Michael BurfittInternachi certified professional inspector |
|
As both a home inspector and a semi-nerd, I always like to collect and analyze data. One benefit of this is that I can identify trends and look for anomalies during an inspection. For example, the most common plumbing DWV (drain, waste & vent) system I see is scientifically known as (C8H8·C4H6·C3H3N)n, better known as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene(ABS) which looks like hard, black plastic pipe. Over 95% of the homes I have inspected contain some amount of ABS. It’s not just a plumbing material either: did you know that all Lego blocks are made of ABS? You can see a small bit of this pipe sticking out of the roof on almost all homes when looking from the street, so this statistic doesn’t surprise me. Probably the second most common thing I see is asphalt roofing shingles and like ABS pipe it provides the best combination of quality and value. Again, probably 95% of the homes I inspect use asphalt shingles, although this number will drop in the future as metal roofs are becoming more popular. There are two types of asphalt shingles: organic and fiberglass, with most now using fiberglass as organic shingles were generally not made after 2006 and completely discontinued in 2011. Now let's take a look at the two major types of asphalt shingles for residential roofs: 3-tab and architectural. I have not begun to track shingle style yet but both are common in Nova Scotia. 3 Tab Shingles They are so named because they have three tabs on the bottom part of the shingle. They have a flat, uniform design and look like the picture below. The main advantage of 3 tab is that they are lightweight and generally more affordable. Architectural Shingles These can also be known as dimensional shingles and are thicker, being composed of a more random, textural look that can look more like other materials such as slate. Typically these shingles are more durable and last longer but with the disadvantage of a higher initial cost. In my experience, most homes (my own included) use this type of shingles.
It's Not Quite THAT Simple
There are also various grades of shingles available on the market. Unfortunately, determining the grade of shingle is beyond the ability of a home inspector but it is important to note there is no such thing as "bad" shingles. I always like to joke how every company has a "good, better and best" but never "crappy, less crappy and mediocre". In this case, the former is a good representation of the products on the market and a quality installation is far more important to a long lasting, leak free roof.  Summer is a great time for Softball! I remember one Sunday morning I took my then two-year-old son to the playground bright and early before my softball game when suddenly someone approached me noticing my Inside Edge Home Inspections vehicle and giant logoed T-shirt. He then proceeded to tell me that he was new to the area and was looking for a home inspector. The next thing he said caught me off guard: he asked me “so.... why should I pick Inside Edge?” I might be a great home inspector but coming up with an elevator speech on the spot is not my greatest skill. I gave a general answer about how I'm an independent, experienced inspector with a large amount of education. In hindsight, while it was a good answer, I didn't really give a clear, definitive reason why I am the best choice for a home inspector. While playing my game later that day I thought about a better answer I could have given and then I thought about the sport I was playing. Setting aside the debate over the new pitch clock in Major League Baseball, one major difference between baseball and most other sports is the lack of a game clock. While you may have a general idea of when a baseball game will usually end (the average this season is 2 hours and 38 minutes), the bottom line is you need to make 27 outs to secure victory. Getting back to home inspections, I could talk all day about my extensive education and my natural abilities as a home inspector, but I think my edge (pun intended) can be summed up in one sentence: I don't look at a clock during a home inspection. During my first year I always asked people how they found my company and I received a few answers: prior positive referrals from satisfied clients, my listing on Google, my website, and my pictures. However, one person mentioned how they used to use an inspector for many years and recently decided to change because they felt the inspector was more interested in rushing to the next job than giving a quality home inspection. It sounds like a cliche but it's true that your home is the most expensive investment you will ever make in your life, and I don't need to explain that houses are expensive. As such, it's always been our company mission to provide the highest quality inspections possible. One way I do this is make sure we never schedule back-to-back inspections and while the average inspection is not far off the length of an MLB game (usually a bit over 2 hours), and like a major sporting event I generally only do one inspection a day. Of course, the home inspection industry ebbs and flows throughout the year so if I do schedule two in a day (and never more than two) I always leave time to accommodate the unexpected, like an NHL playoff game that goes into triple overtime. Funny personal anecdote: I attended the 2016 University Cup and the first game went into quadruple overtime. Since there was no buffer between the two games, the second game didn't end until 12:45am! Yes, I attended both of them and took these pictures and while memorable, the lack of planning for this contingency (there was only an hour scheduled between games) made for a very long evening. Guess what happened the very next afternoon? Yes, that's a 6 under the period column, meaning this one went to triple overtime and the second game was over 90 minutes late starting. In the home inspection industry, like a sports team, it's important to focus on what you are good at. In my case giving clients high quality inspections and treating every client with the respect and care they deserve is my calling card. While we have outstanding value we never have and never will be the cheapest in town because we take the time to give a quality inspection that will make you feel you made the right choice in putting your trust in Inside Edge Home Inspections.
