A. Holecek Home Inspections

04/24/2022

04/05/2022

In today's housing market, the chances of looking at a home and spending a few days to think about weather to put an offer in are over. Looking at a property today and finding out tomorrow it already has an accepted offer is quite common and homeowners are looking for ways to speed up the process. One way is to avoid the standard Home Inspection that typically takes 2-3 hours and waiting for the report a for a few days is time many don't want to wait on. So many buyers are choosing to do a Walk Through Inspections. Commonly called a walk and talks. While this may seem attractive to many home buyers, they certainly aren't doing themselves any favors by going this route. A typical home inspection takes on the average 2-3 hours. Every area, system and component gets inspected along with pictures and a full report on all the findings. It becomes a great tool to bargain with when negotiating with the sellers. It allows the buyer to become very familiar with the home they no nothing about. A walk through inspection is just what it sounds like. It's usually performed along side the buyer and issues are pointed out as the two walk through the home. This type of inspection usually takes about an hour and because your constantly being asked questions and being distracted many things will get over looked. Typically the attic, crawl spaces and roof are not included so any issues with those areas go unnoticed. And because there is no report, many things discussed get forgotten or become a he said she said. Many Home Inspectors won't do them, myself included. Because there's no standards of practice involved in a walk through inspection our insurance won't cover any problems that may happen while performing this type of inspection. There's no bargaining tool when negotiating with a seller and there no test on the Radon levels or any inspection on the septic system or water quality. So is a walk through inspection the right way to go? Ask yourself that again after spending $200k on a home and finding out it needs the roof replaced costing over 10k because of the leak that would have been noticed if walking through the attic on a standard inspection.

01/10/2022

I was recently asked to look over a remodeling job that was being done by a contractor the homeowners grew To be leary of. This is what I found.

The first photos are of plumbing vents that terminated above an exterior wall and in the attic. The vents should have extended through the roof.
The next photos are the headroom height above a staircase that leads to the basement. The stair opening was increased to accommodate the new stairs but the contractor failed to build them right leaving enough headroom. The height should have been 80". These were 70. Also when the contractor reframed the opening he should have built the new wall beneath the floor joists rather than next to it. It would have been fine but neglected to add joist hangers.
The extra photos are of water supply pipes ran behind the insulation against the concrete block wall which is exposed to the exterior. Water lines located on an exterior wall should be in front of any insulation not behind it. I see a lot of people insulate the actual pipes which is not a good idea. Keeping the water lines in front of the wall or ceiling insulation will keep the pipes at interior room temperature.
The next photo was the rear basement door reframed because of an Increase in size. The existing structural cement block lintel was removed to accommodate the new door. The existing lintel was holding up the block wall above, the first floor and the roof structure. In its place was a single 2x6.

This contractor was hired because he was available to start right away and probably was the cheapest out of who was called.
Homeowners do your homework. Ask for references and never take the cheapest contractor that can start tomorrow. He's available for a reason. I always hear the same comment. "I wish I would have waited for the other guy".

These were the worst of the issues as there were so many more.

11/14/2021

Sometimes no words can describe issues you see. I hope they have 911 on their speed dial.

11/14/2021

The thing I love about doing home inspections is seeing how some people do home repairs. This is a leaking wall pe*******on. The funnel leads to a sump pump.

10/10/2021

The things you see. This was growing in the basement wall. Wondering what it would have grown into if left alone.

10/05/2021

Junction box's with no Romex clamps installed. And this was done by a licensed electrician.

10/03/2021

On Oct 3, 2021, at 1:43 PM, Rob Costello wrote:
We were in need of a home inspection for a residential property in the Vestal, NY area. Our realtor, Linda Kent, recommended Andy and we were impressed by his professionalism and level of expertise. Andy returned our calls promptly and was a pleasure to talk to and work with. He was patient, thorough, and provided useful guidance and recommendations to address our areas of concern.

If you are in need of a home inspection or other services related to a home purchase or sale, we highly recommend A. Holecek Home Inspections. Andy is trustworthy, dependable, and easy to work with!

09/20/2021

Today I did an inspection on a house that the water was turned off. I was asked if I could turn the water on. The answer is always absolutely not for a couple reasons. The water was turned off for a reason unknown to me. The existing water shut off was corroded and turning it on was sure to lead to a leak. So the listing agent was called and the water was eventually turned on only for the valve to start leaking. So my Sunday afternoon could have turned into an issue with dealing with a water leak. So this is why we don't turn on anything that's been shut off.

07/14/2021

One of the most important test a homeowner can have done is a Radon test. How many people do you know that have or had lung cancer and never smoked? Makes you wonder. Aside from smoking. Radon is the second leading cause for lung cancer.

At A. Holecek Home Inspections I strive to give you the most thorough and detailed inspection report available. Using high quality images, illustrations and full detailed explanations and recommendations of our findings. I offer a wide range of home inspection services that will meet the needs for y...

07/06/2021

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07/04/2021

Happy 4th. Will be enjoying the fireworks at Highland.