FOR

Mr. and Ms. X                                                                                                4/29/05

RESIDENCE

Cincinnati, Ohio

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GENERAL:

As in all inspections, this report is based on visual observations of the residence. The inspection was made without removing any existing covering surfaces or materials. If an area of the residence is inaccessible, it will be noted in the report. There is no warranty implied as to the value, life expectancy, fitness for particular function, usefulness, or merchantability, and therefore, FINEGAN INSPECTION SERVICES, INC. assumes no liability.

This is a maintenance review inspection report, which is designed to discuss the interior and exterior conditions of the house and building components at the above noted residence. A maintenance review is intended to highlight items that need to be repaired, modified or adjusted as part of normal home maintenance. Items that were observed for repair on this house will be broken out in a format that details the following 10 areas:

1). Roof, shingles, chimney systems, gutters and flashings.

2). Exterior walls and trim.

3). Site conditions.

4). Garage area and door systems

5). Attic areas.

6). Plumbing waste and supply lines and related piping systems.

7). General electrical conditions.

8). Framing and structure.

9). H.V.A.C. system including the air conditioning and the furnace systems.

10). Fireplace systems and related venting systems.

All observations are made as the inspector faces the front of the property for a point of mutual orientation. Right and left will be noted rather than East/West/North and South.

SPECIAL NOTE: This is a limited type of inspection. It is not intended to be as detailed as a full home inspection. The maintenance inspection is visually based. See the attached inspection agreement. Only those items that were noted to need repair, adjustment, modification or replacement at the time of the inspection will be noted in this report. Photos will be provided as needed.

OBSERVATIONS:

#1). Roof Conditions

There were a few items on the roof surface that were recommended to be modified.

a). A drip edge flashing installation on the right side roof surface of the garage, at the eave line is needed. The shingles barely cover the gutter boards at this area. The roof water may access behind the gutter board in the future if this area is not better sealed. See Photo #1 and #2.

b). At the front center gable roof and the front garage roof surface there were rounded metal vents on the roof surface. The metal that was used to create the rounded surface is starting to rust and needs to have a rust inhibiting paint applied to the surface so that there is no pitting to the metal in the future. See Photo #3

c). There is some type of toy in the rear left second story downspout on the upper roof gutter system. Have this item removed from the gutter area. See Photo #4.

d). There is a torn cap shingle on the roof ridge over the second story room that is above the garage. Seal the cracked shingle with roofing tar at this and a few other cap shingle locations.

e). At the rear chimney there was no diverter flashing at either side of the chimney EIFS system. This is the cause of the moisture access into the substrate at this location. See Photo #5.

f). There was some impact damage to some shingles on the roof surface. None of the damage is significant enough to warrant a new shingle layer installation. The longevity of the existing layer, in this inspector’s opinion, is not significantly impacted.g). Seal the box vents at the ridge of the rear roof where there were a few gaps on the side of the vents at the shingle lines. See Photo #6.

h). Modification of the rear porch roof flashing is needed at the EIFS intersection of the roof surface and the rear house wall.

#2). Exterior walls and Trim

a). All windows have a sill extension at the exterior bottom sill area. The small gaps that develop at these areas often times are the cause of moisture access at the window frame areas. Even a very small gap can be a source of moderate water infiltration into the wall cavity on these types of windows. In Photo #8 at the front dining room, there is a small gap at this location. Seal the gap with caulking and check all windows at these intersections.

b). The front stone façade was installed on top of the sidewalk to the right of the front steps. The sidewalk has moved slightly as a result and has allowed a gap to develop at the top of the short wall. Water will surely get behind the wall in the given condition. A “cap” block is recommended to be installed. The gap should be properly sealed. See Photo #9.c). Seal the steel lintels at the front stone wall to prevent rust, expansion and mortar cracking. See Photo #11.

d). There is a storage room under the rear deck. It was noted to need modification of the EIFS system. There was water leaking into the substrate at the rear wall of the storage room, near the rear pier of the deck post. See Photo #12

e). Exterior trim painting should not be needed for another 2 years.

