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Did you know that installing plastic over wall insulation is a bad idea?

Why? Trapper water vapor.

During certain parts of the year, when the conditions are right, your home will pull air/dirt/water vapor through the walls.

Yes, through the wood/drywall/paint. Like ghost walking through walls.

All materials have something called a perm rating, which is short for permeability. How fast can air and water vapor travel through it.

Most plastics have a extremely low permeability. Which means the water vapor can become trapped behind the plastic.

Look closely at these basement walls. You will see the black staining under the plastic. Most of it is dirt that is built up in the insulation from the low permeability of the plastic.

However, sometimes the situation can become really bad, and your walls become little mold factories from the trapped moisture. #watervapor #trapped #building #buildingscience #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

If "I found a cheaper a price." was an image. 🤣🤣🤣 #yougetwhatyoupayfor #pricematch #holy #wt #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

A few weeks ago I posted a beautiful tile shower in a new construction house.

Well, this is the other side of that coin.

This tiled shower looks like a child did it, complete with a drain not set to the proper height.

The cut tiles are also so sharp you'll need to wear flip flops so you don't cut your feet. 😔.

I know it's hard to find help, but what builder would try to pass this mess off as acceptable? #newconstruction #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #homeinspector #wecandobetter #shower #tileshower

Never ever sit on a bed in a staged house. Things are rarely what they seem. 🤣🤣🤣 #flipped #fliphouse #stagedtosell #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #mrflipper

I had another Brown Recluse Spider house last week. Over 25+ spiders found roaming the home. In the basement, first floor, garage, and attic.

This one was in the north east corner of Louisville.

Check out this little baby I was able to grab a shot of before it darted off and disappeared. Be sure you get sticky boards and place them in your home and garage. #brownrecluse #recluse #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

I would have returned the ceiling fan and got one a bit smaller, but you do you! #ceilingfan #whateverittakes #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Here we have a fancy new roof material called metal lap siding. It's mostly water proof, except for all holes in it, just watch your step if you need to walk it. 🤣 #roof # siding #wth #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Here we have the world's first in home humidifier.

The big green monster is a 1920s 'gravity furnace'.

These old things burned gas and caused the warm air to rise into the rooms above from the basement. No fan is used to spread the heat around.

Someone tossed a foil pan inside the unit that was filled with water to add moisture to the air in the winter to make things more comfortable. #og #furnace #oldlouisville #oldschool #homeinspection #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #louisvillerealestate

You never know what you'll find when looking at the labeling of an electric panel.

I've seen 'cooker' used for range/oven.

I've seen 'dinning room' for dining room.

But this one may take the trophy. #spell #electrician #electricpanel #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

We appreciate you cleaning up a bit for the home inspection. 🤮 #cleanbathroom #pee #gross #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

With the heat of summer pounding down on us, double check the plug at your window A/C unit if you have one.

These things take it right to the edge of power consumption and weakest point is where it plugs into the wall.

This one was close to catching fire and looked perfectly fine until I unplugged it. You may not be able to see such damages while it's plugged in. #fire #housefire #🔥 #airconditioning #windowac #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Last week I found a Brown Recluse Spider problem in 75% of the houses.

A problem being 5+ spiders in each house.

It's amazing to see how much they have spread in the Louisville area over the past decade or so.

I encourage everyone to set sticky traps around their house and monitor them for these dudes.

It's likely only a matter of time before they find your home.

This image is a large adult with 3 baby's hanging out in a bathtub. Check out the size difference between them!

You can learn more about these poisonous spiders here

https://abihomeservices.com/brown-recluse-spider-in-kentucky/

#brownrecluse #spiders #louisvillerealestate #homeinspector #homeinspection

This is what you get when you hire the cheapest contractor- another poorly installed radon mitigation system.

Every radon mitigation system should terminate above the gutter of the building.

This is so you don't push Radon back into the building through windows and soffits.

If you look closely you can see the stain on the brick just above the end of the pvc pipe because the installer was too lazy to run another 10 ft of pipe. We can do better. #radonmitigation #nrpp #radon #tryagain #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #abi

Here is a thermal shot of the attic framing from yesterday afternoon.

Obviously this is surface temperature and not air temperature, but I don't care.

When the 2x4 trusses burn you as you monkey through the attic it's too damn hot. 🔥🔥🔥 #hot #attic #thermalimaging #flir #homeinspector #homeinspection #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Caption this.

#ceilingfan #homeinspection #homeinspector #homeinspection #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #captions

Tell me why are we, so blind to seeeeeeee! 🎶🎶🎶

Yeah. I'm old.

#floormats #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #gangstasparadise

It's been nearly 100 degrees every day for the past week or so.

This old nasty crawlspace almost got me. 12" of clearance, snakes, water damaged, mold, the works. I was under there for nearly 45 minutes. 🤮

After pulling myself through the 3rd layer of Hell I had to take a break. 🤣 #crawlspace #oldschool #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #oldhouse

Well...that's one way to cap a chimney I suppose. 😆

Does anyone know the burn rate for shingles? #shingles #chimneysweep #chimneys #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Big shout out to the installer who laid this shower pan. Beautiful tile work. #newconstruction #tile #homeinspection #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #homeinspector #showerpan

Here is a profile view of a modern day brick house. These walls are classified as a brick veneer, but the brick is a full width thick.

