40 Times Boston Home Inspectors Found Such Surprising Things During Their Work, They Had To Document It (New Pics)
When homeowners try to save money and trust their know-it-all uncle to fix the cracked floors, they're just inviting trouble. Fortunately, structural inspectors are the ones who notice all the little details when they enter other people's houses. From stairs without handrails to faulty foundations and skeletons in the basement, they find every secret that sellers try so hard to hide.
Take it from this Boston area home inspector who created his own Instagram account just to show you some of the funniest and unbelievable things he's come across during check-ups over the past 25 years.
Bored Panda has collected some of the best photos that will make you feel glad that's not your house. So scroll down, upvote your favorite bizarre finds and make sure to check out Part 1 of this post right here.
This post may include affiliate links.
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong Here!
I lived in a place that caught on fire...that’s probably the most frightened I’ve ever been. Oh, also that time I got lost in the snow in Yosemite. It made me afraid of the outdoors for pretty much the rest of my life.
We reached out to the creator of the account and the founder of Boston Home Inspectors, Inc., James Brock, who has seen pretty much everything in his line of work. As a business, they are proud of their reputation for thoroughness. They believe that a half-hearted inspection serves no one and put all of their focus on identifying the problems and putting them into proper perspective.
When asked about the inspiration behind the account, Brock told us that the idea was suggested by his daughter when they were out for pizza one day in 2016. "She had been on many inspections over the years to earn some spending money," he said.
"She gave the idea that I should post some of the funny things that we find during the inspections." The thought might have sounded strange at the time, but he decided to try it out. Ever since his first post, the account has grown and reached more than 16.4k followers who enjoy seeing bizarre things the inspectors find every day.
No Worries About Covid Washing Your Hands At This House!
When it comes to choosing which images to post on social media, there’s plenty of worthy material out there. The home inspector has captured more than 1500 pictures of questionable scenarios and objects left in plain sight while performing check-ups. Out of those, he has created a library of more than 200 images ready to be shared with the people of the Internet.
If you think that’s quite the number of missteps that owners do in order to improve their homes, that’s not even half of it. "There are many funny, crazy and scary things we find that just do not photograph well so we miss out on those," he said.
Masks Aren’t Saving You From This..yuck!
Mother-In-Law Door!
Brock does not want to overwhelm his followers, so he decided to post only one picture a day. The inspector told us that he did not intend for the account to become a place to lecture people on the things they shouldn’t do but rather "wanted the account to be light and funny for the viewer". It’s the place where people can go and relate to the images as homeowners and feel glad that their homes do not look like that.
The home inspector also enjoys reading the replies of his audience: "Many of the viewers have a great wit and sense of humor. I often find myself saying 'Oh, I wish I would have thought of that comment to write'."
When You Want To Share Your Experiences With Other!
I have no idea if this is the case, but a friend of mine used to live in a building with a similar set up to rinse off before using the rooftop pool. It looks like it could be kind of cold there for a year around rooftop pool but who knows.
I mean, it’s a Boston. I know they have warm summers I just don’t know if rooftop pools are a thing there.
Load More Replies...I don't see a problem here. It's clearly a repurposed shower to rinse off dirt or else before entering the spa to preventing making the spa dirty.
The electric lights draped across the top are a bit of an issue though!
Load More Replies...Shocking absolutely shocking - Looks like drainage is a bit of a problem too!
Wonder if he makes the salad in there like Kramer:))
Load More Replies...I want to know if it's overlooked by apartment buildings on the other side
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOO NOOOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
It isn't for naked showers! It is for rinsing off when you get out of the water behind it! Kinda like the beach that has showers to rinse off the sand....
Interesting decor..can't get the old shower recess out through the front door? The electrical expertise matches he common sense Maybe the outside door shower theme is intended .. buckets of water style?
Ok, some of these can possibly be explained but WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK
Using this shower would be liberating but also I've had nightmares about having to use a shower this exposed. I'm conflicted
Who Farted? Oh Wrong Gas Smell!
last time I saw that stuff on a pipe I was 65 feet down, in a ship wreck...
