Today I am making a “house-call.”
I want to put a bandage on the common ailment known as: “Upgrades Disease.”
There seems to be a common attitude among some inspectors (and some agents that are referring inspectors) that there is something “wrong” with recommending certain upgrades. After all, the argument goes, if it wasn’t required at the time the house was built—-we have no business calling for any changes. No healing is required—the illness is all in the inspector’s head.
But lets play doctor? Can you imagine any doctor withholding penicillin from anyone born prior to 1928? I think you get the idea.
So why would anyone have an issue with an inspector “recommending” safety upgrades to homes? When the house doesn’t have GFCI protection where “currently” required, or when they don’t have AFCI protection where “currently” required, or don’t have handrails that meet “current” requirements, or don’t have egress windows that meet “current” requirements, or garage door openers that don’t have “current” auto-reversing functions—these are just a few of the safety upgrades that could be recommended.
I routinely recommend all kinds of safety upgrades to homes—-and can’t figure out why anyone would not want me to provide this information to the buyer.
I am also aware of the old tired argument of liability, and how it somehow increases an inspector’s liability to recommend upgrades.
Supposedly, the rationale goes that if the inspector missed one single thing that they should have recommended for upgrade, they somehow have increased their liability.
By that same argument, no inspection at all would be possible in event that one single defect is omitted. It is all about expectations. And just like any part of the inspection, nothing is ever “all inclusive”—-we just do the best we can in the short period of time we are there.
I treat every inspection as a “beginning” of the process about collecting information about the home—-with the understanding that there will always be more to follow, no matter who the inspector is.
Just like our personal health care—-houses need routine check-ups.
Just playing doctor here.
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Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector
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Yes Charles, everybody has an opinion but you also have an opinion about what you do and how you do it. I think explaining to folks the right way something should be installed or just telling them things from you perspective is something that the home inspector relies on and wants to hear. They would like to know that their inspector is astute and well informed and someone who’s opionion they can rely on.
I know some of the issues that I have mentioned have to do with living space floor levels being the same height as the garage floor level. And another issue is the lack of a fire wall in the attic that separates the garage from the rest of the house. Oh yes, and the non-fire rated door connecting the garage to the living space of the house. Yes, the older house wasn’t constructed with these amenities in mind, but I think that they are well worth mentioning to people that are buying a home.
The home inspection report is stricly for the clients benefit; and yes these reports have been know to be used in real estate transactions.
Stephen, for sure—and I find most buyers expect me to give them the best information that I can. I cannot afford to try to figure out what is not important information—it is all just information that the parties can use any way they choose. I too have heard about them being used in real estate tranactions 🙂
Stephen, just as a point of clarification, I would like to note that the walls/ceilings between garages attached to homes are not “fire-rated” assemblies—they are merely a “fire-resistant” barrier and must meet “minimal requirements” as prescribed by the codes.
I always recommend all kinds of upgrades. If something is outdated, antiquated or otherwise no longer serving it’s purpose to the modern standard, I’ll even say it’s deficient or defective. Such as an old house with new roof and no ventilation added. A responsible competent inspector should make sound recommendations. Several years ago a client of mine had smoke coming out their outlet of a 1960’s house. The fire department told them that the AFCI’s that they installed saved their house. The client gave me complete credit for saving their lives because I recommended that upgrade. That trumps any liability in my book. The client deserves this and relies on this otherwise we might as well outsource home inspections to China along with everything else.
The very purpose and objective of a home inspection precludes it from being distilled or diluted down to a checklist.