My last inspection today was a new home on which I had done a pre-drywall inspection three months ago. The builder was VERY slow to finish the house. The supervisor said they had "taken their time to get it right." At this point you are supposed to cough and say, "Yeah, right!" He also challenged the buyers that if I found "anything" he would be surprised. They have their final walk through Monday morning. Boy, is this supervisor going to be surprised!!
There was the typical stuff on a new home - the attic unit AC condensate line that does not drain - the master bedroom AFCI which, when tripped, also turns off the master bath AND hall bath water closet fan and light - the overflow drains in all three bath tubs that are NOT connected and would have flooded the house - the water heater vent that is not inclined -- you know, the usual stuff. That is not all, by far not all, but you get the drift!
The coup de grace was this -- I had taken my 11 year-old daughter Jordan (World Junior Champion Toilet Clogger - Master Division) promising a Daddy/Daughter date after the inspection. She willingly came along, and brought a puzzle and a Nancy Drew book to occupy herself during the inspection. We all had a very nice time during the visit.
Afterward, I was in the kitchen working on the report. The buyers were measuring rooms and windows, visualizing furniture, etc. My daughter was on the family room floor, laying prone, and reading Nancy Drew. She came and got my flashlight and was playing with it also. I little while later I hear, "Daddy, there's holes under the windows!"
We ALL descended on the family room. There were three, large windows along the back wall. Tall, with sills that were barely 1" above the floor molding. I had not checked, but under the sills, and only visible if you were laying on the floor, are 1/2" gaps, never filled, exposing the entirety of the wall all the way through to the missing Tyvek which was never installed under the vinyl siding!! No Tyvek (advertised by the builder), no insulation along the bottoms of the windows (leading all to wonder as to the sides and tops), and gaps never filled, finished or drywalled. Admittedly, these gaps are a mere 4" above the carpeting -- but I had NOT checked! Picture this - we are all four laying on the floor in front of these windows, in awe, and in disbelief. My daughter is laughing, the buyers are groaning and I am very proud. The buyers were MOST grateful to her...!
Results:
1. The buyers are demanding that the undersides of various, random windows be opened up indoors to determine the presence or lack of insulation.
2. The buyers are demanding that siding be removed in spots outdoors to reveal the presence or lack of Tyvek, as advertised.
3. The buyers are demanding that the tops and sides of various windows indoors be exposed to determine the presence or lack of insulation.
4. I am going back to do an IR investigation throughout the house.
5. My daughter got a big kid ice cream sundae instead of the little kid's sundae after dinner.
6. She is available for home inspections. Please call her mother, the dispatcher in our household, to schedule any inspection dates at least 1 week in advance. She has soccer, basketball and computer camps (one week each) in July and August, so you may have to work around that.
I have a feeling that this was a VERY EXPENSIVE find for the builder to have to rectify.
Recommendations:
1. Bring your daughter to home inspections. She may be the "Secret to the __________ Find" for you too...
2. Arm her with a Nancy Drew book and flashlight.
3. Have her look around as you look around and yell when the sees something, anything, amiss. Laying on the floor seems to work best.
And I? I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference ...
