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Status Inspection & Design ®

Real Estate Inspection Service
506-461-0549    Email

Inspection Photo Gallery

They say, "A picture is worth a thousand words" but sometimes it's also worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars. The Devil is in the details and small mistakes or deficiencies can become big issues and prove costly. Remember the Hindenburg and the Titanic.

Some conditions or construction errors are more common than others but just when you think you have seen everything, along comes an unexpected surprise.

We generally take anywhere from 100 to 250 photographs and sometimes more during an inspection so that the client has a good visual image of items discussed in the inspection report.

The Inspection Photo Gallery is a collection of photos gathered over the years that includes the good, the bad, the ugly and the interesting or unusual.

air exchangers in roofspaces are difficult to access and maintain
Air exchangers neglected in roof

back water valve cover
Backwater valve cover

bathroom fan ducts in unheated roofspaces are not allowed

Exhaust fan blowing into roof

battery smoke detector installed over junction box, i.e.where a wired smoke detector is intended
Battery smoke detector over junction box

bracing of roof trusses is typically required when roof sheathing is boards
Bracing of roof trusses

unlined brick chimney are not allowed to be used
Unlined chimney cap

poor grout filler betwwen cap and flue liner is a source of leakage
Chimney: poor seal between cap and flue

water stains on rafter in roof is evidence of chimney flashing leak
Chimney: evidence of leakage in roof

an example of workmanship of old a beautiful cast iron fireplace grill
Bronzed cast iron fireplace grate

gas furnace condensate drain tube trap poor: has no clean-out and no vent
Condensate drain trap: poor

fireplace damper housing badly warped
Fireplace damper warp stuffed with insulation

deck header at wall has the required flashing and lag-bolts
Deck header flashed and lag-bolted

Bracing secured to underside of deck joists
Deck beam and joist bracing

Security of patio door enhanced with a swing-down security bar
Patio door security bar

a dryer duct joint that needs to be taped /sealed tightly
Dryer duct: poor splicing

a dryer exhaust vent on a roof is not likely to be accessed / maintained
Dryer vent neglected on roof top

all ducts in roof-spaces need to be totally insulated
Ducts: insulated and uninsulated

air flow from eave soffits is critical and should not be blocked with insulation
Eave soffit air flow blocked

installing an aluminum eavetrough dam at roof valley bottoms helps prevent over-flowing
Eavetrough valley bottom dam

an electrical panel without a dead-front is a major safety concern
Electrical panel: deadfront removed

unprofessional wire installation
Electrical panel: added light gauge wires

a horizontal foundation wall crack may indicate that the footing has lifted
Foundation wall: movement-related crack

flashing at roof to wall juncture not 100 % sealed
Roof wall flashing: mastic poor

the furnace cabinet insulation is being sucked into the blower
Furnace: cabinet insulation

roof gable louvre (vent) too small and too low
Roof gable louvre: poor size and location

gable louvres of perforated vinyl soffit do not provide much free area, i.e they do not ventilate well
Roof gable louvre: poor ventilation

gable louvre of perforated vinyl soffit
Roof gable louvre of perforated vinyl soffit

outdoor heat pump units need to be cleaned / cleared of leaves etc. at least once annually
Heat pump: pan clogged with leaves

HRV (heat recovery ventilator) air filter so dirty that it has been sucked up against the exchanger core
HRV (heat recovery ventilator): extremely dirty

A properly-installed HRV condensate drain trap
HRV condensate drain trap well installed

the HRV exterior fresh air intake hood / louvre mesh is prone to clog and needs to be kept clearotherwise the HRV performance will be greatly affected
HRV exterior fresh air intake clogged

floor joist cut completely in two is a structural problem that can cause floor deflection
Framing: joist cut completely in two

knob and tube wiring is ungrounded and should be upgraded if active
Electrical: knob and tube wiring

one of the main problems with knob n tube wiring is unprofessional splicing
Knob and tube wiring: unsafe splicing