You can see the void in the wall assembly between the masonry block structure and the back of the brick.

This is known as your air gap. How wide this space has to varies depending on where you are, but I find that 1 inch is a great rule of thumb.

All masonry cladding‘s absorb water, they are very much like a sponge. We install this dead space between the brick and the masonry/wood framing to prevent that moisture from wicking back into the structure.

Most of the time it performs perfectly fine. However, I have had three litigation cases in the past two years involving improperly installed brick veneer that had a filled air gap with mortar from sloppy masons. All three houses had catastrophic water damage, mold, unsafe living conditions.

Such a simple detail is critical to every day performance of your brick house. #brickmason #brickveneer #brick #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #airgap

I like people with a sense of humor, but coming down into a dark basement is creepy enough without being scared. 😳😆🤣 #basement #creepy #nicelydone #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

I saw these in a freezer last week and thought to myself this has to be the most honestly named ice-cream ever. 🤣🤣🤣 #i❤️icecream #fatboy #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #freezer

Please stop installing satellites on your roof. Holes in your shingles are a very bad idea! 💧💧💧

This newish roof will now need to have the dish removed, the shingles stripped back, the damaged plywood replaced, the corner re-roofed. #dish #justsayno #leaks #leakingroof #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #abi

Have you guys ever seen a privacy fence made of metal stamped roofing panels?

I sure hope they built it strong as it's now a giant wind block. #privacyfence #metal #diy #notsureaboutthis #homeinspection #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #louisvillerealestate

Ah yes, the good old structural ladder. 🤣🤣🤣 #deckbuilding #deck #louisvillerealestate #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #homeinspection

It started raining during a recent home inspection and it only took about 10 minutes for this scene to show up.

The sellers disclosure stated that there is a small leak along the back wall in heavy rains.

When qualifying details are used to explain a bad situation I typically find folks will twist things around a bit to downplay the issue at hand.

'Small Leak' & 'Heavy Rains'

What is a small leak? How much is a heavy rain?

I think most people would call this more than a small leak.

Wouldn't you?

When it comes time to sell your home, be honest about things.

Don't downplay issues for the short term. What you say can and will be used against you if need be. #leakingbasement #heavyrain #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #sellersdisclosure

They used crown molding as chair rail. Talk about a dust catcher. 🤷‍♂️ #crownmolding #chairrail #noclue #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Another new construction home with sloppy siding work. No J-channel trim along with a missing kick-out flashing.

How a 'professional' could screw up this badly is beyond my comprehension. #wecandobetter #newconstruction #newhome #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Welp. Talk about a shitty situation. 🤣💩🤮 #portapotty #shitty #shittysituation #louisvillerealestate #homeinspector #homeinspection #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Ah yes. Nothing like cat spray to make a house smell like home. 🤮

All 3 bedrooms had markings. Multiple markings. At least they didn't have 25 plug-in air fresheners trying to cover the smell. 🤷‍♂️ #cats #burnitdown #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #cleanyourhouse

What happens when the builder runs out of your flooring mid-job? 🤣🤣🤣

They finish the installation and hope you don't notice the color change. 🤦‍♂️ #newconstruction #flooring #wecandobetter #homeinspection #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate

These poor homeowners were neighbors to one of my gigs last week.

Another MSV installation failed. Can you see the flex seal along the roof line and the dark stains under the gutter? It's a valiant effort to stop the water, but the only 'fix' is to tear it all off and start over.

1. The MSV should be a couple of inches above the shingles to act as a capillary break.

2. The kickout flashing is missing, Which typically leads to a small hole that will allow bulk water to seep in behind the MSV around the gutter.

3. The dark staining under the gutter tells me that the wall below this area is suffering catastrophic water damage. It hasn’t rained here in about a week, and you can see the stark color difference between the rest of the MSV, and what is under the gutter.

More than likely that wall is mulch around the door. #msv #stone #stoneveneer #manufacturedstone #kickoutflashing #kickout #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Have you guys ever seen a peep hole that moves? I don't recall ever coming across one before. #peephole #oldschool #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

I had a peice of metal trim blow off of my fascia in a recent storm. Luckily this peice ended up into my neighbors yard undamaged. 🤷‍♂️ no clue how.

My roof is a 9/12 pitch so walking it is tough.

I decided to use the ol' ladder trick to give me a plank to walk.

If you have a long enough ladder you can climb any roof. Just keep in mind that too much weight at these sharp angles could cause the material of the ladder to fail. And you will fall.

I also drove concrete form stakes on the ground so the bottom of the ladder would not slide on me. #roofrepair #dontfollowme #walktheplank #ladder #roofing #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Most of my post are of the silly, crazy things I come across on a daily basis. This one is a bit different.

