Amy Hall - BPG Home Inspector

I recently had the opportunity to attend an afternoon of framing inspection training sponsored by the Georgia Association of Home Inspectors (GAHI). Many thanks to Chris Keeling for sharing his experience with the group and to GAHI for organizing the event.

Every now and then, I’m hired to inspect a “distressed” property. These are typically foreclosures in which routine maintenance has been deferred for a long time, and expensive repairs are needed. I saw these items at one such inspection recently. The title on the record sums it up perfectly.

In the first photo, there are 24 A/C condenser units on this section of a three-story condominium building’s roof. None of the units or their shut-off boxes are labeled as to which unit goes to which condo. Many of the units appeared aged, and their shut-off boxes were significantly rusted. It’s important that your HVAC technician or electrician labels your equipment in multi-family settings like this.

In the second photo, you can see what was waiting for me in all but one instance when I opened the shut-off boxes looking for some type of labeling. These wasps chased me all over that roof! You can also see how rusted the box next to it is.

It’s “Fun Find Friday”! Most homeowners don’t like going into attics. The air isn’t conditioned, and you can get dirty from dust and insulation. Once, a homeowner even told me she was convinced a ghost lived in her attic, and it was part of the reason she was selling.

Here’s the thing. Rodents such as mice, rats, and squirrels think your attic is the bee’s knees. It’s insulation heaven to them, and they can tunnel, nest, chew, play, and p**p to their heart’s content there. After the critters move in, snakes sometimes follow because for some species, rodents are a food source.

In this photo, there’s a snake shed exiting an insulation tunnel at the top left. As an ASHI certified home inspector in Georgia, my recommendation for this client was to have a licensed pest control specialist evaluate the home and provide corrective action. As a side note, this home had tree branches hanging close to the roof line, providing easy access to the roof for climbing critters. The gable vents didn’t have exclusion screens, and the critters could enter the attic there.

It’s “Fun Find Friday”! Here’s some 50’s-60’s goodness. Take a look at this Rangaire brand radio/intercom/clock mounted on wood paneling.

There’s just no good way to test a bidet. And no, I’m not going to sit down and test it. 😬

It’s “Fun Find Friday”! I present to you this 1962 Carrier furnace that is fully operational. It’s 61 years old! They don’t make ‘em like this anymore, that’s for sure.

(I tried posting this yesterday for “Fun Find Friday” but couldn’t get FB to cooperate.)

Who remembers these handy, out-of-the-way toothbrush and bar soap holders that flip out of sight into the wall at the bathroom sink? My grandparents didn’t have one of these, but if they did, there would’ve been a bar of Zest soap there and a tube of Aim toothpaste somewhere nearby.

I found these pull-top beer cans inside the concrete masonry units of a crawlspace. I guess while some of the contractors may have had a Coke and a smile, the others apparently had a couple of beers and called it a day. Where are my Gen X peeps?

Your Grandma looking down from Heaven as you put laminate floors over beautiful hardwoods

It’s “Fun Find Friday”! I found this hand. That’s all. Carry on. As you were.