Wayne J.
Falcone
Frank J.
Falcone
New Construction
Inspections
Wet Basements
Homeowners Maintenance Inspections
Medalist
Dance Club
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"Our service stops when our customer stops calling"
Since 1978 175 Strafford Ave. Suite 1, Wayne, PA 19087
610-964-1477
Serving Montgomery, Chester, Delaware,
Phila. & Lower Bucks Co's. in Southeastern PA.
When it's important enough to use the very best!
War Stories & Ask The Expert
The following are a few things that have happened on Home Inspections. They are not unique, but they are different from the normal way that things are supposed to happen. I will continue to add stories as I can, however, if any reader has a question or a story that they would like to submit, E-Mail:
wayne@accurateinspection.co
35. New Stucco
Inspecting a new house, settlement in 2 days, the exterior stucco was
sloppy, cracked, and very thin. (3/8 inch) I explained to my client that the
stucco was improperly installed, would crack further and could cause water
damage on the interior in the future. 10 months later upon re-inspection (1-year
checklist) there were more horizontal cracks and I’m sure there was some water
penetration of the stucco. The builder and stucco contractor stated that the
stucco was installed to BOCA code. I explained that BOCA code required 7/8-inch
thick stucco, and they responded that this was accepted practice. The local
township building inspector stated that the house was built to code and that he
could not watch every phase of every house. The client is talking to other
residents of the development to decide what legal action can be taken to correct
the problems that they all have with the defective stucco.
34. Foam Insulation
Inspecting a garage attached to the house. The owner installed foam insulation
panels on the walls to insulate the house from the cold garage. I explained to
my client the in a fire the foam insulation was toxic and unsafe. It should be
covered with a firerated material or removed.
33. Leaking valley
Inspecting a 22 year old house for the buyer, I was told, by the Real Estate
Agent, that I didn’t have to inspect the roof, because they just put a new roof
on 3 weeks before. I explained that I inspect all roofs and that I have to go up
on the roof to inspect the chimney. When on the roof I looked closely at the
valleys. It seems that the roofer installed a closed cut valley. The roofer did
not install any roll roofing or metal under the valley shingles. He also nailed
the valley shingles down low into the valley. (within 2 inches of the valley) I
informed my client that the valleys were installed improperly and would leak in
a heavy rain. I recommended having the valleys removed and replaced properly as
per the shingle manufacturer’s written specifications on the shingle bundles.
32. New Shingle roof
Inspecting a new house, I climbed on the roof to inspect the roof shingles,
chimney, flashings and gutters. There were numerous roof shingles that were not
secured down tight to the roof. Some shingles were also torn at the nail
locations. After looking closer at the shingle installation I determined that
the shingle installer, using a nail gun to secure the shingles, had nailed the
nails in on an angle, that allowed the nail to cut through the shingles on one
side or protrude above the shingles on some other shingles. I explained to my
client that the shingles should be re-nailed properly to prevent wind damage and
leaking. I was informed that sections of the roof had blown off, 2 different
times prior to my inspection, but that they had been repaired. I told my client
that the shingles would have no warranty from the manufacturer due to the
improper nailing. Also that having already been repaired 2 times, they would
have to be removed and replaced. The builder, roofer and representative of the
shingle manufacturer met at the house and inspected the roofing. The shingle
representative stated that if the shingle were repaired as per his specs, that
he would have the company guaranty the roof shingles. I went back to re-inspect
the roof 4 days later, and after climbing on the roof I noticed that the
“roofer” had re-nailed the shingles through the faces of the shingles. He drove
shingle and trim nails through the shingles face. I marked the exposed roof
nails on one section of the roof with ¾ inch round Fluorescent red stickers.
Then my client and his attorney showed up to hear what I had to say about the
roof repair. They asked me what the red dots were on the roof? I explained that
is where the “roofer” had face nailed the shingles down to the roof, and that
the entire roof would have to be removed and replaced. The attorney wanted to
hear what the Shingle manufacturer had to say about the shingle repair and that
if this is the way he told the roofer to repair the shingles.
