johnson County (KS) Museum is having to limit visitors and close some of its exhibits due to mold in the building. Flooding in 2009 rendered the museum's basement unusable for employees and volunteers to work in. Now, new water damage from around the roof's guttering and from condensation off the building's stone exterior has led to mold between the museum's interior and exterior walls.

It's another example of how mold can make a building uninhabitable. And, it just underscores the importance of checking the air quality in your home. If it's important enough to force employees, volunteers, and visitors to alter their plans at the museum, it's important enough to find out if mold is a problem in your home. Let Complete Home Inspection do your air quality test for you, in the house you're looking to buy or in the house you live in now, so that you'll know what type of mold might be in the air you're breathing and how much of it there is. Whether your mold test is an air-quality test or a swab test, you'll know, in just a couple of days, if your family's respiratory health is at risk.

The museum's predicament also serves as a reminder that it's very important to keep the rain gutters on your house free of debris. It's easy to remember to do this in the Fall with all of the falling leaves clogging things up. But, it's just as important to do in the Spring with all of the "helicopter seeds" from maple trees, Sugar Gum balls, and the like. Clogged gutters and downspouts lead to overflows and back ups that can put water in your basement. The clogs keep rain water from flowing away from your house's foundation. The water, instead, seeks out the cracks in your basement walls. Or, in the case of the Johnson County Museum, leads to mold between the interior and exterior walls.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection and, perhaps, your mold test, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

"Remodeled" doesn't mean "fixed", either (see also 9/14/13 post)

The defect of the week, sadly, is that "newly remodeled" doesn't necessarily mean that it was remodeled well. Two different houses in the past week were just remodeled to be sold. My clients were correct to have the properties inspected regardless. Among the problems found in my inspections -

• Hot and cold water pipes reversed at a bathroom sink
• No cold water supply to a bathroom sink
• A live electrical wire lying underneath the garbage disposal, waiting for the outlet to be installed
• A house being converted to all-electrical, but without sufficient electrical service to the house
• Two different electric panels in the house being updated, neither correctly installed
• No backup heater in a house that just added a heat pump
• A kitchen exhaust fan vented through the house roof, with duct work disconnected in two places
• The old, disconnected furnace flue was now simply an open pipe to the outside through the roof
• The old, disconnected plumbing vent was now simply an open hole through the plumbing flashing to the outside through the roof
• A new fireplace stove insert installed in such a way that the exhaust couldn't vent through the old chimney
• The only heating register in a room was now enclosed in the closet, not the room.

The list continues. The point is that while it may be easy to think that a "newly remodeled" house won't need to be inspected, you can't let yourself be misled. Find out the condition of the property at the time of the inspection. Eliminate the surprises problems like this can give you. Know what you're buying before you buy it. My clients for these two properties are both very glad they insisted on inspections.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.