| STRUCTURAL CONDITION |
| Built in approx. 1960, the foundation slab & supporting walls are made of poured concrete and cement cinder block. They appear to be in great condition with no major signs of weakness or structural flaws. |
| FRAMING – FLOORS & ROOFS |
| The framing of the wood floor joists and roof rafters is in acceptable condition but has evidence of past termite infestation but appears to have been properly treated and is no longer an issue. If a new roof is to be added to the north & south wing, replacement of some roof rafters and sheathing will be necessary at that time. At this time, the termite damage is a non-issue. |
| ROOFING |
| The main roof has a flat portion which appears to be relatively new and a sloped portion that consists of 3 tab shingles. Although the 3 portions with the shingles is older, it is in acceptable condition. |
| ROOFING – THE WINGS |
| Both the north & south wings have 3 tab shingles that will need to be replaced in 7-10 years. The top ridge cap shingles & RIDGE VENTS NEED IMMEDIATE REPLACEMENT. |
| ROOF-ATTIC VENTILATION |
| The main portion of the roof has less than adequate ventilation consisting of a thermostatically controlled electric attic fan(INOP) & soffit vents. The thermostat operation & startup temperature need to be checked for proper operation and settings. Both attic fans are INOP in the north and south wings and need to be checked for the same. |
| As previously mentioned, the ridge venting on the north and south wings is crushed, not letting the hot moist air flow out of the attic. This must be addressed by replacing the ridge vents. |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| The condition of the electrical system is good. The majority of the electrical system has been updated. There is no obvious signs of rats or mice eating the wiring. The biggest problem with the electrical system was the layer upon layer of new wiring that had been done with the old wires abandoned in place. This makes servicing any of the circuits an enormous pain in the ass!I I spent a lot of time removing abandonded wiring (sometimes live) from the house, pump room and under the deck as well as identifying and labeling circuits for future use / work. |
| Again, overall, the electrical system is good. |
| LIGHTING INTERIOR & EXTERIOR |
| Interior- All of the interior lighting is now working except one light in the library. This will be fixed when I renovate the room for the new air handler. In the future, bulbs and exit signs should all be replaced with LED’s as practicable. |
| Exterior- All circuits have been identified and lights are up and running except for the rear parking lot lights. The housings for the rear lot lights are all broken and fill with water shorting out the units. I need some time to find LED style replacement units that fit the purpose. All bulbs are LED’s and use only 3-8 watts and have a life span of 25,000 hrs. The only exception to this are the large area light that require sodium bulbs in them. |
| I am requesting funds for 6 new lights for the rear parking area. |
| PLUMBING |
| The plumbing in the house has been upgraded over the years, it is a majority copper tube (great) with a mix of some galvanized (not so good) and some pvc. plumbing |
| The waste lines in the house are cast iron with some PVC upgrades. They are in good repair. |
| Plumbing items that need attention: The main water line needs to be replaced (reroute in a more direct way), get rid of the old galvanized pipe, reroute the hot water heater pipes at the same time removing the galvanized pipe, replace the hot water heater considering newer types of systems. |
| The main water line from the driveway into the building needs to be replaced (BUT) consideration must be given to its routing and where it enters the building. The second consideration must be getting rid of the remaining old galvanized pipe. Galvanized pipe closes down overtime and breaks down from minerals in the water causing leaks without notice and or “flaking” that clogs faucets and fixtures. |
| Hot water heater is a commercial Rheem commercial unit model G-65-360A and is located in the laundry room. This is a 65 gallon natural gas unit that is 20 years old. The average lifespan of this unit is 7-8 years, so it has effectively lasted 3 times its expected life. The unit is showing tell-tale signs of failure- burn marks that turn to rust on the outside of the case. |