31. Shingle warranty
Inspecting a house that the owner had just replaced the roof in the last
week. After inspecting the roof the client asked me to read the warranty
provided by the roofer and the shingle manufacturer. After reading the warranty
I realized that the shingle manufacturer’s warranty doesn’t transfer to the new
buyer. This means, if there is a material defect in the roof shingles, the new
buyer has no recourse to go back to the manufacturer for any compensation. I
told my client to request that the owner ask the roofer to write up the warranty
in the new buyer’s name. This would give the buyer some form of warranty from
the shingle manufacturer.
30. Stucco color
New house, final walk through inspection. The second floor porch was not
finished when the house was stuccoed. The stucco contractor finished the stucco
and the stucco color was yellow. The house was stuccoed in a bone color. The
contractor told the client that when the stucco dried the color would change to
match the house. The builder stated that he would have the contractor re-stucco
the wall.
29. Jeep Cherokee
(friends story)
He was checking the Jeep for the second time, based upon a complaint of
the owner that she was only getting 12 miles to the gallon. All electronic
testing proved that she should be getting 18 MPG. He looked in the back of the
Jeep and noticed a rubber hose. He picked up the hose and was curious about the
gas odor on the hose. When the woman's son came to pick up the Jeep he asked the
boy if he knew what the hose was for? The boy stated that whenever he ran a
little low on gas on his car, he would siphon gas from his mother's Jeep because
he didn't have the money to buy gas. He asked him not to tell his mother, which
he had to do to prove that his equipment and the jeep were as he had stated when
she brought the Jeep in the first time.
28. Sagging ceiling
Inspecting the house I walked into the large family room and noticed a 3
inch sag in the middle of the drywall ceiling. After looking around I noticed
that the owner had removed the garage wall to expand the family room. After
removing the wall he did not install any support under the beam that was
supporting the second floor wall. I told my client that this was a major
structural concern and that some support should be added immediately. I also
informed them that they should contact a structural engineer to inspect and
design an appropriate repair to the structure.
27. Crawl Space
Inspecting a family room addition at the rear of a house. The house had a
full finished basement and the crawl space access under the addition was
through a small basement window (14” by 24”). Insulation was installed around
the rim joist and under the addition floor. The concrete floor in the crawl
space was very rough and the height of the crawl space was approximately 20
inches. Based on the size of the opening, the roughness of the concrete floor,
the height of the crawl space and the size of the Home Inspector, I was going to
just inspect the crawl space from the window hatch. However, I thought better,
went out and got my knee pads and went into the garage to get some heavy
cardboard pieces to crawl on the rough concrete. I climbed into the crawl space
and moved the insulation from the side wall, I observed that the rim joist and
sill plate was rotted through to the siding. As I probed around the crawl space
the rim joist and sill plate on the entire side and rear walls were rotted. When
I went outside the areas that were rotted were where the deck was installed. It
appears that the person that installed the deck had not installed flashings at
the wall, which allowed water to penetrate behind the deck stringer and rot the
rim joist and sill plate. I reported to my client that the rotted rim joist and
sill plates would have to be removed and replaced. I also explained that due to
the very hard to access crawl space the deck would possibly have to be removed
to install the new rim joist and sill plate. (expensive repair )
This is a perfect reason to enter any crawl space you can
fit into safely.
26. Porch/addition
Inspecting the addition at the front of the house, it appeared that the
building had pulled away from the wall. The addition at the wall was stucco
patched and the trim appeared to be patched at the wall. The roof was tight to
the wall where the flashing was installed, however it was only tar sealed. The
floor of the addition was sloped away from the building wall, which I thought
could have been a old sloped porch floor, and there was no access under the
addition. There was a very small access hatch in a closet in the addition, (12 “
by 12”) enough to put my head through. I determined that the addition had pulled
away from the wall approximately 3 inches, as the rafters at the wall were away
about 3 inches. I also determined that the front wall had settled down
approximately 3 inches, based on the floor slope and the front wall angle. There
was probably no footing or an insufficient footing installed when the addition
was built in 1954. I told my client to contact a structural engineer to evaluate
the structure and to design a repair procedure.
