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If you're a doctor, I'm sure you get irritated at the stupid things people do to their bodies. If you are a mechanic, you can't understand how some people can treat a car like that! And home inspectors feel the same way; there are some problems we see so many times, it starts to get frustrating. I have to keep reminding myself that just because this is the 4,000th time I've suggested removing the insulation from the soffit vents, it's probably the first time this homeowner has heard it. So, folks, this is pet peeve month. Let's start at the top of the whine list.
Ok, prime peeve: Stand up a home inspector convention and yell out "What's the most common violation of the Electrical Code?" and a hundred voices will answer in unison, "Paint in the outlets!" Why do people do that? It makes the outlet difficult to use, can create arcing-sparking problems, cause you to bend or break the plug, and eventually, some genius will try to remove the paint from the slots with a screwdriver or nail file, without turning off the power! It takes about 5 seconds per outlet to mask them with tape when painting.
Next comes smoke alarms. Yes, I know that home inspectors and fire marshalls sound like broken records (oops, defective CD's for you younger readers!) on this, but it's because the darn things actually do save lives! When they work, that is! During home inspections, I use a can of artificial smoke to test alarms, and more than half fail the test. Most of the time, it's because the batteries have been disconnected. "Oh, the alarm goes off when I use the broiler." This is an excuse to permanently disable it? If you just can't remember to reconnect it, try moving it to a better location, or changing alarm types, or using the hood fan over the broiler to reduce the smoke in the house. And any alarm over 10 years old should be replaced. The detector has a 1 in 3 chance of not working at that age, and the pushbutton test will not reveal this failure. (That pushbutton tests the power and the horn, but not the detector itself.) Back in the o-o-o-ld days, the early smoke alarms sold for over $70, (about a week's pay for me at the time.) so the fire experts told people to put them near stair wells. I believe they assumed that nobody was ever going to own more than one, so it should be where it has a chance of detecting a fire on either level. Now the alarms sell for less than $10, sometimes they are free, and there is no reason not to have at least one on each level of the house. New homes have one in each bedroom, plus one per story in open areas. Stairwells are still good places, but be sure the alarm isn't located in an isolated corner that gets limited airflow.
Here's one for the builders and electricians, and for any do-it-yourselfer who does her own wiring: Close your eyes. Now, slowly walk through the door to that room, and reach for the light switch. Where will your hand naturally go? That's right, to the location where the switch SHOULD be. If it's not there, somebody goofed! Who puts switches behind doors? Nobody will admit to it, but somebody's doing it!
Just one more: Thorny shrubs next to walkways. I just ripped my jeans on one of these, and it left me wondering what effect it would have on a toddler's face. The barberry that assaulted me was hanging out over the walkway near a front porch. I'm sure the person who planted it 30 years ago assumed that he would always be there to keep it pruned. Well, he's not. It would have been better to plant hostas.
The monthly nag? Well, this whole issue has been in that vein, so I'll just remind you to go change or clean that furnace filter. And Think Spring!
Questions? Comments? Friends who could use this information? Suggestions for future articles? Drop me a note at matthewb@rust.net. Presented by Sherlock Homes Inspection, Ltd. copyright 2000, Matthew J. Bezanson