inspection performed for: mr. and mrs. west uthere was an average of approximately 5½” of attic...

5006 Cherry Ridge Road Richmond, Texas 77406

281-342-9944 [email protected]

INSPECTION PROPERTY ADDRESS: XXXX Street Houston, Texas INSPECTION PERFORMED FOR: Mr. and Mrs. West U INSPECTION DATE: XX/XX/XXXX INSPECTIONS ORDERED: [X] Structural [X] Mechanical [X] Electrical [X] Plumbing [X] Appliance

LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS This Inspection Report reflects only the items listed and only the condition of those items at the time and date of inspection. This Report reflects only if the items inspected are observed to be “functional” or “nonfunctional” at the time of the inspection, that is, whether such items at this time are observed to serve the purpose for which they are ordinarily intended. THIS REPORT REFLECTS ONLY THOSE ITEMS THAT ARE REASONABLY OBSERVABLE AT THE TIME OF THE INSPECTION. NO REPRESENTATION IS MADE CONCERNING ANY LATENT DEFECTS OR DEFECTS NOT REASONABLY OBSERVABLE AT THE TIME OF THE INSPECTION OR OF ITEMS WHICH REQUIRE THE REMOVAL OF FURNITURE OR COVERINGS. For example, but without limitation, recent repairs, painting or coverings may conceal prior or present damage which is not reasonably observable by the inspector, and no representation or comment can be made. NO REPRESENTATION IS MADE CONCERNING ANY OTHER CONDITION OR THE FUTURE PERFORMANCE OF ANY ITEM. NO REPRESENTATION IS MADE AS TO ITEMS NOT SPECIFICALLY COMMENTED UPON. ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, ARE EXCLUDED AND DISCLAIMED. Any environmental hazards or toxic materials were not included as a part of this inspection. We have performed no inspections or tests for mold. This report is provided for the use of our client only, based on their specific needs. No representation is made to the use of this report by any other party. Opinions related to the compliance with specifications, legal and current code requirements, or restrictions of any kind are specifically excluded as being covered by this inspection. Repair costs vary from one contractor to the next. You should contact several qualified contractors to obtain firm quotes and defined scope of work on each repair item.

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On XX/XX/XXXX, Harris Engineering Real Estate Inspections, Inc. performed a limited visual inspection on the house at XXXX Street, Houston, Texas. The inspection was performed exclusively for Mr. and Mrs. West U. We make no representation to the use of this report by any other party. By state law, inspections to determine the presence of, or damage by, wood destroying insects are to be conducted by individuals licensed for that purpose, therefore Harris Engineering Real Estate Inspections, Inc. advises that a licensed pest control inspector be contacted. No representation is made to any environmental aspects/hazards of this property. The purpose of this report is to render an opinion as to whether the items listed on this report were performing the function for which intended or were in need of repair at the time of the inspection.

The limited structural inspection consisted of interior and exterior visual observations as well as floor levelness measurements with a four foot spirit level. Since no formal engineering analysis or testing was performed, the conclusions of this report are based solely on this engineer’s visual impressions as to the performance on this date. Should you desire a foundation level survey or other engineering evaluations such as geotechnical analysis, concrete testing, concrete moisture testing, plumbing testing, or post tension testing (if applicable), please contact this office. No geotechnical study has been made to determine the soil characteristics of this property. However, much of the greater Houston area is known to have an active type soil that can adversely affect the performance of the foundation. No representation is made to the location of any geological faults. For the purpose of this report, the terms front, rear, right, left are used when viewing the house from the front. No representation is made to any previous or future flooding.

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A house of this age generally does not meet current code requirements. This report is not intended to identify all items that do not meet current code requirements. It is our understanding that there has been a previous inspection. Please forward the previous inspection report to our office for review. Should there be any discrepancies between this report and the previous report, please contact our office. No Seller’s Disclosure Notice was observed. Please obtain this document from the seller and forward to our office for review. FOUNDATION COMMENTS This is a two story residential structure with a pier and beam type foundation. Exterior siding is brick veneer and wood. Observations revealed typical signs of moderate foundation movement. There were some brick veneer cracks and patches. The brick veneer had been painted. There were no significant drywall cracks. However, the house had apparently been renovated at some time. The doors fit relatively well. The front entry door was dragging. There were some typical floor slopes at the upstairs and downstairs floors. Some of the floor unlevelness was noticeable while walking across the floors. This was considered typical for a house of this age and type of construction. The foundation showed signs of moderate movement. It is our opinion that the foundation was performing a reasonable service at the time of the inspection. No representation is made to future performance.

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There was some deteriorated wood that was observed from the crawl-space below the house. This was most evident below the kitchen area. There was significant deterioration at a beam and joist under the kitchen. There was a small area of deteriorated wood below the front entry area. There was a small area of deteriorated wood at the entrance to the crawl-space at the rear of the house. Please consult with a qualified foundation repair contractor to replace the deteriorated wood.

