Colorado Mountain Home Inspection LLC

Exterior
5) - One or more sets of stairs are wobbly. A qualified contractor should evaluate and repair as necessary, such as installing additional supports and/or diagonal bracing.

Basement stairs to cellar/crawl space
6) - One or more light fixtures located in "wet" or "damp" locations have no visible rating for use in wet locations. This is a safety hazard due to the risk of shock. A qualified electrician should evaluate and replace light fixtures as necessary and as per standard building practices.
7) - Stairs are unsafe due to a non-standard configuration, such as too-high riser heights and/or too-narrow tread depths. Standard building practices call for riser heights not to exceed eight inches and tread depths to be at least nine inches but preferably 11 inches. Riser heights should not vary more than 3/8 inch on a flight of stairs. At a minimum, the client(s) should be aware of this hazard, especially when guests who are not familiar with the stairs are present. Ideally a qualified contractor should repair or replace stairs so they conform to standard building practices.
8) - Fences and/or gates are damaged and/or deteriorated in some areas. A qualified contractor should evaluate and make repairs or replace sections as necessary.
9) - One or more gutters are poorly sloped so that significant amounts of water accumulate in them rather than draining through the downspouts. This can cause gutters to overflow, especially when organic debris such as leaves or needles have accumulated in them. A qualified contractor should evaluate and make repairs as necessary, such as correcting the slope in gutters or installing additional downspouts and extensions if necessary.
10) - Soffit boards are damaged or deteriorated in one or more areas. A qualified contractor should evaluate and make repairs as necessary.
11) - One or more light fixtures are damaged and/or deteriorated. A qualified electrician should evaluate and repair or replace light fixtures where necessary.
12) - One or more sections of foundation footings are significantly above grade. Footings should be below grade so adequate lateral support is provided by the soil. Soil should be installed as necessary so footings are below grade.
13) - The perimeter grading slopes towards the structure in one or more areas. This can result in water accumulating around the structure's foundation, or in basements and crawl spaces if they exist. Accumulated water is a conducive condition to wood destroying insects and organisms. Wet soil may also cause the foundation to settle and possibly fail over time. Recommend grading soil so it slopes down and away from the structure with a slope of at least 5% (10% or better is optimal) for at least 6 feet.
14) - One or more downspouts have no extensions, or have extensions that are ineffective. This can result in water accumulating around the structure's foundation, or in basements and crawl spaces if they exist. Accumulated water is a conducive condition to wood destroying insects and organisms, and may also cause the foundation to settle and possibly fail over time. Repairs should be made as necessary, such as installing or repositioning splash blocks, or installing and/or repairing tie-ins to underground drain lines, so rain water is carried at least several feet away from the structure to soil that slopes down and away from the structure.
15) - Screens are damaged on south side windows
Glass is missing on one south side storm window

Roof
17) - This asphalt or fiberglass composition roof surface has two or more layers of roofing materials. When this roof is replaced, recommend a complete "tear off", where all existing layers of roofing are removed before installing new roofing materials. For 20-year rated composition shingles, additional layers of material reduce the new roof material's lifespan as follows:

Attic
21) - No access hatch was found for the attic. The inspector was unable to evaluate the attic, and it's excluded from this inspection. Recommend having a qualified contractor install access hatches as necessary and as per standard building practices to allow periodic evaluation of attic spaces.

Electric service
22) - The service drop wire insulation is frayed and/or deteriorated in one or more areas. The utility company should evaluate and make repairs or replace wires as necessary.
23) - The service drop wires are less than eight feet above one or more sections of flat roof that can be walked on. This is a safety hazard for shock since people on the roof may come into contact with the service drop wires. The utility company and/or a qualified electrician should evaluate and repair as necessary.
24) - The electric service to this property appears to be rated at substantially less than 200 amps, and may be inadequate for the client(s) needs. Recommend consulting with a qualified electrician about upgrading to a 200 amp service.
25) - The main service panel cover couldn't be removed due to lack of access from shelving, cabinets, walls and/or ceilings. This panel wasn't fully evaluated. Repairs should be made so the panel cover can be easily removed.

