Adventures in Inspections...
Welcome to the duplex inspection! I asked Mike to do this inspection--he did the inspection on the half-duplex in which I'll be living. He did a great job, so I decided to use him again--and that's the way to build your business. I thought I'd share some of the highlights of this inspection, starting with the new, updated window treatments! Plywood is always an attractive option...this is the kitchen window in the east unit. The 2x4 is nailed to the window casement, and a long bolt secures the plywood in the window frame. Um...how about NEW GLASS? Why is that a hard concept?
This stove is made by Vespa. Never heard of them...but it works! It's clean, too.
We turned the water on and heard water running somewhere. I went outside, thinking it was a spigot...nope, water was coming out between the brick and the foundation. We went inside the east unit and found a flood on the kitchen floor. Water was pouring out of the wall adjacent to the old washer lines, which had been left in the wall after new water lines were added to a closet for the washer. Apparently, they froze at some point and burst. The old owner didn't want to deal with the leak, so abandoned the property, thereby losing the building for want of a $50 fix. We opened up the wall to see what we were dealing with, and when we discovered the split in the pipe, Mike realized that it would be an easy fix, and offered to do it if I'd go get the caps and sauter. Now, I don't know if you've ever had a home inspected, but "plumbing repairman" is NOT in the contract. Mike offered to do it because he knows I'm going to buy the property, and it has to be done at some point. It also allowed him to inspect the rest of the plumbing. Most inspectors would have said that they were unable to inspect the plumbing because the water couldn't be turned on due to the burst pipe. Once this was fixed, we were able to find another small leak that could have turned into a major headache....It's one of those "above & beyond" gestures that will earn my business and my recommendations forever. The mess by the stove is the drenched insulation and drywall...yuk. Most of those tiles are broken, so that floor will be replaced with vinyl.
That wall will be repaired and hidden by the fridge. 
After cutting the pipes, we decided that it would be smarter to cut & cap them in the crawl space. Otherwise, they are likely to freeze and burst again at some point. So, Mike went down into the crawl space and sealed them again, in a much better spot! 
The east unit has a working washer & dryer. The west unit just has a washer, so I'll be browsing Craigslist for a working dryer...maybe even a matching dryer!
Someone added two lovely storage lean-to's to the east unit. This is the one off of the kitchen.
This is the view from inside the kitchen. Yes, they built it OVER the kitchen window! Then they put shelf paper on the window to cover it up! The exterior spigot is inside the storage unit--good place for it, in case you want to water the floor...
The other lovely storage lean-to is also on the east unit. I think it was used to house a Harley, based on the oil stains on the floor.
However, once again, THEY BUILT IT OVER A WINDOW!!! THE LIVING ROOM WINDOW!!!WHAT were they thinking???? Needless to say, both of these lean-to's will be visiting the Denver City Dump very soon. Notice the shattered pane on the right. Four panes need to be replaced in the building.
This is the living room and kitchen in the west unit. The wall colour is pretty accurate--peach. I'm going to steal the colour Odette is using in her basement--it's a pretty bluish-gray. I'm not sure of the function of the bars--maybe to remind someone of their other home? The hallway for the bedrooms is to the left. The bedrooms are separated by a linen closet, the hot-water closet, and the bathroom. Both bedrooms are approximately the same size--small.
Kitchen in the west duplex. It needs a fridge, and a dryer. It also needs new linoleum, and new paint. The back door has a broken screen door which will be removed.
The cabinets are original to the building, which was built in 1959. I'm going to replace all of them (both units), because they are truly disgusting. This area is fairly low-income, but I can't stomach being the kind of landlord who would expect anyone to live like that. They won't get granite, but they will get new laminate countertops, too. All of the plumbing leaks either from the faucets or from the drains; they'll get new plumbing fixtures.
I think the stove is a Whirlpool or Frigidaire--it's self-cleaning, and in excellent condition. You can see the same washer spigots to the left of the stove; these haven't burst, yet. Mike is coming back after I close on the house to cut & cap those in the crawl space, since they are totally unnecessary. He'll also fix a minor leak in the water heater, and help me with some miscellaneous fixes around the place.