knob n tube wiring in roof-space
Knob and tube wires in roof-space

a lateral waste pipe from house to septic tank should be buried, i.e. not atop ground
Septic tank lateral pipe likely to freeze

a gap below an exterior door threshold can easily be a mice entry point r
Mice: entry potential below exterior door

snow and ice should be kept clear of outdoor mini-split heat pump units
Mini-split heat pump: snow-bound

the top intake grill of mini-split fan coil units need to be cleaned when the filters are cleaned
Mini-split heat pump top intake grill

remove overhead garage door lock if the door has an operator
Overhead garage door lock

oil tank legs are not allowed to rest on wood shims
Oil tank: leg not allowed on wood shims

pellet stoves need cleaning regularly
Pellet stove: not well maintained

clothes washer hose bibs / thumb-turn vlaves with mini-resters
Clothes washer valves with mini-resters

cheater vent poorly installed
Plumbing: improperly installed cheater vent

galvanic reaction between copper water pipe and steel duct can result in leakage / water damage
Plumbing: Corrosion copper pipe at steel duct

ABS waste pipe disconnected below a mobile home
Plumbing: ABS pipe apart below mini-home

all pressure tanks require a pressure relief valve
Plumbing: pressure tank

shingle-over PVC ridge-vent with wind-driven rain guard on a gable roof peak
Roof ventilation: PVC shingle-over ridge-vent

ridge-vent shingles nailed so tightly there is no airflow
Ridge-vent: shingles nailed too tight

range clearance to combustible shelf poor, i.e less than 30 inches
Range: clearance to combustible wood poor

extensive mold and fungus in roof due to extremely poor roof ventilation
Roof ventilation: poor (causing extreme mold)

wood shaving roof insulation is poor thermally and a fuel for any fire
Roof insulation: cellulose over wood shavings

sewage lift-pump with disconnected discharge pipe
Sewage lift-pump: not in use

sewage lift-pump poorly installed at urinal
Sewage lift-pump: poorly installed

sump pit made of drilled plastic container set in earth floor
Sump pit: drilled plastic container

KITEC potable plastic water piping (subject of recall and class action lawsuits)
KITEC (IPEX XPA) potable water piping

KITEC label identifier of potable plastic water pipe
KITEC label



Photos are Copy-right of Status Inspection & Design but are intended for public use and are free to use or copy for private / non-commercial purposes. If you do use any of the photos, please give credit where credit due, i.e. link back to this website.

Photos taken during each inspection are burned to a CD, DVD or flash drive (as requested) and are included in the inspection report.

NOTE   While the photos were originally taken (and burned to the inspection DVD, CD or flash-drive) in 7 megapixels picture size, they were reduced and stored in our archive at 33 % of original size and have been further reduced for use on the web.


furnace air filter has poor clearance to water pressure tank
Air filter (of furnace) with poor clearance

typical cutaway details of backwater (the valve that prevents sewage backup into home)
Backwater valve section

little brown bats huddled (in a century-old house roof) for warmth
Little brown bats in a huddle for warmth

little brown bats
Little brown bats

little brown bats
Little brown bats

bat feces on roof insulation
Bat feces on roof insulation

foundation crack causing brick wall to crack
Structural foundation crack affecting load-bearing brick wall

chimney lead counter-flashings need caulking to the mortar joints
Chimney lead conter-flashings need caulking to mortar joints

chimney lead counterflashings should not be bonded to roofing
Chimney lead conter-flashings should not be bonded to roofing

a good gas furnace condensate trap with clean-outs
Clear acrylic condensate drain trap with clean-out caps

condensation in poorly ventilated crawlspace
Crawlspace: poorly ventilated

deck support precariously cribbed / stacked
Deck support: questionable

deck header at wall has good flashing and lagbolts
Deck header: well flashed and lag bolted to wall

dead-bolt should not be paired with lockset, i.e the lockset should be changed to a passage-set
Door:dead-bolt should have passage-set not lockset

terra cotta draintile badly clogged with tree roots at sump pit
Drain-tile: clogged with roots at sump pit

builder did not install the exterior dryer vent so the duct dumped moisture and heat behind the vinyl siding
Dryer vent: not installed / dryer venting behind siding
ducts in roof-space are required to be fully insulated to avoid condensation build-up in duct
Ducts in unheated spaces are required to be insulated.