#3). Site Conditions

a). The site conditions were mostly in good condition. Be sure to keep the mulch level and landscaping sufficiently away from the wall surfaces and the bottom of the EIFS. 4” to 6” is a good distance.b). The landscaping lighting was damaged in the front planting beds and needs to be repaired. There was frayed wires noted at the center light. See Photo # 7.

c). Tuckpoint the mortar gaps at the front steps. See Photo # 10.

#4). Garage areaa). The electrical outlet in the garage is a GFCI. There was noted a refrigerator plugged into the GFCI. It is recommended that the refrigerator be removed from the GFCI outlet and circuit and placed in a dedicated circuit. This will prevent a shut off of the power.

b). Adjust the garage door openers so that there is a better sensitivity of the downforce sensitivity on each opener. Presently the openers did not reverse on resistance.

c). Disable the overhead garage door locks on the overhead doors.

#5). Attic area

a). There was very low insulation in all attic areas. Another 6” needs to be added to the entire attic area. On the second story attic, above the rear left bedroom, there was a large gap in the insulation due to someone moving the insulation out of the ceiling area in that attic location.#6). Plumbing

a). There was a gas range in the basement that was tested for monoxide levels at the time of the inspection. The range was tested 3 times and monoxide levels were consistently above 300 ppm when the range oven was in operation. This is a very dangerous condition. Do not use this range until a professional in appliance repair can further investigate.The burner was cleaned and the flame level was lowered by a appliance person and the monoxide levels were lower on the second visit to the house on January 29, 2003. The appliance repair individual stated that 300 ppm is not dangerous. This is an incorrect statement. Any level over 30 ppm should be treated as a hazardous condition.

b). Water pressure was noted to be at 80 p.s.i. This is a moderately elevated level of water pressure and it is recommended that it be reduced to a 70 p.s.i. level.

c). Sump Pump- The sump pump was full of debris and needs the bottom of the crock cleaned out. The addition of a battery back up sump pump is recommended for installation in the sump crock.

d). Both water heaters were tested and noted to be free of elevated monoxide levels and were functioning as intended. There were no gas or water leaks discovered in either unit.

#7). Electrical Conditions

a). There were no problems noted in this electrical system.

#8). Framing/Doors & Windows

a). There needs to be a latch adjustment of the rear sliding door that is on the rear wall from the television area.

b). There were no welds at the post/beam intersections in the unfinished portion of the basement. Through bolts were recommended at these locations.

#9). H.V.A.C.

a). On the exterior of the house there was the cooling unit noted on the right side. The unit had significant volume of dirt inside the condensing coils inside the cabinet. The removal of all panels and the cleaning of all coils on the cooling system is needed.

b). The interior evaporator coils are probably dirty as well. There is no evidence that they have ever been removed from the interior plenum in the past 10 years. At this juncture the interior evaporator coils must be pulled and cleaned at the tray cleaned. There is evidence that the tray is leaking condensate water over the interior of the furnace heat exchanger and interior of the furnace compartment.

c). The furnace needs to be cleaned and the affected components repaired/cleaned/replaced as needed. The “A-Coil” needs to be cleaned.10). Fireplace Systems

a). There was no problems with the fireplace units. The basement unit was noted with a smell caused by the burning off of the paint and manufacturing oils. Open the windows and run the unit for a few hours a day for a week at the smell should stop.

b). Do install new Night Hawk smoke/monoxide detectors in all levels of this house.

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Thank You for using Finegan Inspection Services, Inc. ASHI Member #033511Please do not hesitate to call if there is anything we can assist you with in the future.

FINEGAN INSPECTION SERVICES INC.  

ASHI Certified Inspector #033511 

by Terrence P. Finegan  

Phone: 513-683-0733

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