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Buying a home is part of the American dream, but this experience does involve some stressful moments. You want to make sure that your beautiful home doesn’t come with a lot of unexpected problems. Having an inspection done before purchasing can keep you from being stuck with structural or safety problems that require immediate repair. But your home is a new build, you say? There’s still plenty of reason to get a professional inspection done, even if you’re the first occupant of that house. Here are the top three reasons to look before you leap into that new build purchase.

It May Not Be Built to Code

It’s shocking, but the fact that a house was just built doesn’t necessarily mean it can pass a code inspection. Contractors can sometimes make mistakes that result in code violations. This can put you at risk of construction-related injuries like falling through a poorly built floor, electrocution, or half-installed fixtures falling on top of your family. Having your new build inspected before you finalize the deal can protect your family from these hazards. You’ll probably sleep much better after moving into a house that you know is up to code.

Code Violations Can Keep You from Selling Your Home

Your new home may be perfect for you today, but you may want to sell it one day. Before signing, a potential buyer will almost certainly want to have the house inspected. If an inspector discovers that your home has code violations, you’ll have work to do before you can sell. Having your new built home inspected before you even move in shows forethought and planning. That ounce of prevention may keep you from having to scramble to pay for costly structural repairs and can keep your selling plans on schedule.

Have the Inspector Look at Least Twice

A lot of structural or electrical violations are hidden behind drywall and under floorboards. Have an inspection completed while these components are still visible. This step could prevent you from having to pay for the costliest repairs yourself. After construction is finished, you should have another inspection to make sure the job was finished properly.

When inspections and repairs are done, you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your home’s construction is safe. You can then confidently prepare for the joys and chaos of moving day.

Charles Bellefontaine

Older homes offer a great deal of charm with their beautiful, antique looks and distinctive styles. However, many homes that were built before the 1980s are at high risk for containing asbestos. Read on to learn more about what asbestos is, the risks it can pose, and what you can do about it.

What Is Asbestos?

The term “asbestos” describes a naturally occurring group of silicate minerals that grow into fibrous formations with filaments that are easily released into the atmosphere as a result of friction. Asbestos was used in building materials for decades as a result of its flame retardant properties and its fibrous shape, which lent added strength and insulation to building materials.

Asbestos is still commonly found in building materials in old homes, including everything from wallboards, ceiling tiles, and pipe insulation to patching compounds and heat-insulating door gaskets on old furnaces. Fibers and particulate matter can also rub off and become airborne to contaminate more recently used materials such as insulation as well.

Health Risks

Asbestos poses the greatest health risk when its particles become airborne and are breathed in, which often happens as a result of building materials containing asbestos getting damaged. Unfortunately, many people don’t take the necessary safety precautions when handling asbestos-contaminated materials because they don’t realize how severe the risks are. In addition to causing discomfort in the form of a dry cough and shortness of breath, exposure to contaminated materials can be life-threatening as well. Asbestos can cause mesothelioma, a form of cancer which attacks the epithelial layer of cells, found in the abdominal cavity, heart and lungs.

How to Fix It

If you think you might have found asbestos in your home, contact a professional immediately for testing and evaluation. Not only do you probably lack the necessary training to deal with asbestos safely, but there are strict regulations in place regarding the handling of toxic materials as well. If materials containing asbestos are present in your home but remain undamaged and can be sealed away, your risk may be minimal. However, damaged or crumbling materials are very high-risk and will need to be professionally removed. Additionally, the surrounding area will likely need to be thoroughly cleaned and potentially re-sealed.

While asbestos used to be highly popular as a result of its durability, affordability, and heat-resistant properties, it is an extremely toxic material that can cause life-threatening conditions if released into the air and inhaled. If you suspect that your older home might have utilized building materials containing asbestos, look into professional testing and abatement immediately.

Please check out our services where offer a full suite of inspections that can provide you with the peace of mind you need.

Charles Bellefontaine

Sump pumps gather ground water from around the house and move the water away from the house. The goal is to reduce the water pressure on the foundation which will prevent water entry into the house.

I see quite often where the sump discharges into the sewerage pipe. The city limits of Chicago does allow this, but none of the suburbs allow it.

The reasoning I get from the suburbs is that the water from the sewerage needs to be cleaned and treated before it can be returned to Lake Michigan. If all the homes discharged ground water into the sewerage system, the sewer system would be overwhelmed.

We do identify this as something that should be addressed.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

We like to use pretty bright flashlights when doing what we do. If you take a bright flashlight and shine it down the side of the wall or ceiling, every deformity shows.

In the photo above you can see where the joints of the drywall are. This ceiling was kinda borderline. I wasn’t quite sure if this was a poor installation or if the roof leaked in the past and these are repairs. We still like to ask our clients to ask the sellers for any and all knowledge regarding who did the install and if it was repaired. If it was repaired, if there are any warranties associated with the work.

It is easy when you see a bunch of repairs.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

Most people think that wires should be in conduit to protect the wire.

Although true, the main purpose is to give a way to flow massive amounts of electricity at the breaker that is energizing anything that shouldn’t be energized. This photo here, the wires can energize the fan and the fan will remain energized. There is no way to turn the breaker off and this is when houses can burn or people get hurt. Running wires in the fashion shown in this photo is just plain dangerous.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

When replacing a water heater or furnace, it is often necessary to replace the vent connector as well. The vent connector is the pipe that connects the appliance to the chimney.

If the correct size pipe is not present on an appliance, there is a good chance that the combustion gasses from the appliance will not leave the building. This is unsafe.

The draft hood that is supplied by the manufacturer is usually the size the vent connector needs to be. The photo shown above has a smaller draft hood than the vent connector and there is condensation and corrosion on the draft hood. Those stains along with the rust and missing escutcheon plates make me believe this water heater has been backdrafting for a long time.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

One of the tests we preform for vinyl siding is to pull the larger pieces and see if we can slide it back and forth. Vinyl siding needs to be installed loose because the siding expands and contracts with the changes in temperature.

This siding was tight and I was unable to slide any of the large pieces that I tried. You can’t always predict when or what will happen, but there are chances that the siding will crack/split when it shrinks. It can also buckle and become unconnected when it expands.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

Sometimes we see things that are about to be covered up by drywall.

This wall was leaning quite a bit and you can see the horizontal crack. I personally think this is really unsafe. But what upsets me is that someone is trying to cover this up and sell this to somebody else who will have to spend a good amount of money to secure the wall.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

R311.7.1 Width. Stairways shall be not less than 36 inches (914 mm) in clear width at all points above the permitted handrail height and below the required headroom height. Handrails shall not project more than 41/2 inches (114 mm) on either side of the stairway and the clear width of the stairway at and below the handrail height, including treads and landings, shall be not less than 311/2 inches (787 mm) where a handrail is installed on one side and 27 inches (698 mm) where handrails are provided on both sides.

Exception: The width of spiral stairways shall be in accordance with Section R311.7.10.1.

R311.7.2 Headroom. The headroom in stairways shall be not less than 6 feet 8 inches (2032 mm) measured vertically from the sloped line adjoining the tread nosing or from the floor surface of the landing or platform on that portion of the stairway.

Exceptions: 1. Where the nosings of treads at the side of a flight extend under the edge of a floor opening through which the stair passes, the floor opening shall be allowed to project horizontally into the required headroom not more than 43/4 inches (121 mm).

2. The headroom for spiral stairways shall be in accordance with Section R311.7.10.1.

R311.7.3 Vertical rise. A flight of stairs shall not have a vertical rise larger than 147 inches (3734 mm) between floor levels or landings.

R311.7.5 Stair treads and risers. Stair treads and risers shall meet the requirements of this section. For the purposes of this section, dimensions and dimensioned surfaces shall be exclusive of carpets, rugs or runners.

R311.7.5.1 Risers. The riser height shall be not more than 73/4 inches (196 mm). The riser shall be measured vertically between leading edges of the adjacent treads. The greatest riser height within any flight of stairs shall not exceed the smallest by more than 3/8 inch (9.5 mm). Risers shall be vertical or sloped from the underside of the nosing of the tread above at an angle not more than 30 degrees (0.51 rad) from the vertical. Open risers are permitted provided that the openings located more than 30 inches (762 mm), as measured vertically, to the floor or grade below do not permit the passage of a 4-inch-diameter (102 mm) sphere.

Exceptions: 1.The opening between adjacent treads is not limited on spiral stairways. 2. The riser height of spiral stairways shall be in accordance with Section R311.7.10.1.

R311.7.5.2 Treads. The tread depth shall be not less than 10 inches (254 mm). The tread depth shall be measured horizontally between the vertical planes of the foremost projection of adjacent treads and at a right angle to the tread’s leading edge. The greatest tread depth within any flight of stairs shall not exceed the smallest by more than 3/8 inch (9.5 mm).

R311.7.5.3 Nosings. The radius of curvature at the nosing shall be not greater than 9/16 inch (14 mm). A nosing projection not less than 3/4 inch (19 mm) and not more than 11/4 inches (32 mm) shall be provided on stairways with solid risers. The greatest nosing projection shall not exceed the smallest nosing projection by more than 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) between two stories, including the nosing at the level of floors and landings. Beveling of nosings shall not exceed 1/2 inch (12.7 mm).