lots of daylight typical of good airflow at eave soffit
Eave soffit air flow: good (daylight showing)

eavetrough should be installed on flat / non-stepped roof eave fascia
Eavetrough: tilted due to stepped profile of eave fascia

bathroom basin chromed trap badly corroded
Plumbing: basin chromed trap badly corroded

cheater / atmospheric vent
Plumbing: cheater vent

frost plug at top of plumbing stack-vent above roof (likely the result of excessive amount of uninsulated branch vents in roof)
Plumbing: stack vent frost-plugged

a pressure tank missing required pressure-relief valve
Plumbing: pressure tank lacks required pressure-relief valve

good unobstructed air-flow opening cut in roof sheathing beneath a PVC ridge-vent
Ridge-vent: good air flow opening in sheathing

snow and ice smothering the air-flow of a ridge-vent
Ridge-vents: snow and ice greatly restrict air flow

a very poor DIY microwave installation
Range: microwave installation unprofessional

range hood grease filters and blowers need cleaning regularly
Range:range hoods need cleaning / degreasing

roof-space access covers need tight-fitting gaskets
Roofspace access hatch: lacks gasket / seal

a well-insulated prefab polystyrene roof-space access cover
Roof-space access cover: good prefab polystyrene

sewage lift pump backing up due to pump failure, discharge blockage, etc
Sewage lift-pump: drain overflowing due to pump failure

an in-line backwater valve of a sump pump ABS discharge pipe
Sump pump: discharge pipe has backwater valve

a sump pump with battery back-up
Sump pit: submersible pump with battery back-up

electrical panel with evidence of water leakage
Electrical panel: leakage

extremely tidy electrical installations
Electrical panel: wiring very neatly done

a 240V range receptacle with no junction box
Electrical: range receptacle missing junction box (dangerous)

excessive joist overhang atop bearing wall can result in floor squeaks
Floor joists: excessive overhang causes floor squeaks

a poorly insulated and ducted furnace
Furnace: poorly ducted and poorly insulated

oil furnace cold air plenum open above thimble
Furnace: cold air plenum open above thimble

roof gable louvre largely blocked with houserap air barrier
Gable louvre: PVC-type, largely blocked

gas furnace ABS vent and combustion air piping
Gas furnace: use of ABS pipes not to current code

corrosion at bottom of heat pump condensing unit coil
Heat pump outoor condensing unit coil fin corrosion

HRV air filter so dirty that blower suction has torn it apart
HRV: air filter so dirty it tore

improper installation of HRV condensate trap (one side of yoke not served by the trap)
HRV concensate tubing trap poorly installed

HRV kitchen stale air grill filters need cleaning regularly
HRV kitchen stale air grill grease filter needs cleaning

a well-installed HRV fresh air to rooms ambient air connection
HRV: a proper ambient air connection to extended plenum

chicken wire support of joist space insulation is highly susceptible to rodent entry and disturbance
Joist-space insulation not protected from rodents

knob and tube wiring is ungrounded and insurers typically require it to be removed or upgraded
Knob and tube wiring with porcelain isolators

exterior gaps between door frames and foundation walls are possible mice entry points
Mice entry point at exterior door jamb

black mold on bathroom ceilings are typically due to poor mechanical ventilation
Black mold on ceiling above tub

mildew on siding can indicate an unbalanced mechanical ventilation system
Mildew on siding

mini-split heat pump badly iced up
Ductless mini-split heat pump iced-up

overhead garage door operator infrared light beam units should be 6 inches above the garage floor
Overhead door operator infrared light beam unit

steel oil tank bottom corrosion should be closely monitored (steel tanks should be replaced if 15 years or older)
Oil tank: steel, bottom corrosion

pellet stove burn pots need cleaning frequently (NOTE Pellet stoves do NOT operate without electricity
Pellet stove burn pot needs cleaning

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