Inspect Your Own Home: Tips for a Novice

By Rebecca K. Rush

Mr Ferrell is an architect with over 40 years experience and has performed thousands of commercial and residential inspections. This book is an invaluable aid to any prospective home buyer. Home buying is a major step for anyone and every potential buyer should arm themselves with all available information to be able to compare and analyze what they're seeing with their own eyes as opposed to what they're being told. This book not only provides analysis not only on the home, but also on the site, drainage, and utilities.
The book is divided into fifteen chapters that will provide the buyer with basic knowledge of construction techniques on some of the most common building practices and how to analyze the signs that the property is exhibiting. These signs could be a warning of problems to be aware of.
Mr. Ferrell explains how the novice can analyze drainage on the site, utilities and how they affect the property, trees and foilage, the structural basis of the house, finishes, systems and what those cracks in the walls and concrete are telling you.
The book is not intended to be an all encompassing expose' on the subject, but rather
a primer for the uninformed. Professional advice may be warranted in certain circumstances and Mr. Ferrell gives examples of these in the text.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rebecca K. Rush
• Release date: Jul 29, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465921840

Book preview

INSPECT YOUR OWN HOME

Tips for the Novice

by

Michael Lee Ferrell

Published by Michael Ferrell at Smashwords

Copyright 2011. Michael Lee Ferrell

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INTRODUCTION

I am an Architect with over 40 years experience in the construction and architecture industry. Through those years, I’ve performed thousands of inspections, both commercial and residential. I’ve seen so many different situations and problems that it would be impossible to describe them in one short book; however, in my semi-retirement years, I keep having friends and acquaintances ask me to perform a house inspection for them or one of their friends. Quite frankly, I’m getting a little too old to be crawling around under houses or on top of them for that matter.

As a result of these requests, I came to realize that there is a real absence of credible information available for the novice home buyer to feel armed in their quest. Consequently, I decided to write a short book aimed at the novices out there that really need some help in selecting their new home. You can’t always depend on what people tell you about a piece of property, but if you are armed with a little basic knowledge, then you can compare what you see against what you’re being told. That’s the purpose of this book.

Many of us are scared to death when it comes to buying a home, especially if it is our first home, and most of us are totally inept when it comes to knowing what to look for. I have learned that the best insurance policy that you can buy when purchasing a new home is a House Inspection; however, don’t stop there. If you are concerned about your investment, then it would always pay to perform a little checking yourself. Most of us are not experts, so I’ve developed some tips on what to look out for when you’re looking at the potential new home. These tips should be able to help you through the decision making process, but if you are ever in doubt, always consult a professional as every situation can present its very own unique circumstances.

Very few of us even know a house inspector, but they are easily found. Some States require Home Inspectors to be licensed with their State, and in most States, an architect can perform an inspection for you although this may not be your most economical solution. Home Inspectors are easily found through searches of the World Wide Web, yellow pages, or your local Chamber of Commerce. Some inspectors are sole proprietorships while some are franchise operations.

If you decide to hire a home inspector, a word to the wise would be in order. Be very careful in who you hire. In some situations, especially where Home Inspectors are not required to be certified or licensed, it seems that anyone with a truck, ladder and flashlight may call themselves a home inspector. They may have attended a 2 - 4 week course to get certified, but there's nothing like experience.

Whether you hire a Home Inspector or not, the tips that I point out in this book should help you through the process. If you have a Home Inspector, you can check his report against these observations to make sure that he/she is giving you a comprehensive report and not just some checklist of items. I find that the best inspections include a narrative of the inspection along with general observations and recommendations and depend very little on checklists. You want to know what the inspector saw during the inspection and his/her thoughts of what they observed. I find that taking a lot of pictures during an inspection will assist you when you get back home and you are trying to wade through a stack of information trying to make a decision. A picture truly is worth a thousand words in these situations.

One of the biggest mistakes that a potential home buyer can make is to become so enamored with the house that he/she completely ignores the site, but your future happiness could be ruined by a poor site.

A good site is not only critical to the look and feel of the house, but is critical to the well being and future of your investment. In the following pages, we will endeavor to examine some of the most common pitfalls that are ignored in the siting of your dream home.

CHAPTER ONE - SITE DRAINAGE

A word to the wise. Investigate. If you have access to a computer, check out www.floodsmart.com. This is the official site of the National Flood Insurance Program. Satisfy yourself about with the available flood maps of your potential new neighborhood.

Don't stop there though. Check out the neighborhood. Are there any nearby streams, creeks or drainage ways. Even a dry creek or streambed can rapidly overflow its banks in short periods of heavy rain. Water can rise very quickly although the rate at which it rises will tend to slow once it 'breaks' the banks since it will now have a less confined area to flow water. It totally depends on the site and how things slope. Look at the trees and shrubs