Mortar Deterioration
There are a few problems in this picture.
Older galvanized water supply pipes can have issues. Many home buyers around New Orleans are not aware of this or have ever heard of galvanized pipes. These water pipes are always older and they have a lifespan. When I see a 100 year old home with these pipes, I can expect that they are at…
Wood rot on the floor sheathing isn’t hard to spot. Pictured you can see all the water staining around the lead to cast iron pipe coming from the toilet. It’s extensive. You can see different levels of floor sheathing that was installed over the years, which is an indication that some of the wood is…
The featured image shows a beam wedged in under a sill to support it. Unfortunately, it’s not proper and won’t do much at supporting the original sill. So, I was confused as to why the supporting beam was put in at all. There was somewhat of a long run on the main support sill, so…
Notice the plastic bubble wrap type of insulation applied to the underside of the joists in the crawl space. This will trap humid air between the joists throughout the summer. As air conditioning is used, it lowers the temperature of the floor to dew point and therefore dew forms on the wood. Wet wood will…
Pictured you’ll see my screw driver stabbed into closed cell spray foam applied to the underside of the floor sheathing in a crawl space in New Orleans. I always check to see if the foam was sprayed on correctly. There should be at least 1.5 inches of closed cell to have a proper thermal break…
You can find lots of different numbers on the lifespan of a cast iron drainage pipe, but I can say that at 80 to 100 years of age, the pipe needs to be replaced if a couple things add up. This type of pipe is commonly rusted. But “very rusted” is something more substantial. When…
Several piers under this Metairie home were constructed with the wrong side up. You should not see the holes placed on their side. They should be aligned up and down to add more strength and support. Placed on their side, these piers are structurally weak and may crack over time. It is also best practice…
The pipe is sloping down! What could be the problem? This pipe may end up performing ok but there could be issues. Lets just ignore the codes and proper drop per foot. Home inspection, by definition is not technically exhaustive and we don’t report on code in our reports in Louisiana. It’s the law. So…
Do you see anything wrong with this picture in a New Orleans crawl space? There is no light shining through the sides. So there is no ventilation at all on the front half under the home. This can cause a buildup of mold. It is South Louisiana, right, we have high humidity. Fortunately, the back…
Some people that I ask do not know the signs of termites. Like in this photo, they make mud/excrement tunnels from the ground and up the piers to get to the wood sills. When I see these tunnels, I disturb them to flick away the dirt and sometimes that reveals the creepy crawlies. In the…
As a home inspector, I’ve seen worse but this New Orleans home had termite damage on three joists in a row. Two of the joists had crushed down about an inch so there was probably some sinking in the subfloor and main flooring above. Adding a new joist next to the old (called sistering) is…
There are so many things in a home that could go one way or the other. I wrote up this pipe laying on the ground in a crawl space. It’s not supported with straps from above. But is it worth trying to get discounts on the home price during a purchase? I don’t think so.…
Furnace Vent Defect I crawled into a Metairie attic and immediately sensed that it was too hot. I then smelled combustion fumes so that means CO/carbon monoxide, which is a safety hazard and it can kill. I could not see the exhaust pipe from the furnace because it was improperly installed where the rafters and…
The more visible part of this sill/beam looked fine from the easy side of viewing it. But when I crawled under the front porch, I could see about 1 inch of wood resting on the pier. That is termed low end bearing and was written up in my inspection report. Old New Orleans houses have…
We have to be very careful to catch everything on a home inspection. Notice the white PEX water supply line coming up from the dirt. There was not turn off valve in front of the home so I checked for one here. It’s nowhere to be found so I wrote it up. As a kicker,…
I often encounter raised homes with water problems in New Orleans during my home inspections. Surprisingly, the percentage is high, I would say that I encounter this on about 80% of my home inspections. I guess the reason is clear: it’s a lot of hard work for yourself, or you have to pay a landscaping…
Pictured is my mold sampling kit that was set up on outdoor furniture in Metairie. The pump pulls air through a plastic tube and a cartridge, which is called an Air O Cell. The cartridge traps the spores that are floating in every air sample. So yes, toxic mold is in every breath of air that…
Bats are beautiful. At least that was the name of the class I used to help teach at Calloway Gardens in Georgia. It was there that I learned to appreciate bats and what they do for us. Pictured is a cage that I found attached to the soffit on a Metairie home inspection. It took…
Spotting dirty air conditioning coils or mold during a home inspection can be easy. I make it a habit to open up the vent on the cold air return under every air handler. About 30% of time I can see the open coils inside the unit. I commonly see water damage of the return compartment,…
We do mold testing here at Sunshine Home Inspection. Our owner is a real atmospheric scientist so it’s a natural thing, a good fit. Mold testing is in our wheel house as they say. We recently did a toxic mold inspection and test in New Orleans and the results were as expected. The mold inspection…
Observations I recently conducted a mold test at an area gym and the results were jocking, I mean shocking. The first thing I noticed as I entered the large locker room/gym is that it was the coldest indoor room that I have ever been in. I would guess around 65 degrees or so. My client…
Looks can be deceiving. I inspected a beautiful Uptown home that has undergone a recent renovation. The exterior façade and interior looked amazing, very nice work by the contractor but something was overlooked….science. This is something that I see flippers and renovators frequently miss. There was no detectable mold on the inside of the home…
I thought it would be nice to briefly explain a few home inspection tools. I use these on every inspection in New Orleans, Metairie and in Kenner where it is a must. Zip Level – This takes a relative elevation differential of the foundation. It is like a water level and it is very accurate,…
Someone was having artistic fun with the bathroom ceiling in a Metairie home that I inspected. The buyers were not thrilled with it but of course this is not going blow the deal. Home inspectors do not write up cosmetic things in our reports but we did get a good laugh out of it. The…
A home inspection is so important, it can even save your life! A few weeks ago, I was scheduled for a vacation in Destin, Florida in the beautiful home pictured. I have also included the view of the Gulf. One day before the family and myself were scheduled to leave I got a call from…