Electrocution anyone? Knowing that I was coming to inspect the home, the power had been restored. I find several appliances and fixtures had been removed. (They were going to be replaced). However, the bare wires were left hanging down for anyone to touch. I always worry about kids looking at homes with their parents, and I can just imagine them playing with those wires. I have also seen the parents playing around with those wires, trying to determine what they are for. In this case, the power had been restored early, because my client mentioned when he had come the other day, the lights were on.

Gas attack? The home that I inspected this past weekend had the gas turned off at the main. The valves inside the house had been left in the open position. I received a call from my client that they will be turning the gas back on today. I am glad that I shut those valves off, before I left.

Here comes the flood? Three of the homes that I have inspected recently had problems with the plumbing, so that turning on the water to the home could cause damage. An outside hose bib had its supply pipe broken off inside the wall. I was told not to worry about checking the plumbing, because the water was not on, but I am nosy, so I look at everything any way. The hose bib had been put back into position, so unless you looked at it, you would not realize that the pipe was busted. A toilet had a loose tank, so it had a steady leak, damaging the new tile. A faucet for a shower needed a new seal, so when the water came on, it was spraying out into the bathroom.

Most of us in the real estate industry will know better, but I wanted you to have this reminder. Repairs should be made before a home is winterized. If the utilities are coming back on in one of your homes, you may want to stop by to see if there are any concerns. Many of these foreclosed homes are being sought after by clients who wish to save some money, so they may not want an inspection. Of course I would suggest an inspection, because it is good for my business, but I know it will not happen every time. If your buyer is foregoing an inspector’s service, you may want to suggest that you take him over to the home on the day that the utilities are restored, just to be safe. On one of these homes, it was the contractor who had winterized it, and on the other two, I am not sure, so I could I recommend that you ask that repairs be made before the winterization is done.

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You start by walking through the door. Wait a moment; back up. Most doors in homes you will be inspecting are left in the open position. On several occasions, my clients have been surprised to find that a door will not close. Opening and closing doors seems like kicking the tires on a car. You have heard of it, but who does it? Sticking doors are a constant problem, and the cause could be any number of things from the house settling to a foundation issue to new floors or floor covering. Look at the foundation section above to determine if you have a problem with the foundation or house settling. Look at the space around the door and its frame. If hung properly, the space should be even. In some instances, you may find that the door was hung wrong, or that the supports (hinges with the screws) have failed. To readjust the door, you can use shims between the hinges and the jamb. One manufacturer makes a plastic ez-shim for this purpose. The plastic is said to hold up better than a wood shim. Also check the hardware on the door. Door handles and their locking mechanisms are often overlooked.

Now you can move into the room.As an investor you will be concerned with wall covering, as an inspector you will be concerned with the condition. Look for unevenness or bowing walls and ceilings. Walk around the floor to see if it feels like you could bounce on it. Here is a trade secret: take your shoes off. You will notice more in your bare or stocking feet than with that hard covering of a shoe.

No wall or ceiling should have a hole in it.A common place for holes in cabinets, particularly ones with a sink. Floors that have a bounce need to be stiffened. This can be achieved with sistering a board to an existing joist and using plywood sheets over the floor. Unevenness or bowing could be do to framing or settling. The lumber used for building a wall is frequently bowed. If a builder is not cautious, he could place a bowed side out, leaving an imperfect wall. Structurally this is not a problem, but cabinet installers will have a tough time. If you see round heads for nails popping out, this can explain some bowing in walls and ceilings. Sheetrock should be installed with screws, but to save time many installers use nails, which will come out.

An inspector will look for lighting in all habitable areas and bathrooms of your home.Hallways and stairs need proper light with switches at both ends, and an attached garage is to be lighted. If you have a detached garage, it only requires a light when the building has power provided to it. All exterior doors which provides a grade level access need a light, but not a garage door for your car. Some builders have outlets controlled by a wall switch, but they cannot use this arrangement in a kitchen or bathroom. When they do have a switch for an outlet, many builders will turn the receptacle upside down to inform you that this outlet is the controlled unit. These outlets cannot use a dimmer. Some safety concerns for the physical fixture are involving the unit’s placement. Bathrooms are fun to light considering the restrictions on where the light can go. You will want a pendant light to be more than eight feet above and three feet away from your shower or tub. For this reason, I like to see fixtures that hug the ceiling instead of dangling down.