25. Brick veneer
45 year old rancher with a brick veneer about 4 feet up on the front walls.
The brick was pulled away from the wall in spots, some places as much as 1 ½
inches. The caulk at the wall was cracked allowing water to leak behind the
veneer. I informed my client that the veneer should be pulled back tight to the
wall and re-secured as necessary.
24. Firewall
Inspecting a town house/condo unit, gable style roof over back to
back and side to side units. When entering the attic area there were no firewall
between any of the units and normal plywood roof sheathing. The attic area was
open through out above all the units. (12) From a security standpoint, the
interiors of all the units were accessible from the unsecured attic hatches in
the closet of each unit. Also, the bath and kitchen exhaust fans were only
vented into the attic and not extended to the exterior.
6 month old house, homeowner complaining that his 12 year old son's bedroom is very cold. He had paid the builder extra to finish the room over the garage into a bedroom. There was one heat register coming into the room and it was right next to the door. There was no return air register and the bedroom door was tight to the carpeting when closed, restricting air circulation. I then climbed through the small hatch (12 x 18) in the closet to check for insulation. There was no insulation on the side walls, under the floor or on the ceiling. I explained to the owner that the walls, floor and ceiling would have to be insulated. Also, that an insulated return air duct should be installed on the outside of the room to allow for some air circulation.
22. Built-up roof
Doing an inspection for a relocation company, the seller stated that I did
not have to inspect the flat roof because he just replaced it two weeks ago. His
neighbor is a roofer and he had him put on a new roof . I informed him that I
have to inspect every roof, take a picture of the roof surface and inspect the
flashings, skylights and chimney. When I got up on the roof there was a new
built-up roof, however the contractor never finished installing the top coat of
hot tar on top of the felts. (50% complete) Some of the roofing felts were
already curling. I informed the seller that the roof would have to be replaced
due to the present condition of the felts.
21. New Hot Air Furnace
I went into the house and the seller made it a point to state that he had just put $1500 into the heater and that I did not have to inspect it. The improvements included a new high efficiency burner and improved ductwork. The seller was really boasting. While inspected the heater, and as I climbed into the crawl space I noticed that the flue pipe was rusted out and had fallen off. All the exhaust was dumping into the crawl space. I state that an inspector should never assume anything. He should be sure to inspect everything.
20. Hot Water Heat
Inspecting a boiler for hot water heating, there was no water pressure on the boiler guage. The system was radiant heat with the water pipes in the concrete floor. I added pressure to the boiler (12 lbs) & turned up the thermostat, the circulator turned on and the pressure dropped to zero (0) in less than 5 seconds. There was no evidence of any water leaking at the boiler. In my report I stated that there was no pressure on the boiler and that there was a leak in the water supply piping system, possibly under the concrete floor. I also noted that the heat distribution system wound have to be replaced. I recommended installing baseboard heating units to replace the defective piping under the concrete floor. The home owner called a heating contractor to correct the pressure on the boiler, and he added a pressure reducing valve (automatic water feed) to correct the pressure.The water was running all the time under the concrete floor. I informed my client that this was not an acceptable solution and that the baseboard heating units should be installed to the boiler. The heating contractor stated that the boiler was now holding pressure. I asked him why he didn't sell the seller on putting a proper functional heat distribution system, and he said that she stated she didn't have a lot of money. So he installed a valve that would not allow the boiler to heat the house only heat water and drain it under the concrete floor, wasting energy and water. (unethical/stupid contractor)
19. Electric Breaker
(L. Hampton Scott III)Inspected a house constructed in 1955 and completely remodeled in 1995. [40 years later-total gut job]. House was beautiful and had a new and, supposedly inspected, 150 amp electric service. In inspecting the panel, which was located in a wooden cabinet in the dining area next to the kitchen, I hung my ammeter on the 50 amp breaker leads going to the range, or so I thought. Guess what? Turn on the electric range and no amperage reading although the range was working fine. Then I turned on the dryer and checked the amps and was drawing 10 amps on the 50 amp breaker. Were the circuits mislabeled? Nope, during remodeling, the range was moved to where the dryer had been and the range was relocated to the dryers original location. The situation proved that the 10 amp.dryer was being fed by a 50 amp breaker with number 6 wire and the 9000 watt range was being fed with # 10 wire.[35 amp draw]. Made me look good but I just happened to stumble on it.
