| Pichon071910 | |
| Client(s): | Jory Pichon |
| Property address: | 62502 Judy Street Lacombe, La. 70445 |
| Inspection date: | 7/19/2010 |
Acutec is a proud member of InterNACHI.
This report is the exclusive property of Acutec Home Inspectors and is intended for the sole use of the client named on the report. Use of this report by any unauthorized persons is prohibited.
This report list the systems and components inspected by this company. Items not found in this report are considered beyond the scope of this inspection, and should not be considered inspected at this time. Please refer to your inspection agreement and the Standards of Practice for for details relating to the scope of the inspection or report.
Please read this entire report as there may be items, defects, concerns or safety issues that were not discussed at the time of the inspection.
 | Safety | Poses a risk of injury or death |
 | Repair/Replace | Recommend repairing or replacing |
 | Repair/Maintain | Recommend repair and/or maintenance |
 | Minor Defect | Correction likely involves only a minor expense |
 | Maintain | Recommend ongoing maintenance |
 | Evaluate | Recommend evaluation by a specialist |
 | Comment | For your information |
Click here for a glossary of building construction terms.
Contact your inspector if there are terms that you do not understand, or visit the glossary of construction terms at http://www.reporthost.com/glossary.asp| General information | Return to table of contents |
Some wall, floor and/or ceiling surfaces were obscured by furniture and/or stored items. Some areas couldn't be evaluated.
Some of the appliances were disconnected or removed from the house as it was vacated prior to the inspection. The items or systems were not tested. Some of the items excluded are; Water heater, Washing machine, Clothes dryer, and Refrigerator.
| Exterior | Return to table of contents |
One or more ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) electric receptacles did not trip when tested with the inspector's test instrument. These devices should trip when tested with a test instrument in addition to tripping via the test buttons on the receptacles. This is a safety hazard due to the risk of shock. A qualified electrician should evaluate and repair as necessary.
 Photo 6 GFCI on rear not working properly
|
 Photo 7 Front outlet not tripping from GFCI test.
|
Guardrails are missing from one or more sections of decks or elevated surfaces with high drop-offs. This is a safety hazard due to the risk of falling. Standard building practices require guardrails to be installed at drop-offs higher than 30 inches, but in some cases it is advised to install them at shorter drop-offs. A qualified contractor should evaluate and install guardrails as necessary and as per standard building practices.
 Photo 4 Recommend installing guard rails on front porch.
|
One or more crawl space vent screens are missing. Animals such as vermin or pets may enter the crawl space and nest, die and/or leave feces and urine. A qualified contractor should install screens where missing using screen material such as "hardware cloth" with 1/4 inch minimum gaps.
Recommend cleaning deck(s) and railing(s) and treating with a preservative claiming to waterproof, block ultraviolet light, and stop mildew. Consumer Reports recommends these products:
Caulk is missing or deteriorated in some areas and should be replaced and/or applied where necessary. For more information on caulking, visit:
 Photo 5 Minor water damage. Recommend caulk and paint on all exterior areas.
|
Firewood is stored so that it's either in contact with the structure or very close to it. This is a conducive condition for wood destroying insects. Recommend storing firewood outdoors in an open area, as far away from the house as practical, to keep away insects. For more information, visit:
One or more outside faucets were not evaluated due to their being winterized with covers, and are excluded from this inspection. (front of house)
| Roof | Return to table of contents |
One or more roofing shingles are chipped and/or cracked. A qualified roofing contractor should evaluate and replace tiles as necessary.
 Photo 15 Isolated shingle damage on rear of roof.
|
 Photo 21 Damaged roof shingles.
|
Trees and/or shrubs are in contact with or are close to the roof edge(s) in one or more areas. Damage to the roof may result, especially during high winds. Vegetation can also act as a conduit for wood destroying insects. Vegetation should be pruned back and/or removed as necessary to prevent damage and infestation by wood destroying insects.
 Photo 24 Tree overhanging near roof.
|
| Attic | Return to table of contents |
Cover plate(s) are missing from one or more electric boxes, such as for receptacles, switches and/or junction boxes. They are intended to contain fire and prevent electric shock from exposed wires. This is a safety hazard due to the risk of fire and shock. Cover plates should be installed where missing.
 Photo 10 Outlet in attic missing cover plate.
|
Ceiling insulation is missing in some areas. Recommend installing insulation where missing for better energy efficiency.
No insulation is installed over the attic access hatch. Recommend installing insulation above hatch for better energy efficiency.
No weatherstrip is installed around the attic access hatch. Weatherstrip should be installed around the hatch to prevent heated interior air from entering attic.
Some attic areas were inaccessible due to lack of permanently installed walkways, the possibility of damage to insulation, low height and/or stored items. These areas are excluded from this inspection.
| Electric service | Return to table of contents |
One or more overcurrent protection devices (circuit breakers or fuses) are "double tapped", where 2 or more wires are clamped in a terminal designed for only one wire. This is a safety hazard since the bolt or screw may tighten securely against one wire, but leave others loose. Arcing, sparks and fires may result. A qualified electrician should evaluate and repair as necessary.
