40 Times Boston Home Inspectors Discovered Such Interesting Things, They Just Had To Take A Photo
Just like Alpha Alpha Structural, Inc. (previously here, here, and here), Boston Home Inspectors also rain on people's parades. Well, kinda. In a nice way.
"We are hired by the buyer of a property to inspect the exterior of the house, basement, and structure along with all of the home systems," James Brock of Boston Home Inspectors told Bored Panda. "We test all the outlets, appliances, windows, doors, and bathroom fixtures. We, both, look for items not installed properly or that may be deteriorated, defective, or have an item of concern. For example, a leak or unsafe conditions."
Besides looking for problems or issues, the company educates the buyer about the investment that they will be making. "We teach them how the various components in their new home work and what to expect for life expectancy and what to plan for future maintenance."
During the past 24 years, Boston Home Inspectors have seen quite a bit in their job. From crazy DIY solutions to years of neglect, they share pictures of their most interesting finds on social media. Here are some of the most popular ones.
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Found The Cool House In The Neighborhood!
When talking about common problems, Brock said their Instagram is a pretty good representation of the big picture.
"As you can see, decks seem to have the most issues. Many are not built right or inspected annually for issues. Wood and metal deteriorate and corrode. Too many times people have a deck built and never give it a second thought for 15-20 years, meanwhile, the wood is starting to rot and the metal components rust."
"Also the famous uncle who knows just a little about everything, but is master of nothing, has now built your dream deck wrong! The deck is now potentially dangerous. I understand homeowners are trying to save money, but most times these items will cost them more in the long run," Brock explained.
Well, Hello Now!
When You Need Privacy!
There are a lot of things that could make a home dangerous: it could be the hot water temperature (140F), stairs without handrails, loose toilets, uneven front steps, leaning basement stairs, non-GFI outlets next to a bathtub, window seats in a child's room, clogged fireplace flues, large icicles hanging from the gutters, uneven basement floors for tripping, fire hazards like clogged dryer vents or wiring not to code. The list is long. Apparently, there are many items in a home that can become unsafe if installed incorrectly or have started to age/deteriorate.
Another Room With A View!
It would be funny if that was the same house that had four locks in the bathroom door.
Yes, the feeling of looking down on the world while you're shitting...
Well, the street face of the house should look symmetrical from the curb, so it has "curb appeal" to future buyers. Until then, BLINDS! Dear heaven!
Ok so one of our bathrooms (which I'm assuming was converted into one during the pst 90 years) has 4!! Full size windows about 4 ish feet in length. When we bought the house our first plan was to change all the outdated windows so we just got them to make sure all the glass was frosted in that bathroom and it works fine.
I truly don't understand why there are regular windows In bathrooms. I have the frosted glass blocks in mine. A neighbor of ours directly across the street had a regular window and for some reason didn't think anyone could see them. I had to take a picture and send it to them. The next day someone was there to put a shutter on the bathroom windows.
A window in a bathroom is clutch. Let out stinky air, let out steam. lol I'm assuming there are blinds that were opened and are just outside the shot. Or you can wave to your neighbor I suppose. ha ha
I lived in a house about five years ago with this same situation. Installed some privacy film on the window. No one could see in and still let in natural light. Easy fix.
My Swedish friend remodeled her bathroom into this nice place with a heated floor, shower and the washer/dryer are in there too. BUT it has two big windows, one facing directly into her neighbors yard and her driveway. Since it's at ground level, anyone walking up to her front door (which is at the back of the house for some reason) can look directly in and see everything you're doing, not to mention the neighbors having dinner on their patio or mowing the grass. Whenever I visit, I am forced to do my showers and poops during the daytime so there's a less chance of someone looking in. I have no idea why she won't put curtains up!
My last apartment had a full length window placed next to the shower head. The window looked out over the yard of a large truck repair shop
New construction rules in some places require windows you can climb out in case of fire. With no pants.
I've seen this is so many newer builds where all the window sills are at knee-height.
I stayed in an Hotel in Barcelona with a window like this overlooking a busy shopping street.
A load of old houses had not only this but I've seen where there are windows next to the bathtub. Like what happens if you're taking a shower, slip on the soap, go through the window and out on the the back roof? Naked, wrapped in a shower curtain, full of soap and hopefully not skewered by any glass.
I had a window in my bathroom in Maine. Like that when I moved in. Small town.
i had a bathroom like that, put a frosted covering on the glass.
