Recently, I inspected a house in Ferndale where I noted handyman drain-waste-vent plumbing practices at the exterior.
The property owner had installed an exposed ABS drain line, and the laundry room utility sink was unconventionally vented adjacent to an exterior wall. A qualified contractor should always evaluate these types of unorthodox issues, which I cited in the report.
If you have questions or comments about plumbing issues or home inspections in general, tweet me (@AIHomeInspect).
Tim Hance of All Islands Home Inspections documents handyman DIY repairs to a roof from a recent home inspection. Noted were displaced shingles, recently repaired and failed which, because they were displaced, I was able to tell there wasn’t a necessary tar paper underlayment installed. If you plan to conduct DIY repairs on your roof, please follow the installation instructions found on every package of roof shingles! Better yet, hire a roofing contractor.
Typically, furnace filters have a sheet metal cover with latches for ease-of-removal and replacement. In this case, tape was used which, while effective, isn’t really a professionally installed filter compartment cover. This was discovered at a recent home inspection in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island.
Handyman support columns and bases were discovered under a masonry fireplace in the crawl space at a recent home inspection in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island. Upside down CMU masonry blocks (holes should face upwards!) and aggressive shimming, together with the lack of a positive connection between the post base and above floor structure, warranted further evaluation and repair by a qualified contractor.
Wow, look at this handyman dryer vent ducting! I can see two sizes of vinyl, solid metal, flexible metal and- for good measure- let’s couple it with ABS drain pipe. I’m not making this stuff up, I promise! This was discovered at recent home inspection in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island. I always recommend installing solid metal ducting for safety reasons, and annually cleaning/maintaining as lint is flammable and can accumulate in dryer ducting.
Handyman framing practices, rafters heavily shimmed at their bases, was noted in the attic of a recent home inspection in Anacortes on Fidalgo Island. While there weren’t any visible issues presenting within the home at the time of inspection, this really should be corrected by a qualified framing contractor to ensure the roof’s structural integrity is maintained over time.
Handyman deck construction practices were noted at a recent home inspection in Bellingham. Here you see deck boards unprofessionally installed over OSB sheathing at an exterior deck platform where the OSB sheathing is completely deteriorated. OSB sheathing is not rated for exposure to the elements and will deteriorate quickly if allowed to get wet. It certainly isn’t an acceptable material for exterior deck systems. In this case, the deck boards will need to be completely removed, OSB sheathing removed, and then deck boards installed again. I think in this case, the homeowner was attempting to provide shelter to the underlying exterior storage area, not realizing that it would deteriorate in short time.
Tim Hance of All Islands Home Inspections shares a video from a recent home inspection with an unconventionally capped chimney flue.
See more videos on our YouTube channel!