I remember back in my University days there was a website where you could enter the name of a person or organization and it would instantly spit out a convincing sounding essay about how bad that person or organization was, using lots of impressive sounding words. In reality, it was just a bunch of generic statements and the essay was always the same aside from the name. There has been a lot of buzz about an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program called ChatGPT. For those not familiar with it, ChatGPT is impressive to put it mildly. It can instantly provide answers to complicated questions in many different ways on just about any subject you can think of. For example, I asked it to write a blog post for a home inspector in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which is the place we call home. On the surface this sounds like a great answer that makes this blog potentially obsolete but let’s take a closer look:  On the surface, this sounds like a great answer but it highlights why a Chatbot is not a substitute for a blog written 100% by yours truly, an experienced and Certified Professional Inspector and most importantly someone who is an actual living, breathing human being! I have noticed much of what we see on the internet lately is written by bots (home inspection related content being no exception), with the goal of getting to the top of search engine rankings (called SEO or search engine optimization) instead of sharing quality content.
The most obvious problem with this ChatGPT response is that you could plug in "Moncton", "New York City" or "Toronto" and it would not change anything. There are some things that are incorrect or half truths in this "blog post". Let me point out just a few of them:
Overall, this AI created blog post is mostly true and grammatically correct but it is definitely a shallow representation of why it is important to hire a home inspector. I tried asking for a few blog posts on the same subjects I have previously written about with the same result: it's a great starting point but it is in no way comparable to the knowledge an experienced home inspector has. Contrary to my critical tone, overall I have a strong belief in the power of AI programs such as ChatGPT to assist homeowners and provide a wealth of complex knowledge in an easy to understand format. However, being a home inspector, like many fields, requires far too much subjective judgement to be replaced by automated response bot.  This is an example of how we home inspectors can "see" wall studs. As a home inspector, I frequently get asked what is the most common issue you come across?, which I have discussed a few examples on this blog. One question I would love to be asked is what do you see that's normally correct?. One such area that I rarely if ever encounter noteworthy issues is in the home’s framing. I recently performed an inspection where it was clear the house required a significant amount of updating, in particular the electrical, roofing and plumbing systems, however, no issues were detected in the home’s framing. I remember my client asked me “are you sure the framing is okay?” repeatedly and I assured them that I did not detect any issues whatsoever despite the fact it was an older home. Much like the human body the framing is the home’s skeleton and the backbone of a safe home so it is definitely an area that shouldn't be neglected. While it is true that often floor joists and wall studs are hidden behind drywall there are ways of verifying proper construction techniques. One such way is by using my favorite tool: the thermal imager. Here you can see a clear example of where the wall studs are located. This is known as a thermal bridge because wood does not insulate as well as actual insulation and shows up as a darker (colder) spot on the image. That doesn't mean however that all framing is perfect by any means. There are common issues I do look out for and even if they aren't worth fixing I usually point them out as being technically incorrect. Here are a few examples of many I come across: Studs/Joists That Are Cut It is common to see electrical, plumbing and HVAC lines that run directly through floor joists. there's certainly nothing wrong with this as long as it is done properly (I won't bore you by quoting codebooks). There are a few guidelines that home inspectors use to evaluate if a joist has been improperly cut:
 Insufficient Nails in Joist Hangers Probably the most common issue I see with a home’s framing is in the joists hangers. They have a large number of nail holes and while they are supposed to be all filled with nails in reality I rarely see this. In the grand scheme of things this isn't really a major deal as long as a handful are missing here and there. If, however, I'm only seeing two to four per joist hanger that is when I get worried. In my own home some have all the nails filled in and some are missing one. That is not a concern to me although technically it is incorrect. Cracked Joists One thing I see in my own home is a split on one of my floor joists, commonly known as wood checking. This is essentially caused by wood that was installed wet (known as green wood) and dried out, causing the cracking. Would I like to replace it? Without a doubt. Is it expensive to replace? Yes. Is it going to cause the house to collapse? Of course not! Therefore the best course of action in this particular case is to take no action. If half this joist was separated and hanging that would be another issue which is why they need to be evaluated on an individual basis.  I sound like a broken record when I say every home has issues but I am also aware that homeowners don't have a bank vault at their disposal and need to prioritize fixing their homes. The framing issues I come across are generally not issues that are a major concern.
