inspectorben on Instagram
Follow me on Instagram for all the fun and crazy things I find on a daily basis.
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
Let's talk about fiber cement siding.
Most folks call it Hardie siding, but Hardie, or James Hardie is a name brand.
However, to be fair, in my area they own nearly all of the market, so most of the time you are correct in calling it that.
It's not made of concrete.
It's not waterproof.
It will decay, and fall apart if left in water or touching concrete.
The builder screwed up on this home and poured the patio over the bottom of the siding and 8yrs later we have this.
Now the concrete patio has to come out, the bottom of the wall needs to be rebuilt, the grading lowered, and a new patio installed. 🤷♂️🤦♂️💩 #wecandobetter #newconstruction #homeinspector #homeinspection #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky
Is this a thing- to stop people from using the bathroom during a showing or home inspection? 🤦♂️
What would you do if you had to go? #naturecalls #toilet #wth #notcool #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky
This new construction slab was a bowl. The edges are a bit higher than the center and the whole thing collects water. 🤦♂️
The good news is that the builders is tearing it out and repouring the slab.
What I want to know is why this would ever be considered acceptable by the builders in the first place? Why does it take someone like me to point it out?
My theory is the site supers are stretched wayyyyyyy too thin, have no support, and can't possibly keep up with all the crap work.
So most of it goes unnoticed, and only the squeaky wheel gets the grease. #newconstruction #homeinspector #homeinspection #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #concrete #slab #crapwork
Just pulled this out of an air handler. It may be the worst filter I've ever seen. What do you think caused this? Smoke, time, indoor grilling? 😂 #changeyourfilter #airfilter #doitnow #homeinspection #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #abi #breathe
I could hear this vent
fan motor chugging along through the vent pipe on the side of the house.
Once you get inside this was resonating through the whole basement.
What do you think is causing this? #furnace #motor #whatswrong #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #louisvillehomeinspectors
What a train wreck.😳
This new construction pre-drywall inspection had some of the worst plumbing work I've seen in years.
None of the PEX water lines were properly supported, and the inside corners were ran so tight they pulled out past the surface of the wall. This means the drywall can't be installed. 😔
Everything had already passed the City of Louisville inspections as well. How is that possible?
It's so sad what new construction quality has come to here in Louisville. Is it like this all over the country? #pex #newconstruction #plumbing #predrywallinspection #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky
How nice is this?
@eadams97_realtor in Louisville took the time to thank me with a personal hand written note. 😳
Such a simple thing can mean so much to folks. In a world of hate, this kind of thing is needed more than ever. #louisvillerealestate #realtor #homeinspection #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #louisvillerealestate #handwriting #itsthelittlethings
I took this picture last week... Last week. Less than 5 days ago. Last week. 😳🤮🤷♂️#changeyofilter #airfilter #itstimetochangeyourfilter #homeinspection #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #louisvillerealestate
For all my vertically challenged friends! When you need to get to those bar glasses but can't reach them without a bit of help. Built in stepstool to the rescue.
Who needs this? ❤️ #shortpeopleproblems #astepintherightdirection #stepstool #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky
How about that crown and vent install. 😆 What were they thinking? 🤦♂️#newconstruction #crownmolding #wth #hvac #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #homeinspector #homeinspection #louisvillerealestate
I'm taking the slide 99.9% of the time. How about you? Slide or stairs? #slide #stairs #homeinspection #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #louisvillerealestate #whichone
Another huge reason crawlspaces should be outlawed. #thatsabear #crawlspace #homeinspection #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #louisvillerealestate
My latest adventure with manufactured stone veneer was in Mason, Ohio.
These poor homeowners reached out to me after finding a hole in their dining room floor.
A bit of research led them to the stone veneer and missing kick-out flashing.
Another $20 flashing omitted will be $10-20k repair.
If you zoom in on this pic you'll see the water eroded the top of the casting away so much you can see the pebbles the msv was made with.
The only thing that will destroy your house faster than water is a fire.
#manufacturedstone #msv #stoneveneer #inspection #waterdamage #kickoutflashing #catastrophic #homeinspection #homeinspector
The employee of the week is Cho!
She did a wonderful job of shadowing me, and making sure I had forehead kisses every time I got low enough. Thanks for the hard work, Cho! #dogsrule #dogsofinstagram #helpinghands #homeinspection #homeinspector #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #louisvillerealestate
What do you think is causing the white streaks on the brick at this new home? Tip -it is not paint.#whatisit #brickmason #brickwall #newconstruction #homeinspector #homeinspection #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #abi
I was inspecting a mostly finished new construction home a few weeks ago and the painters stopped by to get started while I was there.
I couldn't believe my eyes when they started caulking the trim without cleaning up first.
The whole house was covered in drywall dust and chunks of trash littered the floor.
Not one 'painter' even tried to prep their surface before starting. #newconstruction #fail #homeinspector #homeinspection #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #painter #painting #wecandobetter
Just look at this railing! Absolutely beautiful.
Would you want this in your home?
#woodworking #handrail #custom #homeinspection #homeinspector #abi
😂 Change your filters! #airfilter #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #homeinspector #homeinspection #louisvillerealestate #abi
Let's have some fun. What do you think happened here? #wth #halfahouse #whereistherest abi #homeinspection #homeinspector
Not my pic, but I have a so many questions.
What do you think is going on here? #wth #hardwood #what #idontknow #homeinspection #homeinspector #abi
I had another pre-drywall new construction inspection this past week.
The builder forgot to install the ridge vent on my clients house, but did it on all the rest of them on the street.
When I asked the super why this was, he didn't know what a ridge vent was. 😳
I'm not joking.
We'll get it ironed out, but I'm going on record and saying that the pre drywall inspection is just as important as the final.
Big shout-out to @eadams97_realtor for encouraging his client to have this done. #predrywallinspection #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #newconstruction #roofing #abi
My inspection in Old Louisville had some fancy artwork on the side of the building. 😆 #thatsapenis #tagged #oldlouisville #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky
Mr. Flipper be flipping. What did they forget this time? #mrflipper #flipped #flippedhouse #flip #homeinspection #homeinspector #louisvillerealestate #homeinspectorlouisvilleky #abi