Thread: Whats your best HI picture of all times?

Do you have an all time favorite picture that you've taken on a HI? Something you came across and just said WTF, I've got to have a picture of that. If so, post it up.

Here's one of mine to get it going.

rick

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Here's one of my favorites. Home-made lint collector in attic.

A handyman tries to get furnace heating into a new bedroom in the basement. Therefore, he cut and connected the furnace vent …...

Daniel, that is criminal!
Is that a mother-in-law suite?

Originally Posted by Jim Luttrall

Daniel, that is criminal!

Jim, yes it is. I asked him to correct it immediately and return to check after 2 days. See, what he did......

I think Daniel's photos of the original set-up just ruined this "contest". Amazing!

But...still worth trying for second place.

The worst furnace filter I have yet found...

I don't have the pic, it's like the one that got away, but I walked into a utility room filled with about 8 inches of cat crap.

Storing a paper sack next to a furnace flue.... bad idea? Look what's inside!

i have two favorites (for now)

I found this in an attic. It's about 18" long. It was no where near the hatch. Someone made an effort to keep it out of sight. I called the PD, who called the FD, who called the bomb squad, who called the Air Force. Snarled the neighborhood for about 5 hours. They claimed it was a harmless flare. I don't know how "harmless" a flare could be? It shouldn't have been there. Calling the PD was the right move.

One more of my favorites.... note the Jerry Springer on the top TV. Kind of a Jeff Foxworthy meets Jerry Springer collage.

I've put my favorites up on my website. Keeps em looking aroiund a little longer.

Cockamamie Home Inspection Photos from B4U Close Home Inspections



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Maybe not the best but some of my favorites.

Nick,

Thats great. You went to all the trouble of removing that panel cover only to find drywall.

rick

What's just as ridiculous Rick is that the builder went through the trouble of installing the frame to create the illusion of an access panel. If you're the worker assigned this task, aren't you saying "why the hell am I doing this?"

Although on second though, it looks as though it may have been partially open at one point and then patched shut. Either way, it's just stupid.

Certainly not the best shot but it left me scratching my head. This carbon monoxide detector was a foot off of the floor at the back wall of the garage. Yeah think it will ever go off????

With the exception of Daniel's, I like the first in my selection.

Yes, it is an extension cord that runs from (or possibly to) the pool light.

Well to date these would be my front runners:

Originally Posted by Scott Patterson

Well to date these would be my front runners:

Scott: Your third one is choice.

And then, there's always the dead animal contest!




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Nice find, Erby.
My wet crawl entry is beauty in its simplicity.

I almost forget my 10 gauge romex service cable splice.

Poly, Pex, Copper & Galvanized. Notice girder top center

Is that a termite tube on the brick pier Bruce?

My fave's:
1) snake passing between CS and hole in block wall into the interior
2) upside down evaporator coil
3) lint trap?
4) square peg, round hole
5) too short ya think ?? (both !!)
6) needle support of valley rafter

I am new to the busines so I not have many to pick from.

However the EMT handrail in the $750,000 home does it for me.

Especialy with those great high end brackets.

Garage beam below master suite.

This is going to be difficult to access in the winter with an average of 400 to 500 inches of snow.

Originally Posted by mathew stouffer

This is going to be difficult to access in the winter with an average of 400 to 500 inches of snow.

At 33 FEET to 41 FEET of snow, it ain't gonna matter WHERE you put that ... you tain't a gonna fin' it nohow.

You will just have to dig an extra five feet.

From inspection yesterday and the seller is supposedly an engineer. Can't figure out the installation directions I guess.

rick

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

From inspection yesterday and the seller is supposedly an engineer. Can't figure out the installation directions I guess.

rick

Thats hilarious! Why dont people just install the sensors by the door like they are supposed to? I know people just try to get around that safety feature by installing them on the ceiling or a wall. As long as the eyes are facing each other than the door will operate correctly. But how much harder is it to put them where they are supposed to go?

Originally Posted by Brian Thomas

Thats hilarious! Why dont people just install the sensors by the door like they are supposed to? I know people just try to get around that safety feature by installing them on the ceiling or a wall. As long as the eyes are facing each other than the door will operate correctly. But how much harder is it to put them where they are supposed to go?

It isn't that it is harder to install them correctly, it is that who wants the door to reverse when you press the button and close the door, then walk out under it?

I mean, who would want the door to reverse with them under the door?

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

It isn't that it is harder to install them correctly, it is that who wants the door to reverse when you press the button and close the door, then walk out under it?