Closets should not have open incandescent bulbs. A recessed light (or a fluorescent) can be within six inches of a shelf. Fixtures that are ceiling mounted should be twelve inches away from the shelf. This is due to the fact that incandescents heat to a higher temperature than fluorescents. The only location in a closet where mounting a fixture on the wall is allowed would be above the door, as long as there is no shelf there. This may seem strange, but an inspector has to ensure that track lighting is a minimum of five feet above the floor. Can that fixture hit your head then? Yes. The idea applies to a track light over your seating areas and tables. Pendant (chandelier) fixtures can move by swinging when hit, but track lighting cannot. Recessed lighting will be attached above your ceiling. There is a rating for the housing saying the unit is IC rated. This rating is for situations where insulation can come into contact with the unit, like in an attic. A non-IC rated unit is meant for drop down ceilings where there is no insulation. Obviously, non-IC rated is cheaper, so people like to save money by using them. They can be placed in the attic when you adhere to the following: 1)the housing is a ½ inch away from an object that can burn; 2) the housing is three inches away from insulation. The problem that I find is that insulation eventually finds its way to the housing. A solution could be to create a barrier to prevent insulation from moving closer to the unit.

For all electrical fixtures, including lighting units, the fixtures need to be firmly attached to the wall. If they shake or move, stress is placed on the wiring, which could cause the wiring’s protective sheathing to fail. All receptacles and switches need a proper cover. There are actually quite a few rules governing the placement of receptacles and switches, but a rule of thumb would be the twelve feet apart and six feet from any opening. A hallway should have a receptacle every ten feet. Most inspectors will not check for this last one, but I was once a certified food service manager, so I like to see if the fixtures in the kitchen have one extra safety feature. Health codes require that for commercial kitchens lights in a food preparation area should be covered, so if the bulb bursts, the pieces will not fall in to your food. Fluorescents are coated with a poisonous material on their interior, and glass shards are never good in food. Lights over your cooktop in the range hood may have a cover missing. I see this a lot. Think about your family’s well being, and consider what would happen if the bulb in different kitchen fixtures breaks.

Open and close the window. Ensure that the hardware on the window is functioning. Since many people do not use windows often, they can stick. Determine if it is sticking due to paint, build-up, or a hardware problem. The screen in the window should sit in the frame well, and it should have no tears or holes. Screens seem to be a major issue during my inspections. Repair kits are sold at home centers. The post “Look through any Window” has some tips on this subject.

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This is actually called the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system.With Houston’s climate dictating a heavy use for this equipment (Houston is one of the most air conditioned cities in the world), a big concern here is how long will a HVAC system last? My answer is a resounding who knows? All joking aside, this system is composed of several pieces of equipment, which could last a good twenty years if it is maintained well. By this point, the unit will not be as efficient as you would want it. An HVAC system needs special equipment to really examine it correctly, but I will give you a means of testing this for yourself.

Lets start with how an inspector examines a typical system. In Houston, I have never come across a swamp cooler. I think these are common in Arizona, and on my old Beetle. Mainly we have gas or electric powered units with a condenser (also called a compressor) units. Some homes use heat pumps. More experimental systems are not common here.

