??? Dry Rot Inspection, MISSED DRY ROT

[lrainh2o]

So here is the back story first, I bought the house I am currently in about 2 1/2 years ago. Had pest and dry rot inspection, seller had to change some floor joist supports for sale. Well I cut out some cabinets to install a dishwasher, put in new sink and faucet. Under the cabinets the floor is practically gone, I can push a screwdriver through the floor and the wall behind cabinets.

Is it worth going after inspector? Has it been to long to go after inspector?

Just looking for a little garage journal insight!!!

 

[benjamintmiller]

You almost certainly signed a waiver with the inspector removing any liability from him. I know I got a house inspected once and thought it wasn't worth the $300 after I found that out.

 

[paranoid56]

ug. its in a spot nobody can see so its not his fault. fix it and move on.

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

I think the seller is only responsible for known issues within 2 years of sale. You would have to prove they knew about it.

 

[mtwaterguy]

I think the seller is only responsible for known issues within 2 years of sale. You would have to prove they knew about it.

He's asking about the inspector.

 

[bgarrett]

So here is the back story first,

Whats the difference between a story and a back story and why are you talking funny?

 

[lrainh2o]

Whats the difference between a story and a back story and why are you talking funny?

Well because its my story and I will write it any way I want, dont respond if you dont like it.

To the others that responded, Thanks!

How long is an inspector responsible or are they even responsible at all??

 

[lrainh2o]

One other thing, I have thought about this all day. I wont be even trying to go after inspector, its been to long. Why does an inspection cost so dam much, 500 in my case, if there is no responsiblity on the inspector?? Hell it looks now like one hell of a money maker and no worries.... Rant over..

 

[Tim The Tool Man]

An inspector is not allowed to dismantle anything, or poke a hole in dry wall. He can lift ceiling tile and attic insulation as long as it is put back and that is about it. Unless the dry rot is clearly evident from your basement or crawl space, then the inspector did nothing wrong.

A home inspectors only value is in providing leverage for a buyer of a home that has some obvious issues. They will not and can not address hidden problems.

 

[BillK]

Well I cut out some cabinets to install a dishwasher, put in new sink and faucet. Under the cabinets the floor is practically gone,

So how on earth would you have expected the inspector to find this ??????? Tear all the cabinets out ????

I guess I just don't understand how some people think

 

[lrainh2o]

So how on earth would you have expected the inspector to find this ??????? Tear all the cabinets out ????

I guess I just don't understand how some people think

The bottom of these cabinets have a slide out, they are old wood shelf that runs in a dato groove. Ounce pulled out there is or now was removable peices of 1/4 particle board about 16x16 in size. Hell I just found them because I am cutting in a dishwasher opening, the inspector wouldnt have had to tear anything out, just look a little closer at them as I should have. Then I wouldnt have askedthis question over 2 years after the fact!!!!!!!

 

[pmiranda]

I would not expect anyone to dismantle a cabinet or shelf to inspect for rot... unless there was visible water damage from a leaking sink or something like that. Some inspectors refuse to even pull out a screwdriver to check wiring for fear they might crack something old and not be able to put it back together. It's a pain but you can only see what you can see. Good luck and be happy you caught it before anything got worse, I guess.

 

[skippy24]

As Tim said the inspector will not start dismantling properties they inspect. They will look for obvious issues and do a quick check on things that should be working such as power to all outlets, the furnace turns on, etc. They won't start disassembling every nook and cranny or item of the property they are inspecting. I've had two inspections on two different properties by two different inspection companies and neither inspector would even go on the roofs because they has concrete roof tiles. They explained they wouldn't go up because they wouldn't want to be responsible for repairing any broken tiles.

 

[saba007]

I will echo everyone else's comments. Bite the bullet and get it fixed. You are indeed lucky that there was no other major damage. Inspectors cannot dismantle things. Our inspector looked into the attic for leakage, did a moisture test with some sort of a device in the basement, and looked around. Last year when I was doing the siding, the guy found several of my boards behind the clapboard rotted. I thanked God I caught them before my window frames started slipping and sliding. Fixed them and moved on. I do remember signing a waiver with my guy too.

 

[gtivr4]

And how do you or the inspector know that the damage didn't occur in the time you owned the place. Sounds like a reality of home ownership, no one to help you but yourself.

 

[blkhonda1991]

inspectors are for the ignorant masses essentially, you probably could have performed the same inspection with the same results. inspectors have so much cover their *** language in their contracts its not worth going after them as they are essentially held harmless for anything they missed. if you have a lot of knowledge about construction forgo paying the 500$ for an inspection on your next home.

 

[383 240z]

IMHO Home inspections are nothing other than a money grab. Can't really look for anything, not responsible if something turns up after the fact. I've never paid for a home inspection, because I am capable of looking for obvious (and some not so obvious) defects my self.

Kinda like CarFax. A whole group of people now think that you CAN'T buy a car with out that sheet of paper.

It's the greatest scam developed, scare people to create a need, then fill the need. Keith

 

[skippy24]

Quick question for blkhonda and 383. If i recall a home inspection was necessary for us to get financing for our house. How did you get around that? Pay cash?

 

[blkhonda1991]

Quick question for blkhonda and 383. If i recall a home inspection was necessary for us to get financing for our house. How did you get around that? Pay cash?

bend over and take it if thats the case. inspections are valuable for people who dont understand construction and can wind up costing them a whole hell of a lot more than 500$ by not doing it.

 

[Zeke]

Inspectors are not regulated and come in all levels of competency. But even the most diligent don't do concealed spaces. If a flashlight doesn't see it, it won't be seen.

I wonder if this inspector crawled the under floor space. Are there pics? If yes to both, did he get under the sink area? Still, you've got nothing that will stand up in court. If I was the inspector, I'd tell you to blow it out your ***. Dryrot can happen in less than a year.

 

[Kevin54]

Well because its my story and I will write it any way I want, dont respond if you dont like it.

To the others that responded, Thanks!

How long is an inspector responsible or are they even responsible at all??

Easy there Cowboy. You start getting pissed because you are not satisfied with an answer just doesn't cut it around here.

But to answer your question....if you haven't noticed it in 2 1/2 years, how do you think someone else would find it. **** it up, fix it, and go on with your life. You've been in the place way longer than what the inspector was. They can't catch everything. If going back on an inspector was a common thing, then everyone that ever bought a house would be suing the **** out of anyone they had look at the house in the first place. Just write it off as a learning experience.

BTW.....IBTL. I can see where this may be going.

 

[darkk]

So how on earth would you have expected the inspector to find this ??????? Tear all the cabinets out ????

I guess I just don't understand how some people think

^^^^^^^^^^^^^X2

 

[Zeke]

Well, be somewhat fair to the OP. He did say that someone cut some thin MDF or something and placed in over the damage. I wasn't inferring that the damage wasn't there and real when the inspection was done, but that after 2+ years the inspector could blow it off saying it could have happened since.

Therefore, no claim.

 

[nehog]

I think the seller is only responsible for known issues within 2 years of sale. You would have to prove they knew about it.

And that assumes that the buyer didn't buy "as-is, where-is" and sign a waiver for that as well. Certainly were I to sell property, once the sale is done, I want no liability in the future.

Without seeing both the buy/sell agreement, and the inspection contract, of course anything is just a guess. But my feeling is that probably the best course of action is to invest the money you'd spend trying to get satisfaction from the inspector into getting the property repaired.