THESE ARE IMAGES FROM MY INSPECTIONS SINCE 2006
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Can you see a couple of ways that water is going to end up in the basement?
That is part of an attic fold down steps assembly, you could see it split and held together with wire, that’s a nope
See the thicker cloth covered wire? The shielding is rubber and brittle as a Saltine cracker because of its age, this wiring can be dangerous
Here we can see a double tap at the top and bottom breaker – two wires going in where you’re only supposed to have one connection
Main conductor double lug on the neutral bus? Somebody thinks they know what they’re doing but nope dangerous
Non-metallic wiring is not always approved of because there isn’t the same kind of protection as wiring inside a metal conduit
If your furnace looks like this it’s old…Probably 65% EFFICIENCY at most
You can’t use PVC for a temperature pressure relief valve pipe — nope, metal only in IL
Using tar in place of proper flashing is only pausing the problem for a little later, it’s going to fail into a leak
The only kind of Plumbing trap that’s legal is a P-trap, this is what’s called an S-trap because of the S shape – problems with venting and drainage
Most people aren’t looking in the crawl space – here’s some rusty duct work/openings that mess with the quality of the air you’re breathing
When they have to cut a rafter for some reason? But there’s no good reason
Adding another layer of shingles on top of an existing is nonsense, here we have what appears to be three or four layers
here it looks like brass between copper and galvanized steel but still there’s rusting and leaking
You should not plant trees so close to a home – the trunk and root system can cause amazing pressure on Foundation walls and cause instability
Wood shakes were in poor condition here you could see curling and warping and some were entirely missing, overall dried out
Missing the right dielectric connector for two dissimilar types of metal plumbing pipe material
Around Chicago and suburbs you’re going to find Supply water piping that is lead going to the house sometimes the whole neighborhood
This is a kind of galvanized water pipe repair clamp, I don’t put too much faith into it but it works all right
Galvanized steel piping rust from the inside out, manifests a lot at threaded connections
Leaking around a toilet flange
Some green corrosion on copper bathtub drain connection, looks like it had been leaking
You can see where the galvanized steel water piping is rusting through at the threaded connection
Signs of a leak from above – SEE CORROSION ON THE COPPER PIPE?
Things get rusty when they’re outside
Look at that rubber boot crumbling away, oh wait that’s just tar
The decking of the attic was rotten through – just drywall there from the ceiling below
DUCT TAPE TO FIX A P TRAP
RUST FROM CONDENSATION – POOR VENTING
WATER DAMAGE AT WINDOW FRAMING – CONDENSATION
HANDRAIL BEST & SAFER ON RIGHT SIDE ALL THE WAY DOWN
OLD WORNOUT DECK
RUSTY DOUBLE TAP – YUCK
ATTIC FOLD DOWN STEPS – WITH A SHIM? NO THANKS
DREADED KNOB AND TUBE WIRING ( NO GROUND CIRCUIT )
RUSTY & INCORREECT CONNECTIONS
DUCT TAPE -that’s not going to stop sewer gas, and it didn’t
WOOD ROOF SHEATHING SOFTENED BY ONGOING LEAKS
ROTTEN BAND JOIST -GRADING AND WALL ENVELOPE WEAKNESS CAUSED
ROTTEN WINDOW SILLS
NEW PORCH DECK – I GIVE IT A FEW YEARS BEFORE BOTTOM STEP ROTS
A HIDDEN LEAK DRIPPING ON WALL
Went unnoticed
ALLOWED GROWTH AND DAMAGE TO WOOD FRAMING
THE GUTTER BEING USED AS A MOUNTING POINT FOR GATE LATCH
Bath fan exhausts warm moist air into attic – typically why you see growths on roof sheathing
ONE OF THE MANY CRAWLSPACES IVE BEEN INSIDE – SOME ARE MORE GNARLY
The “discoloration” on the underside of the roof Sheathing is commonly attributed to condensation, bath fan exhaust 
Appears it was decided to break through wall to run electric -not smart , because the support beam bears its weight there…
Makeshift way to run a bath mechanical fan to a roof vent, not professional – can still have condensation issues
An example of a home with vinyl siding removed – old tar paper, multiple materials – weak spots
C – CLAMP – missing the bolts ehh , but a funny fix
DISCONNECTED GAS LINE
SURFACE MOLD ON DRYWALL
MOISTURE STAINS
OLD PICTURE OF ME ON ROOF
WORK IN PROGRESS?
SEE THE BARE SECTIONS WITHOUT INSULATION ?
DETERIORATING MASONRY ABOVE WINDOW
RUSTY JUNCTION BOX
BATH VENTING INTO ATTIC
BRICK MORTAR FAILED HARD
FLEX CONNECTORS FOR WATER HEATER
BOILERS – LEFT ONE WITH FLAME ROLLOUT !
THE VENT FLUE WASNT EVEN ON RIGHT – CARBON MONOXIDE DANGER
ROTTEN EXTERIOR WINDOW FRAME
USED TO BE A ATTIC FAN THERE ..
SCORCHING IS A SIGN THAT THE OUTLET MULTIPLIER AND CIRCUIT IS OVERWORKED
WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS?
THE EXHAUST VENT IS RIGHT BY A WINDOW! CARBON MONOXIDE DANGER
LEAK AT TOILET SUPPLY VALVE
SLATE ROOF FASTENERS FAILED
Many many double taps, not good.
Signs of moisture
Rusted through
How much longer till the rest of it breaks away??
The sharp edges can cut the hot wire – arcs n sparks –fire bad
Flex connectors are not allowed in Illinois Plumbing
Obviously a problem with the mechanical draft control and condensation
Condensation issue
Efflorescence
No chimney liner
You can’t exhaust the bathroom fan into an attic, it causes moisture to create growths
An extremely Rusty heat exchanger for boiler
This appeared to be wood destroying insect damage from long ago
Leaking water pipes
Yet another exhaust fan going to a roof event instead of its own dedicated vent completely to exterior.
Roof had a lot of moss and debris on it
Signs of efflorescence
An opening at the threaded connection , allowing sewer gas to enter the air
Look like anyone’s been up here to clean up in a while
Tar flashing used in place of actual flashing is just a problem waiting to happen
A clump of something on the stem of the valve means it was probably leaking
Very odd this is a newer drum trap because they are illegal in Illinois, most often than not you will find very old ones of cast iron
Crawl spaces can be very shallow
Yes the wires are stapled to the floor joist, yeah it’s stupid and the potential fire hazard
Me on a flat roof of a building I was inspecting, see where the rain is pooling , there’s no silver or white coating to reflect the harmful sun rays
Another double tap, the problem is that it doesn’t make good contact and it could get hot there
A broken receptacle like this should not have been left at the house about to be inspected, it’s unsafe
Mineral deposit buildup likely because there was leaking at the stem
A poor installation of vinyl siding cheap materials and also looks like there’s warping from Heat