Water heater
26) - No drain line is installed for the temperature-pressure relief valve. This is a potential safety hazard due to the risk of scalding if someone is standing next to the water heater when the valve opens. A qualified plumber should install a drain line as per standard building practices. For example, extending to 6 inches from the floor, or routed so as to drain outside.
27) - The estimated useful life for most water heaters is 8 to 12 years. This water heater appears to be at this age or older and may need replacing at any time. Recommend budgeting for a replacement in the near future.
28) - Corrosion was found in one or more areas on the water heater, and water stains were found below. The water heater may be failing. A qualified plumbing contractor should evaluate and replace water heater if necessary.

Heating and cooling
30) - The furnace or boiler flame(s) are yellow or orange rather than blue. This may be caused by inadequate combustion air and/or dirty or clogged burners. A qualified heating and cooling contractor should evaluate and repair as necessary.
31) - Combustible materials were found less than 18 inches from the single wall flue pipe for the oil or gas-fueled furnace or boiler. This is a fire hazard. Combustible materials should be moved, or repairs made by a qualified contractor, as necessary to maintain this clearance.
32) - 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. For safety reasons, and because this system is fueled by gas or oil, this servicing should be performed annually in the future. For more information visit: http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml05/05017.html

Plumbing and laundry
33) - Copper water supply pipes in homes built prior to 1986 may be joined with solder that contains lead. Lead is a known health hazard, especially for children. Laws were passed in 1985 prohibiting the use of lead in solder, but prior to that solder normally contained about 50 percent lead. The client(s) should be aware of this, especially if children will be living in this structure. Evaluating for the presence of lead in this structure is not included in this inspection. The client(s) should consider having a qualified lab test for lead, and if necessary take steps to reduce or remove lead from the water supply. Various solutions such as these may be advised:

34) - Some, most, or all of the water supply pipes in this structure are made of galvanized steel. Based on the age of this structure, these pipes may be nearing or may have exceeded their estimated useful life of 40 to 60 years. Internal corrosion and rust can reduce the inside diameter of these pipes over time, resulting in reduced flow and eventually, leaks. The inspector performed a "functional flow test" during the inspection where multiple fixtures were run simultaneously, and found the flow to be adequate. For example, the shower flow didn't decrease substantially when the toilet was flushed. Despite this, and because of their apparent age, these pipes may need replacing at any time.

Basement
38) - One or more sets of stairs are wobbly. A qualified contractor should evaluate and repair as necessary, such as installing additional supports and/or diagonal bracing.
39) - Wooden support posts are not securely fastened to beams above. This is a safety hazard since they can separate during a seismic event. A qualified contractor should evaluate and make repairs as necessary, such as installing metal ties, bracing with lumber and/or plywood gussets as per standard building practices.
40) - One or more floor joists are undersized for their span. Sagging and/or bouncing floors may result. In extreme circumstances, floors may collapse. A qualified contractor should evaluate and make repairs as necessary.
41) - One or more exterior entrance doors are damaged and/or deteriorated and should be repaired or replaced by a qualified contractor.

Kitchen
43) - 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 http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/remodeling/article/0,1797,HGTV_3659_2017492,00.html
44) - 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.
45) - No GFCI outlets were present. All outlets are two prong due to the age of the house( ungrounded)
46) - No range hood is installed over the range or cook top. Ventilation and/or lighting may be inadequate and moisture may accumulate indoors. Recommend having a qualified contractor install a vented and lighted range hood, with the exhaust fan configured so as to vent outdoors.

Bathrooms
49) - One or more wall-mounted electric switches are within reach of shower stalls. This is a safety hazard due to the risk of shock. At a minimum, the client(s) should be aware of the shock hazard this represents and never operate such switches while showering. Ideally, a qualified electrician should evaluate and move switches as necessary, or a qualified contractor should make modifications as necessary so wall switches are unreachable from shower stalls.
50) - Caulk is missing or deteriorated above one or more bathtubs, where the tub surround meets the tub. It should be replaced where deteriorated and/or applied where missing to prevent water intrusion and damage to the wall structure.

Interior rooms
52) - Two-pronged electric receptacles rather than three-pronged, grounded receptacles are installed in one or more interior rooms. They are considered to be unsafe by today's standards and limit the ability to use appliances that require a ground in these rooms. Examples of appliances that require grounded receptacles include: