Josh has a background in Engineering from the University of Florida. He is not only familiar with the utilities within a house, but also with how the utilities get there. Prior to inspecting homes, Josh was a buyer himself and had a third-party home inspection performed. From his own experience, he knows how crucial it is to find latent defects within a home. After closing on his home, Josh discovered how costly undiscovered defects can be. The following pictures show some of the repairs Josh had to make on his newly purchased home:
The coaxial cable was drilled through the laundry drainage P-trap, resulting in severe moisture damage to the surrounding framing members. When the washer was run for the first time, soiled water gushed out of the wall. As the previous owners had taken the washer and dryer, there was no washer to run during the inspection day.
Bathroom under-sink area was called-out for "Damage" in the inspection report. Further investigation revealed severe oxidation on the copper piping leading to the sink. Copper elbow fitting detached with the slightest pull. There was severe moisture damage to the surrounding framing members. Thermal imaging along with moisture meter testing had the potential to make this defect more apparent.
When we ran hot water for the first time after moving in, the entire house filled with smoke. We thought the house was on fire and even called the fire department. Further investigation revealed that the gas water heater vent pipe was clogged with a wasp nest, and when the gas water heater kicked on for the first time after inactivity, the wasp nest ignited. One can assume that the hot water was not left on long enough during the inspection for the water heater to kick on.
A loose overflow cap on the existing metal bathtub led to a call for repair. However, upon inspection, it was discovered that the tub and drain were corroded and had minor water leakage. As a result, the decision was made to replace the entire bathtub with a shower conversion. Additionally, the outlet plumbing was found to be clogged, which could have been determined by running the water continuously for several minutes and observing if ponding occurred.