18. Flue Gas (Alan Silverman)
Inspecting a boiler, there was a 3" rust hole on the top of the boiler cabinet. When I tested the flue gas at the bonnet with my monoxer, I got a reading of 5-10PPM. (Low reading indicating relatively complete and clean combustion) On a lark, I took a reading at the rust hole and got over 500PPM. The reason the flue reading was so low was all the flue gas was going out of the rust hole directly into the basement.
Best part of the story is the seller could not understand why the PGW serviceman who serviced the heater two weeks prior said everything was ok with the system!!!
17. Combustion Air Intake Pipe
Inspecting a newly installed very high efficiency gas furnace, there was no intake pipe installed to the furnace at the 4" hole provided by the manufacturer. I informed my client that the intake pipe should be run from the exterior wall to the furnace for proper combustion air, efficiency and safety. There was no installation manual from the manufacturer with the furnace. I told my client that the manual would explain how the combustion air pipe should be installed. They called the contractor that installed the furnace & he stated that he did not have a manual and that the combustion intake pipe was not needed. The buyer called another contractor who stated, that installing the pipe would make the system less efficient, because it would pull cold air from outside that would then have to be heated, wasting energy. I then informed my client that this contractor did not know anything about high efficiency heating. The intake air was for gas combustion and that this air was then sent up the chimney preventing the combustion air from being drawn from the finished basement 70 degree air and sending this house air up the chimney. I gave my client the name of a good heating contractor that would help her correct the improper installation. She then called me to state that he corrected the problem and explained to her that I was correct in my assessment of the furnace installation. He also gave her a copy of the manufacturer's installation manual that the other 2 contractors stated they could not get from the manufacturer.
16. Question?
In my attic I have 10 inches of fiberglass insulation. When I went up there last week I noticed that there were rust stains on top of the insulation. Can you tell me what is causing the stains, is it a problem and how do I correct the problem if one exists?
1. The cause of the rust stains is from moisture forming on the shingle nails in the winter due to inadequate attic ventilation. When the warm moist air in your house rises in the winter, it enters the attic. With proper attic ventilation the moist air will disipate up and out the high exhaust vents. With inadequate or improper attic ventilation the moist air will migrate towards the coldest surface, normally the roof shingle nails at the north facing roof. Small icicles or droplets of water will form on the nails. These water drops will then drip down, as the attic warms up during the day, on to the insulation, causing the stains.
2. There could be a problem, because too much moisture on the roof sheathing and the roof sheathing could rot making the roof unsafe to walk onto.
3. To correct the problem you have to install proper attic ventilation. Continuous soffit /eave vents and a continuous ridge vent with a baffle works best. (See http://www.certainteed.com/ventilation/) 15. Gas Fired Hot Water Boiler
Inspecting a 30 year old cast iron boiler, I saw water dripping on the burner inside the fire box. I informed my client that the boiler would have to be replaced. The seller stated that the had a service contract with the gas company. One week later my client called and told me that the gas company representative stated that there was too much water in the boiler and that's why it was leaking. I explained to my client that the system was sealed and there was no way for water to leak unless there was a crack or a hole in the cast iron. I reiterated that the boiler would have to be replaced.
14. Clay Tile Roof
Large 80 year house with an original clay tile roof. There were holes worn through the copper valleys. I told my client that the valleys would have to be replaced and that the cost would be approximately $1500.00. The seller's agent informed us that the owner had the garage roof replaced last year because the valleys were leaking and she didn't want any more leaks. She replaced the roof with a good asphalt shingle. When we entered the garage there was a large stack of clay tiles from the garage roof, there was NO DETERIORATION on any part of the tiles. Cleaned off the exposed section and the covered section looked exactly the same. the condition of the tile tells me that these tile would probably last another 80 years. I explained to my client that I think that the seller made a mistake in replacing a roof that would last another 80 years with one that would probably last 20 to 25.
