David Home Inspection

Expert Home Inspector Explains Invisible Tree Dangers!

Trees And Your Home:

First keep them small...
I recently did a home inspection in Newport Beach Ca. This was a high profile home with 5 bedrooms and 4 1/2 baths. The home was well kept and clean throughout. When I pulled in front of the home I was able to see a beautiful pine tree to the rear of the home. Upon further inspection it was evident that this tree was causing major damage to the homes roof system. The home had two layers of roofing. The first layer was a heavy wood shake roof with a 30 pound felt under-lament and 1x6 skip sheeting. On top of that was two layers of 15 pound felt and a 30 year composition shingle. When walking the roof it was very spongy in the location of the tree. There was visible sagging as well. Pine needles from the past 10 years lay piled up along it's valley. This caused water to back up under the shingles and soak the wood shingles below. The water could not evaporate as it should. This caused a wood fungus to grow on the shingles sheeting and rafters. Although the home was well maintained both in and out, the home owner was unable to view the roof system from the ground and the tree was never trimmed back. Over all, nearly 25% of the roof and deck will need replacing on a 5,500 square foot home. Any tree planted within 10' of a home can cause major damage. Not only is the visible parts of the  roof at risk but so are the walls, foundation and under ground plumbing.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

West Covina, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California

17 Steps To A Better Home Inspection Report In California.

At David Home Inspection Service we use a state of the art electronic home inspection program that allows us to group deficiencies by city and neighborhood. After 11+ years and 5300 home inspections we are able to see trends in building defects and deficiencies. I wanted to give you the top 17 fixes to a better home inspection. Take a look around your home and make repairs as need. Remember you only get one chance at your first inspection. If you plan on listing your home for sale, this repair list the worth it's weight in gold.

1. Wood Rot damage due to deferred maintenance. (replace and paint as needed on wood trim)
2. Roof leaks caused by deferred maintenance. ( Seal roof penetrations and flashing's)
3. GFCI, AFCI missing safety devices. (Install GFCI outlets per NEC for safety)Kitchen, Bath, Garage and Outdoors
   
4. Improper breaker size for circuit. (Call an Electrician to properly size and install breaker)
5. Improper grounding of main/sub electrical panel. (Call an Electrician to properly ground panel)
6. Water leaks at sink traps kitchen & bath (Replace or repair plastic "P" trap)
7. Water leak and corrosion at angel stops Kitchen & Bath (Replace angle stops under sink)
8. Water supply line connection under sinks, toilets and washer. (recommend they be replaced with steel braided type)
9. Dishwasher damaged or missing proper air gap. (Install approved air gap)
   
10. Water heater not vent properly (Call plumber to vent water heater)
11. Water heater Supply lines corroded (Replace with steel braided supply lines)
12. Water heater temperature and pressure relief valve missing discharge pipe. ( Call plumber to install discharge pipe per local building codes)
13. Fire Place Chimney flu needs sweep.
14. Chimney cap and screen missing (Install approved chimney cap and screen)
15. Toilet not secure to the floor bowl wax leaking. (replace bowl wax secure toilet properly)
    
16. Smoke Detectors need new batteries.
17. Shower tub enclosure needs caulking. (Use approved caulking to seal around tub and shower)

We know that no home is perfect. A good home inspector is likely to find more deficiencies than what I have listed here. However if you you take care of the small things your report will be much more appealing to potential home buyers.

David Home Inspection Services

626-629-8499

We Proudly Serve The Areas Of

West Covina, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside County California