Common Defects Found by Chico Home Inspector

STUCCO CRACKS - Cracks in stucco are common. In most cases, hairline cracking will be present around the corners of windows and doors. In more severe cases, like the one pictured here, there are bigger issues going on than just the crack. This particular home is located on a hillside and the builder made no provisions for adeqaute drainage at one corner and rear of the home. It was later found that one corner of the foundation had settled 2". This was confirmed by a floor level survey.

WATER HEATERS - Can you believe there are actually 53 inspection points at a water heater? Here's a photo where an unwitting homeowner capped off the temperature pressure relief(TPR) valve because it was leaking. It should have been replaced. This is a serious safety concern! If the water heater were to malfunction and continue to heat, the water inside the tank would boil and without the TPR valve, it would eventually explode. Note the warning label. For a great video showing what happens when a water heater explodes, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68p4ngS-yME

DAMAGED ROOF TILES - As you can see, the damaged roof tile slid down and exposed the roofing paper for 5 years. In that amount of time, or possibly less, sunlight degraded the roofing paper resulting in a roof leak. Luckily, this was caught early and no mold had started to develop. The repair was simple....a roofer removed about a 6' x 6' area of tiles, replaced the damaged paper, replaced the tile and all was good again. Total cost was $160. A home inspector who does not walk on concrete tile roofs would have never caught this, since it was not visible from the ground and was on the second story.

CHECKLIST REPORTS - Yes.....filed under common defects. It is all too common to find this type of report format being used by some inspectors. My expert witness friends tell me that 80% of the time, the inspector being sued issued this type of report. "Appears serviceable" - what the heck does that mean? "Appears" is a weasle-word used by some home inspectors who don't know exactly if it is or isn't. "Well, your Honor, I don't know how Mr. Jones fell and died. The stairway appeared serviceable." Report writing is an art form. A well written report should describe the defect, where it is located, what its implications are and who should review/repair it. A photograph is helpful as well.