Thread: Amazing Plumbing tricks

Inspected a flip yesterday and actually had to laugh out loud when I opened the kitchen counter under the sink. All plumbing fixtures in the home were high end and brand new. The place looked super until you looked at the installation. So many things were done wrong but these were the most outstanding ones.
I opened the water heater closet and wondered why in the world the water heater was scorched. Then I looked up at the vent. Seems they moved the HVAC from the closet to the attic.....think there is a CO danger there?

Originally Posted by Gary Burnett

Inspected a flip yesterday and actually had to laugh out loud when I opened the kitchen counter under the sink. All plumbing fixtures in the home were high end and brand new. The place looked super until you looked at the installation. So many things were done wrong but these were the most outstanding ones.
I opened the water heater closet and wondered why in the world the water heater was scorched. Then I looked up at the vent. Seems they moved the HVAC from the closet to the attic.....think there is a CO danger there?

These "flippers" with their sledge hammers really scare me. Any one considering purchasing a home done by these folks should first hire a HI, then want to see all the permits that were supposely issued for the remodel.

I am happy to see that someone other than me sees just how bad these flipped homes are. Most I see are just fabulous to look at and at times are jaw-droppingly beautiful. The kitchens look grand, the bathrooms look grand, the can lights look grand, the floors look grand....but open the cabinets under the sinks and..viola, this kind of crap. Open the panel and see it has not been touched and yet a dozen+ can lights were installed, go into the attic and find all the junction boxes, go into the basements and crawl spaces and see how the plumbing was done, the HVAC system is 30 years old, the water heater is 25 years old,...I can go on.

Around these parts there is one common theme. Almost every flipped home (investor property as the agents like to call them) did not have a permit pulled.

I love this job.

What is done about the flippers who don't pull permits? I have seen some shoddy flips around these parts too.

Originally Posted by Daniel Jordan

What is done about the flippers who don't pull permits? I have seen some shoddy flips around these parts too.

Well I checked the law and was surprised that even here in Utah, you cant draw down on them and shoot them.

I hate these, they add so much time to the report writing.

But I will bet that they had granite countertops, new appliances, laminate flooring, and new carpet! And then the Realtor gets upset when you kill the deal and their paycheck.

Originally Posted by Larry Morrison

Well I checked the law and was surprised that even here in Utah, you cant draw down on them and shoot them.

I hate these, they add so much time to the report writing.

As they usually have all the same stuff wrong, read that "bad", make up a template---make it easer to incliude EVERYTHING!

Originally Posted by Rich Goeken

As they usually have all the same stuff wrong, read that "bad", make up a template---make it easer to incliude EVERYTHING!

My software lets me automatically include a stock photo or illustration when choosing a certain canned statement: I'm thinking "Captain Pickard, Face Palm"

Originally Posted by Terry Beck

But I will bet that they had granite countertops, new appliances, laminate flooring, and new carpet! And then the Realtor gets upset when you kill the deal and their paycheck.

Why do you care about Realtors? The "HONEST" ones will continue to use you, they're the ones that "realize" we don't build them, and, they actually care about their "Clients".

A "flipped" property should have to be disclosed as a defect where disclosure laws exist, just my opinion.

Originally Posted by Michael Bronner

I am happy to see that someone other than me sees just how bad these flipped homes are. Most I see are just fabulous to look at and at times are jaw-droppingly beautiful. The kitchens look grand, the bathrooms look grand, the can lights look grand, the floors look grand....but open the cabinets under the sinks and..viola, this kind of crap. Open the panel and see it has not been touched and yet a dozen+ can lights were installed, go into the attic and find all the junction boxes, go into the basements and crawl spaces and see how the plumbing was done, the HVAC system is 30 years old, the water heater is 25 years old,...I can go on.

Around these parts there is one common theme. Almost every flipped home (investor property as the agents like to call them) did not have a permit pulled.

I love this job.

There is a local flipping company and I hate inspecting their flips. I know there will ALWAYS be serious electrical deficiencies. Most from their sub who they admit is a really nice guy but hires inexperienced cheap labor, not electricians, to do the work and he doesn't check on what they did.

Most flippers buy the house site unseen, maybe a picture or two, or just a cursory walk through. The send a carpenter and maybe an electrician or a plumber out to see what needs to be done to make the house pretty. If they don't know, honestly, of all the problems in the house, they don't have anything to disclose. BTW, Virginia passed a no disclosure all homes are sold "as is" bill a couple of years ago. I'm sure the state association of realtors drove that through the general assembly.

Permits - Yes, they get permits for "most" of what they do. Like a new service panel. But nothing is mentioned about all the little poke-through-the-ceiling can lights that seem to be in vogue and the wiring. There is no mention all the very bad DIY work by previous occupants that remains untouched.

I'll be honest here, the local flipping company has no love for me but they know I'm not out to "get" them. I just do my job and maintain neutrality. The result is what it is.

The flex connectors sold at the big box stores and we have been writing up as an improper unlisted temporary connector will be or are allowed in the (dang Va 2 year delay) plumbing code but only as straight connectors to a sink drain tail pipe. (Sigh...)

Originally Posted by Stuart Brooks

The flex connectors sold at the big box stores and we have been writing up as an improper unlisted temporary connector will be or are allowed in the (dang Va 2 year delay) plumbing code but only as straight connectors to a sink drain tail pipe. (Sigh...)

They will be?

Do you have a source for that change?

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

They will be?

Do you have a source for that change?

Not at the moment Jerry. It was on a code related site a month or so back . I believe it had to do with the 2015 IRC. The comment was made concerning a straight connection from a drain tail pipe to the trap - only; not for general use.