 Photo 14 Could not confirm if breaker is a
doulbe tap/ lug type. |
One or more screws are missing from the main service panel cover and should be replaced. Because energized wiring may exist behind the holes with the missing screws, recommend that a qualified, licensed electrician replace these screws, or that care be taken to ensure that the new screws do not come in contact with wiring inside the panel when they are installed. Stock screws from the panel manufacturer should be used, or their equivalent.
The legend for overcurrent protection devices (breakers or fuses) in the main service panel is missing, unreadable or incomplete. Recommend installing, updating or correcting the legend as necessary so it's accurate. Evaluation by a qualified electrician may be necessary.
 Photo 13 Panal screw missing, not properly
labeled. |
There is no room for adding additional breakers to the panel. To upgrade or add on will require installing a new electric panal.
| Water heater | Return to table of contents |
The water heater was turned off at the time of the inspection. It was unplugged prior to the inspection. The inspector was unable to fully evaluate the water heater.
 Photo 9 Water heater information label.
|
 Photo 23 Water heater unplugged.
|
| Heating and cooling | Return to table of contents |
The last service date of this system appears to be more than one year ago, or the inspector was unable to determine the last service date. The client(s) should ask the property owner(s) when it was last serviced. If unable to determine the last service date, or if this system was serviced more than one year ago, a qualified heating and cooling contractor should inspect, clean, and service this system, and make repairs if necessary. This servicing should be performed annually in the future.
 Photo 18 A/C coil.
|
 Photo 17 A/C information label.
|
 Photo 3 Air conditioner information label
|
The MAX fuse for the unit is rated at 30 Amps, the fuse in the electric panel appears to be a 40 Amp. I could not confirm this as the panel is not correctly labeled. I recommend a further evaluation.
| Plumbing and laundry | Return to table of contents |
Recommend having the septic tank inspected. Recommend having the tank pumped if it was last pumped more than 3 years ago.
 Photo 16 Septic system pump runs constantly.
|
Neither the clothes washer nor dryer were operated or evaluated. They are excluded from this inspection. | Crawl space | Return to table of contents |
Insulation under the floor in the crawlspace is damaged, deteriorated, or has fallen down. A qualified contractor should make repairs as necessary to restore the insulation to its original rating.
 Photo 2 |
 Photo 20 No insulation.
|
Insulation on water pipes is damaged, deteriorated and/or missing in one or more areas. Recommend repairing or installing insulation on water pipes where necessary for better energy efficiency and to prevent water pipes from freezing.
 Photo 11 A/C line needs insulation material repaired.
|
 Photo 12 Insulation missing on small areas of copper
pipe under house. |
Some crawl space areas were inaccessible due to low height (less than 18 inches), ductwork or pipes blocking, standing water, and/or stored items. These areas are excluded from this inspection.
| Well | Return to table of contents |
Recommend having the well water tested for coliform bacteria, nitrates, and anything else of local concern, by a qualified lab. For more information, visit:
 Photo 22 Water pump and tank.
|
| Kitchen | Return to table of contents |
One or more electric receptacles that serve countertop surfaces within six feet of a sink appear to have no ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection. This is a safety hazard due to the risk of shock. A qualified electrician should evaluate to determine if GFCI protection exists, and if not, repairs should be made so that all receptacles that serve countertop surfaces within six feet of sinks have GFCI protection. For example, install GFCI receptacles or circuit breaker(s) as needed.
 Photo 8 No GFCI outlets near kitchen sink.
|
The range can tip forward, and no anti-tip bracket appears to be installed. This is a safety hazard since the range may tip forward when weight is applied to the open door, such as when a small child climbs on it, or if heavy objects are dropped on it. Anti-tip brackets have been sold with all free standing ranges since 1985. An anti-tip bracket should be installed to eliminate this safety hazard. For more information, visit:
Lamp holders or light fixtures with fully or partially exposed bulbs are installed in in the laundry room. This is a safety hazard due to the risk of fire. Flammable stored items may come into contact with hot bulbs, and hot fragments from broken bulbs may fall on combustible materials.
 Photo 19 Bare bulb in laundry room.
|
The light in range hood is inoperable. Recommend replacing light bulb(s) or having repairs made by a qualified contractor as necessary. | Bathrooms | Return to table of contents |
One or more toilets are loose. A qualified contractor should remove the toilet(s) for further evaluation and repairs if necessary. A new wax ring should be installed and toilet(s) should be securely anchored to the floor to prevent movement and leaking.
HVL fixture in second bathroom - the light and vent are working correct, but the heat element is not functioning.
The tile floor in the closet has not been trimmed / finished. This is a minor repair that can be completed in a small amount of time.