The components of a typical HVAC system include: furnace, condenser, plenums, ducts, fan, and evaporator coil.Following the air movement through the system, we first come to the return air duct. For best results a home should have a return air duct in every room, but generally you will find one return duct on each floor of the home. These ducts have a filter in them. For energy efficiency’s sake, you will want to change these filters out once a month. This is why I suggest the cleanable filters to clients. If the filter is dirty, the unit has to work harder to draw air through it. If there is no filter, all of that dust is going into your equipment ruining it. Moving along, the air is going through a duct to the return air plenum. In older homes, builders would place wiring and gas tubing through these ducts, since it was a convenient space. This habit is a great fire hazard, since a fire caused by the wiring or gas line would be fed by the air passing through this duct. This is a hard problem to fix in most cases. Two solutions could be: 1) placing sheetrock all the way up the duct to the return plenum, thus covering the wiring and tubing; and 2) running a large duct tube through this duct from opening to return plenum. The return plenum is just a box which accepts the return air ducts. It will be in the attic before the fan. This box should have no holes in it. You would be able to feel air being sucked into the box if it did have a perforation. The next part of the system is the fan. The fan is called a squirrel cage. It is round, and looks like a big hair dryer blower (sorry, but I am trying to come up with a description everyone could picture). The common issue will be the motor is not functioning, the bearing allowing the fan to turn freely is worn, or the fan is bent or damaged. You will be able to tell by the sound. Noisy and vibrating is not good. You should hear the smooth hum of an electric motor, and the spinning of the fan. The fan will have a removable panel on it, so you can look at it. Pliers would be able to remove the machine screws on the unit. (On some systems the fan can be the last item before the supply plenum; however, I generally see it first.)

Next we come to the furnace. The furnace should also have a removable panel. Half the units have a panel that will slide out, and the other units have a panel that has machine screws holding it in. Machine screws cannot be undone with a screwdriver. You either need a nut driver, or a pair of pliers. Wether gas or electric, there will be a tube coming into the unit. Where it enters, there should be a grommet (think gasket) preventing this tube from being damaged by the housing. For gas units, there should be a shut off valve nearby, and for electric units, there should be a switch (breaker or light switch) close. Check to see that the wiring looks to be in good condition. Here is the hard part, you will want to look at this compartment where the burner or electric coils are, but you will not always be able to. A complete inspection means pulling this equipment out, and a HVAC technician should be the only person to do this task. While the heater is running, look to see the flame or heated elements. The flame should be a nice blue flame. The burner compartment should be rust free. If you have the equipment, you could check the elements for an electric system to see if they have power.

Going forward, the air now passes through a transition plenum to the evaporator coils. This is the box with a pan under it. The pan is for the secondary drain line from water condensing on the coils. It should be clear of debris, and have no water in it. This is the cooling part of the system. The coils have a refrigerant in them, which cools the air down. This refrigerant is pumped to the outside condenser. A condenser and a compressor are the same thing. The outside unit has both pieces of equipment in them, so both terms are used. This unit is basically a big box with a motor, a fan, and tubes with fins running around it. The refrigerant exchanges heat with the air passing over the coils in the evaporator, and then passes that heat to the exterior. A heat pump is a device that can operate this system in two directions. Instead of a furnace, the pump takes heat from the outside air to the evaporator coils in winter, and then it reverses this process in summer. (There is always heat in the air; go back to your Middle School Science lessons). On the condenser listen for loud noises and vibrations. Look at the fins to see if they are damaged. Check to see that the wiring looks good, and that the refrigerant tube is covered with an insulator. The condenser should be three inches above ground level. The unit should have good clear space around it. If there are two condensers, they should be separated by eighteen inches. There should also be a way to turn off the power close to this unit. Either a dedicated switch in a box, or the service panel should be close by in sight.

Going back up to the coils in the attic, we will follow the air to its last stop before going to a room: the supply plenum. This is the box with multiple ducts coming out of it leading to the different rooms. If you are a lucky, there will be dampers to zone the air to the various rooms. The air is being pushed out at the same rate to all rooms, but rooms further away from this plenum will not receive the same air movement that air closer to the plenum gets. The way to check this without opening up this box is to feel how strongly the air is coming out of the return air vent (register) in all of the rooms of the house. In the attic, you have a problem when you feel cool air your plenum has a perforation. Air conditioning the attic is nice for those of us who have to be up there, but it will cost you in your utility bills. The air now goes through ducts to the individual rooms. The ducts should not be crimped (tight angles). They should also be supported from the rafters. The ducts will have insulation covering them, and joints will have a reflective tape (not duct tape). Check for leaks in the ducts by feeling for air.

