New Holmes Show

[daveferg]

Watched the new Mike Holmes show where he advises couples buying homes. He said something which shoots many of the HGTV home buying shows in the foot. He said what is important is fixing safety issues and keeping water/weather out of the house from the roof siding or proper flashing. When one woman didn't like a perfectly good bathroom, he said it wasn't important now and could be saved for later. This has been one of my pet peeves with these home buying shows.

Always loved it when they gut a perfectly good floor, bath, etc. and the discover bad plumbing or electrical breaking their budget. Finally a rational view.

[JosephP]

I could never figure out why somebody wouldn't buy a house because the bath wasn't updated or the carpet was old and worn, etc...  would they rather the current owner go pick out the cheapest thing they think they could get away, up the price accordingly with just to sell the house?  I'd rather take the discounted price and put in what I want rather than settling for what somebody else chose/could afford.

[Snipe Hunter]

That's the kind of stuff the original home inspection is supposed to uncover. Roof leaks, bad/missing or incorrect flashing and siding, inoperable hose bibs, soft floors around plumbing fixtures, water stains etc.

What I find interesting in the shows (and I watch them) is that they never make mention of the home inspection report. These "expensive repair discoveries" like galvanized pipe or knob and tube wiring or lead paint or asbestos would almost always be reported in the home inspection report.

I love it when they discover a duct in a wall they want to move. Of coarse there's a duct in it, the register in the wall is a pretty good indicator.

[R Clark]

I don't see these shows often anymore since we cut the cable, but I was always amused when the tears and wailing started when the soft bathroom floor turned out to be rotted joists and subfloor and the budget disaster that ensues.  Am I really supposed to think that the "clients" on these shows have never seen the shows involved and know that the drama is going to be expected, or even staged?

Bottom line is that they can't fill an hour with, "OK, here's the rotted subfloor we discovered during the inspection and now we're going to fix it."

Most of these shows are aimed at mostly female audiences, and the arcane details of the mechanicals and structure isn't going to get that viewing audience.

[K. L. McReynolds]

Drama.

That is the reason rehabbers always find a budget busting problem. The dramas speaks to the experiences or fears people have in relation to remodeling a house.

Any competent remodeler/builder figures in a percentage, the amount depending on the age/condition of the house, to allow for those unforeseeable, behind the wall problems.

Remodeling is boring to watch. Remodeling takes a lot of time.

TV shows have to remedy the boring and drastically reduce the time. And add the drama.

[Admiral]

I've stopped watching such shows; fake drama reality tv, too much like professional wrestling.

[Cooler]

Home inspectors are supposed to know everything about everything.  

My electrician told me that he was called to a home for electrical issues.  It turns out that the entire house was wired with aluminum wiring, but the previous owner had re-wired the last 6" of each electrical outlet so that it looked like it was all copper wired.  

My electrician said any qualified electrician would have noted that almost immediately, but most home inspectors don't have that depth of background for all the fields.  

In New York there are "home inspectors" and "home inspection engineers".  Both  are licensed.  The engineers have more training.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Home inspectors are supposed to know everything about everything.  

My electrician told me that he was called to a home for electrical issues.  It turns out that the entire house was wired with aluminum wiring, but the previous owner had re-wired the last 6" of each electrical outlet so that it looked like it was all copper wired.  

My electrician said any qualified electrician would have noted that almost immediately, but most home inspectors don't have that depth of background for all the fields.  

In New York there are "home inspectors" and "home inspection engineers".  Both  are licensed.  The engineers have more training.

If a house is wired properly there is nothing wrong with aluminum wiring. Those 6 inches of copper wire is legal if they used the correct butt splices. That was how they got by of the problems with aluminum wire on devices such as receptacles and switches. Aluminum wire is pulled for huge services all the time but the change over to a copper ribbon is properly done. So do not run from a house that is wired in aluminum. Just needs to be checked by a qualified electrical inspector.

[Snipe Hunter]

My electrician said any qualified electrician would have noted that almost immediately, but most home inspectors don't have that depth of background for all the fields.  

It really has nothing to do with that. A home inspection is "Non Invasive". The customer signs a contract stating that he/she understands what that means.

As an inspector, I can open any panel, main or sub panel and I can visually inspect any wiring (or anything else for that matter) in my line of sight. I can't move anything other than something intended to be opened like a door, window, attic hatch etc. I can't even move a throw rug to look at a soft spot in a wood floor or a box away from a wall if I suspect moisture. So, I have to look for wet or water stained boxes. All I can do is note that there was a soft spot that I could not completely inspect. I can't take a cover off an outlet or switch to inspect wiring.

There are a lot of old homes here with knob and tube wiring where the panel and outlets and switches were upgraded but the wiring throughout the house is still knob and tube. Hopefully, I can find it in a crawl space or attic. I'm going to look for it in an old house but if I can't see it, I can't report it being there.

[meackerman]

that was the nice thing about having my FIL inspect the last house we bought.  He's a long time general contractor and had no problem opening things up and seeing what was inside.