I am now entering my third year running an independent home inspection company and what a fun ride it has been! I can now confidently say that every home is different, no two homes are alike and one of the most exciting parts of being a home inspector is discovering something new. It is always fun to see a unique feature of a home and to see things that we previously have only seen during training.
However, there are some things that are the same on every inspection and while no two inspector’s skill or background is the same there are some things every inspector should know. It always comes off as a shock when I tell clients that there are zero home inspection regulations in Nova Scotia, and anyone can legally call themselves a home inspector in a week or two. Here is a sample of some questions a home inspector should be able to confidently answer after every inspection. Does This Home Have Concerning Electrical Issues? While we are not electricians, home inspectors should be able to detect most major electrical issues. They include:
What Are the Major Plumbing Materials? Most homes I inspect use copper pipe to bring service in from the street, cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) for distribution and plastic, and either ABS (black) or PVC (white) for wastewater. An inspector should be aware of materials that may or may not be a concern such as:
Does The Home Have Potential Water Infiltration Issues? There is a common phrase I use which is “water is the #1 enemy of homes” and biggest concern I get called about is moisture and the damage it has caused. A home inspector should know that water has many ways to enter a home and some of the many signs of water damage. Like many home inspectors, I use a number of tools as well as all my senses to look for signs of either active or potential water infiltration into the home. While we don't have X-ray vision and leaks can be very difficult to detect, a home inspector should be aware of the various ways unwelcome ways water can enter a home. These are just some baseline areas that all home inspectors should be able to confidently speak of. While we are generalists, not specialists we should have a strong enough knowledge to identify the majority of home defects. Your inspector should answer these three questions either verbally or in a report. One of the negatives about having relatively mild winters is that we frequently have temperatures around 0 degrees Celsius (or 32 degrees Fahrenheit) and these temperatures can fluctuate between both sides of that number. This can help to form icicles and while as a child it was always fun to break them off, this is a major red flag for home inspectors as no properly constructed home should have them. Icicles are an indicator for one of the main cold weather concerns for home inspector: ice dams.  Fun for kids, bad for home inspectors! What is an Ice Dam? An ice dam is a problem caused by heat, not cold. It is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow (water) from draining off the roof. Heat escaping from the attic space tends to melt snow, which re-freezes before it is shed from the roof. Contrary to popular belief, sloped residential roofs are generally NOT designed to be waterproof but rather to rapidly and quickly remove water, preferably into a eavestrough and downspout system to be moved away from the home. Snow is a relatively good insulator, so snow will melt close to the roof and remain visible from the outside. Take a look at the picture below for a clearer understanding of how ice dams form.  Why is it Such a Concern? You might think: the attic gets a little damp: a well ventilated attic will quickly dry out so what's the problem? The answer is this is simple: water, like nearly everything flows downhill. This means that water will compress and permanently damage attic insulation at first. This will lead to further heat loss through the attic and the formation of even more ice dams and corresponding leaks will increase in frequency. Eventually it will slowly enter the ceiling on the top level (an active leak is rarely obvious at first and before too long can cause major damage to a home). See below an example from a recent inspection where our client was concerned about moisture in the home.
The thermal imager shows a very clear anomaly. For my fellow inspectors reading this, you cannot automatically assume this is moisture without further proof: it could just be an area where insulation is missing and this was done on a cold winter's day. My own bathroom shows a similar cold spot but it's from poor insulation in that area not a roof leak. In this case it was obvious from just looking the ceiling was saturated with water and a quick use of a moisture meter confirmed what I already knew. This ceiling will have to be replaced and new drywall installed but the first priority is stopping the leak from happening.
Further investigation shows this particular example was not directly from an ice dam but is the perfect representation of what can easily happen. Remember, moisture is the #1 enemy of homes and an active water leak can seriously damage and even destroy a house! If you are seeing icicles, the first thing you should to is pop that attic hatch, take a look for water infiltration and take appropriate action before water gets into the home. When I originally set up my online business profile, there was no option for “home inspector” and I was redirected back to the option “building inspector”. This has since been corrected and for good reason: while they sound like similar career paths, they are in reality very different. I personally would like to see home inspectors referred to as “Professional Home Consultants” as this term better reflects the more broader services we provide.
