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Inspect the
Health of Your Home
 The health of your home affects the inhabitants;
inspect it often. Following are a few items to check when assessing
the wellness of any home. These are particularly useful when
considering purchasing a new home.
Buying a home will involve spending
15 to 30 years of your salary! Remember an appraiser doesn't
always inspect the home for problems, but you should before buying.
Home inspectors can help to find problems, and hiring one to
look at a home you are serious about may save you money and grief
in the long run.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Be sure to look behind or under
pictures, rugs, tapestries, curtains, entertainment centers,
blinds, posters and other items that can obstruct inspection.
If possible, schedule an inspection at night as well as in the
day. Nighttime lighting can reveal poorly patched wall board,
uneven surfaces and poor lighting conditions.
Find out if the water in the area is soft or hard. If hard water,
it may need to be treated chemically which would indicate an
ongoing cost of home ownership.
Locate the fuse or breaker panels in the home. They should be
in easy access areas and clearly marked by circuit or area next
to each breaker or fuse. Code requires that breakers are used
instead of fuses for safety reasons. If it is not a breaker panel,
significant wiring and panel installation may need to be done
by a certified electrician.
If the home doesn't have cable TV, turn on the TV and change
to several local channels to check reception.
Widows: Does the area surrounding the windows look well
insulated? Are they double pane? Closely inspect the window latch.
Is it secure? Has it been pried open or painted shut? If wood,
is it corroded or showing water damage? Check the caulking around
the window pane. If badly cracked, it may need a new caulking
over it. Wet your hand and move it around the window frame. Do
you feel a draft?
Flooring: Does the floor creak as you walk over it? It
may become a bigger annoyance the longer you own the home.
Wallboard / sheet rock: Uneven surfaces may indicate water
damage or even possible flooding. Are the corners of the room
or ceiling cracked or appear to be patched? Run your hand along
the wall and ceiling near the corners. Visual inspection may
not always show problems. If painted with dull finish, dirt and
streak may be more visible and be harder to clean. In a corner
near the floor, gently scrape your fingernail over the paint.
If it peels the wall may have had an oil-base paint that was
painted over with a latex-base paint which should not be done
unless proper treatment is done to the oil-based paint. You may
get stuck with stripping, prepping and repainting all wall surfaces
again.
Structural: Look at the ceiling in large open areas. If
a wall has been taken out, a seam should be visible. If the wall
was a load bearing wall, ask what was used to reinforce the ceiling.
This can present a very serious health hazard.
KITCHEN
Stove and oven: Turn on all the burners on the stove
and oven and feel above them to see if they all heat. Turn the
oven on broil and look to see if the top element in the oven
gets hot. Turn the oven setting from broil to cook. Do both elements
work? Does the oven have a self-cleaning option? Is there a stove
fan either above or built into the surface of the stove? When
cooking fish and other smelly dishes a fan can keep the house
and its surfaces from absorbing an odor.
Drawers and cupboards: Open all drawers and cupboards
and look for misfits on hinges and drawer sliders. Do you see
wood chips or sawdust in the drawer? This could be a telltale
sign of misalignment of the drawer and create problems.
Sink and disposal: Get a white bowl from the cupboard
and put it under the sink as you turn it on. Is there any sediment
or discoloration in the water? This may allude to old plumbing
or root-bound pipes. Open the cupboard under the sink - is there
visible water damage? Turn on the sink and then the disposal.
Does it sound and operate properly?
Electrical outlets: Look at the electrical outlets near
the sink. Are they GFI outlets? A GFI outlet usually has a black
and red button between the plug inlets. This is generally required
by code and affects safety of using appliances near water. Plug
an appliance in to verify operation.
Refrigerator: Does the refrigerator operate properly?
Is there unnecessary frost build-up in the freezer? Is the fridge
and older model requiring freon? How old is it?
Flooring: If linoleum, it should be in good condition
with little or no discoloration. Look at the flooring at the
base of a cupboard in a low traffic area. This may show what
the original flooring looked like. If tile was used in the kitchen,
bend down and place the open palm of your hand on the tile. Is
it excessively cold? Remove rugs and other items that cover the
flooring to check for damage.
Lighting / ventilation: Is there ample light for cooking
and reading recipes? Generally a kitchen is well lit with fluorescent
box lighting. If the stove doesn't have an overhead fan hood,
look for a vent fan in the ceiling and check if it’s operational.
Do the windows open to provide proper ventilation for the fan?
BASEMENT
Furnace: Check to see that all blowers and burners
work on the heating and air conditioning properly. It may be
a good idea to purchase a carbon monoxide detector to take with
you on the home inspection. Look at the furnace and the date
of manufacture. If the furnace is more than 8 years old, you
may want to consider replacing it with a newer, more energy efficient
model. Is the gas main easy to access? Follow the ducts from
the furnace outward. The duct work should sit up above the bottom
of the floor joists to enable finishing the ceiling. Otherwise
a hanging ceiling may be necessary. Ask the seller when the last
time they had the duct and ventilation system cleaned by a certified
professional. This will help to reduce dust and prevent allergies.
