Integrity Building Inspections Plus LLC

I had an entertaining afternoon inspection making a new friend. I had to lose the collared shirt- those claws are something else!

It's wild to think 10 years has passed, being a home inspector. My name was shown in April's edition of ASHI's REPORTER magazine.

Here's to the next decade, and beyond 😎

You just never know what you'll see at a home inspection.

Happy Sunday! I took this picture earlier in the week, while on a roof looking in a chimney cap. Do you suppose the snake had success getting back out of the fireplace flue? I may never know, though the contractor who repairs the damaged flue tile may.

Inspections make for an interesting day, almost always. I make my living going to random homes, I've never been to (usually), hired by someone I do not know (usually) and evaluate the home to learn more about it than the folks who own it (usually). I find things that the homeowners don't know about and today it was a cat. A dead cat. A partially decomposed cat. You can't make this stuff up. It was above the basement ceiling between a steel beam and some ductwork. What's a guy to say?? I snap a picture for the report, discuss the unsanitary situation, highlighting health implications to one's respiratory system, recommend it be removed and the area cleaned, then move on. Here lies Fluffy...

Oldie but goodie. Merry Christmas everyone! 🎅🎄🎁

Here's an example of an unconventional approach to a leaky roof valley: set up sheet metal in the attic and direct the intruding water into a bucket.

A couple of thoughts:

-This did/ will not work well with the bucket on its side.

-Depending on the rainfall amount coupled with the size of the hole(s), you may be making several trips to empty it.

-Can you imagine crawling with a bucket of water through an attic? This was the area furthest from the access (40+ feet to the hatch) AND had the most vertical clearance.

Real situations, real pictures taken on this device at a home inspection.

I'm trying to decide how to caption this... this is a supply pipe with valve for a toilet passing through a baseboard heat source. Which caption is best:

-"When the plumber and HVAC tech don't get along."

OR

-"Now offering hot water service to your toilet."

Either way, this is nothing short of an unconventional approach, and possibly a safety hazard. Ah, the things I get to see out in the wild as an inspector 😎

I thought this was a nice attic, until it started in with the name-calling. 😅 Also, it's clear this material did not meet manufacturer's standards, yet it's installed in a building... hmmm...