This is the west unit's washer/dryer closet. Don't you love the 220-volt plug hanging from the shelf? ARGH! Guess I need an electrician, too!
The bathrooms need a little work. Both tubs are filthy, but it's just grime, so can easily be cleaned. 
Both bathrooms need new sinks. This sink is barely hanging onto the wall. If I can find a small vanity, 18" or so, I'll install a vanity. If not, it'll be a pedestal sink. There is a linen closet just to the left of the door, and if a full vanity were installed, you would only have about 10" between the edge of the vanity and the corner created by the linen closet--that's a tight squeeze.
This is the west unit's bathroom. Notice the open drawer? Another great installation...
The plumbing is IN THE WAY of the drawer--so it can't be closed! Can you imagine the bruised shins during those night visits? This bathroom will get a small vanity or pedestal sink as well.
One of the bedrooms. They are fairly small, but have decent closets--in fact, more closet space than the half-duplex! I'm a little jealous!
It's going to be a lot of work, but mostly cosmetic stuff. There's a few more minor plumbing leaks to fix. I need to buy four new faucets, a fridge, a dryer, exterior porch lights, new cabinets and countertops and do a LOT of cleaning... I am hoping to get the units rented within 2 weeks of closing, so we'll see how that timetable goes! I'll keep you up to date!
We turned the water on and heard water running somewhere. I went outside, thinking it was a spigot...nope, water was coming out between the brick and the foundation. We went inside the east unit and found a flood on the kitchen floor. Water was pouring out of the wall adjacent to the old washer lines, which had been left in the wall after new water lines were added to a closet for the washer. Apparently, they froze at some point and burst. The old owner didn't want to deal with the leak, so abandoned the property, thereby losing the building for want of a $50 fix. We opened up the wall to see what we were dealing with, and when we discovered the split in the pipe, Mike realized that it would be an easy fix, and offered to do it if I'd go get the caps and sauter. Now, I don't know if you've ever had a home inspected, but "plumbing repairman" is NOT in the contract. Mike offered to do it because he knows I'm going to buy the property, and it has to be done at some point. It also allowed him to inspect the rest of the plumbing. Most inspectors would have said that they were unable to inspect the plumbing because the water couldn't be turned on due to the burst pipe. Once this was fixed, we were able to find another small leak that could have turned into a major headache....It's one of those "above & beyond" gestures that will earn my business and my recommendations forever. The mess by the stove is the drenched insulation and drywall...yuk. Most of those tiles are broken, so that floor will be replaced with vinyl.
That wall will be repaired and hidden by the fridge. 
After cutting the pipes, we decided that it would be smarter to cut & cap them in the crawl space. Otherwise, they are likely to freeze and burst again at some point. So, Mike went down into the crawl space and sealed them again, in a much better spot! 
The east unit has a working washer & dryer. The west unit just has a washer, so I'll be browsing Craigslist for a working dryer...maybe even a matching dryer!
This is the view from inside the kitchen. Yes, they built it OVER the kitchen window! Then they put shelf paper on the window to cover it up! The exterior spigot is inside the storage unit--good place for it, in case you want to water the floor...
However, once again, THEY BUILT IT OVER A WINDOW!!! THE LIVING ROOM WINDOW!!!WHAT were they thinking???? Needless to say, both of these lean-to's will be visiting the Denver City Dump very soon. Notice the shattered pane on the right. Four panes need to be replaced in the building.
Kitchen in the west duplex. It needs a fridge, and a dryer. It also needs new linoleum, and new paint. The back door has a broken screen door which will be removed.
I think the stove is a Whirlpool or Frigidaire--it's self-cleaning, and in excellent condition. You can see the same washer spigots to the left of the stove; these haven't burst, yet. Mike is coming back after I close on the house to cut & cap those in the crawl space, since they are totally unnecessary. He'll also fix a minor leak in the water heater, and help me with some miscellaneous fixes around the place.
The plumbing is IN THE WAY of the drawer--so it can't be closed! Can you imagine the bruised shins during those night visits? This bathroom will get a small vanity or pedestal sink as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment