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Poor workmanship

Poor workmanship is most evident here.
Problems are:

Hose bib should be facing downwards and further away from piping.
Cultured stone is poorly applied and loose.
No sealing for any of the protrusions through the wall surface.

Electrical panel with fibre glass stuffed into the panel

Electrical panels are a place where cold air will infiltrate into the home . However, this was not expected . First the danger of applying the insulation into the panel , and second , moisture or dampness building up within the insulation creating potential fire . The insulation should be removed immediately.

A Dead Mouse in a Breaker Panel

Every now and then in this line of business you come across something really special. The picture above is graphic. At one home inspection I came across a dead mouse in the breaker panel. Who knows how long the carcass had been there. The panel had holes for which wires are introduced into the panel , and from there the mouse had entered . Fortunately, limited damage had occurred within the panel. This demonstrates that the electrical panel must be sealed for safety.

electrical3

Substandard knob and tube wiring
will need to be upgraded for
insurance companies.

A Power of Sale

Some houses just beg for an inspection, like this one outside of Spencerville. After a decade or so of neglect, the prior owner lost this 130-year old farm house to the bank. A young couple decided to take a chance on it, but wisely put in their offer conditions for not just one inspection, but four.

Cast iron sewer inspection by camera

A bit difficult to see but, this is a camera inside a sewer pipe heading out from the clean out pipe to the street. There were large trees in the same area as the sewer pipe making this 60 year old cast iron pipe vulnerable to root entry and back up of sewage to the home.

Log homes

Log homes are beautiful to live in but require maintenance like all buildings. Below are examples of problems that can arise over time as the logs crack open and moisture gets in.
In the first picture, at the end of the log, you can see the crack where wood-eating insects can enter and cause internal damage. The second picture shows lateral cracks running the length of the log, and in the final picture, the rot is setting in, and can be a gateway for insects.

Due to the nature of wood itself, these cracks are common, therefore, it is important for the home owner to use paints, stains and exterior caulking to seal the cracks.