Dear Barry,

I hired a home inspector before buying my house. He was supposed to find the defects. After moving in, I discovered that the shower in the basement has no drain connection. During the inspection, the inspector turned the shower on briefly, but he didn't find any problem with it. Now it appears that the shower is a manufactured stall that was set in place on the basement floor, connected to the water lines, but not to the sewer drain system. Instead, it is located near a clogged floor drain.  more...

Dear Barry,

We live in a six-unit apartment building, and the dryer exhaust ducts for all six of the laundry rooms blow into my attic. Every few months, the landlord's maintenance man goes into the attic to remove the lint that clogs the neighbor's dryer vents. He insists that this is not a problem, but I'm afraid it is causing the moldy smell in our apartment. What is your opinion of this situation? --Wendy

Dear Wendy,  more...

Dear Barry,

My parents just sold their home, and they disclosed in writing that the basement becomes wet during rainy weather. The buyers chose not to have a home inspection, and now they accuse my parents of hiding a mold problem in the basement. They've even hired an attorney. Shouldn't the buyers have hired a home inspector, and if they chose not to have an inspection, weren't they saying, in effect, that they weren't particularly concerned about disclosure of defects? --Dan

Dear Dan,  more...

Dear Barry,

We bought our home one year ago. When we had our home inspection, we asked the inspector about a small water stain on the ceiling. He pointed some kind of sensor at it and said it was not an active leak. Recently, the ceiling stain became wet again, and that portion of the drywall fell down. It turned out that the water came from the old air conditioner in the attic. But according to the inspection report, the A/C was "new and in good working order." Do we have any recourse against the inspector? --Deanna

Dear Deanna,  more...

Dear Barry,

When we purchased our home, the home inspection report listed the furnace as "serviceable." After moving in, we had problems with heating, so we called a heating contractor. He said we have a Premier furnace that was recalled because of major safety problems. So now we have to buy a new furnace. Our Realtor says the home inspector is responsible. But the home inspector says he can't be expected to know about every product that's been recalled. Is the home inspector liable for having approved the furnace or are we stuck with the expense ourselves? --Jessica  more...

Dear Barry,

Whenever you recommend home inspection associations, you specify the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI), or a recognized state association such as CREIA. While those organizations are well-known, none can claim to be the top organization in the home inspection industry.  more...

Dear Barry,

Our home is about nine years old and has off-white carpet in most rooms. The edges of the carpets have gradually turned black, and we're wondering if we should clean the forced-air heating ducts. I think we should, but my husband says this would be wasted money. What do you suggest? --Carrie

Dear Carrie,  more...

Dear Barry,

We built a new home and installed a ventless gas log fireplace. As we look back, this seems to have been a stupid mistake. Since using the fireplace, a film has been forming on our windows. Our suspicion is that it is caused by exhaust from the ventless fireplace. What must it be doing to the air we breathe? It is too late to add a vent? --Deborah

Dear Deborah,

Installing a ventless gas log fireplace may have been an "unfortunate mistake," not a "stupid" one.  more...

Dear Barry,

What would be the consequences of improving our home without a building permit? The work to be done would include altered plumbing, new siding, new roofing, removing the electric water heater from the outside, installation of a propane water heater on the inside, repairing a sagging ceiling, replacing some windows, and adding an air-conditioning system. We're presently in disagreement as to whether permits are even required for this work and are wondering what we should disclose to buyers when the house is eventually sold. What do you advise?  more...

Dear Barry,

Is it necessary to get my own home inspection on a newly constructed home, or should the inspection by the city inspector be accepted as adequate? --Dean

Dear Dean,

Some readers may wonder why this subject, in varying forms, is recurrent in this column. It is because questions about inspecting new homes are asked so frequently and because the answer is vital to anyone who plans to buy a new home.  more...

Dear Barry,

We've never hired a home inspector and have questions about the protocol for an inspection. Some inspectors, we're told, prefer to work alone, and some agents, they say, discourage buyers from attending. Who typically attends a home inspection, and who decides who can attend? --Jill

Dear Jill,

The variables that affect home inspection attendance are numerous. The bottom line, however, is that buyers, in most cases, hire the inspector as their private consultant. In that light, the buyers should have the first and last word regarding their own attendance.  more...

Dear Barry,

We just learned that the county tax assessor is counting our basement as an additional bedroom. This increases the appraised value of our home and requires us to pay higher taxes. We've never regarded the basement as a legal bedroom because the window is very small and the sill is more than 5 feet above the floor. Also, the basement has no clothes closet, as one would expect in a bedroom. What are the applicable requirements that would qualify our basement as a legal bedroom?  more...

Dear Barry,  more...