You don't see.much from the outside if no one turns on the lights. Its the same here. Just we got curtains lol. But that one in the pic is upstairs
Just A Cool Set Of Stairs
"I love to use the analogy with home buyers, do you take your car in for regular maintenance and yearly inspection? Your home is no different than your car," Brock said. "Your home needs the heating and air conditioning system serviced and maintained annually. Same with the roof, dryer vent, foundation, decks, water heater, fireplace, etc."
Kids, Please Grab The Oven Glove For Me
Mother-In-Law Door
Interesting
If you want to prolong your home's lifespan, Brock advises having a professional tradesman, who you can build a long-term relationship with. "[Your home] is your investment and it needs to be protected (inspected, serviced, and maintained). There are several dozen homeowners who have Boston Home Inspectors at their home every 3 years to inspect the major items and components and give them a list of the next few things they should focus on.
For example, Brock said that in the next 3 years, some of these people will have the chimney pointed, repair some deteriorated wood and paint the weathered side of the house, fix the loose deck handrails and repair the leaning fence. "[Regular annual maintenance of the home and its items] gives the direction and what to focus on next."
Seriously?? I Know You Said It Wasn’t Finished Yet
That's impressive. It takes years of work to teach a house how to use stilts.
All Right, Put Back The Other Half Of The House
With This Design You Can Multitask. Wash Dishes While You're On The Crapper
This Was Sent To Me From Masong187!
While creating the Instagram page, Brock wanted it not to be a science book or manual, lecturing people on what they should or not should do, we get enough of that all day long, he said.
"I wanted a spot where people could go, relate to a picture as a homeowner, laugh, and say 'I'm glad that's not my house.' And at the end of the day, they can look at their own home ... and they can say 'At least my deck post is not sitting on a bolder.' Or 'At least my home doesn't look like that.'"
Almost!
Found At Work Today!
Now This Is A Basement We Can Party In!
Hmmmm
Wavy Deck! Imagine A Couple Of Cocktails
Children And Drunks Are On Their Own!
Would Love To Chat With Who Came Second!!
Sometimes You Just Need A Little Edge!
Almost!
Kinda Close....for New Construction!
Dryer Lint. The Cremated Remains Of Missing Socks
Remember When???
Timber!
Seen Something Cool At An Inspection
Day 3 Of 7! Mold Week
Stairway To Nowhere
Looks Like I’m Going To Have A ‘Fun-Gi’ Day! Ok I’ll Stick To Home Inspections And Leave The Comedy Alone
I Bet The Tree Will Win!
I Have No Idea???
Somebody Forgot To Change The Water Filter
Hope The Rock Doesn’t Move!
Who Left The Trx Out During The Home Inspection??
More Water Is Going Up Than Down!
Found The Dryer Vent!
Why Bother??
Damn I Missed The Roof Party!
Holy Duct! You Can’t Make This Stuff Up! Fire Waiting To Happen!
When You Run Out Of Shims!
Note: this post originally had 150 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
Boston, USA is an older town, with housing stock that is also old and predates modern building standards, hence the state of decay as well as ridiculousness of some of the upgrades. Honestly though, the situation is the same across Europe where the stock is old/ survived the wars.
There are still building codes and laws in Europe, you know. I lived 30 years in a flat in the attic of a house from the 1880's. Everything was up to code and safer than the s**t in these photos.
Load More Replies...
Rough calculation, your 11.50pm is my 9.50pm Lol, it's perfect for evening scrolling!
Load More Replies... "not sitting on a bolder" - I lived on the side of a mountain in an area that had experienced glacial activity eons before. The house across the street had one back corner that sat on a boulder that took up the entire back of the yard (what yard?) And then disappeared into the side of a hill behind the home. Ice vs rock? Ice wins every time. Geology 101 The mountain also had a fault line that ran across the top of it and unfortunately the only road going over the mountain ran right over it. In the winter the road actually raised up about 2 inches on one side of the fault. It was very disconcerting to drive over it going to work. Come Springtime, it leveled out. But hey, on a clear cloudless pollution free day, you could see Manhattan 35 miles away and the twin towers slowly being built. That was cool...
So much mould. I doubt this is just a Boston problem tho this is just where these inspectors work. I've seen and lived in some real shockers in my day and I'm not american. Mould is the worst though it stinks it makes u sick and it generally grows in the cold and damp. I learned quick to look at the backs of the curtains when checking out a rental
Also, give the bottoms of the walls under windows a quick push. If it has any give whatsoever, it's moisture compromised and definitely has mold (at the very least.)
