Home Inspection Services

Caulk Your Tub, Look At This Damage

Los Angeles Home Inspector warns. Water damage is more about what you can't see. Take a look at these pictures. Here is a picture of a common tub one would find at any home inspection. There were signs that a shower door had been removed at some point. What is hard to see is that the tub was not level. A good home inspector will check if the tub is installed correctly. Your inspector should also stand in the tub to insure the floor below is not soft or spongy.

We did and here is what we found. The wood subfloor below the tub area is where the deferred maintenance has taken it's toll. We found severe damage to the floor boards and floor joist. This is a costy repair. The tub and tile will need to be removed in order to make the needed repairs. However our client had planed a complete bath remodel. The floor repair will add to the budget.

Below more visiable water damage to the subfloor

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Garbage Disposal Wiring Gone Wrong

Home inspection Nightmares. Here we have a common household garbage disposal. Take a look at these pictures. As a home inspector in Southern California we have seen it all. There are a lot of was to install a garbage disposal correctly.

It always surprises me just how creative people can be when it comes to doing it wrong.

This one is missing the cord connector and ground. Along with it access cover.

Here we have the cord cut and spliced together under the sink.

Here the cord goes into the wall and up to the switch.

Well they did use spray foam to fill the hole in the wall.

We will make the recommendation that the garbage disposal be installed and wired by a Professional.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Bathroom Vent In The Kitchen? Are you Kidding Me?

This is a picture from a home inspection we did Wednesday. A bathroom ventilator was use over the to of the cook-top. As you can see from the pictures the grill is covered with grease. The bath vent is not designed for use over a cook-top. It dose not have a means of filtering the grease nor does it have the ability to move the amount of air needed to appropriately vent the heat and grease from the kitchen.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

The Old Girl Aint What She Use To Be. Water Heater Gone Bad!

This old hot water heater has given her last hot shower. Here are two pictures from a home inspection I did yesterday. Take a look at this tank. She was installed back in 1987 it was a 9 year tank. I would say they more than got their moneys worth of of the old girl.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Electrical, Wires And Nuts" Los Angeles Home Inspection Blog.

You have got to be NUTS to do this kind of wiring in a home where your kids sleep at night. Take a look at these two pictures from a home inspection I did in Lakewood. Here someone installed two lights in the garage. To get to the power they cut into some accessible Romex and wire nutted it together. The owner had his two small children sleeping in a bedroom next to the garage. Also note the outlet missing it's cover in the same picture.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Building A New Home. Hiring A Independent Home Inspector Could Save You Thousands.

Inspecting a home in the rough in phase is a tough job but one that we are use to at David Home Inspection Services. Take a look at these pictures. Here is a home my client is having built in the Rancho Cucamonga area in Southern California. On this phase of the inspection we are checked all the homes systems. The plumbing, electrical, HVAC along with rough framing and windows.

Here we are inspecting the tubs, showers for leaks.

Below is a picture taken of the tub located on the second floor of the home. The picture shows a leak at the wast and overflow. A leak of this nature can cause water damage and mold. The plumber was on site and was able to make the repairs. So even if the home your buying is brand new, a independent home inspection can often find building defects that can save you thousands. We found other defects on this phase of the inspection, all were corrected right away by the builder.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Los Angeles Home Inspection Turns Up Bath Dangers!

On a home inspection today we found this bath tub with glass window surrounding it. After a close inspection only one of the windows had safety glass. It was the picture window above the tub valve. One slip and it could be a deadly one. 80% of slip and falls in the home happen in the bath. We called it out as a safety issue to be aware of. Also the total lack of privacy glass in this bath. Check out the house in the back ground it looks like two eyes looking into the bath. CREEPY

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Los Angeles Home Inspection. PEX PIPE It's Not Plumbing. It's PEXING!

Well it's here to stay PEX pipe for residential construction. love it or not, it has impacted the construction industry in a big way. But is everyone out there trained on proper installation? We found several installation errors in this home we inspected for the buyer today. The days when "plumb"ing meant something is gone. Now anyone can run the spaghetti any way they want to.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Aluminum Thresh-hold Over Concrete Slab

Here we have a aluminum threshold over concrete slab. In most cases the thresh-hold would corrode in only a matter of a few years. With this installation a black plastic barrier was use to prevent corrosion.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Check The Blue Prints When You Inspect Newly Built Homes..