Finally the air is in the room.If you have the tools, you will want to check the temperature differential. The temperature differential (delta T) is the temperature of the air into the system subtracted by the air out of the system. If you are measuring by the coils, the difference is acceptable when it is within 20F. If you are measuring at the supply register and the air return register, the difference is acceptable when within 10F. For the register method, you need the average of all return and supply registers. Over the coils will tell you if the coils are good, but from the registers tells you if the system is fine. Without temperature meters, I would not suggest trusting your sense of feel. We do not sense temperature as well as we sense comfort. You feel comfortable with air movement, which makes us feel cool, but does not tell us if the temperature is good. If these parts are maintained or repaired, a system could last quite a while.

Most systems are replaced by newer units for energy efficiency reasons.SEER is a rating system to determine how well the system operates. Currently units are trying to out do each other in this regard. A Seer above ten is good, but the standard is quickly moving up. Probably a better measurement for you to check if the unit is right for your house is the tonnage of a unit. The usual number is you need for every 500 square feet of your house you need one ton capacity. Take the square footage of your house and divide it by 500. Compare this number to the “tons” number on your condenser. Hopefully, your condenser will have the same number. For example, a 2000 square foot house will need 4 tons (2000/500=4). Actually, you will not want to oversize this unit (have a larger number), since this will prevent the unit from dehumidifying the air, so slightly undersizing the unit is better. Lastly, run the unit for fifteen minutes before you start to check the HVAC system. You will not want to run the air conditioner when the temperature is 60F, since this can damage the evaporator coils.

One more thing to check is the circuit breaker for the unit. The condenser has a maximum amperage on it tag. This should be the number (size) on the circuit breaker. It is the amount needed for when the unit starts. When you start seeing problems with any part of this system, you should check to see if a repair is possible or if a new unit is needed. If the furnace or the evaporator coil needs to be replaced, the other part will have to be replaced, since the components are matched to work together. So how long will an HVAC system last? OK, hate me, it depends.

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Before you approach a house, look at it form a distance. Does the house line up with the others? Do the walls bulge or lean? Does the building look lop-sided? These are all indicators of issues. They could mean the foundation should be examined or that there is work needed on the structure, but you should make a note of these facts.

I went over signs of foundation concerns above, so I want to focus on other parts of the home. Walking around the property, I look for standing water or dips in the grading. I also look to see if the grading will allow the water to flow freely to the street. Water causes damage to the foundation and siding of a home, so I look for the ways it could leave the area. Thinking about water, I look towards the roof for gutters. It is not a cause for alarm if a building does not have them, but gutters do effectively transport water away from the house, when installed correctly. The gutters should be well attached, and there should be no debris in them. The downspouts should not be damaged (gardening efforts seem to cause problems). There should be a splash guard or tube to direct the water further away from the building, once it has left the downspout. A pet peeve of mine, but not technically a problem, are downspouts placed on the path leading to the front door. Builders point out that this is a perfect path to have water move away from the house. I think about the fact that some one will be walking through that water during a good rain.

Since we are looking at grading, we will move into the bushes. (Yes, neighbors do look at me curiously when inspecting a home, but if I see them, I try to talk to them, so that they know I am not a threat, and I may obtain some information on the house). Mulch is great for plants, but we seldom judge the effect it has on our siding. When the house is clad in a wood material, there should be six inches between the siding and the ground. For a material like brick or concrete block or plank, six inches between the ground and siding is acceptable. Moving up from the grading, we can look at the plants in the yard. Roots, branches, and leaves can all be combatants against a home.

A typical American home does not posses enough yard space for a large tree, but I would not do without my trees. The basic rule of thumb is that the tree should be spaced away from the home by a measurement equal to its height at full growth. A good average number is forty feet for large trees; twenty to fifteen feet for smaller trees; and five to six feet for good sized bushes. These numbers are never accomplished on the majority of homes. Next best thing is to prevent contact of all branches with the roof and siding. The movement of branches in a strong window will cause serious damage over time.

Do not let leaves pile up on the roof or against the building.Leaves retain moisture, and they make a great home for insects. Both facts will do damage to the home. Roots grow were they get water, so if you prune the branches to be clear of the building, the water from the leaves will drip down there, and the roots will stay in that area. The section on the roof above goes into what to look for on top, so let us go just below the roof to the trim there. For all trim, you will want to look that it is not rotting or damaged.

