Reuben Saltzman

Top 20 Home Inspection Photos from 2023

It’s the hap, happiest season of all! It’s time to share our top 20 home inspection photos from the past year. If you like this kind of thing, please check out our  Facebook and Instagram pages. We share these all year round.

Crazy wiring

Wires hanging crazy

Backward splash block If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it’s yours. And fix your splash block, it’s backward.

Backward downspout splash block

ICUP You’re looking at a barn door on a bathroom. And it’s closed.

Barn door on a bathroom ICUP

Bath fans vented to dryer terminal thingies

Bath fan terminated in a dryer terminal thingy

Those contraptions on the bath fan exhausts are lint traps for clothes dryer exhausts.
1. These are bath fan exhausts, not clothes dryer exhausts.
2. Neither bath fans nor clothes dryers should be vented into attics.
3. The ducts are not insulated; in cold climates like Minnesota, this will lead to crazy condensation in the ducts.
4. Even though these contraptions are listed devices for clothes dryers, they should never be used in Minnesota homes, period. They allow far too much moisture to get dumped into the home, and they’re prohibited by code.
The fix is to have both of the bath fan exhaust ducts replaced with insulated ducts, and have each one exhaust to a dampered terminal directly at the exterior of the home.

Huge chimney offset The wood-burning chimney was built like this. Can you believe it? Chimney inspections are important.

Huge chimney offset

Concrete bag retaining wall We didn’t know what to think about this unconventional retaining wall made from stacked concrete bags.

Concrete bag retaining wall

Don’t forget the pre-filters Electronic air filters always have pre-filters that need to be manually cleaned. These homeowners apparently didn’t know this.

Electronic air filter pre-filters

Washtub expansion tank We found this open-air expansion tank for a boiler in the attic. It has new PEX tubing, and it’s sitting on top of a cinderblock. And it’ll surely freeze in the attic.

DIY Expansion Tank

These fuses will never blow We’ve seen our share of copper tubing used in place of fuses, but this panel had FOUR of them.

Four copper tubes instead of fuses

How to save on your water bill You’re looking at a water main with the water meter removed. Of course, the photo title was a joke, but this photo seemed to get a lot of people whipped up. We received 113 “negative feedbacks” on Facebook for posting this, accusing us of telling people how to steal water. Insert facepalm emoticon.

Water meter missing

Not a return Handrail ends are supposed to be returned to the wall to help prevent stuff from catching on the handrail and causing falls. This looks like it might do the opposite.

Handrail not returned

New construction flashing fail All homes need home inspections, not just new construction. This plumbing vent didn’t have any flashing installed, which will allow water to leak into attic.

New construction flashing fail

Peace out, roof.

Peace Out Roof

Playing card shims You want help leveling the stairway? Deal me in.

Playing cards

Questionable load path We can’t say for certain there’s anything wrong here… but it’s questionable.

Questionable load path

How to not splice a joist

Spliced joist

Redacted siding

Redacted siding

Should of went to college We found this in an attic and cried. Just a little.

How about "Should've gone"? Oh wait...

Snake flashing

Snake flashing

How to bend a 2×4: put a house on top of it This photo generated a ton of discussion on our Facebook page, with lots of people questioning the dimensions of the bent piece of lumber. I insist that’s a 2×4.

TBT Bend a 2x4

That’s all for this year! Stay tuned for next week’s post, where we’ll share our favorite “Feel Good Photos” from the past year. And if you’d like to subscribe to our blog so you don’t miss any, please sign up here.