Home Inspector Nightmares: Vol. 7

Some are bad dreams while others are Rocky Horror Picture show level. See if you can figure out what some of these folks were thinking.

1 / 10

Flying Wallenda's Family Home

Whoever goes up this ladder has more courage than brains. Maybe it would have been smarter to rent a lift for the day.
2 / 10
Deck Stair Layout Headache

Deck Stair Layout Headache

Stairs are tricky to layout for the neophyte deck builder. But it's easier than you think to get it right with a few stair building instructions. Photo: Courtesy of Structure Tech
3 / 10
Boy-O-Boy!
Structure Tech

Boy-O-Boy!

Not only is this chimney badly deteriorated, it's almost completely missing any clay or metal liner. This is the poster child for why you should have your chimney inspected.
4 / 10
A Potentially Shocking Disposer
Structure Tech

A Potentially Shocking Disposer

Not a bad idea to have a switch on the new disposer. As long as you don’t have to open the cabinet door to get at it-and that it's properly installed!
5 / 10

Skillfully Unnecessary Scribe

Bonus: You can visit with your toddler while your taking care of business. If the door opened the correct way, there would have been no scribing required.
6 / 10

Not a Real Doorstop

Make sure when you install a smoke alarm, it's not doing double-duty as a doorstop. Placement of smoke alarms is super-important.
7 / 10

Return Air Downspout

Here's a quick way to add some humidity to a dry room. Just run the downspout into your return air! And better yet use conventional ductwork.
8 / 10

A Wee Bit of an Access Issue

Can you imagine how this guy felt when he opened the drawers for the first time? A little kitchen planning never hurts. That would have done the trick.
9 / 10
Dryer Vent

Dryer Vent

This would have been fine with only a few cleverly angled 90-degree elbows, and no vinyl at all. You won't find this method in most dryer vent installation stories. Photo: Courtesy of Structure Tech
10 / 10

Duct Tape Compression Fittings

What's weird about this is that it appears that the drain parts are brand new. Installing drainlines and p-traps under a sink doesn't normally call for duct tape. Bound to be a few plumbing leaks here.

Want more home inspector nightmares? Check out volume 8!