Keeping your tools simple, I suggest carrying at least a flat head screwdriver.Most items that you need to open will probably have a screw that can be undone with this screwdriver, and the tool can be used for two other functions: a minor crowbar; and a probe. Pushing the screwdriver gently into the trim, you should feel resistance. If the screwdriver can move into the wood, the trim should be replaced. Now look where the trim meets the siding. This fact applies for where two walls join too. There should be no access point for water to get behind the siding. Joints like this should be caulked. Rain can travel sideways (hurricanes and good gusts of wind ensure this), so take a considerate look at these areas. Moisture and water will get behind your siding though, so the next place to look is at how the water will exit.

For brick siding, there will be small holes in the mortar around every three feet.For stucco and EIFS (architectural foam, which looks like stucco), there should be a mesh screen at the bottom. Wood and aluminum siding are designed in such a way that there is a space for water to drain.

Stucco and EIFS will be your big worries.These materials can trap water behind them, and installers have not always been aware of how to properly install a means for letting that water drain out. The situation with this siding is getting better, but these materials are meant for dry climates.

I mentioned attic ventilation in a section above, so now is the time for you to check for these vents in the soffit. Homes built from around 1960 to 2000 will have vents mainly towards the back and sides, and it is not always sufficient. Before 1960, homes may not have had any type of ventilation. Apply lessons from the “Electrical” portion above for examining outside service panels, fixtures and cabling. The “Window” section applies at this time too. Hose bibs (the exterior faucets) should have an anti-siphon device on them. This looks like a metal sleeve over your normal hose connection. It prevents water from the exterior moving up the hose into the drinking water. If you read the sections above, you should have a good idea what to look for on exterior components, so now you can go ring the doorbell. No one home? That is alright. Checking for a functioning doorbell was the last step in the exterior evaluation.

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Now we come to the service panel box. This can be in the house or outside. In some homes, builders would place these panels in a closet which is a bad idea. There is a possibility of fires being caused by this spot. Let me say this once, so I will not keep repeating this fact: any piece of equipment (be it an outlet, panel, light fixture, or whatever) or wiring for the electrical system needs to be firmly secured to the structure of the house to prevent damage to the wiring, which could cause a fire. I did not want to be repeating the “secured” phrase each time, so be on the look out for this situation on each piece of equipment. Most securing issues may be tightening a screw for an outlet or redoing a screw with a clamp. The service panel box should not be rusted. Open the cover, and check for labels telling you what the breakers (switch like items) control.

Before we go further, I have a warning: do a visual inspection only, because it will be real easy to electrocute yourself when investigating the electrical system, so do not pull on wires or poke your fingers about thinking it will be safe. There should be one breaker to turn off all the power to the house, or you should be able to shut off all the breakers with six swipes of your open hand, so if you see a long row of breakers and a subpanel with no main breaker, you have a problem. There should be no empty slots. You will either have a circuit breaker or a cover plate for each location. Check to see if a breaker has tripped- it will feel loose, as if it is between being on and off. A tripped breaker could mean a bad breaker or not enough amperage to serve that circuit. To remove the panel covering the wiring, place the back of your hand on the cover. If it is hot or has a current, your natural reaction will be to pull your hand away (when you use the back of your hand; using your palm will cause the reaction of grabbing the panel). A hot panel indicates a problem inside, so now you would need to proceed at your own risk. If you feel comfortable, remove this panel. You will now be looking at a mess of wires. The wires should look in good shape. Melted or frayed wires mean issues. Each circuit breaker will have only one wire coming into it (these wires will be black). The interior should be free of debris. Nothing should be loose in here. Black wires are hot, white are neutral, and grounds are usually bare copper. About ground wires, Americans use green to indicate ground, while Europeans use brown. I mention this, because I have seen do-it-yourself projects with brown wires used for grounds, so obviously it was wired by someone familiar with that standard. Ground wires were not installed in homes till the late 1950s, so an old home may not have a grounding system.