What is a Building Inspector? Building inspectors or code inspectors are usually employed by the municipal government. While they do inspect homes as well as commercial properties, their focus is more on building code violations and enforcement. They generally are involved in both new construction and renovation activities and their main focus is that builds are done according to the various building codes. Building inspectors often have a heavy caseload and often cannot dedicate a significant amount of time to each site they visit. What Exactly is a Home Inspector? Home inspectors (such as yours truly) are usually either self-employed or work for a small company. We usually deal with individuals, often during home buying although I have been contracted by companies (such as property management companies) and have done inspections that are not part of any real estate transactions. Our focus is to check all significant aspects of the home and its various systems based on knowledge of home construction and operation. While we can have a working knowledge of codes, we do not bring codebooks with us and do not engage in any form of law or code enforcement. We also tend to work in many different municipal areas, such as Kentville or Bridgewater and each area has specific building requirements whereas home inspectors standards are generally uniform across North America. Our main concerns are twofold: identifying safety concerns and items that need repairs with a special focus on big ticket items. The Biggest Difference Between the Two To sum it up briefly, a building inspector often uses an objective, pass or fail evaluation similar to a school teacher’s test while a home inspector is usually far more subjective in their evaluations. There is no such thing as failing a home inspection although it goes without saying that some issues are far more serious than others and are highlighted accordingly. Welcome to Nova Scotia! There has been a recent spike in people who have chosen to make our city home from both across Canada and around the world and it is wonderful to see the vast and growing cultural diversity when walking around town. My son will get to grow up in a community that is much more welcoming of diversity and valuing of inclusion and I am happy to see our city change for the better. However, as a professional home inspector based in Halifax and having grown up on the Dartmouth side of Halifax Harbour, I see a lot of misconceptions about homes in our community. The overwhelming majority of professional home inspectors in the world are in either Canada or the United States and this is not a coincidence. North America is certainly an economically strong region but there is a common misconception that homes are virtually maintenance free. This is FAR from the truth, and I have never inspected a home that did not have at least one issue (yes, even brand-new homes). Homes in North America are NOT Built Like Tanks There is a commonly held belief that houses in Canada are well built using strict building codes. This is only partial correct: while major structural issues (such as catastrophic collapse due to high winds) are extremely rare, modern homes are often built as cheaply as legally possible. This means that engineered components that while affordable, need to be properly installed to be effective and have limited lifespan that can be greatly reduced under certain conditions (like moisture penetration), such as roof and wall components. Unfortunately, on many building sites these can be installed by subcontractors not as familiar with proper installation techniques. We Have Mild Winters (and That’s a Bad Thing) While compared to the world at large we have brutally cold winters, looking at just Nova Scotia we typically have warmer winters than the rest of Canada. This means we usually get 8-10 mini winters with rain and warmer temperatures in the middle. As a homeowner I appreciate the snow being cleared but as a home inspector this is a challenge to work around. One consequence of our weather is that the frequent freeze/thaw cycles can cause significant destruction to homes through the expansion of water as it cools. Once water gets into building cracks, it can quickly cause further damage. This is one reason with Stucco-cladded homes are so rare in our province. Homes are Usually Built as Single-Family (3-4 people) Homes Until recently, it was considered unusual in North America to share a home with another generation or family. Once children reached their 20s, it was commonly expected that they would move out on their own. Today, it is very common to see 6 or more adults living under a single roof. While this is a great way of sharing resources, this is a concern to home inspectors. Put simply, modern homes need to be carefully balanced: HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems that work great in a 2-person household can experience significant issues in an 8+ person household and can experience major problems that never existed before. Beware the Flipped House I have seen many newcomers buying flipped (homes bought, renovated, and quickly resold) houses that I can see have major structural issues. While not all flipped houses are bad, I have seen far too many recent new arrivals pay a premium for homes that still have major and very expensive issues, such as electrical and plumbing problems. Home inspectors as a rule have an overall negative view of flipped homes as many are renovated as cheaply and quickly as possible. Remember, a home inspector is trained and experienced in telling the difference between a cheap cosmetic flip and a high-quality renovation. There is no question that houses are not nearly as plentiful as they should be, but you should still get all the information about your new home before making that financial commitment as it could cost you a lot more in the long run.  