Plumbing Boot

I see this on a regular basis and it is really a simple repair for a professional roofer.  The PVC pipe that comes out of your roof is a plumbing vent.  This vent allows air into the plumbing system allowing for operation.  This is a simple process.  The issue arises with the PVC ‘boot’ that is installed around the piping.  These boots over time can and do crack and warp.  While these can leak-usually the leak can go undetected for quite a while due to the small size of the water intrusion.

When you see a small stain on the ceiling and wonder why- this is probably your cause.  A professional roofer can make this repair (replace the boot) very easily and quickly.  Look up at your roof from time to time, you may save yourself some trouble.

Take a look around your home and seal up any places the pest can call home. Could save you a sting later.

“Thank you very much for your home inspection.  Without your services, we would have ended up with a house that needed some very important work done to it and we would have been stuck footing the bill.  Your services were efficient and you were patient and detailed when explaining everything.
Thanks for your work”!

Mitch”

Your Louisville Home Inspection company, Know Before You Buy offers full and comprehensive inspection services to help you understand the condition of the property you are considering. I will give your house a thorough examination. If I discover any issues or symptoms of problems I will help you understand the implications and advise to the seriousness of the issue.

I use sophisticated computer software designed to give you the best inspection possible. I use the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors Standards of Practice allowing for a complete and informative inspection. Know Before You Buy also includes digital photos inserted in the report to help you remember the issues and have a photo documentation of any issues.

I will start the inspection by answering any questions you may have about the process and to allow you the opportunity to state any issues you may have noticed on your walk-through. I will have you review and sign the Know Before You Buy Pre-Inspection Agreement allowing me the opportunity to begin the through visual examination of your potential homes major systems which includes but is not limited to:

• Roof, vents, flashings, and trim.
• Gutters and downspouts.
• Skylight, chimney and other roof penetrations.
• Decks, stoops, porches, walkways, and railings.
• Eaves, soffit and fascia.
• Grading and drainage.
• Basement, foundation and crawlspace.
• Water penetration and foundation movement.
• Heating systems.
• Cooling systems.
• Main water shut off valves.
• Water heating system.
• Interior plumbing fixtures and faucets.
• Drainage sump pumps with accessible floats.
• Electrical service line and meter box.
• Main disconnects and service amperage.
• Electrical panels, breakers and fuses.
• Grounding and bonding.
• GFCI’s and AFCI’s.
• Fireplace damper door and hearth.
• Insulation and ventilation.
• Garage doors, safety sensors, and openers.
• And much more.

The Know Before You Buy Full Home Inspection can usually be completed in 2 – 4 hours, depending on home size and style some may take longer. Know Before You Buy welcomes you to join us and encourages questions to help you better understand the process. At Know Before You Buy we DO NOT use handwritten reports that can be difficult to read or understand, I only provide one type of report and that is a computerized, easy to read report.

Know Before You Buy is available to schedule your Full Home Inspection 7 days a week, Monday thru Sunday with no extra charge for Sunday service or later hours. Know Before You Buy only needs one hour before it gets dark so that I have time to fully evaluate the exterior of the home. I encourage my clients to accompany me during the Full Home Inspection to ask questions and discuss the conditions of the property. Once the inspection is completed I will return to the office to research and write your custom report that will be delivered to you the same day it is completed.

Retaining walls hold a great deal of pressure from water and if they are not installed correctly- they will fail. 

Crestwood Ky Home Inspection

On the last Crestwood Ky home inspection-the home was built on a crawl space.  No scary creatures in this crawl space- and overall a nice ‘clean’ crawl area but it had one issue- falling insulation.  Many home owners put insulation on the walls of the crawl space to help insulate the above conditioned space.  This can help make the crawl space ‘warmer’ in the winter and can help reduce energy use it needs to be intalled correctly.

In this crawl the home owner did not secure the insulation well.  This is an easy fix- but if left unchecked the insulation can become moist laying on the ground.  If you have a crawl space and it is insulated occasionally look into the space to make sure the insulation stays in place.

For any of your home inspection needs in from Crestwood Ky to Rineyville Ky give Know Before You Buy a call.  Remember Know Before You Buy or it may be too late…

Truss 'modification'

I just completed a Radcliff Ky Home Inspection and there were a few interesting finds, however; one that was most interesting is pictured here.  The home had two furnaces installed in the attic.  Fairly common to find the furnace in a slab home in the attic in this area but what was not common was the installation method.  See this installer had an issue with the truss system in the attic- it was in the way of the install.  Complex solution is to get an engineer to evaluate, reconfigure a truss cord or two correctly and then complete the install-wall of which takes some time.

Easy solution- reciprocating saw, new wood blade and cut on the dotted line.  While I have seen my fair share of truss /rafter ‘modification’ on inspections this is one of the better ones.  This installer left the other end of the truss just laying on the attic floor. IF you are going to ‘alter’ a truss then at least clean up your mess. 

Remember that when hiring a contractor for repairs- make sure they are reputable and check references.  This alteratiuon is fixable-but it will nto be cheap. 

Remember for your Meade County, Elizabethtown,  Radcliff and of course Louisville Home Inspection needs call Know Before You Buy, or it may be too late……

On my recent condo inspection there were a few issues discovered on the inside including a roof leak-but the exterior offered a find that could be real serious in an emergency.  When the condo unit (8 units in this one building) was built the electrician did not label the main distribution panel which houses the main disconnect breakers.  While this is not normally a big issue- if you had an emergency and had to shut off the power it would be a guess.  Not of course you would shut them all off in an emergency- it would be some much easier if they were labeled.

There were some other issues discovered-but issues regarding safety should never be ignored.  Should you get your patio home/ condo inspected? It is an inexpensive process to make sure you are covered.

Plumbing Leak

this worse is that the plumbing in this area included a compression type fitting hidden behind the wall and had probably been leaking for some time.  Since the water only appeared in the garage no one probably noticed it.  This catch save the prospective buyers a plumbing repair bill and probably helped the sellers since know they know the rest of the story.