Questions to ask during your Home Inspection
In our last blog post we gave a list of 10 questions that can be helpful to ask during your home inspection. In this blog post we’re going to start flushing them out, so you really understand what you should get out of these questions. Let’s dive on in.
Are you seeing any material defects?
Ok, first, what is a material defect vs. a latent defect? A material defect is anything observed by the inspector that is deemed to be damaged, broken, incorrect or poses a safety risk. This is what the inspector can readily observe. A latent defect is something that is hidden beyond the inspectors vision and cannot be readily observed during the inspection.
Asking about material defects is a catch-all question because it is quite literally what the inspector is there to find. These can be anything from “the deck is not properly secured to the house”, to “an escutcheon plate is missing or loose around the shower head arm”, to “the electrical panel is wired completely incorrectly and was smoking during the inspection”. That last example is normally a sign of someone who is not qualified to do the work, doing the work.
2. Are there signs of questionable building methods or materials?
These also group in with material defects above as well. Methods, in this case, refer to any visual queues that shortcuts were taken or things were just done incorrectly. An example of this would be things such as grading too high against a new construction home, AC or Heat-pump condenser units not level, or cut truss framing members in the attic…to name a few.
The first example I have not come across recently. The new construction homes we’ve inspected and in general, watched go up around the towns we go through, tend to have their grading done correctly. It is something we still always check for and report on for all homes, but this tends to be more of an issue with older homes. The second example, again on older homes this can happen because of time and settlement. It can be corrected. If this was a new construction home, that is a sign of them not really caring about the work. If they’re taking shortcuts in one area, it’s very possible they were doing it all over.
The last example quite literally leads to a question your home inspector cannot answer, but you should be able to find it from the homeowner. Truss roofing systems are designed by engineers with a calculated weight load and support path. Something that is common to see with these is some of the framing members have been cut. Sometimes it's to make way for an HVAC system install or an addition to the home was added in and the entrance had that framing member in the way. Sometimes it’s just the homeowner wanting easier access to more of the attic. Whatever the reason, this type of roof framing needs to be altered by a qualified engineer. They get the blueprints, make sure they know what is being proposed to be cut, calculate if additional supports need to be added and in what section, and then they sign off on it. Those plans have to be followed. Your home inspector will not be able to know this during the inspection; just because it is cut, does not mean it is a defect, but it is questionable. If we see it, we’ll report it to you, so you and your real estate agent can ask for the documentation on who did the alteration calculations and who did the work.
As for part of this that asks about material, this can be anything from siding materials that are known to have either installation issues or longevity issues, to repurposed old electrical cables, to accordion style sink drains. Siding material like EIFS can have issues with it caused by improper installation. Older installation methods and materials were also known to foster mold growth behind the outer layer. There are very specific things home inspectors look for while reviewing these.
In the second example, this a good sign that the homeowner or an unlicensed electrician was performing work. We’ve seen knob and tube wiring repurposed and reused. We’ve seen incorrectly sized wire run. We’ve seen the incorrect type of cabling used outside. All of these are signs that someone who should not have been performing the work…was.
Accordion style sink drains can be functional, but we hate to see them. P-traps are self scouring, they’re sanitary. The water in the trap refreshes and the old water is washed down the drain. Accordion style P-traps have grooves in them. Food particles can get stuck in them after a time. Is it functional, yes. Will it last as long as other types of rigid drainage, not normally.
Make sure to check back with our blog in 2 weeks for the reasons we recommend asking the next 2 questions to help make sure you’re getting the most out of your home Inspection.