Load More Replies...
I know I am late to the party, but having bought half a duplex, learned how stupid that was the hard way, then bought a condo in a larger complex (and looked at a whole slew of places each time) in Boston, absolutely none of this surprises me and in fact I have seen worse first hand (we took down an unused chimney in that first duplex just lifting bricks off with our hands). I'm not saying Boston is the worst, but it lets developers get away with keeping some amazingly bad stuff if they "don't alter the frame or foundation". Add that to most houses being over a hundred years old with some older than the USA, and there is definitely some cringe worthy building.
I did a remodel on an old mobile office once. During demo we found a rotten hunk of moldy metal that used to be a water heater completely sealed up in the corner behind the base cabinets. Literally the only way to get to it would be take out the countertop or destroy outside floors or walls.
The house I live in used to have a car jack holding up part of the ground floor. That's fixed now but my floor still has several dips. I am lucky that my roof is still good. House was cheaply built in 1927.
Since some of these defects (or incompetence) are at the very foundation, how on earth these houses pass safe occupancy inspections? Or is that not a thing in the that town?
Safety is a thing, but the cost of retrofitting or repairing is often more than the house might be worth. So people mask it as best they can and there we go. Alas.
Load More Replies... DIY is fine... But keep in mind that there is a REASON things are done a certain way (even if you don't know what the reason is).
Load More Replies... Boston, USA is an older town, with housing stock that is also old and predates modern building standards, hence the state of decay as well as ridiculousness of some of the upgrades. Honestly though, the situation is the same across Europe where the stock is old/ survived the wars.
There are still building codes and laws in Europe, you know. I lived 30 years in a flat in the attic of a house from the 1880's. Everything was up to code and safer than the s**t in these photos.
Load More Replies... Rough calculation, your 11.50pm is my 9.50pm Lol, it's perfect for evening scrolling!
Load More Replies... "not sitting on a bolder" - I lived on the side of a mountain in an area that had experienced glacial activity eons before. The house across the street had one back corner that sat on a boulder that took up the entire back of the yard (what yard?) And then disappeared into the side of a hill behind the home. Ice vs rock? Ice wins every time. Geology 101 The mountain also had a fault line that ran across the top of it and unfortunately the only road going over the mountain ran right over it. In the winter the road actually raised up about 2 inches on one side of the fault. It was very disconcerting to drive over it going to work. Come Springtime, it leveled out. But hey, on a clear cloudless pollution free day, you could see Manhattan 35 miles away and the twin towers slowly being built. That was cool...
So much mould. I doubt this is just a Boston problem tho this is just where these inspectors work. I've seen and lived in some real shockers in my day and I'm not american. Mould is the worst though it stinks it makes u sick and it generally grows in the cold and damp. I learned quick to look at the backs of the curtains when checking out a rental
Also, give the bottoms of the walls under windows a quick push. If it has any give whatsoever, it's moisture compromised and definitely has mold (at the very least.)
Load More Replies... I know I am late to the party, but having bought half a duplex, learned how stupid that was the hard way, then bought a condo in a larger complex (and looked at a whole slew of places each time) in Boston, absolutely none of this surprises me and in fact I have seen worse first hand (we took down an unused chimney in that first duplex just lifting bricks off with our hands). I'm not saying Boston is the worst, but it lets developers get away with keeping some amazingly bad stuff if they "don't alter the frame or foundation". Add that to most houses being over a hundred years old with some older than the USA, and there is definitely some cringe worthy building.
I did a remodel on an old mobile office once. During demo we found a rotten hunk of moldy metal that used to be a water heater completely sealed up in the corner behind the base cabinets. Literally the only way to get to it would be take out the countertop or destroy outside floors or walls.
The house I live in used to have a car jack holding up part of the ground floor. That's fixed now but my floor still has several dips. I am lucky that my roof is still good. House was cheaply built in 1927.
Since some of these defects (or incompetence) are at the very foundation, how on earth these houses pass safe occupancy inspections? Or is that not a thing in the that town?
Safety is a thing, but the cost of retrofitting or repairing is often more than the house might be worth. So people mask it as best they can and there we go. Alas.
Load More Replies... DIY is fine... But keep in mind that there is a REASON things are done a certain way (even if you don't know what the reason is).
Load More Replies...