13. Townhouse
6 year old townhouse development with asphalt/fiberglass shingle roofing. There were horizontal cracks across the shingles and this appeared to be a manufacturing defect. I informed my client that I thought there was a limited remaining life expectancy on the shingles. The shingle manufacturers warranty might cover replacement of the shingles, however as most manufacturers do not transfer warranties to a new buyer, I informed my client to have the seller contact the shingle manufacturer.
12. Foundation
Settled brick walls and block foundation walls, Approximately 2 inches in each
corner and about 1 inch at the center steel beam support. Exterior brick walls
repointed numerous times. (house age approx. 25 years) Obvious major structural
damage and settlement of the footings and foundation walls. Recommended to have
foundation, footings and brick walls evaluated by a structural engineer.
11. Water Penetration
Water was leaking into the basement at the rear of the garage, at the poured
concrete foundation wall. The homeowner called because a roofer, general
contractor and plumber could not determine the source of the water penetration.
The grading near the house walls was sloped away from the building adequately.
The roof above the house and garage showed no signs of leaking or wear. (12
years old)
All flashings were metal and appeared to be installed properly.
There were no plumbing pipes in the area above the leak.
After further investigation, there was a very small spot in the basement at the
top of the foundation wall where you could look under the garage floor. The
under side of the concrete floor was visible, the soil under the garage floor
was washed out or settled approximately 4" to 16". The blacktop driveway at the
front of the garage was slope towards the garage doors and the crack between the
concrete floor and the blacktop was allowing the water to run under the concrete
floor, the full length of the garage and into the basement.
10. Water Heater
Gas fired water heater 4 years old, looked good, no visible water leaks,
extension pipe on relief valve, water and gas shut offs were present. I backed
up to look at the heater and noticed that there was no chimney flue pipe
connected to the top of the heater. The gas exhaust was venting into the
basement. As this was a rental property, no one noticed because the owner wasn’t
there and the tenants did not come into the basement.
9. Steam Heat
Inspecting the house, I did the outside and the attached garage first. There was
a disconnected radiator in the garage with the supply and return pipes capped. I
turned on the thermostat and the 3-year-old steam boiler turned on and operated
properly. However there was still no pressure after about 25 minutes. I went
through the house checking for leaks or defective vents at the radiators and
could not find any leaks. I then went into the garage and it was full of steam.
The steam supply pipe had split at the bottom and was releasing steam into the
garage. My guess was that when the contractor capped the pipe it sagged down to
the floor, some water or steam entered the pipe and froze, splitting the iron.
When the system was running, steam eventually fed into this pipe and came out of
the split in the pipe, preventing any pressure build-up in the boiler.
8. Vinyl Siding – New Home
January inspection, new home with vinyl siding. The siding was nailed too tight
and was installed too tight at the J channels to allow for proper movement. (As
per vinyl siding manufacturers specifications) The dark blue vinyl siding was
also installed over foil faced wall sheathing, which is also improper. I
explained the problem to the buyer and told him that the siding would be
buckling and some pieces could even buckle off the wall by the end of the
summer. My recommendation was that the siding be removed and re-installed
properly now, before any buckling occurred.
The buyer called me in august to come and re-inspect the siding and write
another report about the condition of the siding. Upon re-inspection, the siding
was severely buckled in some areas and there were some other areas that the
siding was hanging off the walls. The vinyl siding manufacturer agreed that the
siding was installed improperly but would not put it in writing to the
homeowner. With my report the homeowner eventually got H.O.W. to make the
builder install new vinyl siding, properly according to the specifications that
I prepared. (The claim with HOW took 4 years.) There were also 4 other homes
that benefited from my report and received new siding.
7. Termite Damage
Inspecting a 100-year-old house, I walk into the living room and the floor is
sagging approximately 6 inches in the center. In the basement, the floor joists
were totally eaten away by the still active termites. The only thing holding the
floor joists up were the nails into the joists from the sub-flooring. The
homeowner was sitting in a chair in the center of the living room, the chair and
TV table were blocked up to level with books. After further investigation the
books were also being eaten by the termites, as were the chair and TV stand.
