Episode 026 1995 - 96 Season

| House Inspector | Linseed Oil Uses | Tuck Pointing Brick | Homemade Potting Soil | Fixing Stuck Door | Cracked Grout | Caulking Windows | The CLOSING | |

To order a Video Tape, call 1-800-TO-BUILD and ask for Episode #026.


House Inspector

M.H.: If you're buying a new home or an existing home, you may want to hire a house inspector to check things out. Jim Lilly inspects about 600 homes a year.

Jim Lilly: During the original walk-thru, I'm essentially getting a feel for the foundation. Is there movement within the foundation, in what direction, that's why we shut doors, open windows, knock on walls, look at the ceiling. We also get an indication also if there's any roof leaks. Once we've got a feel for the overall condition of the foundation, then we start to evaluate the individual building components, such as the bathrooms, the electrical panel board, the hot water heater. Here you can see where somebody's has just gotten sloppy. This is a particle board, and you don't ever want moisture to get within the wood. Once it does, it starts to swell up. At this point, you probably want to seal the holes where the staples are. You don't want water going down the shafts of the staple into the wood, so you'll seal it up, then you'll put a primer over it, and then go ahead and put on your finish painting coat. Several times what I'll see is that's not done, and they'll just go ahead and paint over it. This is your exterior brick veneer, and there's a gap between the brickwork and your doorjamb, and water, cold air and insects can get in within the wall cavity. Your finish painter should go ahead and have already have sealed this up.

M.H.: Some house inspectors offer a warranty. But since they can only make a visual inspection, many things can go unseen. So a warranty is only as good as the inspector.

J.L.: You're trying to find an inspector that is very thorough, that's going to take his time and that if there is anything to detect visually, he's going to pick up on it. My concern might be the inspectors who take a half and hour or 45 minutes and they're done with the house. That just isn't adequate time to fairly evaluate a home. Most states do not require any form of licensing, and that's why it really pays to screen your inspector before you hire them. Hopefully, there is some sort of background by the individual within the construction industry. I'm a civil engineer and all our inspectors in our company are engineers.

M.H.: It's traditional for the buyer to pay for the inspection, but it's becoming more common for homeowners to pay for an inspection prior to putting a home on the market.

J.L.: Let's say I go up and I find hail damage on their roof. They might go ahead an file a claim with their insurance company and get the roof taken care of. And then once it's under contract with the new potential buyer that roof does not create a stumbling block.

M.H.: The best way to find a house inspector is by asking around. So talk with your friends, co-workers or real estate agent. The inspection cost should run between $100 to $450, depending on the size of the house and any extras that come with it.

J.L.: The purpose of the home inspection is to evaluate the home to the best of the inspectors ability. Visual inspection is the only way they can evaluate the home. They can't take components apart. We can't take the sheetrock off of the walls. This is not a warranty service. There are some warranty programs out there if they're interested in that type of program. This is an evaluation and your primary concern should be the main building components and not necessarily that this wallpaper's starting to peel off.

Episode 026 1995 - 96 Season

| House Inspector | Linseed Oil Uses | Tuck Pointing Brick | Homemade Potting Soil | Fixing Stuck Door | Cracked Grout | Caulking Windows | The CLOSING | |

To order a Video Tape, call 1-800-TO-BUILD and ask for Episode #026.