| The problem with this unit is not only its age but its placement in the laundry room, leaving a very long distance for the hot water to travel to get into the house and wings, losing heat along the way. We might be better off with two on demand units or a pipe rerouting to get the hot water into the house more effectively. This is recent technology that was not available in the past. The cost of the current hot water heater (*no labor) is approx. $8200. When it was brand new, the current water heater had an efficiency rating of 80% now it is probably down around 60%. The new hot water heaters have an efficiency of 97%! |
| MASONRY |
| I will be doing some masonry to frame out a proper doorway for the pump room and the laundry room. |
| EXTERIOR STUCCO, PAINT & ANTI RODENT MODIFICATIONS |
| The rat problem was caused by a contractor in the 80’s or early 90’s that had modified the house by building 3 chases up the side of the house to hide refrigerant lines and conduit. The chases went from the ground level all the way to the three different attics enabling the rats to enter at ground level and have a super highway into the house. I have removed 2 chases and modified a third. Another thing causing the rat problem was that the HVAC companies would put aluminum gutters over the refrigerant lines without properly sealing the top or bottom, again creating a direct pathway into the house for the rats. It is important that any future HVAC work be done properly to make sure we never have a rat problem again. |
| WINDOWS |
| The windows are aluminum frames with clear glass. Some of the windows are in need of new tilt hinges and latches (checking availability). I believe that it would be beneficial to change the clear glass panes at least on the rear of the house to “low E” panes to reflect out the the “A-rays” to lessen the heat gain in the house. Whether we replace the complete window or just the panes will depend on the availability of latches and hinges for the existing units. Panes are about $95 each. |
| HVAC SYSTEM (heating,ventilation & air conditioning) |
| Upon arriving at the house, it was evident that something was wrong with the whole HVAC system. The house had 4 condensors /compressors (outside units) and 4 air handlers (the inside units that blow the cold air and house the filter). There was no airflow coming from the ducts- a definite flow problem. All 4 filters were completely plugged! This is bad because it causes ice blocks and equipment failure. |
| The unit for the first floor is a a carrier 2.5 ton straight A/C with electric heating strips installed in 2012 & is a 410a refrige system. (great). |
| The unit for the second floor is a 14 yr old American standard 3 ton heatpump that uses R-22 refrigerant. The refrigerant has leaked out and the unit needs immediate replacement. |
| The unit for the north wing is a 2009 Payne (carrier corp) straight A/C unit with electric heat strips. It has R-22 refrigerant. (good condition – wrong refrigerant). |
| The unit for the southwing is a 2010 Payne (carrier corp) and is a straight A/C with electric heat strips and is a 410A unit. (great). |
| The second floor unit could have been damaged by constant freezing which breaks the coils. It is not worth repairing because of its age, the cost of repair and the fact that R-22 is being phased out. The way the unit was installed in the closet also has caused a mold and mildew problem that must be rectified. A proper room with conditioned air needs to be built for the new unit. This needs to be done immediately. |
| ASBESTOS SURVEY & ABATEMENT (REMOVAL) |
| During my inspection, it was noted that there is asbestos pipe wrapping in the north and south wing attics. Whether the house is renovated or sold, it will be necessary at some point to identify the asbestos and deal with it. The process begins with an asbestos survey by a licensed professional who takes samples throughout the house and reports his findings in 3 days time. Once we have the survey in hand identifying the materials containing asbestos, we can call in asbestos abatement contractors to give bids for its removal. |
| Having the inspector perform the survey DOES NOT obligate us to remove the asbestos, it only lets us know where it is and helps us make a decision as to how to deal with it. |
| The survey will cost approximately $2000. |
| THE POOL |