This house has the electric service hanging on by a thread...literally.

This is a very dangerous situation.

The support guide wire failed, and there is a small section of rope holding the really heavy cables in the air and attached to the fascia. If that white link fails, there is a good chance the live cables will drop and pull loose from the house. 💀

Most of my stuff is not life threatening, this one is. Don't play around with electricity folks, it is and always will be undefeated. #danger #electrician #electric #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

This seller was nice enough to label the switches throughout the home.

Just about every old home has a mystery switch (or two) that doesn't seem to work anything. Do you have one? #mystery #electrician #whatdoesthisdo #homeinspection #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #louisvillerealestate #lightswitch

I was shadowed by Rita this week to see if she was interested in getting into the home inspection biz.

She doesn't do ladders well so I don't think she is cut out for all the climbing that is required.

None the less, she was great at napping on the job and watching those evil squirrels trying to get into the house.

Good luck with everything, Rita! 😆 #training #dogsrule #i❤️dogs #employeeappreciation #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate

What's your best guess? Did the cat get stuck in the dryer?

All jokes aside, dryer vents have to be kept cleaned, or you are playing with fire. 🔥🔥🔥

A clogged vent can lead to poor performance of the dryer at best, and total failure / house fire at worst.

Most folks do not maintain their vent, or clean it as they should.

This is especially important if your dryer vent runs up. Most residential dryers struggle with long vertical vents because they don't have enough power to push the heavy wet lint up and out.

Clean your dryer vent annually! #dryerfire #dryerventcleaning #clean #housefire #cleanyourvents #homeinspection #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate

Holy moly! 😳 On my recent biking trip to Roanoke, I came across this building that had been destroyed by sliding rocks on the hillside behind it.

Check out how the roof popped up in the front like a see-saw when the weight of rocks slammed into the back of the roof. #trusses #fallingrock #holy #fail #timetostartover #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

When I step up to the front door and can smell the plug-in air fresheners inside I know most of the time there is a funky smell someone is trying to mask.

This house had pee stained carpet on every spot that didn't have a piece of furniture along the walls.

A handheld blacklight makes a great tool for finding such a mess. #blacklight #peestainseverywhere #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #newcarpet

Is this the definition of good enough? I have so many questions. Who? Where? How? And Why? #wecandobetter #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Don't forget the deceptive photography.

Some agents are pro's at making crap houses look great on Zillow.

Am I right? #readbeteeenthelines #househunting #maytheforcebewithyou #goodluck #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Aww yeah, back with some more of that high quality new construction work.

Check out these back porch steps.

It may not show up in the picture, but these have a downward slope because they are sinking into the soil from the lack of a solid base.

Obviously, this will only get worse with time. When I asked the builders if that was a temporary set of steps he looked at me puzzled and 'no, why do you ask.'

No reason at all. 🤦‍♂️

#newconstruction #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #homeinspection #louisvillerealestate #wecandobetter #safetyfirst

I think it's time for a new water heater. This one just whispered 'kill me'. #waterheater #itstime #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Oh look, another new construction home with sloppy craftsmanship.

This home has supply grills crooked to the adjacent wall in nearly every room. 😔

Should your expect machine accuracy? No, of course not. Should you expect the grills to be reasonably close to parallel with the wall? Yes, I don't think that's too much to ask.

What do you think? Would you be OK with this information your new home? #newconstruction #homeinspector #homeinspection #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #drywall #crooked #wecandobetter

Years of smoking indoors. I can still smell this picture. 🤮#smoking #nicotine #youshouldquitsmoking #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

If you are looking at older houses to buy, pay attention to the type of plumbing drains that are still in use. Old galvanized steel and cast iron were commonly used up until the 1970s until modern pvc took over.

The metal drains like to clog and rust from the inside out, so you can't tell much about their condition from looking at the surface.

This old cut away shows perfectly what these old drains can look like after years of use.

If your new home has the old metal drains, you should be ready to replace them at any time. #castiron #plumbing #plumber #homeinspection #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #louisvillerealestate #newpipes #cloggeddrains

Pro tip from ol' Ben. If your partner is clogging the sink with long hair, pick up one of these for their next birthday. It's a barbed flexible snake that will remove most clogs with ease.

It's a practical president, that they will appreciate for years to come.

I gave one to my wife a few years ago and she still brings it up about how 'special' of a gift it was! #winning #browniepoints #cleandrains #protip #snake #hairclog #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Full disclosure, this is not my pic.

I don't have the back story on when/ where this happened, but wanted to point out that the bees gained access to the inside of this panel by one of the knockout holes not being filled as it should. Had everything been as it should there is no way for the bees to get in.

Animals and insects are looking for shelter, and what is better than a steel box (your electric panel)?

It's crucial you don't leave knockouts open, or you may have this kind of fun... #electrician #newpanel #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky

Check out the inlay work on this hardwood floor. So rare to see this type of detail on a newer home.

Whoever did this, I tip my hat to you! #hardwoodfloors #inlay #homeinspection #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #louisvillerealestate