Don’t try these ‘repairs’ at home
Every profession has its horror stories, and the ones that home inspectors trade around the proverbial water cooler can be real shockers -- in at least one case, literally.
The American Society of Home Inspectors has compiled a collection of some of the most preposterous home defects found during 2007 by its members. Although perhaps humorous, they do make the case for buyers’ requiring a home inspection as a contingency of any purchase offer.
Here are a few outlandish examples from the compilation that should make buyers think twice:
In one Los Angeles home, duct tape was used to repair a bathtub. Yucaipa-based inspector Timothy Hemm, who found the problem, called it “an obvious Uncle Buck repair,” in reference to the character in the 1989 John Candy comedy. Although Hemm did not have the authority to remove the tape, it reminded him of an inspection in the past “where a gopher actually climbed right on through” a similar “repair.”
El Cajon-based ASHI-certified inspector Cliff Sims came upon a strange roof display during the examination of an El Cajon home: a swamp cooler atop the chimney. “Someone just wanted to get the job done the easy way,” Sims said, “instead of the right way.”
In another example of mindless remodeling, inspector Matt Fisher of Bloomington, Ind., found an electrical outlet in the shower. In this same bathroom, the toilet paper dispenser was located in the tub enclosure.
Bartlett, Tenn.-based inspector Brandon Dyles had to inform the owner of a home in the Memphis suburb that six hoses connected to an outdoor faucet would not pass as a “sprinkler system.”
Having an inspection is often the answer to “How could this mess have been avoided?” even with new home purchases.
In January, a family in Greenville, S.C., came across a hidden room filled with mold while cleaning behind a bookcase. Adding insult to the discovery of this unexpected fault in a newly purchased home was the note that they found within the blackened room. It read: “You found it!”
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