Reuben Saltzman

Top 20 Home Inspection Photos from 2013

It’s the most wonderful time of the year; it’s the time when we release our list of the top 20 home inspection photos that were featured on our Facebook page.

Soffit Bone – This was a flipped house in Minneapolis that had a bone sticking out of the soffit right above the front door.  Why?  How?  No idea.

Soffit Bone

Brass Has No Class – earlier this year, we spotted the exact same brass chandeliers in two different houses, on opposite sides of town, on the same day.  One was in a laundry room, another in an attic.

Brass Has No Class

The title for the above photo was inspired by a recent blog post by MS Home Inspector Gary Smith: Brass Has No Class.

You Need Gutters – this might be the most pronounced drip line we’ve ever seen.

Drip Line

Glowing Bonding Screw – we never found out what was causing that bonding screw to glow, but we felt pretty comfortable recommending someone get an electrician out to fix it right away.

Glowing bonding screw

“You look out for OSHA, I’ll paint the soffit.”  – One of the crazier ladder settings we’ve observed while inspecting a house.

Little Giant at Eave

Rorschach Mold – please look at the wall and tell us what you see.

Rorschach mold

The Gauntlet – the mouse died of a heart attack.

Mouse trap gauntlet

Overflowing Standpipe – When Milind filled the kitchen sink with water and then let it drain, water backed up out of the standpipe in the basement.  Nice action shot, huh?

Overflowing Standpipe

Minnesota Nice – you’d think we staged this photo, but we didn’t.  The owner of this Minneapolis home left some appliance manuals on the kitchen table, a three page letter listing the deficiencies they were aware of, a garage door opener remote, a flashlight, and two boxes of girl scout cookies.

Perfect Inspection

Sump Pump to Sanitary Sewer – we blogged about this topic earlier this year: http://www.structuretech1.com/2013/07/sump-pump-shouldnt-discharge-into-the-sanitary-sewer/ .  This photo shows one of the craziest ways to get it wrong.

Sump Pump to sanitary sewer

Time-Out Chairs Are All About Placement – want to make your kids behave?  Consider a more strategic location for the time-out chair.

Time out chair

Some of my favorite photos are the ones that need no explanation.  The rest of these photos are pretty self explanatory.

Dropped Ceilings Were Invented To Hide Electrical Hazards

Dropped Ceiling Electrical Hazard

Hot Shower

Shower Light

Jamie Hyneman Toilet

Jamie Hyneman Toilet

Corner Toilets Are Expensive

Corner toilets are expensive

Door Stop / Smoke Alarm Combo

Door Stop / Smoke Alarm Combo

Downspout Aimed at Outlet

Downspout aimed at outlet

Laundry Chute in Shower

Laundry Chute in Shower

That Rug Better Come With The House

Not hardwood floor

Some Things Can’t Be Explained

Open return next to furnace

Put The Milk In Back

Cantilevered fridge

Load Bearing Soup Can

Tomato Soup Support

OK, that was 22 photos.  We like to under-promise and over-deliver.

Just to show we’re good sports about this stuff, the last photo didn’t come from a home inspection; that’s my house. Yes, it still looks like that today.  If anyone has a better idea, please share.

If you like these photos, please check out our Facebook Page where we have a non-stop stream of them.  Happy New Year!

RELATED POSTS:

Top 20 Home Inspection Photos from 2011

Top 20 Home Inspection Photos from 2012

Author: Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections

          

7 responses to “Top 20 Home Inspection Photos from 2013”

  1. Gary Smith
    December 31, 2013, 7:13 am

    Is that a candle in the shower with the laundry shoot? 🙂 Do they know something about fire and water that I don’t?

  2. don
    December 31, 2013, 7:33 am

    Love these…thanks…have a blessed (and safe) 2014

  3. lorraine smith
    December 31, 2013, 10:14 am

    as always…you are on top of this all! I so enjoy reading your comments and photos. It actually helps me when I show property to a buyer (or pursuing a listing from a seller) to sort of know what DOESN’T look right! thank you… great year!

    Lorraine Smith

  4. Allen Harper
    January 3, 2014, 11:50 pm

    Yeah.. they are really the top 20s!! I just had a home electrical inspection at my home 2 weeks back. And I came to know I really needed it (inspection)! I could have shared it to add it in your blog as the 21st photo!

  5. Dave Matheson
    January 6, 2014, 1:57 am

    The bone sticking out irked me!! That’s funny and disturbing.LOL and is that a floating fridge I see?? Hahaha

  6. Reuben Saltzman
    January 6, 2014, 4:46 am

    @Dave – probably more of a ‘cantilevered’ fridge 😉

  7. Dennis Zwirchitz
    January 29, 2014, 9:00 pm

    Thank you for sharing the Top 20 photos and commentary! Made Me Laugh!

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