ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS
2010
19
Comments
I was called and asked to do an inspection on a house being sold by an individual who is a practicing Licensed Architect and Class A Licensed Contractor. His company advertises "Design and Build." I was also told the house was quite remodeled and gorgeous. This could not have been a more disapp...
01/31/2010
40
Comments
It would be difficult to explain what this configuration looked like when I first saw it. There were a multiplicity of problems, all identified on my original inspection report, and the seller agreed to many repairs. This is what we saw when we returned to what is apparently thought to be the B...
01/30/2010
24
Comments
No, it's not what you are thinking. Sorry, but these boobs were something more like stooges, maybe even the Three Stooges! This is one of many repairs effected by the Bestway Construction Company. Yes, that is their name. I am not kidding and I am NOT making this up! During our inspection a c...
01/29/2010
14
Comments
Arriving early at a home inspection in a condo development, just after sun up, I did my usual walk around to check out the general upkeep of the units. It was very cold. This gives me information about the condo association and how on top of maintenance it is generally. I was met by a lady stan...
01/28/2010
17
Comments
Stone foundations are famous for leaking. But especially if the soil outside it is not graded, water from downspouts not extended away from the foundation. And certainly if a sump pump is not discharging well away from the house, and onto a graded slope. It can become a circuit. When all three...
01/21/2010
19
Comments
These photos came to me from my thermal infrared friend in Maryland, John Evans. It isn't often we thermographers get such an opportunity to photograph this. Windows are one of the things routinely looked at during a thermal image sweep of a house. We look for many things, not just leakage. An...
01/20/2010
14
Comments
On the inspection of the historic Manassas VA house, I encountered a new, very-well-done metal roof. It was framed all around with a very nice cap. At first I wondered where the gutters were, since I saw them around the front porch roof. Then I realized that the main roof did in fact have gutt...
01/16/2010
8
Comments
I had a pre-drywall inspection a few weeks ago in Maryland. It was disappointing in many respects. The builder's agent was supposed to meet me at the site. I called her five minutes before I got there and she was to be there, but never showed up. The house was quite unkempt, with debris every...
01/15/2010
19
Comments
I heard a reporter this morning tell the story of entering the capitol city and witness the damage of all the buildings they passed. Then, almost off hand, he said they passed the largest American Embassy building and saw that it was intact, "without any visible damage." That's all he said abou...
01/15/2010
13
Comments
Every now and then I run into squirrels in an attic. Sometimes I have advance warning that they might be there. This is what advance warning might look like, at least it did today: This cute couple had made a fine home in the attic by pushing insulation into a little igloo. They were pretty sa...
01/14/2010
Rainmaker
2,017,231
2,017,231
Jay Markanich
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia
Service Areas
Real Estate Resources
Recent Posts
ActiveRain Community
over 4 years ago
ActiveRain Community
over 4 years ago
Home Buying
over 4 years ago
An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.