I've created an Open Project with a list of all the tasks the inspector said we should do to bring our house up to code. This doesn't have all the smaller steps that lead up to the bigger things he found. There are 140 tasks. I called the task sheet "future dream home" because this home will be a dream when we are done. I am confident of that. At the same time - it hits you hard how many tasks there are! Some good news and bad news came out of the inspection. 1. The good news is the oil furnace has already been updated to Natural gas. The funny thing is the Gas furnace has a sign on it, "Leased by Washington Gas". It's 20 years old so we're thinking it is paid for by now but we did question the seller about this and asked them to make sure it is purchased. 2. The bad news is the electrical panel has to be updated and none of the plugs are grounded. Some of them have the neutral wires switched - so we have a huge job to do there. We'll need to rip out walls to open it up and make it easier for the electrician to update the house. My brother-in-law said that he can do the electricity in the room - once the electrician gets the wires there. So, that is a huge project. The other big project we need to do is update the heating system to remove all the baseboard heating. This will require ducting. Luckily, we have easy access to the crawl space and basement to add bulkheads to and had the ducting. After the inspection, we measured and measured and I took a few pictures. Our nieces and nephew were there to help measure too - so it was a little chaotic but great to have the extra opinions to weigh our options. It's also really generous of them that they are even offering to help us update the house so much. We have a lot of work today but I'm confident it's all things we can do. The question is how much $$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Our inspector was great! If you're looking for a good inspector in the Seattle area, I was impressed by Pillar to Post. He spent a good amount of time inspecting. He took pictures of every issue and area of the home. He highlighted recommended fixes for everything and printed out everything in a binder for us to have for a reference. It's that binder that I used to build our "open Project" file. He was very helpful in answering our questions and we still feel like our house is overall, a SOLID home. The home inspection package included the following:
We discovered we can see the Tacoma Dome from one of our windows in the living room, so we have a "view". Once we fix up the house and tear out dead bushes and fix the yard, we will have a great place to hang out. Someday, I'll want to add a patio deck around the house. We don't have much space for a yard, but who wants a soggy, muddy yard in Seattle anyway??? So, we're okay not having a huge yard.
What you want to look for in an inspector:
1. Licensed inspectors are good - but check out the requirements to be licensed. In the state of Washington, if you weren't licensed before a certain year, you had to go through special training. Ask what training and background your inspector has. Some states don't require any training (New Mexico as of 2012 doesn't).
2. Look for an inspector associated with a national organization. Ours was affiliated with Pillar to Post. I'd be happy to send you his name and contact info, just email me if you are in the Seattle area and want a reference.
3. Interview the inspector. Don't be shy. Here's what to ask (Copied from MSN - link below)
Our inspector was great! If you're looking for a good inspector in the Seattle area, I was impressed by Pillar to Post. He spent a good amount of time inspecting. He took pictures of every issue and area of the home. He highlighted recommended fixes for everything and printed out everything in a binder for us to have for a reference. It's that binder that I used to build our "open Project" file. He was very helpful in answering our questions and we still feel like our house is overall, a SOLID home. The home inspection package included the following:
The Package
The Home inspection report will be presented to you in a three ring binder that contains:
- The report
- Seasonal maintenance checklist
- Cost and repair estimate guide
- Tags to mark major shut-off valves
- Home filing system to track future repairs
We discovered we can see the Tacoma Dome from one of our windows in the living room, so we have a "view". Once we fix up the house and tear out dead bushes and fix the yard, we will have a great place to hang out. Someday, I'll want to add a patio deck around the house. We don't have much space for a yard, but who wants a soggy, muddy yard in Seattle anyway??? So, we're okay not having a huge yard.
What you want to look for in an inspector:
1. Licensed inspectors are good - but check out the requirements to be licensed. In the state of Washington, if you weren't licensed before a certain year, you had to go through special training. Ask what training and background your inspector has. Some states don't require any training (New Mexico as of 2012 doesn't).
2. Look for an inspector associated with a national organization. Ours was affiliated with Pillar to Post. I'd be happy to send you his name and contact info, just email me if you are in the Seattle area and want a reference.
3. Interview the inspector. Don't be shy. Here's what to ask (Copied from MSN - link below)
- Talk to me. First, the inspector should make time to talk to you and answer your questions, Turner says. What should you listen for? "Hesitation," Turner replies. "If he's professional, the answers should roll right off his tongue."
- Let's see the résumé. Ask about the inspector’s credentials and experience. Generally speaking, "You should have had a hammer in your hand at some point in your background to have a good grasp of construction," Turner says. Does the inspector have a professional bio that you can look at?
- Got insurance? Ask whether the inspector carries “errors and omissions insurance,” says Kuhn – which is sort of like malpractice insurance for an inspector. If he doesn’t, ask why. In some states, insurance is a licensing requirement.
- Got a guarantee? "Do you offer a guarantee?" Kuhn suggests asking. Typically, a home inspection is good for the day of the inspection, he says – but Kuhn's firm, HouseMaster, offers a written agreement that obligates the inspector to reimburse the consumer for eligible repairs that may develop during the guarantee period, regardless of whether it was an oversight on the inspector's part or just normal wear and tear.
An example: If the furnace is working fine when inspected in summer, but doesn't work when flipped on in November, the inspector's firm pays for the repair, he says. "The bottom line is that a good inspector should have no problem standing behind their inspection with a written guarantee for a reasonable amount of time after the inspection," Kuhn says. - Get it in writing. Ask if the inspector puts his findings into a narrative-style report; that's what you want – not just a long checklist.
Ask to see a sample; it's often available on the inspector's Web site. Look at it to assess whether you're comfortable with the language and can understand it. Also see that the inspector is thorough, and covers all of the areas that the organization he belongs to says he will cover in its standards of practice, Richardson says — inside, outside, chimney, heating system, etc. - Invite yourself. Before hiring the inspector, ask to come along when the home is examined. "Another red flag would be if they don't want you to go on the home inspection with them," Kuhn says. A home inspection usually takes three to four hours. Unless a team is examining the home, be suspicious of anyone who tells you it will take 45 minutes.
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