I did a new construction inspection and found the exterior lanai (patio) to be sloped toward the house. It was a 900sf lanai, the builder opted to saw cut and jackhammer it down. Once the lanai was reduced to rubble, (it had to be hammered down as much as 2’’ in certain areas), you can see mortar screeds that were placed level so that the whole lanai could be recoated with a modified mortar and brought back to a permissible slope away from the house and leveled. The screeds also had to be waterproofed to form a dam to keep any future water from following the original slab back into the house.
I thought I had seen everything?
Aloha,
Steve Brenner
Akamai Property Inspection
I recently did a home inspection for a friend, he was aware that he had moisture intrusion problems as evidenced by water staining on the ceiling. He had assumed that the moisture was coming from condensation between the cathedral ceiling and the roof.
Upon inspection I visually observed other water damaged areas below the ceiling,
there was water damage to the underside of the soffits implying there may be a roof leak. I visually inspected the roof and found there was no cap, I brought this to his attention and he assured me that the waterproofing was tight and there was no way it could be leaking. As you can see by the photo the roofing was capped with a foil backed bitchathane however the ridge caps were not and he had even lost a few from not having a cap. The issue has been remedied and no additional signs of water damage.
Aloha,
Steve Brenner
Akamai property Inspection
I just read a article on Carpeting in Bathrooms,
I was just curious as to how anyone could justify carpet in a bathroom?
I have been a Tile contractor for 30 years and seen many disgusting carpeted bathrooms. As I guessed the article did not endorse carpet in a bathroom and it is against Building Codes to use it commercially in a bathroom.
The most common problems are mold and urine smell, would anyone wonder why?
Aloha,
Steve Brenner
Akamai property Inspection
debris clogging condensing units is a potential hazard to the unit. in this matter all units should be free of obstructions around the unit.
Here is a picture of the corner of a partially finished basement. There is evidence of water intrusion demonstrated by both dampness and efflorescence.
The home for my exterior inspection was a split ranch constructed in the mid to late 1950’s. The weather was clear and 78 degrees at the time of the inspection on June 17th, 2015.
The exterior wall covering is vinyl siding. The left back corner of the house has a piece of vinyl siding corner trim that appears to have been repaired by screwing it back into place. The fasters were attached to the face of the trim, rather than the covert tabs, and the fasteners are rusting. Any underlying damage cannot be assessed because it is hidden by the wall covering. It is recommended these be removed and replaced with non corrosive fasteners, and have the holes sealed to prevent possible moisture intrusion. All other flashing and trim appear to be unremarkable.
The main egress door is made of wood, and the right lower portion of the frame shows signs or wood rot. Although painted over, the wood is soft. And spongy. Repair or replacement is recommended in order to prevent future infestations of wood destroying organisms or moisture intrusion
The deck is in need of maintenance. There is debris from falling leaves trapped in between some of the planks on the deck which are preventing water from freely draining thorough them. It is recommended this be remedied to prolong the life of the deck.
There is a horizontal crack in the posterior wall of the basement that has been repaired. This can be a potential source of water intrusion. It is recommended that a structural engineer evaluate the wall. There are also signs of active water intrusion at the right corner of the posterior wall of the basement. Dampness is present, as well as efflorescence on the wall.
Here is an image of my gutters. It’s hard to see but water is running over the edge do to debris from the nearby tree. The will need to be cleaned out. Also the fascia board underneath will need to be repaired.
I did a visual inspection of my home for moisture intrusion, and it did not take long to find a problem. It has been hot and humid so my air conditioner has been running more than normal. I notice that the lines that run from the a/c unit to the furnace was wet and dripping in the floor. I put a portable dehumidifier in the room and will be insulating the pipes.
I have done several basement remodels and most of them had some form of water intrusion. The most common was leaks from the foundation. These were fairly easy to repair, the worst water problems have come from leaking plumbing pipes or fittings inside a finished wall. They can go unnoticed for a long time and be very damaging.
Inspection Report (in relation to finding indications of moisture intrusion into the structure).:
1234 Myhouse Rd.
Brooksville, Fl 34614
Home Built: 2005
Structure Type: Stucco over CMU Block 4Br/2Ba Hipped roof w/ 1 Gable end over Garage.
House faces So. West
Mostly Cloudy
Temp 92 Degrees
Roof:
Asphalt shingle.
Exterior:
Exterior paint chalky to the touch, in need of maintenance (paint). Observed mildew on south, north and east ext. walls. I also observed cracks in stucco due to hydraulic action/possible settling due to erosion from lack of Gutter system.
Evidence of heaving caused by erosion of the driveway concrete slab due to lack of proper caulking of expansion joints. Recommend seeking professional attention for this issue.
Foundation: Monolithic slab on grade.
Heating: Electric
Plumbing: Private Well system operating properly and holding proper pressure. All fixtures functioning as would be expected. 2005 Energy Star 40 Gal. water heater functional with proper relief valve/s. No signs of leakage detected or observed.
Electrical:
I inspected Elect. service drop/Mast on roof - no issues observed. Flashed and shingled correctly.
Fireplace/chimney: None.
Attic: No visible leaks or moisture damage issues observed - past nor present.
Doors, Windows, Siding:
I observed water intrusion under the threshold of the exterior side garage door (North side wall) as well as water damage (rot) at the base of jambs and rust on bottom of the door. Recommend the door and jamb be replaced/repaired and properly caulked then painted.
Summary: Home in overall satisfactory condition for it’s age. As mentioned above, exterior paint/caulk needs maintenance as well as exterior garage side-door and jambs be replaced. Cracks in Stucco on South facing wall (Front of Home) should be addressed.
Recommend installing gutter system as well as heaving of driveway be addressed by a professional.
Attached is the hrv unit in my home. it is great for balancing incoming and outgoing air. When you take a shower there is never any condensation on the mirrors as the hrv unit kicks in and exhausts all of the warm air immediately.
I read the sump pump operation and inspection article for the moisture intrusion course. I recently had to replace a submersible sump pump at my girlfriends house. It had rained for two days as was going to rain again when her pump stopped working. I replaced the pump and the weeping tiles drained for over an hour into the pit to be pumped out.
A battery powered backup sump pump is nice to have when the power goes out in or after a storm and you’re not home.
I read both “Doing Damage During an Inspection: It’s Your Job” As well as The “15 Tools Every Homeowner Should Own”
The first seems like common sense to me but then I remembered - common sense “ain’t so common” anymore when it comes to Harry Homeowner.
The Latter article however, really strikes a chord because it is amazing to me how many friends and even some family have NOTHING! How do you live and function w/out the most basic of hand tools or around the house implements is beyond my understaning for the most part.
It forces folks to have the mentality of “Eh, I’ll just PAY SOMEONE to come out and fix it”. This in and of itself makes you susceptible to a wide rang of issues - mainly getting RIPPED OFF!
/Rant over! 
Large amount of moisture being trapped behind improper plastic sheeting installed in basement. Basement walls need to dry from the outside.
Attached is a photo I took in a unfinished crawlspace. The drainage around the exterior of the house sloped towards the foundation walls. There was no standing water at the time off inspection, but there was some obvious signs of moisture problems.
Thanks Duane
Here is a image of sealent that has failed and is cracked and allowing moisture behind tub surround. Also note plastic tiles loose and falling off recommend removing old sealent and replace with new laytex bath sealent to keep moisture contained.
After reaching this point of my education is was awesome to do a inspection and utilize what I have learned in my training.