I mean, who would want the door to reverse with them under the door?

I know it! I mean it really is hard to step over that invisible beam that hovers just a few inches off the floor. Youd have to be an olympic high jumper to hurdle that type of height

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

It isn't that it is harder to install them correctly, it is that who wants the door to reverse when you press the button and close the door, then walk out under it?

I mean, who would want the door to reverse with them under the door?

Originally Posted by Brian Thomas

I know it! I mean it really is hard to step over that invisible beam that hovers just a few inches off the floor. Youd have to be an olympic high jumper to hurdle that type of height

Brian,

Me thinks you missed the critical part of my post ... which I have gone back and highlighted in bold red text ...

New type of spark arrestor. They are real easy to install and just a few screws will do the job.

How about this one from last week. It's a shower enclosure with a built in laundry chute, in case you need to strip while in the shower. Also, the curtain is on the wrong side because the wall was rotted out.

For your entertainment pleasure, I have an ivy covered home, a downdraft vent terminating behind the condensing unit and a support post missing at patio cover.

Also as a reminder with the rising heat and humidity, it is important to have plenty of fluids with you too.

Rick

He had a bit to much at dinner last night

Best

Ron

A beam support problem!
Exterior powerstrip!
Bulging water heater connection!
A fearless fellow guarding a blower compartment!

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

For your entertainment pleasure, I have an ivy covered home,

Rick,

They are really, really, really not going to like you when you tell them to remove the ivy ... not after spending all those years to get it to grow that way and look so cool!

I know I've posted this before, but I still can't believe they actually made such a fitting.

ok, let me try this again well, crap.......it won't take it

I found these three in a Baltimore row home just yesterday. The salmon steaks on the counter have an expiration date of DEC 2007. As much as I wanted to open the fridge, I refrained.

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

Rick,

They are really, really, really not going to like you when you tell them to remove the ivy ... not after spending all those years to get it to grow that way and look so cool!

Jerry, they are not liking me this morning at all. I've been on the phone with the listing agent, the seller, and the buyer.

Your exactly right in that I told them all of the ivy has to come down. Not only was it full of carpenter ants that was entering around the windows, but the ivy was preventing the water to drain from the guttering and spillage was rotting out the soffit and fascia.

The buyer wants to know about the "sucker root" evidence all over the brick, soffits, and HP siding and how difficult is it going to remove.

I told her I had no clue cause I've never done it before, but I am sure its not going to be no party.

The seller is all bent out of shape about it. He offered them 250. and said they could remove it after closing. The kicker is that it is noted all my WDI report and is recommended to be removed. Now the lender is saying if its on the WDI report, it has to come down.

Yeah, I sure my ear will be like cauliflower before the day is over.

Rick

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

The buyer wants to know about the "sucker root" evidence all over the brick, soffits, and HP siding and how difficult is it going to remove.

I told her I had no clue cause I've never done it before, but I am sure its not going to be no party.

Rick,

Tell her this: There is a house just down around the corner and down the street from me which is a brick house and was covered with ivy (beautiful house, turrets with copper roofs, you name it, absolutely a house to dream of having), they removed the ivy about 6 months ago and you can see the outline of where the vines were all over the front and sides of the brick. It will take time, a lot of time, for those to 'fade in' and not show.

I would go take a photo to show you, but it has been three days of constant rain here (FINALLY - RAIN! ... Okay, but enough is enough already - probably at least 9" or more in 3 days and STILL POURING outside, not far from us, as of last night on the news, they have had 13" in those three days).

The first photo is not a lake or a canal, that is our street, the last photo is rain over pouring the gutters, the downspouts simply cannot keep up with it. Oh, and that blue thing is our recycle bin which I have not been able to retrieve yet.

Because I'm a child of the '60s I can't actually remember if I took this photo, but I think I did.
If someone else did, and I stole it, well excuuuuuusssse meeeee!

To bad this wasn't up north or this bird would have central heat.
This is a dryer vent installed in a fake wall at the front sliding glass doors. The cover either didn't fit or got knocked off by the door opening and now, this bird has made it its home.

Jerry,

At least your yard is going to be plenty green.

While on the subject of vines, I found this picture I posted back in 2006 of a house that is a good example of what is left on the structure even if the foliage is killed off.

Can you imagine trying to remove this stuff?

rick

Rick,

I'm curious; would you remove the ivy growth from the WDO report if all of the vegetation was say cut up 8" above grade and the home was treated for the ants? That way, the stuff would die over time, and be easier to pull off I would think.