The grading at the crawl-space below the house was lower than the grading of the yard around the house. This is a concern for water penetration. The crawl-space was relatively dry at the time of the inspection. This should be monitored for any water penetration.

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The garage has a concrete foundation. The garage concrete foundation was low with respect to the yard. This is a concern for water penetration and wood destroying insects. There were signs of water penetration and wood deterioration. There was wood deterioration at the framing and siding. Wood repair is needed. The garage concrete foundation had experienced significant cracking and deflection. The garage foundation was not sloped for drainage. This condition would be difficult to correct.

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ROOF COMMENTS The roof covering on the main part of the house had experienced moderate weathering. It is recommended that the roof be monitored during rains for any signs for leakage.

One of the rear plumbing vent roof jacks did not lay flatly. Repair is needed.

There was less roof framing reinforcement than is generally expected by current standards. There were 2 x 4 purlins. Some of the roof support struts were over four feet on-center. Additional framing reinforcement is recommended.

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The garage roof covering was composition shingles over wood shingles. Current standards do not recommend installing composition shingles over wood shingles. The garage composition shingles had experienced significant deterioration. There were some stains that may be a result of previous or active roof leakage. The garage roof covering appeared to be near the end of its useful life. Please obtain cost estimates.

There were limbs touching the garage roof. These are in need of being trimmed.

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OTHER STRUCTURAL COMMENTS The windows were nonfunctional. Functional windows are needed for egress reasons. The wood windows had experienced typical deterioration for a house of this age. Appropriate repairs are needed.

There were various areas of wood deterioration. Among these areas include front door threshold, rear sunroom interior and exterior, left rear exterior balcony door frame, and garage. Repairs are needed.

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All exterior wall penetrations should be properly sealed to prevent any water penetration. There were deteriorated screens at the crawl space vents. Repair is recommended. There are not vents within three feet of each corner. Current standards require additional ventilation of the crawl-space.

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There were some vines growing at the exterior. These are generally not recommended.

There were cracks at the front porch. There were no handrails at the front porch steps. Current standards require handrails. The interior and exterior balcony rail gaps exceeded four inches. Four inches is the maximum recommended for safety. For your information, there were cracks at the driveway. The garage had experienced significant framing distortion. There was deflection and some racking of the framing. The garage appeared relatively old. There was some deterioration at the interior of doors and windows at the left rear sunroom. This may be a result of previous or active water penetration. This area should be monitored for any water penetration. It appeared that this room had been partially repainted. It is recommended that you consult with the seller about any water penetration issues. No safety glass labels were observed at window adjacent to rear exterior door, upstairs right rear bedroom doors, and window adjacent to master bathtub. Current standard require tempered glass at these locations for safety. The access to the crawl-space below the house was relatively small. A larger access opening is recommended. There are deadbolt locks at rear exterior doors. Current standards require keyless locks for egress reasons.

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The front entry door was dragging. The hardware exterior lever came off. Front door repair is recommended. There was a cracked window pane at the right side of the dining room. Repair is needed. There was an average of approximately 5½” of attic insulation. It was not determined whether there is any insulation in the walls. There was no insulation at the floor at the crawl-space. This is typical for this age house. There were inadequate fasteners at the attic stairs connection to the ceiling joists. Additional fasteners are needed at the hardware.

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MECHANICAL COMMENTS The outside temperature was approximately 85ºF at the time of the inspection. The air conditioners and the downstairs furnace were functional. It is recommended that these units be monitored during different temperature conditions to determine whether they will cool and heat adequately. The upstairs unit gas furnace was nonfunctional. Repair is needed. For your information, the air conditioner condensers appeared to be dated 1999 and 2000. One of the air conditioner evaporators was dated 1993. The 1993 evaporator was considered relatively old.

The return air filters were dirty. These are in need of being replaced. The downstairs return air was relatively small. The return used the wall cavity. Please consult with a mechanical contractor. There was limited access and work space at the mechanical equipment and the water heater in the attic. Additional access is recommended.

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The clothes dryer vent terminated under the house near the left rear corner. It is recommended that this be extended to the exterior. It is also recommended that the bathroom vent ducts be extended through the exterior walls.

There is a vent fan at the master bathroom toilet room. However, there was no vent fan observed at the main area of the master bathroom. Current standards require a vent fan.

