Here's another view of our *finger's crossed* next house.
The inspection was the middle of last week and here is what we learned....
It's a good, solid house! The inspector said he was actually surprised that he didn't find anything huge wrong because of the age. It was built in the '50s and then was renovated sometime in the 70's and again in the '90s. There are absolutely some things that need to be addressed, but not deal breakers. Some of the priorities are:
- Replacing a cracked window and the remaining single pane window
- Repair a few loose edges of the tin roof
- Repair the chimney. It's no longer in use, but to prevent bricks from falling down we should address this.
- There is a set of stairs that goes no where that we can remove. We think these concrete stairs were left behind from one of the previous renovations as it no longer goes to a door.
- Repair some chips/cracks in stairs, pathways and driveway
- Fix the automatic door opener in garage. There is currently no power going to the outlet for some reason.
- Attached garage man door needs a self closing devise to ensure no fumes get from the garage to the living areas.
- The grading around the house is either flat or has sunken in in some spots, so we should build that help to prevent water from getting in around the foundation. There is also no gutter/downspout system which is apparently typical with tin roofs, but also something we could address to help manage water accumulation.
- Ceiling has an r value of about 32 for insulation - we could increase this, but no rush.
- There is no range exhaust it the kitchen, but we plan on renovating that anyways.
- The bathroom fan blows into the attic, also a problem but we plan on renovating that room as well.
- The dryer connections aren't on tightly so lint is blowing into the basement - easy fix.
- The stairways to the basement have some variation in height that are no longer to code.
- There are some old vinyl tiles that may or may not have asbestos which is common for this age of house. We'll have to manage that carefully when renovating.
- The second electrical panel is mislabeled because of it's age - this could be addressed by an electrician for clarity.
- Replace the smoke alarms as they expire every ten years - just to be safe.
- Invetsigate plumbing as the pipe leaving the house is above ground for a foot or two which is a freezing hazard in the winter - though the current owners have never had a problem with it.
- Some very minor cracking in the foundation could be investigated further but no immediate concerns.
Phew! Ok, writing it all out makes it seem like a really big list, but it's really not. We felt really good about the inspector, and believe he did a thorough job. Now to build the 'want to fix list' ....there is a lot of paint in this houses future.
Congratulations on a good home inspection. Considering what all could be wrong, that's a pretty darn good list.
ReplyDeleteThank you! We thought so too.
DeleteI laughed out loud at the set of stairs that go nowhere - what do people think while doing renovations? lol Glad no major issues came up :D
ReplyDeleteIt's so strange! They are concrete and just lead up to the side of the house....so we figure there must have been a door there at one point..but sheesh lol. My uncle says that they were often made with loose rock inside and just concrete holding it together, so fingers crossed it's like that and not solid concrete....either way, it's got to go!
DeleteYay! Yeah our inspection came with a loooong list of notes and recommendations but nothing major or unsurprising. It is overwhelming though to look through a 40 page report!
ReplyDeleteAnd LOL at those steps to nowhere.
I have no power points in my bathroom (and no kitchen exhaust but plan for a full reno anyway).
It really is! I'm so thankful for thorough inspectors.
DeleteI just might have to post a picture of those steps lol