Pictured - Not a House!  I am always looking for ways to further advance my goal of providing the best value in town and accordingly recently added another service to our repertoire. After months of training and testing I launched our sewer scope services in October of this year. What motivated me to finally launch this service? I was driving down a street just off the Halifax Peninsula and saw a home’s front yard being torn up, after noticing how the street nearby had more patches than actual pavement from recent sewer work. I have also seen the results of sewage backup in a commercial building and thank my lucky stars I have never experienced it at home. I also remember that, as a high school student in the 90s, I lived in a neighbourhood that had constant issues with what I now know were Orangeburg sewer pipes, it was a running joke about trying to predict how long until the next lawn was going to get dug up as it seemed literally every week (often during the winter) the excavators would be out in full force. Of course, sewer backups don’t wait until a convenient time to appear, and you won’t have time to carefully vet contractors or price shop for the best deals. There is a common misconception that a sewer failure will be paid for by insurance or by the local utility (in our case Halifax Water). Unfortunately, standard home insurance usually does NOT cover sewage system failures. Of course, contact a licensed broker since we are home inspectors not insurance representatives for information specific to your home. It has also been claimed that only older homes need a sewer inspection. While it is certainly less likely to see problems in more recent homes, I have known from other home inspectors that even brand-new homes can have sewer problems such as poor installation (in one case the sewer line just randomly ended before reaching the street!) and tree root infiltration. While I always suggest a sewer scope just for peace of mind alone, if you have any of the following:
It is HIGHLY recommended by professional home inspectors that a sewer scope be performed both at the time of inspection AND at regular intervals. While sewer failures seem sudden, they almost always develop slowly over a long period of time and can usually be detected with a quick sewer scan. Here are a few samples of what a sewer line looks like: don't worry about being grossed out: the lump is just a hairball, and the yellow streak is simply ABS cement that holds two pieces of waste pipe together: the installer likely used a little too much and it dripped down, but this is not a defect or an issue whatsoever. I once wrote a blog post which is currently my third most popular about signs of a Marijuana grow house. I mentioned briefly about so called “meth houses” that while very rare are very dangerous, so this week is a great opportunity to look at them. Like most home inspectors I have never seen one in person and hope I never will but I am always on the lookout for the signs. Given the highly illegal nature of this drug it goes without saying that there is no public database of current and former meth houses!  Meth 101 Methamphetamine is known as meth, ice, chalk, and other street names and is a highly addictive stimulant. It is illegal in most of the world and as a result, this is not an item that can be bought at the local corner store, hence the presence of houses where meth and other similar drugs are illegally manufactured. There are numerous negative health effects and our focus as home inspectors is not law enforcement but on identifying dangers located on properties that were formerly used as meth labs. Is it REALLY That Dangerous? I have heard stories of homes that were so contaminated they had to be demolished and I found that hard to believe at first. Can’t you just spend a few hours using some bleach and call it a day? Unfortunately, is usually not enough. Methamphetamine production uses a lot of dangerous chemicals that, unlike in a hospital or medical lab environment, does not use sterile environments and expensive fume hoods to keep occupants and the community safe. I won’t bore you with the list of common ingredients and how dangerous they are but let’s just say you do not want to touch or breathe in most of them! These toxic substances can leech into walls, floors, toys and furniture and can contaminate the entire property, leading to too many potential health problems to list. Meth Causes a LOT of Waste It is estimated that 1 pound of meth creates 5-7 pounds of waste by-products. Rarely is a meth cook careful to follow all waste disposal laws and they can be dumped throughout a property, including behind the walls and down the plumbing. Some of this waste is toxic to human health. Signs of a Former Meth Lab While doing environmental testing is beyond the scope of a home inspection, there are a few signs that home inspectors are trained to look for when suspecting a former drug lab. They include:
While I hope nobody ever has to deal with buying a former drug lab, with many buyers waiving home inspections or buying sight unseen over the past couple of years this remains a concern. The biggest symptom is unusual, unexplained and recurring health problems, and an environment air quality company should be contacted for further testing. Remember nobody will ever hang a sign saying “METH LAB!” and various levels of effort are made to hide homes with nefarious pasts.  This is a typical meth lab, but it usually isn't this obvious to outsiders! |
Archives
May 2023
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