As a home inspector you will need to be able to identify the location of structural supports and straps. Here we have a Simpson tie holding a support beam in place. It is imperative that the blue prints be used as a reference to check nailing guides and schedules set forth by the engineers. If you miss a strap or hanger it could come back to haunt you...

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Home Inspection Turns Up Garage Carbon Monoxide and Fire Danger

Home Inspection Turns Up Garage Carbon Monoxide and Fire Danger. Take a look at this picture. I inspected a home that was 3 years old yesterday. In the garage a section of drywall was removed from the wall nearest the cieling. On closer inspection it was observed that a section of the sheer wall was also removed. Trying to figure out why, I was ably to find a Romex wire run from a junction box in the wall cavity run to a ceiling fan in the bedroom. The box was ungrounded and the fan box was not properly supported. This 3' x 3' hole would allow harmful carbon monoxide gas to enter the living areas and provide a path for possible fires to rush up into the attic. Easy fix just replace plywood, drywall and fire-tape. Safety before comfort!

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Home Inspection. Wow! What Is That Going To Cost To Fix?

Los Angeles Home Inspector Blog. Wow! What Is That Going To Cost To Fix? Los Angeles home inspection turns up a costly upgrade. Take a look at these pictures. Here we have a meter socket and panel. The electrical panel was installed in 1949. It was MFG by Zensco. It is a 120 /240 volt system rated for 60 AMPS wired for 50 AMPS.This is a common find in the older homes in Los Angeles Ca. This home has had some new circuits installed over the years. As well as a swamp cooler and garbage disposal. The panel was never designed to carry such loads but the previous old just kept adding circuits. and when the breakers would trip they just put in a bigger breaker.

Bellow you can see that the panel is full of wires and even a few thin breakers to allow for extra room.

Here is where you get the picture of what the danger really is. This panel will need a 100 amp minimum upgrade to carry all the connected load in the home.

And yes that is a 14 AWG wire connected to a 20 Amp breaker.

Upgrading this panel will run in the area of $2,000 on the low end to $3,500 on the high end.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Inspectors Blog. Look At What I Just Found.

Here we have a garbage disposal with everything wrong. The garbage disposal was working at time of inspection. The unit is a Badger 1 MFG INSINKERATOR.

What A Mess But Fixable

In this picture below you will see that the Badger disposal was wired with Romex. This type of wire in intended to be installed in walls where not it is not subject to physical damage. The wire enters the disposal without the proper wire connector. This will cause chafing and damage to the wire insulation.

Below we have the power supply to the switch for the disposal. Note the exposed wire and armored cable has pulled from the connector.

And last we have the switch it is located under the lip of the counter top. Locating the disposal switch at this level allow small children to operate the switch while someones hands are in the sink.

It is advised that garbage disposals be installed by a professional to prevent fire and safety dangers.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Home Inspection. What Would You Do If Your Pipes Failed While You Were Gone?

As a home inspector we find plumbing leaks on a regular bases. In the picture below we have a 3/4 galvanized pipe with a level of corrosion that shows signs of near failure. It's important to check your visible plumbing pipes for corrosion so you don't have to worry about leaks and failures.

So What Would You Do If Your Pipes Failed While You Were Gone?

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Home Inspection Blog. Up-Rooting Your Property Wall. (edit/delete)

Look at all the damage cause by the trees in the pictures below. As a home Inspector we find damaged caused by trees and tree roots all the time. I recommend not planting trees within 10 feet of a structure wall or foundation.

Planting trees too close to a property wall can be costly.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

Home Inspection Blog. Hot Water Heater Inspection. Are You Kidding Me? (edit/delete)

One thing a great home inspector will do for their clients is test for carbon monoxide leaks at and around the hot water heater vent. Not all home inspectors provide this level of service. We at David Home Inspection do. We could point out the many things wrong with this water heater. But lets take a closer look at the venting or lack there of..

This is how I found it. You got to be kidding me right? Astounding no one has died in this home. The hot water heater is located in a closet off the kitchen. Take a look at the vent, it's not even attached to the top of the hot water heater. Also note the heavy use of JB liquid weld around the hot and cold water lines. The one thing that I noticed was the copper lines look to be only a year or two old. Not sure why the heater was not replaced then. It was installed in 1994 and was a 5 year tank.

Way to go JB liquid weld, for holding it together.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California