| It is an old inground cement pool that has direct suction line skimmers (as opposed to the trap door style). The pool has been modified over the years to accept the suction line and return lines. |
| This type of suction skimmer system is more susceptible to leakage at the skimmer themselves and underground lines.The pool company seems to think it’s leaking at the skimmers but I am not sure that they are correct. According to a couple of undergraduate brothers, they tell me that the skimmer line in the pump room pulls a lot of sand when they are turned on, this in my opinion tells me that one or more of the pipes might be broken underground. |
| The health/pool inspector has closed the pool until the leak is fixed and the chemicals are stable in the pool. As nice as they are on the phone, Blue Ribbon pools has continuously broken appointments this week. |
| BEDROOM & BATHROOM CONDITIONS |
| Overall very good. Bedroom one has a broken exterior door jam. |
| OIL TANK |
| The old oil tank under the north deck must be removed at some point. |
| FENCING and GATES |
| It might behoove us to consider a wrought iron gate at the front side of the pass-through from the front yard to the rear deck. |
| I am looking into replacing the gate in the rear fence with one that locks and has a punch pad code for entry. This would take a lot of stress off of the front parking area. |
| PROJECTS THAT NEED ATTENTION SOON |
| Asbestos survey & estimates |
| Build new room for air handler, install new A/C on the second floor and install new aluminum capping on A/C line and soffits in rear of house. |
| Ridge vent on wings |
| Repair pool skimmer lines |
| Replace fence gate at rear with punch code lock. |
| Masonry & install doors on laundry & pump room. |
| Replace Rear windows – Low E |
| New water main |
| New door jam in room #1 |
| Straighten flag pole |
| Photocell on backyard lights |
| Replace rear parking area light |
| Wash house and paint |
| OTHER NOTES |
| No more walking on the roof, it damages it especially in the hot weather. |
| Filters in the A/C units must be changed regularly. |
| No more sigma chi letters or crosses out front, it looks gaudy. |
| No more labeling parking spaces it looks sophomoric. |
| Garbage cans are allowed in the kitchen again. |
| LARGE PROJECTS IN THE DISTANT FUTURE |
| Remove asbestos |
| Hot water heater and replumb galvanized lines |
| Remove oil tank |
| Redo pool |
| New cement deck around pool |
| New wood deck and stair to second floor |
| Roofing on wings |
| ESTIMATES FOR NEW AIR CONDITIONING |
| We received 3 estimates for the new second floor air handler and condensor. The estimates were from. The three were asked to replace the 3 ton heat pump with a new carrier unit, install new refrigerant lines, move the new airhandler to a different room and prvide all the aluminum capping for the exterior refrigerant lines. |
| Jeff’s Mid Florida $6560 |
| D.G.Meyer $6626 |
| Total Comfort $8275 |
| These estimates are pre-tax and considered approximate. |
| I will be accepting more bids this week. |
| To modify the room for the new air handler, I need a budget of $2500 |
| The cost of materials (no labor) to date is $3443.06 |
| SOME OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE |
| Replaced ceiling tiles in kitchen & chapter room |
| New lights in kitchen |
| Replaced fire pull in kitchen |
| New light switch in kitchen |
| Removed waste disposal and installed 2 new strainer baskets in sink |
| Fixed front door closer |
| Replaced all HVAC filters |
| Wrote down all HVAC equipment serial and model numbers |
| Diagnosed second floor unit failure |
| Cleaned attic of 40 years of shit. |
| Cleaned library, Exec room, pump room & laundry |
| Room 22 – new shower valve and light switch |
| Removed Rat chases from the side of house and restucco’d |
| Removed a lot of wiring under deck, pump room, attics & D.J. deck |
| Traced circuits & labeled |
| Replaced blown lights w/ LED’s |
| Fixed pool lights |
| Fixed a lot of holes knocked in concrete in and out of the house. |
| Repaired fire wall in attic-so rats can’t get through |
| Pool-pump is fixed (Roger) |
| Found and fixed leaking PVC line |
| Traced down plumbing lines |
| Quick repair to DJ deck |
| Installed mirror in Exec bathroom and installed LED lights in Exec. Room |
| SIGMA CHI- ETA IOTA |
| House Inspection Report |
| Prepared by |
| Thomas McSwiggan |
| tgmcswiggan@hotmail.com |
| 203-788-1669 |