R311.7.6 Landings for stairways. There shall be a floor or landing at the top and bottom of each stairway. The width perpendicular to the direction of travel shall be not less than the width of the flight served. Landings of shapes other than square or rectangular shall be permitted provided that the depth at the walk line and the total area is not less than that of a quarter circle with a radius equal to the required landing width. Where the stairway has a straight run, the depth in the direction of travel shall be not less than 36 inches (914 mm).

R311.7.7 Stairway walking surface. The walking surface of treads and landings of stairways shall be sloped not steeper than one unit vertical in 48 inches horizontal (2-percent slope).

R311.7.8 Handrails. Handrails shall be provided on not less than one side of each continuous run of treads or flight with four or more risers.

R311.7.8.1 Height. Handrail height, measured vertically from the sloped plane adjoining the tread nosing, or finish surface of ramp slope, shall be not less than 34 inches (864 mm) and not more than 38 inches (965 mm).

R311.7.8.2 Continuity. Handrails for stairways shall be continuous for the full length of the flight, from a point directly above the top riser of the flight to a point directly above the lowest riser of the flight. Handrail ends shall be returned or shall terminate in newel posts or safety terminals. Handrails adjacent to a wall shall have a space of not less than 11/2 inches (38 mm) between the wall and the handrails.

Exceptions: 1. Handrails shall be permitted to be interrupted by a newel post at the turn.

Stairways – 2015 IRC Section 311.7

R311.7.8.3 Grip-size. Required handrails shall be of one of the following types or provide equivalent graspability.

1. Type I. Handrails with a circular cross section shall have an outside diameter of not less than 11/4 inches (32 mm) and not greater than 2 inches (51 mm). If the handrail is not circular, it shall have a perimeter dimension of not less than 4 inches (102 mm) and not greater than 61/4 inches (160 mm) with a cross section of dimension of not more than 2-1/4 inches (57 mm). Edges shall have a radius of not less than 0.01 inch (0.25 mm).

2. Type II. Handrails with a perimeter greater than 6-1/4 inches (160 mm) shall have a graspable finger recess area on both sides of the profile. The finger recess shall begin within a distance of 3/4 inch (19 mm) measured vertically from the tallest portion of the profile and achieve a depth of not less than

5/16 inch (8 mm) within 7/8 inch (22 mm) below the widest portion of the profile. This required depth shall continue for not less than 3/8 inch (10 mm) to a level that is not less than 13/4 inches (45 mm) below the tallest portion of the profile. The width of the handrail above the recess shall be not less than 11/4 inches (32 mm) and not more than 23/4 inches (70 mm). Edges shall have a radius of not less than 0.01 inch (0.25 mm).

R311.7.11 Alternating tread devices. As per local amendment, Alternating tread stairways may serve as an exit from an area not to exceed 200 square feet. Alternating tread stairways shall have a minimum tread depth of 10.5 inches (276 mm). The rise to the next alternating tread surface should not be more than 8 inches (203 mm). The initial tread of the stairway shall begin at the same elevation as the platform, landing or floor surface. An approved handrail shall be provided on each side.

R311.7.12 Ships ladders. As per local amendment, an interior fire escape stairway may serve as an exit from an area not to exceed 200 square feet. The pitch of the stairway shall not exceed 60 degrees with a minimum width of 24 inches. Treads shall not be less than 4 inches in width and the rise between treads shall not exceed 10 inches. An approved handrail shall be on both sides.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

This photo below shows a plumbing pipe connected to an underground sprinkler system. The pipe is disconnected right now.

Once water leaves the supply side it is considered waste water and we have to make absolutely positively sure there is no chance that water can re-enter the supply system. The use of anti-back-flow devices are usually installed here. In this case there is no back-flow prevention device present.

It takes one of those “planets-in-alignment” moments for waste water to be siphoned into the drinking water. I get it. BUT WHY TAKE THE CHANCE?!?

So how can this happen?

1. The water needs to be flowing into the sprinkler system.
2. Something such as a water main break, fire department drafting water, or even a burst water heater has to create a negative pressure in the supply side of the water pipes.
3. Water in the pipes can then flow backwards.
4. If there are any poisonous substances such as pesticides in the ground of the photo above, they stand a chance to be brought into the drinking water pipes.
5. If we, or our family members, drink this water, illness can occur.

I personally believe this is incredibly important and pretty affordable to repair. Many people, home inspectors included, never heard of a cross connection. Many people have gotten sick and some have died from drinking water with poisons in it.

I hope this helps people understand the importance repairing, correcting, cross connections that are found and documented.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/