For a proper check, you will need an electrician beyond this point, so replace the cover. You may want to make note of the amperages, particularly for the HVAC system. On the condenser (compressor) unit, look for the maximum amperage on the tag. This will be the amperage needed for start-up, and there should be a breaker with that amperage. Sometimes an older HVAC system is replaced by a newer one during a home sale, but the installer did not happen to upgrade the breaker, so the system will not work. This only happens with a company that does not do a good job.

Lastly for the panel, look to see that it has a clear space all round it for a worker. If there is a subpanel, go through the same procedure. If any panel has FPE or Federal Pacific marked on it, run away screaming with your hands flailing in the air. Seriously, these are dangerous panel boxes, so do not inspect them, unless you really know what you are doing. These were installed on homes in the sixties and early seventies by builders, since they were inexpensive.

Last stop before going inside, you will be looking for a grounding electrode. Up to the 1980s, water pipes could be used to ground the system, but then every one had to use a rod of either ½ or 5/8 inch diameter. This rod is the grounding electrode. Generally a 6AWG bare wire from the panel would attach to this rod. The rod itself goes into the ground for eight feet. I frequently see people run lawn mowers over this rod, damaging the wire or the connection, or I see rods rusted so that the top is detached from the rest of the rod.

Moving into the interior, you will have one problem checking out the branch circuits- equipment. My assumption is that you are walking through a house to judge how much work it will need, so I am writing this with the idea that you have no tools, except maybe a tape measure and a screw driver. An inspector has a circuit tester as his main tool for checking outlets, among other tools for checking the current. Most other tools may be a higher cost, and if you are going to use an inspector, let them handle a more detailed investigation. A circuit tester may not be a bad investment, and it is not expensive. When plugged into an outlet, this device can check the current and GFCI.

Sticking to the visual side of the inspection, turn on any item operated by electricity to see if it works, but note that some lights may be a burned out bulb, and not a fixture problem. If an owner or tenant is around, I might ask them. Tenants have always been forthcoming with information. Remember to check for secure fixtures and outlets.

You may come across a switch that does not seem to belong, so here are some ideas. If the switch is along the kitchen counter, it may operate the dishwasher. This was done by some builders as a safety measure for working on those units. If it is in a bedroom or den, and there is no ceiling fan at the light fixture, the builder may have run wires for the fan, which he thought you might want to install. In those places, the switch may be for controlling an outlet, so a lamp can be placed there for light. This is usually done in rooms without overhead lights. Generally, the builder will let you know which outlet is being controlled by turning it upside down, but this is not always the case.

If you do have the proper screwdriver, remove an outlet cover to check the wiring. The wiring type can be seen by looking at the ends where it will connect to the receptacle. More than likely, your service wires at the panel will be aluminum, and the wires for the branches will be copper. If this is the case the wires at the outlet will be copper as well. If the branch circuits have copper and aluminum wires, look for a marking that says CO/AR (pronounced like “co-lar”) on the receptacle. When checking outlets and switches, ensure they have complete covers. Wire connections should always be in covered junction boxes, and the connections should not be tape. You need to see a wire nut or some other connection means. Copper and aluminum wires can only be connected with a wire nut which is purple in color. The color is a code to indicate that it is a special connector that can handle this type of union. Extension cords used as cabling for outlets or fixtures is not allowed. Lastly, we end our tour with GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters) outlets. These are outlets with a test button on them (some circuit breakers have these too), but every outlet on this circuit has to be marked with a label stating “GFCI”. Usually one outlet will control several down the line. These outlets are needed in any area that can become wet: kitchen; garage; bathroom; exterior; or wet bar. The exception to this rule is the refrigerator outlet in the kitchen and outlets in the soffit on the exterior. You do not want the refrigerator going off when the circuit trips, and someone fails to reset it. The soffit is high enough up that now water will get into the outlet.

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This is the most common question asked of an inspector. The second being about the roof. Probably because these two parts of our home can give us the most grief. In the state of Texas, an inspector is required to render his opinion on the performance of the foundation. Note that the inspector is not required to inform you of what actually is happening with the foundation, but his opinion. The reason for this is the fact that no one can determine what is going on underneath your home without extensive testing, which does not happen during an inspection. Inspectors look for clues to the foundation’s performance. Here are some things to look out for when considering if you need some one to look at your foundation:

1.Trees- a trees roots will extend to where ever the canopy of leaves reaches. That is where water is available. If the canopy is over your roof, then the roots are under your house, having fun with your foundation. Generally, a tree should be as far away as it is tall, but this poses the problem of your lot size. Most lots are not large enough for forty foot high trees. Trees typically take six years to recover after extensive pruning.

