The photos below were taken by me on actual inspections over the past
year.  Click on the thumbnail image for a larger view, and use your
"back" button to come back to this main photo page.
Check back often as I am regularly adding new photos
Believe it or not, people were actually
living under this roof!  And no... I did not
walk on this one!
Hmmm... could use a little more insulation.  I don't know if it has
been packed out over the years, but judging by the gnaw-marks
and "remnants" there have definitely been some small, furry visitors!
Mined in Libby, Montana between 1925 - 1984, and sold under the
name of "Zonolite", this vermiculite insulation is contaminated with
asbestos.  The mine has since been closed and vermiculite is no
longer used as an insulating product.  I encourage you to click on
the Zonolite link and read the article!
Okay... I think I scared him
more than he scared me!
A common (and not recommended)
sight in home-owner renovations is
the instance of "double-tapping",
where you will find a single
breaker feeding multiple circuits.
Go ahead... call me a dummy and tell
me I should have worn gloves!  I won't
argue with you, but I will say that not
everyone would have got their hands
dirty to determine whether or not
the flue vent worked!
Some re-pointing and chimney-cap
maintenance required here to avoid
foreseeable (and costly) problems!
Now THIS is a clean flue!
Watch out for receptacles located
above base-board heaters.  These
are a fire hazard!
Had I not gone IN this attic, I may not
have detected this water leak (left) or
this mould (right).  This is why - unless
physically impeded - I GO IN attics!
A little gravel to go with this
tar may have prevented this
"alligatoring", and would have
certainly prolonged the
design-life of this roof!
Knowing "The Home Inspector" was
coming, if I didn't know better I'd think
it was a conspiracy.  Hey, you'd be
paranoid too if everyone were out to
get you! (haha)
Santa wasn't making a
trip down this chimney
any time soon!!!
There was a slight depression at the front entry of this
house.  A trip to the crawl-space, and pulling back the
perimeter insulation, revealed why!  While dry now, at
some point in time moisture made its way in here and
did significant damage.
You pick the quote!

~ "Life is a Highway" ~
or
~"Oh what a tangled web we weave"~
For two years, because this vent
was not securely attached,
exhaust fumes from the gas-fired
water heater had been venting
INTO the home.
Whether from high-humidy, a leaky roof or pipe, or an
insecure toilet (as was the case here), water is the
most destructive force in any home!  This leaky 2nd
floor toilet went unchecked until one day the garage
ceiling landed on top of the Volvo.  This is why I
check every toilet to make sure they are secure.
In the words of Mike Holmes, "Minimum
code sucks!"  Believe it or not, this
high-end Townhome is only 3 years old, but
because the gutter is permitted to "spill"
onto the roof surface below, the
"conditional age" of the roof at this point is
far older.  When you compare the cost of a
few more feet of downspout, to the cost of
major roof repairs, it doesn't make sense
does it?  So much for those 20 year shingles!
Umm... enough said.
Something tells me this Electrician wasn't
qualified.  There is NO junction box
(required), no wire nuts (required - in a
junction box), and for all I know we have
aluminum and copper twisted together.  
At least I am confident anti-oxidant was
used on the conductors.
Open up and say, "Ahhh..."  This mould
growth was taking place inside the bath fan
duct which was SUPPOSED to be venting to
the exterior of the home.
Forget double-tapping... Let's
have a party in the panel!  This
distribution panel was severely
over-loaded.
© 2007 West Coast Home Inspections Ltd. all rights reserved
Me, enjoying a mtb ride last Sept...
You know what they say about all work
and no play!