Company Information

Diligence Inspections


rdhinspect@gmail.com

Inspected by: Ryan Horton

This home has undergone recent cosmetic upgrades and has some newer systems such as the electrical main panel, water heater, and a copper re-pipe. There are upgrades needed to some older systems and components which are detailed in the report beneath.

The Scope and Purpose of a Home Inspection

Purchasing property involves risk

The purpose of a home inspection is to help reduce the risk associated with the purchase of a structure by providing a professional opinion about the overall condition of the structure. A home inspection is a limited visual inspection and it cannot eliminate this risk. Some homes present more risks than others. We cannot control this, but we try to help educate you about what we don’t know during the inspection process. This is more difficult to convey in a report and one of many reasons why we recommend that you attend the inspection.

A home inspection is not an insurance policy

This report does not substitute for or serve as a warranty or guarantee of any kind. Home warranties can be purchased separately from insuring firms that provide this service.

A home inspection is visual and not destructive

The descriptions and observations in this report are based on a visual inspection of the structure. We inspect the aspects of the structure that can be viewed without dismantling, damaging or disfiguring the structure and without moving furniture and interior furnishings. Areas that are concealed, hidden or inaccessible to view are not covered by this inspection. Some systems cannot be tested during this inspection as testing risks damaging the building. For example, overflow drains on bathtubs are generally not tested because if they were found to be leaking they could damage the finishes below. Our procedures involve non-invasive investigation and non-destructive testing which will limit the scope of the inspection.

This is not an inspection for code compliance

This inspection and report are not intended for city / local code compliance. During the construction process structures are inspected for code compliance by municipal inspectors. Framing is open at this time and conditions can be fully viewed. Framing is not open during inspections of finished homes, and this limits the inspection. All houses fall out of code compliance shortly after they are built, as the codes continually change. National codes are augmented at least every three years for all of the varying disciplines. Municipalities can choose to adopt and phase in sections of the codes on their own timetables. There are generally no requirements to bring older homes into compliance unless substantial renovation is being done.

This is just our opinion

Construction techniques and standards vary. There is no one way to build a house or install a system in a house. The observations in this report are the opinions of the home inspector. Other inspectors and contractors are likely to have some differing opinions. You are welcome to seek opinions from other professionals.

The scope of this inspection

This inspection will include the following systems: exterior, roof, structure, drainage, foundation, attic, interior, plumbing, electrical and heating. The evaluation will be based on limited observations that are primarily visual and non-invasive. This inspection and report are not intended to be technically exhaustive.

Your expectations

The overall goal of a home inspection is to help ensure that your expectations are appropriate with the house you are proposing to buy. To this end we assist with discovery by showing and documenting observations during the home inspection. This should not be mistaken for a technically exhaustive inspection designed to uncover every defect with a building. Such inspections are available but they are generally cost-prohibitive to most homebuyers.

Your participation is requested

Your presence is requested during this inspection. A written report will not substitute for all the possible information that can be conveyed verbally by a shared visual observation of the conditions of the property.

How to Read This Report

Getting the Information to You

This report is designed to deliver important and technical information in a way that is easy for anyone to access and understand. If you are in a hurry, you can take a quick look at our "Summary Page” and quickly get critical information for important decision making. However, we strongly recommend that you take the time to read the full Report, which includes digital photographs, captions, diagrams, descriptions, videos and hot links to additional information.

The best way to get the layers of information that are presented in this report is to read your report online, which will allow you to expand your learning about your house. You will notice some words or series of words highlighted in blue and underlined – clicking on these will provide you with a link to additional information.

This report can also be printed on paper or to a PDF document.

Chapters and Sections

This report is divided into chapters that parcel the home into logical inspection components. Each chapter is broken into sections that relate to a specific system or component of the home. You can navigate between chapters with the click of a button on the left side margin.

Most sections will contain some descriptive information done in black font. Observation narrative, done in colored boxes, will be included if a system or component is found to be significantly deficient in some way or if we wish to provide helpful additional information about the system or the scope of our inspection. If a system or component of the home was deemed to be in satisfactory or serviceable condition, there may be no narrative observation comments in that section and it may simply say “tested,” or “inspected.”

Observation Labels

All narrative observations are colored, numbered and labeled to help you find, refer to, and understand the severity of the observation. Observation colors and labels used in this report are:

  • Major Concern:
    Repair items that may cost significant money to correct now or in the near future, or items that require immediate attention to prevent additional damage or eliminate safety hazards.
  • Repair:
    Repair and maintenance items noted during inspection. Please note that some repair items can be expensive to correct such as re-finishing hardwood floors, but are considered simply repair items due to their cosmetic nature.
  • Recommended Maintenance:
    These are repair items that should be considered "routine home ownership items," such as servicing the furnace, cleaning the gutters or changing the air filters in the furnace.
  • Improve:
    Observations that are not necessarily defects, but which could be improved for safety, efficiency, or reliability reasons.
  • Monitor:
    Items that should be watched to see if correction may be needed in the future.
  • Due Diligence:
    Observation such as a buried oil tank that may require further investigation to determine the severity and / or urgency of repair.
  • Future Project:
    A repair that may be deferred for some time but should be on the radar for repair or replacement in the near future.
  • Efficiency:
    Denotes observations that are needed to make the home more energy efficient as well as to bring the home up to modern insulation standards. This category typically includes windows and insulation. Other items, such as lighting and appliances, are not inspected for their energy status.
  • Completed:
    Items that were initially an issue but have since been completed.
  • Note:
    Refers to aside information and /or any comments elaborating on descriptions of systems in the home or limitations to the home inspection.
  • Description:
    Detailed description of various aspects of the property noted during the inspection.

