Top 5 Home Inspection Defects

As a home inspector who inspects homes on a daily basis, it never fails to amaze me how the same problems show up on one home after another.  This is especially disconcerting since many of them are so easily seen and fixed. Here I present you with five of the most common defects I have found. Please use this information to allow you to identify and repair  defects before your home inspector visits.

When selling your home, you should should complete a detailed walkthrough of your home before you put it up for sale and try to anticipate the items that the prospective buyer or the buyers home inspector will uncover during the inspection.  Make the repairs now and reap the rewards later.

Here are the top five inspection findings for our region of Newfoundland and Labrador:

Double Taps

A double tap exists when two electrical wires share one connection in the electrical panel.  This wil be identified as a defect by a home inspector. We see them frequently where the panel is full to capacity.  The problem is simple to understand. Two wires are screwed into one terminal.  It is conceivable that one of the wires could be pinched by the terminal correctly but the other one can work loose.  This can be a fire or shocking hazard. Fortunately this is generally an easy fix.  Have a qualified electrician move the wire to another terminal or add  capacity to the electrical panel to accomodate.

Missing Faceplates

All electrical switches and sockets require faceplates.  A simple and inexpensive component that blocks access to the sides and interior of the box.  The inside of the box contains wiring that is energized and a definite safety hazard for the curious child who decides to stick a finger in it. Although this is one of the simplest defects to fix, it is shocking (pardon the pun) to see just how many of these uncovered faceplates we encounter. 

Gutter and Downspout Problems

Gutters are installed on a home to collect the water flowing off the roof and then redirect it away from the home.  A roof is a large surface and the amount of rainwater that it catches and sends down to the gutters is significant. However, it is after the collection phase that things often go wrong.  Water collected in a gutter system should be redirected into a downspout, down through a leader and away from the foundation.  It is suggested by our training that this should be a minimum of 6 feet away in order to keep the water away from the foundation. Why is it then that over 80% of the homes we inspect have mising downspouts and/or missing leaders.  When you watch these defedctive systems during a rain storm, the water dropping next to the foundation is significant.  All that money and effort to catch the rainwater and then it gets dropped at one point by the foundation.  Thats water than will then be far more likely to enter the home. The solution - add the appropriate downspouts and leaders.  Its an easy fix and can really pay off.

Water Stains

We find water stains frequently and they are a major red flag.  A water stain denotes the presence of water either in the past or present. Any inspector will investigate more thoroughly to determine if there is a current source of water at that point in the home.  However, a positive determination can not always be made and we cannot guess, so doubt may exist as to why the stain is there. So why is it that homeowners who have previously made needed repairs to their home past have not repaired the damage that was done by the water.  For example, a leaky pipe is repaired but the water stained ceiling tile below is not.  Or the clothes washer leaked but has since been repaired but the stained baseboard is left as is.  As a home inspector (or a prospective buyer) we look thoroughly for water stains.  A stain is the most glaring evidence of water entry into the home.  If you have had a previous water entry issue and it has been repaired, repair the damaged area as well. Disclose it and everyone will breathe a little easier.

Missing or Loose Handrails

Most stairs require handrails.  About 70% of the homes we inspect are missing one of more hardrails.  In other cases the handrails are loose, too low or have sharp dangerous edges.  It may see like a small issue but to fall down a set of steps whan a handrail could have easily prevented it is a real safety issue and one we should not take lightly.  Check your stairs, ensure they have good sturdy handrails.







For a professional home inspection in St. John's, NL. or surrounding areas, please contact the professional home inspection company you can trust...

www.guardianhomeinspections.ca

Ph. (709) 689-6454

VORA - Visually Observable Readily Accessible

VORA - Need to see it, need to access it.

There are many standards adhered to by home inspectors.  In our region of St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador, many of the inspectors use the Canadian Association of Home and Prroperty Inspectors (CAHPI) and American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) Standards of Practice (SOP).  However, there are many others that have similar themes.  Almost all of them use VORA or a variation on the theme.

VORA means Visually Observable and Readily Accessible.  The idea here is pretty straightforward. Essentially it means that we can only inspect systems that we can see and that we can reasonably access.  I will be coming back to this many times in future posts with some great examples but at this point consider this.  A home inspector does not have xray vision.  The inspector has hopefully trained in a good program such as Carson Dunlop or equivalent.  With proper training the inspector is trained in defect recognition but there are limits.

Typically at the time the home inspector visits the home, the buyer has not yet finalized the purchase.   We are guests in the home.  As such, we have to be very careful not to damage or invade the structure.  We cannot cut holes in walls to look inside, we have to be careful when examining electrical systems to not inadvertanly shutdown a critical circuit (grandma could on an oxygen machine upstairs) and so on and so on.

We also have to be concerned with personal safety, possible damage to the structure and access restrictions. Consider this one example.  In a recent inspection we completed, the crawl space entrance was filled with mouilding and other boards riddled with nails.  This rendered the area inaccessible.  There was a definite safety concern from the sharp nails and dificulty getting into and out of the crawl space.  In this case at least part of the crawl space was not Visually Observable and none of it was Readily Accessible.  If it was a board or two then most inspectors will simply move them briefly or crawl around them but in this case that was out of the question.

If an area of the home does not pass the VORA test then an inspector will generally report it as such, inspect as much of it as possible, and move on.  This is common in most of the standards we have reviewed.


Glenn Thorne
Guardian Home Inspections

Welcome

Welcome to the Home Inspection Newfoundland blog.  This blog is intended to share the results of our experiences while performing Home Inspections in Newfoundland.  Our inspections are primarily of homes in Newfoundland and in particular in the Avalon Peninsula area. This is where our company, Guardian Home Inspections is established.

Ths blog will be of interest to you if you are a new home buyer, home seller, real estate agent or any other person who wants to demystify the home inspection experience.

We will provide you with tips for preparing for a home inspection as either a buyer, seller or agent. We will also have many interesting posts on industry trends, standards, common defects, professional practice and much more.

I hope you enjoy the blog and of course constructive comments are always appreciated.

By the way, we would be remiss if we didn't mention our company.  Its called Guardian Home Inspections and has developed a reputation for providing one of the most comprehensive and professional home inspection experiences available.  We have very competitive prices as well.  You can visit us online or call us directly at (709) 689-6454.

All the best!

Glenn Thorne