Buying a new home may be one of the biggest investments of your lifetime. Getting a professional home inspection can help you understand the current condition and value of the property. If you are selling your home, consider getting your own inspection so there aren't big surprises uncovered when you try to negotiate the sale. Either way, getting a home inspection can help you with your investment and maybe even your personal safety. 

Take a look at some inspection findings below. Even new construction can have serious problems!

A New Construction Home

Improper Attic Duct Work

Attic duct work has specifications that include proper sealing and insulating metal ducting. The attached photo shows how a homeowner tried to add extra duct work using electrical tape. The result is a poor job of insulation and lost energy efficiency. Also, the metal ducting will probably sweat during the summer months which could stain the ceiling below this area.

A Crushed Dryer Vent

A recent inspection revealed this crushed, excessively long and curvy dryer vent. While you may think a crushed dryer vent is a minor find, think again. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that there are 24,000 lint related dryer fires in the United States each year, resulting in $96,000,000 in property damages.

Dangerous Water Heater Installation

 
A do It Yourself Owner addition, Buyers Beware.

The Home Buyer in this case was visibly proud to show that he had two 40 gallon water heaters in his prospective new house.  He was less than happy when he found out how dangerous this installation really was, with flexible foil clothes dryer vent pipe and plastic foil duct tape to secure it.

A Disconnected Fireplace Flue!

A house fire would be the result if this wood burning fireplace had been used. The flue was disconnected in the chimney stack and was visible from the attic space.

The client actually had this new construction home inspected the day after they moved in. They thought about starting a fire on their first night; but decided to wait until it was inspected.
 

Water Leaks

Water leak/damage found in the crawlspace. Polybutylene is shown, which is a piping material that is known to fail. Click here for more information on (Polybutylene)

Roof Gable Vent on New Home

This is a shot of a roof gable vent.  The center wall studs were cut in half and never removed. The vent was never properly framed out.  The remaining unfastened portion of the vertical studs just hangs from the top. This was missed by the municipality's building inspection department.

Crawlspace Problems

 
Unprotected wiring can be a serious safety hazard. The duct was installed right through the floor joist with no bracing. The top of the joist shows water damage and decay. A garden tub sat right above this area and water had seeped through the carpet and subfloor. Batten insulation was laid across the top of the floor joist and sandwiched between the floor joist and plywood subfloor during initial construction.

Why should you never make a dog lot on the same side as your air conditioner?

 
This pet was bored and decided to play with the compressor. Damage to the fins was noted during a home inspection and an opinion by a licensed HVAC was recommended. During their visit they allowed the AC to run long enough for ice to begin developing on unit. The damage to the fins was enough to require replacing the compressor. Estimated cost was $2,500. Bored dogs also have a habit of chewing the electric lines servicing the unit causing not only potential injury to the dog, but the home as well. The Buyer was extremely happy that they paid for a thorough home inspection. As for Fido, well we better not get in to that.

Recently Replaced HVAC System

 
The HVAC system was replaced recently when the termite technician mentioned that the distribution box in the crawlspace had large rust holes in it. The company that came to do the work informed the homeowner that the box was indeed damaged, and due to the age of the system, it made sense to replace everything at the same time as the distribution box. The owner signed a contract for $6400 and the work was done. When an inspector went in the crawlspace, he discovered the damaged box was still leaking conditioned air and had never been replaced as quoted!

Gas appliances installed incorrectly can be deadly!

This inspection revealed a return air vent located directly below a Non-vented gas heater. The return air belongs to the Gas furnace and is part of the ductwork of the homes heating system. The return air pulls air from this room and sends it through the furnace to be heated and the supply duct sends it again to all the rooms in the home. If this wall unit (which is Non-Vented) malfunctions, carbon monoxide can be created. With the return air located below the unit, carbon monoxide could be drawn in and distributed to the bedrooms in the home. Non-Vented heaters such as this one, are not allowed in bedrooms for this reason.


The second picture shows the copper tubing supplying natural gas to the Non-Vented wall unit. As a rule, copper tubing is allowed when using propane. But when using natural gas, "hard-piping" or steel should be used to within about 3 feet from the appliance it serves before changing to copper. A cut-off is required here as well.  The reason for the difference in materials (copper or steel piping) is, that if there was a leak or rupture in the copper tubing using propane, the propane barrel would go empty. With natural gas however, there is no end. Gas would continue to be released which could make a bad situation much worse. In summary, gas appliances are safe, but dealing with any fuel source one must practice safety and common sense.

To check out what an actual report looks like:
 (Click Here to view a Sample Report)

Also, Click the following links for more information about:

Mold: http://www.epa.gov/mold/

Radon: http://www.epa.gov/radon/

EPA http://www.epa.gov/- which includes information on asbestos, clean-up, Lead, Mold, etc.

Consumer Safety & Recalls http://www.cpsc.gov/ from swimming pools to items in the home

Polybutylene plumbing in homes http://www.polybutylene.com/poly.html

Federal Pacific Panels http://www.inspect-ny.com/fpe/fpe.html Fires waiting to happen, debate waiting to be ended