ABI | Louisville Home Inspection Service

Learn about your home – how it works – and how to keep it running smoothly.

Let’s talk about something that many, many people get confused about, or just don’t understand.

I get asked on a daily basis if the home I just inspected “passed.”   There is no pass or fail when it comes to a home inspection.  Only code inspectors declare a pass or fail for a dwelling.

What is a code inspector?

Good question.  A code inspector or AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) is a person that checks to ensure a home or dwelling has followed certain laws and safety requirements for their local area.  Every area of the country is different in their rules and laws; rules like footer depth and width requirements, proper construction techniques, etc.  It sounds like code inspectors have an important job.  And they do…but there are problems with the system.

Part of the problem can be assigned to the fact that AHJs are severely overworked.  These guys are busier than a one legged man in an $#@ kicking contest.  They literally do not have the time to spend  more than 20 minutes on any one home.  These conditions leave many mistakes in their wake.  Then there is the darker side of things….

It’s a small world, and that can work against you as a home buyer.  For you see, builders see the same code inspectors on a daily basis. They develop relationships with these people–dare I say….friendships.  It’s at this time, lines begin to get thin and start to blur…and before you know it, approval stickers get handed out of car windows with a hearty pat on the back.  This means the building codes people put so much stock in can be worth less than a million shares of Enron.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure there are many, many hard working, honest, GOOD code inspectors.  But I assure you not all of them are.  60% of the things I write up during a home inspection are against code, and should have been caught long before any home inspector ever set foot on the property.  Things such as improperly installed water heaters, stairs that aren’t constructed correctly, attic framing that’s  just flat out wrong.  The list goes on and on.

What does all this mean to me?

Even better question.  It means you should take some things with a grain of salt.  Perhaps your new dream home was checked during the building process by the most scrupulous code inspector on the planet.  Perhaps not…the cold hard truth is that today’s homes are not built to yesterday’s standards.  Materials have gotten cheaper in quality.  Laborers don’t take pride in their work.  It’s  bad recipe.

I hate being all doom and gloom. Perhaps it’s the cynical side of me.  But, when you see fifteen water heaters every month that have been “checked” by a code inspector and they are not even close to being installed correctly, it makes one think.  The system is flawed…

Priming…Most people hate it.  Why? They think it’s extra work.  I’m here to tell you it’s not, and your finished product will turn out much better with its use.

I used to be a manager at a certain big retail giant…let’s call them “Glowe’s.”  One busy Saturday at Glowe’s I was stopped in the lumber department by a customer with a question.  The  gentleman and his wife were looking at T-1-11 siding.  That’s the siding with grooves every 4-6″ inches.   You see it now mainly on sheds and storage buildings.  It’s made from plywood, and is usually pretty good stuff.

The man stopped me and asked if it “had to be primed.”  I told him, “No; but if you want the paint to stick well,  the wood not to warp and rot, and the project to last, then Yes.” He did not like my answer.  I wanted to tell him a simple Yes, but that would be untrue.  You can “get away” with not  priming just about anything, and most new paints will kinda stick.  However, I only suggest this if you like sub-par quality finishes and re-doing things.

Why don’t paint companies just make a good paint that both primes and paints?  Good question.  Actually Behr has just recently released its new Premium Plus Ultra Primer & Paint In-One. Supposedly, it cuts your painting time in half by eliminating the priming and drying stage.  Does it work?  I don’t know; I’ve never used it.  But I’ll be sure to write a review as soon as I do.

Primer serves a couple of functions.  Without getting all “techy, here we go:

1. It’s a sealer.  Primer goes on easy, and dries fast.  When it seals the material’s surface, it helps the paint soak in more evenly.  This means your color will be more uniform with hardly any blotchy spots.  It also means less paint is needed to achieve the same look (because less paint is soaked up).