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ELECTRICAL COMMENTS Note: Concealed wiring is not inspected. For your information, we have performed no electrical design analysis. For your information, we performed no inspections of any security system equipment. Smoke alarms do not conform with current standards. Current standards require these in each sleeping room, outside each sleeping area, and on each additional story. Smoke alarms are required to be interconnected, powered from building wiring, and also have battery power. Carbon monoxide detectors are recommended. For your information, photo cell and motion detector controlled lights were not included as a part of this inspection. For your information, built-in speakers and media equipment were not included as a part of the inspection. For your information, a house of this age generally does not meet current electrical code requirements. Among these items include: arc fault circuit interrupters, inadequate ground fault circuit interrupters, lack of tamper-resistant receptacles, and lack of concrete encased grounding electrode. Please consult with a licensed electrical contractor about modifying some or all of these items for safety reasons. The two air conditioner breakers were oversized, according to the air conditioner nameplate ratings. Properly sized breakers are needed.

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There were one or more missing common ties at multi-wire circuits (red and black wires) in the electric panel. Common ties are needed.

No electric bond wire connections were observed for the hot water pipes and gas pipes. These are in need of being electrically bonded. This is similar to a ground wire connection. There were several nonfunctional lights. These may be due to burned or missing bulbs. Repairs are needed. There was inadequate ground fault circuit interrupter protection. There were also several nonfunctional ground fault circuit interrupters. Repairs are needed. There was no electric eye safety feature for the garage door electric operator. This is recommended for safety. There was exposed unprotected wiring to the driveway gate electric operator. Repair is recommended. For your information, no transmitters were found for the driveway gate and garage overhead door electric operators. There were less electrical receptacles than are expected by current standards. There were light fixtures without light globes at closets. Light globes are recommended.

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PLUMBING COMMENTS For your information, no representation is made to concealed and underground piping. Should you desire, additional evaluations could be performed. Be advised that old piping has a potential for leakage. It appeared that much of the piping had been renovated. For your information, the water meter is located in the front yard. The main water shut-off valve is located at the right exterior. The static water pressure was measured to be 58 psi. There are some galvanized material and some copper material water supply pipes. Be advised that galvanized piping can deteriorate and leak with age. Some deterioration and leakage was observed at the crawl-space below the house. There were some copper/galvanized piping connections without dielectric unions that were observed at the crawl-space below the house. There was active leakage at a fitting at the rear part of the crawl-space. Repairs are needed.

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There were some ceiling patches and ceiling stains. These were observed at the front of the living room, middle part of the living room, and kitchen. These areas were tested with a moisture meter at the time of the inspection. These areas were relatively dry at the time of the inspection. The cause of these discolorations were not determined. Should you desire, additional evaluations could be performed by exposing concealed plumbing. It is recommended that access openings be installed adjacent to bathtubs in order to periodically inspect bathtub plumbing.

The water heater drains improperly terminated under the house. These should be properly terminated at the exterior. 1” drain lines are recommended.

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The water heater vent has an old style rusted roof jack. A type-B vent and roof jack are recommended for safe venting of this gas appliance. The water heater vent had inadequate clearance to wood in the attic. Adjustment is needed for adequate clearance to combustibles.

There was a lack of piping insulation. Insulation is recommended. There was a faucet without a vacuum breaker at the backyard wood deck area. A vacuum breaker is needed to help prevent potential backflow. There was some lawn sprinkler leakage. Repair is needed.

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The kitchen sink faucet was loose. The sprayer did not spray well. Repair is needed. There was a poor plumbing repair at the drain under the kitchen sink. Repair is recommended.

For your information, the plumbing and electrical connections for the clothes washer and dryer were not inspected due to inadequate access. The master shower built-in drain cover was missing. Repair is needed. No underground sewer drain clean-out was observed at the exterior. An exterior sewer drain clean-out is needed. The upstairs hall bathroom toilet drained constantly. Repair is needed. There were a lack of sediment traps at the gas piping connections to the appliances. Sediment traps are recommended. No pressure test of the gas lines was performed. No gas odor was smelled that would indicate any large gas line leaks. For your information, we performed no testing that would detect any small gas leaks. For your information, water heater T&P valves are not tested during the inspection due to the potential for these valves not resetting and due to the potential for leakage. The drain lines were partially concealed. It is recommended that a licensed plumbing contractor test these valves on a yearly basis and monitor for any concealed plumbing leakage.

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APPLIANCE COMMENTS No drain loop or air gap was observed for the dishwasher drain line. A drain loop or air gap is needed in order to prevent potential backflow. The cook top front right burner igniter kept igniting after the burner was lit. Repair is needed. Harris Engineering Real Estate Inspections, Inc. does not perform repairs. Should you desire, a reinspection can be performed to determine whether repairs have been properly made. This report contains the opinions of Harris Engineering Real Estate Inspections, Inc. It is possible that differing conclusions could be obtained from other companies. It is a pleasure to have been of service. Please call should you have any questions or need future inspections. Harris Engineering Real Estate Inspections, Inc. F-7281

David Harris, P.E. President

(A six page checklist is included at the end of reports.)

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inspection performed for: mr. and mrs. west uthere was an average of approximately 5½” of attic...

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