2. Soil the type of soil around your home effects how water travels around your property. Much of Houston, for example, has a heavy clay soil referred to as gumbo by locals. This soil retains water, so it expands. During drier conditions it contracts. This causes the foundation to move around, which in turn can lead to a failure of the foundation. If you see cracks in the soil during dry conditions, and a solid mass during wet conditions, you should be concerned about foundation movement.

3. Plumbing- if the water is taking some time to drain from the sink or tub, you may have a problem underneath the home. If water from the plumbing is leaking there, it could lead an issue with your foundation. If you have this symptom, consider having a hydrostatic test done to determine if a repair is needed. Foundation companies will do this kind of test. However, make sure your drains are clean first. You do not want to pay for a test, for the hair down the drain. Tests can cost in the are of $250 for the first system, and around $200 for the second system. An indicator that you would need a hydrostatic test is if you have a cast iron or black plastic ABS clean-out; they will decay under the house. Cast iron was used in the 60s, and ABS was used in the 70s.

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Outside of kitchen improvements, you have bathroom remodels as the best way to improve home value. Here are the steps to check out your fixtures, and fast ways to improve the look of this area. There are similarities to the kitchen. Let us start with the plumbing.

The sink and tub should have some means for stopping the water. Set it to hold water in the basin, then when the water is draining, watch the waste pipes for signs of leaks. The tub should have an access panel, but sometimes this will be located in the room opposite of the wall where the tub fixtures are located. In cabinets under the sink and spaces under the tub, look for signs of water leaks. Sometimes this may be obvious. In one home that I was inspecting, I found a bucket and sponge under the drain pipes. More often you will see water stains on the pipes or on the cabinet base. All plumbing fixtures (tubs, toilets, and sinks) should have a caulk around their base. You will also want to check that these fixtures are secure, so try moving them. This is a common occurrence for toilets. Fixtures should be secure to prevent additional problems like leaks. Check the hot water. The handles should be marked correctly, and it may take a moment, but you should have hot water.

If the shower is in the tub, look at the walls around the tub. A waterproof covering (like tile) needs to be at least six feet high. This type of shower causes mildew and moisture problems on walls around the tub. For separate showers, check that the handles are properly marked, and that they function. Check the enclosure for signs of moisture penetration points (holes or broken tiles). There has to be a way for moist air to vent from this room. An operable window is one method. These windows should be able to open up half of its area. Another method is the bathroom exhaust vent. The motor should sound good when running, and it should pull air out of the room. I have seen these fans placed in air conditioning ducts, which makes them useless. I have also seen them reversed to blow air into the room, which is also not the point.

As in the kitchen, you should see GFCI circuits here. Look for the test button to see that it is functioning. Without a tester, try plugging in a radio. Turn it on, and then test the outlet. The standard is to have the outlets for all the bathrooms on one GFCI circuit. If the circuit trips, the reset should be in the master bedroom area, but this is not always the case. Check that the lights function. Unlike the kitchen, they do not need to be covered. The reason is not to have glass from a breaking bulb going into prepared food in the kitchen, but this poses no issue here. For all electric outlets, check for secure mounting.

Cabinets should be securely mounted. Doors and drawers should function well. Look at the base for water damage. Cabinets can undergo the same overhaul described in the kitchen section, but a popular change is to remove the cabinet to install a pedestal sink. This can become a larger job once you discover what is behind the cabinet, so be prepared. If you are installing a wall hung sink, use chrome pipes under the sink for a clean look. Some simple touches in the bathroom involve adding a new shower curtain and pole, or an arrangement of dry materials (wheat flowers, or vine stems). A nice soap dish with a fancy soap leaves a nice impression. Decorator items like this can go to the next house with you. If you place a rug in this room, I would use double stick tape to hold it in place.

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