By Barry Stone
Dear Barry,
It is intriguing to imagine the thousands of diverse property defects home inspectors must encounter. I'm just curious, but what's the worst problem you've ever observed in a house or other property? --Paul
Dear Paul,
People often ask, "What is the most unusual or the worst house problem you've ever found?" The answer to that question depends largely upon what is meant by the term "worst." There are actually three main categories whereby such defects might be classified.
The first type of major defect involves structural deficiency. Fortunately, major problems of a structural nature are rare. One outstanding instance involved a 3,000-square-foot custom home that was built on a concrete slab without a perimeter foundation. The owners of the home were private lenders who had obtained the property through foreclosure. The last thing they expected in a deluxe modern home was the lack of a conventional foundation. What a surprise they received when the home inspection report arrived.
Second on the list would be safety problems, abundantly common and endless in variety. Of particular note was a three year old home in which the fireplace chimney was disconnected inside the attic. All the wood framing was charred from heat exposure. Had there not been a home inspection, an eventual roof fire was inevitable.
Finally, there are those rare homes with a seemingly limitless multiplicity of faulty conditions, usually resulting from poor workmanship, deferred maintenance, or both. A case to remember was the owner-built botch job where everything imaginable, from structure to wiring, from plumbing to heating, from roofing to drainage, etc., were so substandard that the house could have been recommended for tactical practice by a suicide bomber. (And good riddance to both.)
Fortunately, most homes do not fall into any of these three classifications. But such properties often appear to be functional and acceptable at first glance-just a few more good reasons to retain the services of a qualified home inspector prior to closing escrow.
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