2. It sticks to just about anything.  Although paints have come a long way in the past decade, they still can’t beat primer.  Anyone who has painted anything and used primer knows how hard it is to get it off your hands.  That’s because primer is formulated to stick, period. This gription (yes I made that word up) means your coat of primer will ensure a good bond between your paint and surface.

3. It’s a stain blocker.  Have you ever had a water spot on drywall?  A couple quick coats of a good quality primer followed by paint, (assuming the water penetration was not severe) and you’ll never see that nasty old spot again.  Try that with just paint and you’ll pull your hair out trying to rid yourself of the spot.

When it comes to primering wood, take heed of my advice.  All sides of the surface must be covered! This is due to the fact that wood is constantly moving.  As it absorbs moisture, the fibers in the wood will move, swell and shrink.  If only one part of the board is primered, that part of the board will be “sealed” and  absorb less moisture, and therefore swell or shink less.  The rest of the board that is not primered will absorb more moisture than the primered side and will swell or shrink at a more dramatic rate.  When this happens, you end up with warped or twisted wooden boards.

Primering all sides of wood also helps stop rot.  A fully primered board will “reject” moisture and really slow down the rotting process.  Even wood trim used today that will be wrapped in metal or vinyl needs to be primered and sealed before it is wrapped. Does this happen? Not very often.

Some people only use one coat of primer when painting.  Sometimes that’s all you need.  Sometimes it’s not.  Here’s my personal rule: If you can tell what color the surface is under the primer coat, you need more primer.” Embrace the primer.  Give it love.  It’ll pay you back tenfold…

I think I going to patent the word gription…

Does your home weep?  If you live in a brick veneer home, the answer better be yes.

What  are weep holes? The short answer is that they allow water to drain out from the inside of the wall, and allow air to circulate on the backside of a brick wall to help dry out the moisture.  They also help to equalize air pressure on both sides of the wall, making it less likely that wind-driven rain will penetrate the wall.

What if I don’t have them.  Is it really a big deal? That’s not an easy question to answer.  However I’ll give you my personal opinion.  Yes, it is a big deal if they are missing, clogged, or not properly installed in the first place.

Let’s get into it: As I  stated above, a weep hole is usually nothing more than a void in a vertical mortar joint around the bottom of a brick wall.  When a brick wall is constructed, there should be an “air gap” between the wooden wall and the brick you see on the outside.  House are built this way because they must breathe.

It’s WHEN, not IF water gets behind the brick veneer that  weep holes become vital.  These little silent soldiers allow air to travel up the backside of the wall and dry out the moisture that has seeped in. Water can infiltrate an area as small as 1/100 of a inch.

Sadly, most homeowners and even some contractors don’t know what weep holes do, or how they work.  This lack of knowledge leads to mistakes like filling the weep holes in, thinking that they were a mistake when the home was built.  You can typically see this because the mortar will be a different shade or color all together.

What if I don’t have weep holes in my brick? If you don’t have weep holes, you might want to consider having them drilled out.  Now, you can’t just go nuts with a drill bit.  There are rules you must follow in order to get the correct results.  If you have done the research and feel confident in tackling your weep hole issue, then by all means get to it.  If not, call a professional.

What can happen if I don’t have weep holes? Unfortunately, there’s not a rock solid answer.  The absence of weep holes may occasionally allow so much moisture to accumulate that metal brick-tie fasteners turn to rust and fall apart, wood-destroying insects are encouraged because of the large amounts  of moisture, or wood rot develops.  The other side of that coin is that occasionally, nothing at all will happen.  It’s really difficult to pinpoint what could happen to a home without weep holes.   Nevertheless, you shouldn’t just turn a blind eye to the issue.  Preventive measures are always cheaper than the aftermath.

This just another prime example of why you should get a home inspection when buying a home.  Many NEWLY constructed homes are missing weep holes.  A quality home inspection can catch things like this, and you can require them to be corrected before you close on the home.  It’s much easier to get things done before you sign the contract.