Side note: The home owner weighed approximately 400 lbs. And he was sitting above me while inspecting the basement, I requested that he move from the chair during the inspection.
6. Insulation
Inspecting the attic of a three- (3) year old house, built in 1989. There was
no insulation in the attic. Apparently the builder forgot to insulate the
attic and no one checked to see if the insulation was installed adequately. I
explained to the seller and buyer, the heating and cooling losses associated
with no attic insulation.
5. Insulation
Inspecting a new house, at the final walk through for the buyer. There was an
in-law suite at the side of the house, and when I climbed into the attic there
was no insulation installed. The forman stated that the insulation contractor
ran out of insulation and was going to come back to insulate that attic. Also,
the insulation in the main house attic was only 6 inches, so I explained to the
forman that the insulation contractor should re-insulate up to the 10 inches
required by the current code.
4. Stucco
Inspecting a new house, (sitting finished for 7 months) there were cracks
in the stucco around the house, the buyer wanted to know what caused them and
how to repair the cracks permanently.
My evaluation was: The framing lumber (studs) could have been excessively wet or
excessively dry, shrinking or expanding when the stucco was installed, depending
on the type of wall sheathing used. The stucco contractor could have installed
the stucco improperly, too thin, (thin stucco, 1/2 inch, is common in this area
to cut corners for most builders) too much Portland cement, or the wire lath
might not have been secured properly.
I informed my clients that they would probably have to cover the cracks with a
fiberglass mesh tape and then install a new finish coat over all the existing
stucco or they will have to restucco the entire house..
3. Structure
Inspecting a front to back split level that the homeowner had turned the second
floor into bedroom areas. The 2 X 6 ceiling joists were now used as the floor
joists and were not adequate to stop the floor from the extreme bouncing when
you walked across the rooms. Also the floor joist were only nailed next to the
studs and some of the nails were pulling away, due to the added weight and
movement of the joists. I explained to my client how to upgrade the floor
structure so that it would be adequate for a living area.
I informed them that they should contact a structural engineer to design the
repairs.
My recommendation was to remove the plywood sub-floor, double each joist nailing
them together along the full length, install solid bridging between each joist,
install joist hangers at the center wall to prevent the joist from pulling away
from the studs and then re-install the plywood sub-floor gluing the sub-floor to
the joists.
2. Trusses
Inspecting a 6 month old house, the ceramic tile floor in the second floor bath
was cracked. The owners stated that the contractor had replaced the floor three
times and each time in re-cracked. I determined that the floor trusses were too
small for the span of the floor. There was too much deflection in the trusses
and that the tile kept cracking, due to the bouncing floor. I told them that
they would have to contact the truss manufacturer or a structural engineer to
design a proper repair.
My remedy was to remove the drywall from the ceiling below, sandwich 3/4 inch
plywood on each side of the trusses, nailed every 8 inches to stiffen the
trusses and prevent the deflection that was occurring in the floor.
1. Crawl Space
Inspecting a crawl space for the owner claiming that he had a structural
problem. The crawl space had a dirt floor and there was about 16 inches between
the floor joist and the dirt floor. The exterminator stated that there was no
wood destroying insect infestation except for minor termites in the door frame
of the detached garage. However he never crawled in the crawl space because he
stated that it was too low.
Doing my inspection, I discovered that there was extensive damage to the floor
joists and sub-flooring from powder post beetles. They were still active and
were also visible in the window sill of the bay window and on the dining room
ceiling joists were the light was removed to be replaced.
The exterminator had spray treated the joists in the crawl space and had
sistered some of the more severely damaged joists. I estimated that to properly
repair or replace the damaged joists, sub-flooring, etc. would probably cost
around $35,000.
The new exterminator stated that the whole house would have to be tented, as the
spray treatment would only work for the areas visible and not above the crawl
space. There was no other way to treat behind the plaster wall, except to tent
the house. The cost for the treatment was approx. $6000.00 (1987)