Here in the Northeast Ohio area we have had an artic blast of cold weather.
The last few days it has been below zero temperatures. Today I used the exterior gas grill to keep my hands warm. (Photo is below)
I gave my client the options to walk the exterior or I would give them a slide show on my camera. They choose the slide show. (Can not say that I blame them).
Last year there was an inspection that was blizzard conditions. It was in March or April and there was foilage on the trees. The branches & trees where snapping like twigs. There was about a foot of snow on the ground & still snowing.
I arrived at the home & asked the owner to open the garage door so I had a place to use to get out of the weather. She had it open for 5 minutes & then closed it. I again knocked on the door & asked her to please open. I am sorry for the inconvienience but you do want to sell your home DONT YOU!
This area also recieves lake effect snow. Drive in areas that can recieve large amounts of snow depending how the wind blows over the open waters. Go a mile no snow then a foot then none.
I am not complaining as I handle the cold fine. I take in consideration my clients whom do not prepare for the cold. I believe we need to make sure are clients are safe.
I would like to hear from other inspectors on there weather related stories.
I am sure that the inspectors in the state of Washington dealt with the constant rain & floods.
July 18th 2006 it was 118 degrees at 3:pm here in Phoenix when I started my inspection. The home owner left a yellow sticky note on the front door warning me of the large dog caged in the back yard. This dog was on the shaded side of the house in a cage just large enough for him to stand up in. his water dish was turned over and he was very unhappy that I was in the back yard. I squeezed by his cage to inspect the a/c condensing unit. When I went on the roof the dog went crazy barking and chewing at the cage. I descended the roof in the front yard and manually turned on the lawn sprinklers to both the front and back yard. As I passed through the house going to the back door to see if the back yard sprinklers were operating I saw that something was laying in the pool.
The dog had literally tore the cage to shreds, went to the pool (I’m guessing for water) fell in and drowned. I drug him from the pool by his tail and called the real estate agent who had referred me. It was a nightmare when the owners children showed up.
When we get a hurricane warning, all inspections are off till after the strom blows over.
I had a guy once where we inspected his home right before hurricane Wilma. He wanted me to come out afterward and verify that certain repairs were done. I told him I do not guaranty repairs, but only verify that they have been done, and done by a licensed contractor through receipts. For this I charged him $125.00. I told him this was not a hurricane assessment, and that I would gladly do a re-inspection of the roof (and other areas) for $275.00. That was too much money for him (it was a million dollar home). Prior to the hurricane he was informed that his roof was old, had previous repairs, and was nearing the end of its life. He said he wasnt worried about the roof because it looked fine, and he got a huge credit for the screened enclosure that was blown away. Long story short - the hurricane lifted all the tiles on the roof and it needed to be replaced. He called me one year to the day of my inspection report (I have a clause in there about being notified within one year for defects) to tell me that his roof was leaking and I should pay to replace it. Thank god I put in my report that I was not re-inspecting the roof - it was a $70.000 dollar roof.