The industry experts are interested in the content James Brock shares, too. He mentioned that sometimes he receives emails from other home inspectors or tradesmen saying "you failed to mention this problem in the background". But the creator has a lighthearted view on such remarks and replies that "this Instagram account is not a written full-fledged report" and shares a few laughs with his colleagues.
The New Green Gutter!
No...i Said It Was The Black Wire!
Measure Once!
A new home might be one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make and sometimes you can make some costly mistakes. Especially if you don’t know where to look. Having your house professionally checked by a structural inspector might give you information about certain defects that will save you thousands of dollars.
"Okay Move Along, Move Along People, There's Nothing To See Here!" Only 46 Air Fresheners In The House!
Not What I Was Expecting?
Shower With A View!
The experts not only check the main things like structure and exterior of the house and the basement but also windows, doors, fire hazards, appliances and outlets. They find the areas that cause concern and provide the information to the client. As they state on their website, "At the end of the inspection, the inspector will review the detailed report line-by-line and discuss the findings and recommendations. You will have a better understanding of the investment you are about to make."
Close!
Snap! Crackle! & Crunch!
Riding The Waves To The Bathroom...
The concern is, how did the floor flood because if it happened once, assuming the problem wasn't disclosed, it'll happen again.
Just remember that your home requires regular maintenance and yearly inspection. So if you wish that pictures of your house do not end up on the Boston Home Inspectors Instagram account, make sure to check the things lurking behind the walls, under decks and in the ceiling. And if you need help, don’t hesitate to contact a professional tradesman who can give you a list of the things you should focus on.
Interesting!
Got A Light?
Remember To Clean Your Shower Drain
Shortcut!
Just A Tad More!
When One Is Not Enough!
Just Hanging Around!
…and It’s Not Even Raining!
We’ll At Least It’s Not A Plumbers Crack!
Who Hide The Heinz?
Now This Is A Skinny House!
Just Cut The Deck Posts To Make Your Patio Bigger!
So Close!
Timber!
What amazes me the most is that the beam was cut at an angle on purpose
Nothing Says Happy Mother’s Day Better Than A Whirlpool Bath!
Gilligan’s Deck!
Good Thing They Have Backup!
Kitchen Sink With A Little Lip!
Painting Over The Termites Makes Them Go Away...
But The City Permits Were Signed Off…
Nap Time!
Live And Still Working Perfectly Fine!
They are actually surprisingly safe. Well, as in they are not the fire hazard you'd expect them to be.
Just Why?
Almost!
You Need A Home Inspection So Your First Load Isn’t All Over The Place!
Our laundry room in the basement has the outlets (electrical) at least four feet off the floor!
Note: this post originally had 120 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
As an european, I really cant understand the concept of "american house" made of cardboard & some kind of wood.
Watch videos of the aftermath of hurricanes and tornadoes. No matter what you make the house out of, its going down. If it was brick it's a lot harder to cleanup and rebuild.
Load More Replies...I see poorly designed houses, poorly maintained houses, and a temperature scale no one else in the world understands/ cares about. Not the funny post I was hoping for alas
"Boston" is in the title of the post, that probably gives away which temperature scale is going to be used. Many Americans free the same way about the other temperature scale.
Load More Replies...I say it more "holy crap this needs to be done in three days"
Load More Replies...As an european, I really cant understand the concept of "american house" made of cardboard & some kind of wood.
Watch videos of the aftermath of hurricanes and tornadoes. No matter what you make the house out of, its going down. If it was brick it's a lot harder to cleanup and rebuild.
Load More Replies...I see poorly designed houses, poorly maintained houses, and a temperature scale no one else in the world understands/ cares about. Not the funny post I was hoping for alas
"Boston" is in the title of the post, that probably gives away which temperature scale is going to be used. Many Americans free the same way about the other temperature scale.
Load More Replies...I say it more "holy crap this needs to be done in three days"
Load More Replies...