I’m going to be doing inspection tomorrow our house that was built in 1923. The person that wants to buy the house says it is in very bad shape wants me to take a close look at foundation structure etc. just wondering if anybody out there has had experience with inspecting these types of homes. As far as I know the water is not operational and the electric is not hooked on you also want me to check out some things with the boundary lines and discuss how far away the houses to be able to hook up the sewer and water. Any thoughts
No utilities on and in bad shape, about the only thing you can inspect is the structure since it should be a total renovation.
Boundary lines are for the surveyor to determine.
Just stick to what you can see and don’t get drawn into anything over your head or outside your expertise.
I did a house that was built in 1900 today. The floors were out of level everywhere but everything else was newer including the electrical, water heater, furnace, windows, roofing etc., I’ve also done century homes that nothing was updated.
Yes, I inspect 100+ year old homes all the time. Your post is non-sensical. Without a lot more information, there is not really anything to say. Let’s simplify this… post a link to the MLS/online listing so we understand exactly what you are talking about, and we have pertinent information about the home.
Daryl, where are you located? No utilities suggest you will not be doing a major portion of your usual inspection. Basement? Stick to your scope. Cover yourself where things within your scope can not be tested. Plumbing etc.
If all he wants is to know about is the structure of the home he should just hire a structural engineer. You are likely struggling for work and need the cash but I would have declined this one. If you miss something you will pay for it dearly.
Agree!
And what does this mean…???
Do you own the home? And if so, don’t you know if any utilities are operational?
No disrespect, but I highly recommend you get your communication skills in order before attempting your first inspection / report.
Old homes take significantly longer to inspect than modern homes and you need to vigilant in your report to manage expectations and your liability. Codes likely are not going to be part of anything in this inspection since they did not exist and even if they did they cannot be used today. Stick with obvious issues and safety concerns no matter how small or trivial. Only doing a visual inspection you should spend some time looking at the structure and signs indicative of settlement and water damage over time. Also, on a home that old i would recommend having the drain lines scoped.
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I respectfully disagree with some of your comments.
I inspect century old homes every week, some are in excellent condition as they’ve been renovated, just because it’s old doesn’t mean it necessarily takes longer.
We don’t do code inspections so that’s not a factor.
Many old homes are going to show some signs of settlement, virtually any home over 10 years old is likely to have some small cracks in the foundation for instance.
I absolutely agree on sewer scoping. Some of the older homes here still have terracotta sewage lines.