Marcel, thanks man. There really is a bunch of negligent crap on this subject, by many.
Here’s a little tidbit, photo album of a house in Eastpointe MI that a Mother of 2 bought… the seller lied, and that happens quite a bit but she also PAID and hired and trusted a home inspector who ummm, did not find any problems. Didn’t find any existing foundation wall problems (existing leaks in basement), didn’t find any deteriorating bricks and mortar joints issues above grade (tuckpointing etc) and so she got stuck footing the bills when it all could have and SHOULD have been avoided (had the home inspector been any dang good!!)
http://picasaweb.google.com/101049034584960315932/BasementWaterproofing27
click any photo to enlarge the photo
…imo any home inspector like this terd (link above) should be SUED. Because, just coughing up, giving back his inspection fee is hardly enough to COVER her expenses that should have been found and noted and explained to her so that she could have OFFERED… LESS money for the stupid house!!!
Folla the incompetence… this former home inspector incompetently claims (near end of article) that if all homeowners follow his simple guidelines, his tips will SOLVE 99% wet basements…(pffftt!)
http://www.moneypit.com/article/basement-waterproofing-leak-prevention-and-useful-tips
Radio show hosts like this guy, while likely well-intentioned, reaches and then hurts, misinforms many more homeowners than my azz could ever reach, to help.
Then add it is in print, pftttt.
Mr. former home inspector, all due respect but YOU… are…wrrrrrong!!! On this subject, what you wrote, is friggin wrong, is incompetent and can hurt/misinform a lot of people. Having supposedly been a home inspector for 20 years HARDLY gave you the expertise and hands-on experience to tell the world, what you did, geezzzzz.To come-off as some supposed expert is total bs, your 20 years as a HI did not make you an expert on this subject man!
It also does not mean any HI is an…could be an, expert witness in court on basement waterproofing and foundation repair. Yeah, maybe in their OWN mind, they are… not in reality. sorry. Yeah sure, some were good enough to bullshtt some judges, that’s the judges problem/fault/incompetence.
Let my old azz quickly add, there are MANY good home inspectors!! Don’t mean to, in any way, sound like I hate all inspectors or I don’t trust any of them, pftt, come on, wake the frig up. There really are some good, thorough, honest, experienced home inspectors. Have met or talked to quite a few of them, most–not all, Nachi members.
But on the other hand, on THIS SUBJECT and, at least here is Michigan, many are incompetent buttheads… on this subject, per their incompetent, negligent recommendations to unknowing homeowners on leaky basements. This garbage will continue to go on and screw over many more sellers/buyers UNTIL, unless, many home inspectors realize, admit to their prior screw-ups and change the way they think of, change the way they inspect basements/foundation walls etc
And it’s not just home inspectors, its also many realtors, landscapers, plumbers, members of the media, lawyers, judge’s and some others… you do NOT have the expertise to make recommendations to homeowners on their leaky basements, on their cracked, bowed foundation walls… you NEED to learn, educate your azz or, simply shut the pie hole man!! Shttt, some say they went online and did a bunch of research before they came to their moronic, pathetic recommendations on this subject… NONSENSE!!!
It’s obvious to me that whatever you read, found, researched was bulshtttt, was likely some interior system self-serving crap/lies/misrepresentations or, other home inspectors views or some OTHER… NON—EXPERT!
I, Mark friggin Anderson can GUARANTEE you that MOST of what is written, said on this subject… on the internet, is BULSHHHTTTTTT!!
I’ve read quite a few COURT cases, (umm duh no am no dang lawyer sheesh) and can honestly tell anyone who gives a shtt, that in many of these cases… the JUDGE is/was… wrong!!! In quite a few of these cases, the judge took the word of who he/she believed to be an ‘expert witness’, when… that expert witness wasn’t remotely close to actually being an expert witness on leaky basements, foundation repair!! If judges allow themselves to be FOOLED in their own dang courtroom, then THEY sccccrwed up!!! They are also at fault. Judgie, you based your opinion, in part or full, on faulty bullshtt testimony!!! loooolllll Just because someone takes the oath and tells you they worked for Neverdry waterproofing for… 20 years, does NOT at all make them a g dang EXPERT on this subject…sheeesshhhhus so easily bullshtttttted!!!
I’ll sit here again and post this again, he’s one of a FEW that a judge or a homeowner or whoever could find some honest, facts on this subject… John McEwen in CA, but agggggin looool, most doing research etc on this subject don’t find/read John’s facts or, mine… got dat? http://johnmcewen.ca/waterproof.php
There’s a difference and often a HUGE difference between, say, a guy who has worked for an interior basement system company INSTALLING interior systems and…say, John M.
The installer very likely was told/taught that installing interior systems and carbon fiber straps is waterproofing and that straps (pfffffft) ‘hold foundation walls together/they’ll never move or crack again’, and very likely the installer actually believes this and… 20 yrs later, thinks he is an expert and it’s also likely others around him believe he’s an expert since he has been installing these systems for 20 rs. He doesn’t do any homework/research, doesn’t THINK about what he was told (if its really true etc), just believes what he was taught is true, when it ISN’T!!! He does NOT truly have a firm grasp on this entire----subject! An honest experts learning process NEVER stops.
Versus anyone like John, who asks many thorough questions and seeks all answers, and has those answers, on both sides, not just the one side… err ummm, INSIDE, got dat?
He ‘SEES’…the entire picture, the entire field. He understands what is best, 99% the time, overall, for these walls and for the homeowners… not just what is best for HIM, his company… like inside system companies!!! looollll geeeezuz. They ‘see’… what is best for…them!!! I see they have blllshtted some home inspector organizations or paid em off, they’ve bullshhttted the Better Business Bureau and pay them off (they need to change their title because, well, some know! Get RID of the word ‘BETTER’ at least. Johnny Bubber has some new names they may be interested in, got dat?), they’ve bulllshtttted quite a few members of the MEDIA… or, at least PAY them enough money to ummm, get their one sided bulllshtt story told to the public!!
If you truly want to help more homeowners on this subject more often then, many need to CHANGE their frickkkin thought process as it relates to how/where/why water is getting in these basements and why many more walls crack, fail etc. Its NOT what you’ve been told, or dreamed up on your own. Its not the dumb azz grade, its not the exterior drain tiles, its not drylok etc, sheesh… nite nite.