Water heater: Hold the detector near the vents of the
water heater. Some water heaters are set for sea level operation
and can may expel unnecessary natural gas or carbon monoxide.
Get down and visually inspect the water heater. This may involve
removing the pilot door. Is the bottom rusted and corroded? If
so it may need to be replaced in the upcoming months. Smell for
natural gas leaks around both furnace and water heater. Repairing
a leak may not be costly but should be known about before the
purchase of a home.
Structural: Look for cracks and unstable concrete conditions
if unfinished. Concrete patches that appear new by lighter coloration
may indicate excessive water damage or structure integrity compromises.
Does the floor have a drain? Is the drain near the furnace? If
not, a fixed humidifier may not be a future option. Lift the
drain plate if possible and look at the level of water, if there
is any. Is it well below the floor line?
BATHROOM
Sink: Open the cupboard under the sink - is there visible
water damage? Turn the hot water on. How fast does it get hot?
Turn the hot water off and the cold water on. Is there throughput
of water? Do the pipes make noises or creak? Inspect the sink
overflow under the sink. Is it hooked up to spill back into the
drain? If so, plug the sink and fill it up to overflow. Make
sure there are no leaks. Unplug the sink and see how fast the
water drains. Problems with water draining can indicate clogged
pipes, poor plumbing and sometimes root-bound pipes that can
be very expensive to have fixed. Watch the sink faucet, does
it drip?
Bathtub / Shower: Does the tub or shower drip? Does the
enamel or ceramic coating of the tub have cracks or chips? Step
into the tub. Is is secure? Does the tub have an access door
near it to maintain plumbing? Plug the tub. Is it automatic or
require a tub stopper? Turn on the hot water and let it fill
the tub. Does the hot water run out before filling enough for
a generous bath? If so, you may be in for cold showers. Generally
a shower will use less water than a bath. Unplug the tub and
check to see if it drains quickly. Once drained, turn on the
cold water and the shower if available. Let run for several minutes.
Does the water drain quick enough? If not, serious plumbing measures
might need to be taken so soap buildup doesn't occur. If the
basement is unfinished, locate the area under the bathroom and
look for water damage indicated by stains on the floor joists.
If the bathroom has a hot tub or jacuzzi tub, have an electrician
look at the wiring and proximity to the pump to avoid shock.
Toilet: Flush the toilet. Does it stop filling properly?
Now put several feet of toilet paper in the bowl. Flush again
and see if proper pressure clears the paper. Some newer toilets
don't have enough pressure to remove heavy sediment. Open the
top of the toilet tank. Are there mineral deposits from the water?
If so, the water in the area may need to be treated. Examine
the base where the toilet meets the floor. Make sure it is securely
fastened to the floor. Look around the back, under the tank for
water leaks and floor discoloration. Wiggle the lid and seat
to make sure the hinges are secure and the fasteners are not
stripped. Is the toilet paper within reach of the toilet? Close
the lid on the toilet and sit on it. Shift your weight from front
to back and side to side. The toilet should be secure.
Vanity: Splash a good handful of water from the sink up
on the counter. Look for the direction it flows. This may indicate
that the vanity is not level. Excess splash water may puddle
up in the lowest area of the counter leaving soap buildup rings
after evaporation. If there is a medicine cabinet, is it secured
well? Will it need to be replaced because of rust or corrosion?
Widows: Is the bathroom window pane privacy glass? If
not, curious eyes may be able to see what's happening in the
bathroom even if blinds are installed. If the window has a wood
frame look for wood rot. If the window is in the shower, look
for proper angle of water runoff to eliminate rot and puddling
on the sill or in the track.
Walls, Wallboard / sheet rock: The bathroom is one of
the highest-humidity and water-prone areas of the house. Look
for wallboard rot and damage. If water resistant sheet rock was
not used, mold and corrosion may damage walls and ceilings. If
tile walls show serious grout corrosion, the tile may need to
be laid again.
Flooring: If linoleum, check to see that the edges nearest
the sink and bathtub are not water damaged or delaminating. If
tile floor, look for grout problems or rot. If one foot square
adhesive linoleum tiles are used for flooring, this may indicate
the underlying floor is damaged or was not aesthetically pleasing.
These linoleum tiles can be damaged in a shorter period of time
by water and humidity, if not sealed properly because of numerous
seams.
Electrical outlets: Look at the electrical outlets near
any water source. Are they GFI outlets? A GFI outlet usually
has a black and red button between the plug inlets. This is generally,
required by code and affects safety of using appliances near
water. Plug an appliance in to verify operation.
Lighting / ventilation: Is there ample light for makeup
around the vanity area? Generally bathrooms are well lit around
the mirror or vanity. If the bathroom has an overhead fan, check
if it’s operational. Do the windows open to provide proper
ventilation for the fan, or are they painted shut? |