As someone with a little past experience in removing ivy...

It is much better to try and remove it while it is still green. If you cut it off at the base, the vines dry out and get brittle. When you pull a vine it just continues to break off in small lengths. While still green, you can often get lengths of 10 feet or more.

Either way there will still be residue on the brick work. Time for power wash or sand blast. Cleaning the residue off the brick work would probably work better once it is dead and dried out. Less adhesion to the brick.

Originally Posted by Brandon Whitmore

Rick,

I'm curious; would you remove the ivy growth from the WDO report if all of the vegetation was say cut up 8" above grade and the home was treated for the ants? That way, the stuff would die over time, and be easier to pull off I would think.

No, I would still keep it on my WDI report.

rick

This may not have the ivy thing but with a realtor finding some other inspector that understands realtors and Realtor needs and the need to work with Realtors and their busy schedules for my client that I already booked for Saturday. This inspector understands all about Realtors needs and wants and it is about to make me sick.

The Realtor could not make it saturday afternoon (like I wanted her there anyway) so she talked my client into going with the other, more understanding Inspector, from the Dallas area, to fit her needs.

Just a little pissed here.

Are all you Dallas inspectors so understanding to the Realtor needs and wants and schedules????

It might have something to do about me telling her in the past that I do not work for any realtor. This is the second time she has done this. I think it is time to call one of my relatives that is understanding to my needs and wants !!!!!!!!!!!

Did I just say that. I didn't do it. Honest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ted,

Sounds more like this agent just has it out for you. Whoever the other "Dallas" inspector is may not even know that you had it scheduled.

You really can't blame another inspector for booking a call if they called him and he had room in their schedule.
Note: Not me, I'm booked into next week.

Some agents get a vendetta against a home inspector and will try avoid them like the plague.

I know (or should I say) I've known realtors that felt the same about me.

rick

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

Ted,

Sounds more like this agent just has it out for you. Whoever the other "Dallas" inspector is may not even know that you had it scheduled.

You really can't blame another inspector for booking a call if they called him and he had room in their schedule.
Note: Not me, I'm booked into next week.

Some agents get a vendetta against a home inspector and will try avoid them like the plague.

I know (or should I say) I've known realtors that felt the same about me.

rick

Just venting Mr Rick. I know who it is and trust me, he is like that. The Realtors x Broker reviewed my report on an inspection when this realtor was bad mouthing me to all the other Realtors in the office over my bad "deal killer" report. I know the broker well. The Realtor is no longer working under that broker. She is now at it again and I may have to voice my opinion in a broader manner. A realtor in her office has already voiced her opinion to the powers to be. I may not have to do anything. This is the second client since the original incident that this realtor has alienated from me. You know and I know what bad words can do to a home inspector if people are willing to believe the vindictive 30 something, hormone riddled B****.

Yeah. Thats what I am talking about. I feel much better now

Ted,

There is such a thing as slander which some Realtors may not be aware of. If this person is giving you such, you should report them to TREC.

rick

Bruce and Rick,

Thanks for the info. I don't have to deal with ivy around here and just got to wondering.

Looking down an old chimney in East Dallas and something looking back!
HVAC guy couldn't figure why the furnace wouldn't stay on.

Originally Posted by Gary Burnett

Looking down an old chimney in East Dallas and something looking back!
HVAC guy couldn't figure why the furnace wouldn't stay on.

Hah! Classic. Gary do you mind if I keep a copy of this shot?
-tc

This is what 1.2million will get you in park city.

That was great; this should happen more often - maybe Quarterly ?

Sorry I'm a bit tardy is replying...

Here's another great jog of supporting a beam-end (HUGE upper Deck) & hope this works.


CHEERS, ALL !


-Glenn Duxbury, CHI - License #47730

Archivoyeur,
Give me your email and I'll send a larger picture.
GB
Put it in private messages.

Mine is still my "electric panels" located in the foundation crawl space:

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

Do you have an all time favorite picture that you've taken on a HI? Something you came across and just said WTF, I've got to have a picture of that. If so, post it up.

Here's one of mine to get it going.

rick

Two of the water heaters in a 4 unit bootleg remodel.
http://i330.photobucket.com/albums/l...entdualW-H.jpg

Originally Posted by Dana Bostick

Two of the water heaters in a 4 unit bootleg remodel.
http://i330.photobucket.com/albums/l...entdualW-H.jpg

Im not seeing a problem here