My first inspection

Hi Guys!

Last week i called my uncle and asked him if i could inspect his house (for free of course) he said yes… in a nervous way…

Altough he had the house inspected 4 years ago (everything was fine according to the HI) i was certain that i could find something and i did.

I noticed a lot of problem not listed in the report…but the biggest one was this one:

in is bedroom, one wall had a visible damage , the drywall was all ‘‘puffed up’’ (moisture meter read 10%…but a huge baseboard heater was under the damage area…so i didn’t take the 10% moisture content too seriously) , i asked my uncle how long it was like that and he said : since the first i bought it from my dad… and he added the the inspector said that the window was leaking , (4 other contractors said the same thing)…

the window that i just inspected was perfect (and had never been chaged) the roof did not leak it was 4 years old…and the attic, including insulation was dry…

so where the hell did this come from???:shock:

i went back out side and i was determine to get to the bottom of this :twisted::twisted:
i looked and looked for the answer… and i found it

The siding of the house is brick , on the first row i noticed that no weep holes where visible…anywhere …turns out that my grand father filled them up (all of them) with concret (i noticed small color chages in the mortar , between the bricks)

this rework has been done at least 20 years ago…so for 20 years the water and humidity had nowhere to go …:shock:

i will opened up the walls this week end and see the damage

i will post the report here so you can see other stuff i found…and judge my first report :shock:

uncle is not happy…

Good job.
Your Uncle may hate you for a while.:slight_smile: $$$$

Good one. In my initial inspection training class I took several years ago a student told us he spent the whole weekend filling the little tubes (weep holes) with concrete on his newly built home. We all had a good laugh at his expense.

Since you didn’t charge for the inspection, now you can bill him for the repairs.:mrgreen:

Suggestion: Never do a free inspection when just getting started, even for friends and family. Charge $1 and count it as a paid inspection.

Chuck,
This may have been one of his 4 mock inspections for INachi, which needs to be completed before he may charge a fee for an inspection.

But, yes, a good point to remember. (Wish I thought of that years ago)

good job

question : where do i submit my 4 inspections?? directly to Nick??

Go into your members log in, up in the right hand corner. There is a spot in there to submit your reports for verification.

Most likely the weep hole blockage has nothing to do with the water damage under the windows…there is leakage at the window somewhere. It may look fine with no visible defects… until…some wind-driven horizontal rain hits it …or the trim …or some other element above the window!!!

Well around here if the blinds and curtans are closed you will get a lot of moisture (WATER) on the window and it will leak inside of the wall from inside of the home. Just a thought.

I agree with Charles. It’s quite common to find this kind of damage, under those conditions. Old folks tend to use the drapes as insulation, not realizing the sometimes excessive amounts of condensation that are formed on the glass. If there is anywhere the water can find a way into the wall through the sill; it will do so, causing rot, and probably heavy mould.

I agree with Charles and Harold. Have seen that a lot with a longer curtain. The window condensates and the curtain doesn’t allow it to dry out properly and you end up with a big mess. Don’t get me wrong, this may not be the only answer, but it is a possibility.

Patrick,

From your pick, I would say that wall damage comes from the window leaking.

And I would check the rim joists and sill plate in basement for possible rot due to the blocked weepholes.

Hi Marcel, hows life treating you, long time no chat. Hope all is well with you and yours. Chuck.