Home Inspection Finds That Will Make You Cringe

Renovations are stressful, especially when you have to re-do DIY projects because of mistakes. In the rooftop vent photo, the owner had expanded and remodeled their kitchen, removing an old wood stove “They opted to run the new exhaust for the range up through the existing vent cap from the wood stove and then attach it to the box vent and screw it to the old stove vent cap. Needless to say the new range vent was not secure or properly installed and so it was prone to leaks.” These are the secrets contractors wish all first-time homeowners knew.

Crawl space Jenga

“The homeowner, who was trying to stabilize the support beam under the house, tried to fit multiple shims in place,” says Fish. “It would be a better and safer alternative to remove the shims and use one of the larger 4×4 pieces of lumber trimmed to install one solid post for stability as opposed to five or six.” Check out the easy things you can do in a weekend to increase the value of your home.

Partially blocked vents and registers waste energy and money. “The home flipper laid new vinyl flooring in the bathroom, over the floor vent, which would prevent any hot or cold air from making its way into the room,”

Waterproofing cave-in

CA basement can be a welcome retreat in the hot summer months, but if you need to waterproof it first, you may want to get the pros involved. This homeowner started out with good intentions but couldn’t quite get the job done. “Fortunately, no one was hurt and RCC was able to shore up the trench and waterproof the basement of the home.

Toilet trouble

I guess when you have to go it doesn’t really matter if the toilet is slightly askew. “This DIY-er tried to do the plumbing themselves and mistakenly installed the bottom bracket crooked. Now they’re stuck with a crooked toilet!”

Duct trail

Exposed beams and vents are cool if you have a loft, but this duct DIY project didn’t quite make the Top 10 Kitchen Design Tips list. “These condo owners had decided to vent the range hood themselves. Rather than cutting the ceiling and running the duct through the ceiling, they took the easier route and ran it above the kitchen cabinets.

Seat slam

Measure twice, cut once” is a mantra every carpenter lives by, especially when doing abathroom makeover. “Dozens of factors need to be taken into account when performing a renovation project, everything from the light switch location to the door swing.

Patchwork renovations

There are a few tried-and-true design tricks for pretty curb appeal but this DIY project isn’t one of them. And frankly, curb appeal is the least of this homeowner’s problems.

Waste of a stairwell

A homeowner was renovating his house and could not find another way to run the main plumbing waste pipe, so he ran it through the basement stairs.

Wacky wiring

 “When homeowners install their own wiring.” Need we say more? Electrical repairs or upgrades should be left to the professionals—or you risk getting electrical shock and/or causing a fire.

Watch your step

It’s a pain carrying things up and down the stairs, especially when you have a zig zag staircase—but this home improvement could prove especially dangerous if you miss a step. “This homeowner removed the railings and spindles to make it easier for them to carry things upstairs,” Brock says. “They never took into account that a grandma or a child may lose balance and need something to grab. That would be a hard fall.”

Who wants to get electrocuted?

Every homeowner should know the essentials, especially when it comes to safety issues. In this DIY disaster, did the water spigot get installed first or was it the electrical box? It doesn’t matter because, as Brock says, “Water flows down and doesn’t mix well with live electricity.” T

This looks like a convenient way to store a hose. “The homeowner cut the floor joist to fit the garden hose.  The problem here is that floor joist is supposed to support the floor. Cutting the floor joist can affect the structural integrity and weaken it.