Stack ’em up
If you can’t bend metal conduit, just use a few extra junction boxes!
Warren E. Casey
Your Home Inspection Co.
Marengo, Ill.
Dual heating system
This is a wood stove on top of another heater—vented together—on top of a totally combustible parquet floor. You can’t see it in the photo, but there is a sign nearby advertising this as a “high-efficiency economical heating system.” There is so much wrong with this installation that all I could do was laugh.
Michael Marosok
Weber Home Inspection Services
Marine on the St. Croix, Minn.
Keep me in the dark
I was doing a phase inspection on a new home and I found four water lines touching the light fixture! In this case, DON’T leave the light on for me!! (There is no municipal inspection system in this county.)
Calvin Bolt
Home and Environmental Inspections
Warsaw, Ind.
This design is all wet
This is an unaltered (I swear) photo of a “freshly remodeled bathroom” that I found on a recent inspection. Finding a window in a shower stall is fairly common in old homes around here. The outlet in the shower is not so common but it might come in handy if the in-laws overstay their welcome. What I found completely unacceptable is the toilet paper dispenser in the shower; nothing good could come of that!
Matt Fisher
Sherlock Homes Inspection Service Inc.
Bloomington, Ind.
Crash of rain
Drum manufacturers make cymbals from brass because it sounds cool, not because it’s great for diverting rainwater so it doesn’t flow down to basement doors. Rock on, dude!
Aaron Mayer
Housewarming Home Inspections
St. Louis, Mo.
Crawl space calamity
Here’s a photo of a crawl space with a drywalled ceiling and old fuse panel that clearly used to be a finished room on a basement foundation. Wonder how the floor got so high. I told my client that the ceiling just needed a coat of paint. NOT!
Mark Bishton
Benchmark Home Services, Inc.
Bloomfield, Ind.
Brace yourself!
This is from a house I inspected in Phoenix, Ariz. The entire house had “home-made” gussets made from plywood rectangles. Metal triangles might have strengthened those joints a little better.
Randy Peterson
RSP Inspections
Peoria, Ariz.
All tied up
Sometimes we inspectors have to go into rough neighborhoods. Often, there are clues.
Robin Thomas
R. Thomas & Company Home Inspections
Raleigh, N.C.
Luxury living, part I
In this house, the kitchen facilities were functional…
Chris Munro
Peak Inspections, Inc.
Sandpoint, Idaho
Luxury living, part II
…but the bathroom could use some improvements.
Chris Munro
Peak Inspections, Inc.
Sandpoint, Idaho
Coincidence?
At a vacant house under foreclosure, I found this partially melted paint bucket behind a wood stove with a cracked back panel. You don’t think they could be related…Nah!
Nelson Broce
Desert State Iome Inspections
Cave Creek, Ariz.
Nesting instincts
This domicile was not part of my inspection; however I thought the builder should be complimented for good site selection and creative use of available materials.
Hans Peters
First Choice Home Inspections
Huntingdon Valley, Pa.
Torch strong
As a not-so-handy homeowner was re-plumbing his house, he thought he would save some money on fittings by heating the PVC drain pipe with a torch to make a 45-degree bend.
John Cranor
Cranor Inspection Services, LLC
Glen Allen, Va.
Big supporters
How else would you make a support column work when it’s been cut too short?
Chris Earley
Inspect It 1st
Aston, Pa.
Eau de sewer
During one of my inspections, I found this behind an access panel in a basement. Duct tape and a terry cloth towel really didn’t stop the smell of the sewer gas.
Charlie Rice
Pillar to Post
Sykesville, Md.
Put a cork in it
Here’s a unique drain pipe repair: a cork and a golf pencil!
Warren E. Casey
Your Home Inspection Co.
Marengo, Ill.