Pest Inspection

All items with the bug logo () are part of a structural pest inspection. If your inspector included a structural pest inspection as a part of the scope of your home inspection, you can distinguish pest inspection items by this logo. You can also go to the pest inspection summary page to see a summary of the items that are part of a pest inspection.

Summary Page

The Summary Page is designed as a bulleted overview of all the observations noted during inspection. This helpful overview is not a substitution for reading the entire inspection report. The entire report must be read to get a complete understanding of this inspection report as the Summary Page does not include photographs or photo captions.

Summary

Major Concerns

  • EG-12 Exterior/Garage:

    The deck ledger board has not been bolted to the home in accordance with standards. This risks deck failure as the ledger attachment to the house can pull free. I recommend installing an attachment system that conforms to recommended minimum standards in the American Wood Council Prescriptive Wood Residential Deck Construction Guide. See starting on page 14 of this guide.

  • EG-15 Exterior/Garage:

    Cracking in both the floor slab and walls are indication of settlement of the structure. Both walls and floor have been recently refinished which could be concealing more serious damage. It is recommended that these conditions be further evaluated by a qualified contractor to determine what improvements can be achieved as well as cost.

  • HCFV-4 Heating, Cooling, Fireplaces and Ventilation:

    The air conditioning system appears to be over capacity considering the square footage of this home. This can result in poor and improper operation as excess cooling capacity results in the system "short cycling" which refers to a condition where, due to excessively cold temperatures produced, it operates for short periods of time and very often. It will not properly remove moisture from the interior air as needed and frequent starts and stops will drastically shorten the lifespan of the compressor. Sizing an air conditioner properly to a structure requires specific engineering and it is recommended that it be verified that this was completed. If not available, a qualified HVAC contractor should be contacted to conduct further evaluation at this time.

Repairs

  • E-2 Electrical:

    This panel lacks AFCI circuit breakers at required locations. These are a more advanced type of circuit breaker and have been required to be installed on certain circuits in homes since 2005. More recently, most all interior circuits have required AFCI protection. Client is advised to have a qualified electrician conduct further evaluation and install these types of breakers where needed and it is suggested that research be done to verify that this panel upgrade was made with approval from the local building department.

  • P-6 Plumbing:

    ABS piping was not properly assembled at some locations and will be prone to failure and leaks. Pipes not fully inserted into fitting hubs are weak connections which will likely break with use of the system. Have a qualified plumbing contractor conduct further evaluation and repair where needed.

  • SB-1 Structure and Basement:

    Minor to moderate cracks were noted in the poured concrete foundation. The purpose of the foundation is to connect the weight of the building to well-compacted soils below the house so that the house does not move or settle. Concrete cracking can indicate poorly compacted soils below the house which could require a repair, but small cracks can also be a sign of routine concrete shrinkage. It is not possible to determine or verify the cause of these cracks during a visual inspection. I recommend additional inspection of this structure by a qualified foundation contractor or structural engineer to determine the cost and urgency of repairs to prevent on-going settlement. The hope on older buildings is that poorly compacted soils below the foundation are now compacted by the weight of the building and no additional movement will occur. One of the better ways to prevent on-going settlement in buildings is to keep the soils around the house as dry as possible. Additional inspection by a specialist is needed to determine if repairs are needed to prevent additional movement or not. Please note that the scope and urgency of repairs for conditions like this can differ between contractors and you may want to seek more than one additional opinion.

Due Diligences

  • P-5 Plumbing:

    It was not apparent or disclosed, if this house is on a public sewer connection or on a private on-site septic system. I recommend inquiring with the seller for additional inspection and have the system inspected or video-scoped as desired to ensure reliable performance from this important system. Please note that evaluation of sewer and septic connections are beyond the scope of this home inspection.

  • G1-1 Gas:

    Gas meter may be undersized considering the recent HVAC upgrades as well as installation of a tankless water heater. Recommend that this be further evaluated by the supplying utility company as they can provide a larger meter if required.

  • SB-2 Structure and Basement:

    Portions of the concrete footing have been faced over with a layer of concrete. When this is done, there is typically damage beneath and the new facing will not add any significant amount of strength. This should be further evaluated by a foundation specialist to determine what degree of improvements may be needed as well as cost.

  • I-1 Interior:

    Settlement was noted in the floor frame system during inspection today. I could not find red flags to indicate recent movement but with the recent remodel work it is possible that prior conditions have been concealed. Inquire with the seller regarding any history of structural settlement. The hope on older buildings like this is that poorly compacted soils have now compacted with the weight of the building and wood has now dried out and shrunk and settlement will have stopped. This is impossible to predict during a one time visual inspection. Additional inspection by a qualified general contractor or structural engineer is needed to determine a scope and urgency for repair.