Homes with crawl spaces need extra TLC. Water is the #1 enemy to your home and the entire structure is designed to shed water away from it. When water gets into your crawl, bad things can happen (think rotting support beams, mold entering into your living space). Crawls are dark, dirty, cramped – not a […]
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They say a picture is worth a thousand words and sometimes, a video is worth a thousand pictures. In this case, we see a brick support pier that looks a little askew at first glance. But as the video shows, it has completely separated from the wall which can jeopardize the stability of the structure.
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You likely wouldn’t know it by looking at it, but the first two photos are of a ROOF. A Mansard-style roof, to be exact. And yes, those are leaves and plants growing ON the roof. A Mansard roof is characterized by having very steep slopes/pitch on each side of the house and a flat or
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I could see from the ground that part of the stone ledge above the garage was loose. When I got on the ladder to check it out, I merely touched it and it completely came off in my hand. From that height, this could have seriously injured someone (especially a child) if it had fallen
Now you See it, Now You Don’t… Read More »
Can you spot the problem here?We’ll give you a hint… it rhymes with ‘hissing clownsprout’. . . . This gutter is missing a downspout (right side). That means that all of the water from rain, melting snow, etc. drains directly into the area next to and into the foundation. As water penetrates into the foundation
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This is definitely NOT what you want to see when entering a crawl space. Nearly all of the beams and joists in this home were being supported by very unstable “piers” that have been cobbled together using bricks and other materials (including a doorstop!). These are temporary fixes at best and very dangerous, as
How NOT to SupPort Your Home… Read More »
The crawl space is one of the most crucial areas a home inspector should inspect. This particular opening isn’t exactly large, but trust us, our inspector Rick has gotten into MUCH smaller spaces (attic openings are especially fun!). A home’s crawl space often contains HVAC components, exposed plumbing pipes, insulation, and vapor barriers and/or other
Rick Doherty, NC Licensed Home Inspector, on a roof checking for wood and structural damage. Roof inspections, when safe and accessible, are just one of the critical areas covered in our comprehensive home inspections. Rick moves through your home (or potential new home) foot by foot in order to provide the most thorough inspection possible.
Comprehensive Inspections Read More »
This home had a significant – but not obvious from the outside – gap in the attic. I discovered it during the home inspection and made sure to alert my client, the buyer. Gaps like this are an easy entryway for animals and insects like bats, squirrels, birds, hornets, etc. If a bat colony decides
This water stain on the ceiling might seem pretty obvious – but would you, the buyer OR the home owner, notice this in the guest bedroom closet? That is where I found this stain and it led me to the attic to investigate further, where I found evidence of a past active leak. Leaks like
Sneaky Leaks, Part 2… Read More »
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