We try to focus on topics and issues, rather than stories and anecdotes... but you'll still find a few of those.
For home buyers interested in conducting their own home inspection, here's a list of larger items to look out for while viewing houses. This is a cursory overview of some of the larger problems that are frequently identified during home inspections.
Read MoreWhile newer stucco installations are done quite well, the folks installing masonry veneer seem to have a lot of catching up to do on proper installation details.
Read More"Will you be checking for moisture during the home inspection?" Yep, that's a common question, and the correct answer is Heck Yes.
Read MoreDrive through any neighborhood in Minneapolis or Saint Paul and you'll find a handful of gas vents with missing or improper vent caps. These all need to go.
Read MoreIs your garage door opener safe? I'm going to go over the most common garage door opener issues that come up during home inspections.
Read MoreBuildings do sometimes leak under extreme weather conditions. As long as the building can dry out, a one-time leak event probably isn't going to cause any long-term damage.
Read MoreBack in 2010, I wrote a blog post detailing one of the most common deck defects that I find, which is improper joist hanger nails.
Read MoreWhen a neighboring house with vinyl siding is in exactly the right pathway of reflected light, it can lead to melted vinyl siding.
Read MoreMy knee-jerk reaction to mold testing is "don't bother". The situations where mold testing may have some value are few and far between.
Read MoreOne of the most common window and door issues that comes up during a home inspection is fogged glass, which is more commonly known as a broken seal.
Read MoreLP SmartSide® is a great product, but I suspect I'll be seeing failures soon enough, because I find installation errors on nearly every home I inspect.
Read MoreAfter the rain tonight we noticed some water trickling out of a pipe in the wall behind the boiler and have no clue what it is for. What is the purpose of this pipe?
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