This was a surprising discovery. An entire roof truss was missing from the middle of the roof structure, and pieces of 2x4s supported the roof deck.

There had been a major fire inside the attic space of this house, and the structural repair did not appear to be adequate.

This main support beam, for a very large & heavy three-story house, had many problems. The pier arrangement was just the most obvious.

Water had been sitting inside this crawlspace for a long time, and the high humidity had turned several of the floor joists into "mush".

You never know what yard grading and underground water flow might do. This new house had a small river flowing through the crawlspace.

A very subtle defect in the yard grading was directing water toward this foundation wall, and the rim-joists and the ends of the floor joists had been completely destroyed by wood rot.

This house had an unusual soil condition called "plastic clay soil" or "expansive soil", and the block support piers in the crawlspace had sunk downward by several inches. This was not a simple repair.

The foundation under this masonry chimney was inadequate, and the chimney was pulling away from the house, having leaned over about 2".

Hot gases & smoke from the fireplace and masonry chimney had been leaking into this attic space for a long time, and it was amazing that the roof had not caught on fire. (See the cause in the next item.)

The bottom end of the clay flue tiles, located at the top of the fireplace smoke chamber, was not sealed properly. This was allowing hot gases & smoke to be drawn into the internal cavities of the chimney structure, and from there into the attic. (See the results in the previous item.)

A natural gas leak inside a basement ceiling-plenum was allowing gas to infiltrate into the HVAC ductwork, creating an unusual odor. The gas company, the fire department, and a plumber all looked at the house, but did not discover the explosion hazard.

Cellulose attic insulation is a ground-up paper product, with a fire-retardant added. Some of the manufacturers prior to 1978 did not use the proper amount of fire-retardant, and their product will burn like old newspaper.

Movement in this large roof structure had caused some of the collar-ties to pop loose, and others were near collapse. This was causing visible sags on the main roof surfaces.

The combination of Non-IC (Non-Insulation Contact) rated recessed light fixtures with older cellulose attic insulation, has been the source of many house fires around the country.

PB (PolyButylene) water lines are part of a large class action lawsuit due to leakage problems, and it is a good thing they are not very common here in Blount County. All of the systems I have seen have had some leakage or repair.

The center support beam of this very large new two-story house had sunk downward by at least 1 inch, affecting the floors in the entire house. This was not going to be an easy repair.

This is the problematic Federal Pacific 'Stab-Lok' Electric Panel. The circuit breakers from this manufacturer have a high failure rate, and it is common to find arc damage at the bus bar mounting.

Small-sized aluminum branch wiring is fortunately not very common in Blount County. The expansion and corrosion of the aluminum has a tendency to loosen the connections, and in this particular panel some of the insulation was starting to melt.

There is a batch of Square -D ARC FAULT circuit breakers that are part of a safety re-call, due to a high failure rate. These breakers show up in some of the houses here in East Tennessee.

This was an interesting discovery. The 240 volt receptacle for the window air-conditioner, had the same phase on both prongs of the receptacle. As you could imagine, the AC did not work.

The gas flame of this direct-vent water heater was producing over 2,000 PPM of carbon monoxide. This exhaust was located below the front door, and it made you dizzy to stand on the front porch.

Knob-n-Tube wiring was installed in houses from the turn-of-the-century to the 1940's, and it is common to find energized sections of it in older homes. The deterioration of the insulation and the potential of heat buildup, reduces the safety of this system.

The plywood roof deck of this house was being damaged by water infiltration in multiple places due to the severe deterioration of the roof shingles.

A burst of wind had blown off a corner of the plywood roof deck along with a section of the metal ridge vent. This was allowing water to infiltrate into the soffit overhang and into the attic space.

If the spin-indicator on the water utility meter is turning without an apparent reason, it often indicates an underground water leak somewhere in the main yard-line. This can be an expensive repair.

These piggyback roof trusses have not been properly secured to the lower trusses, which increases the potential for structural damage during wind and snow loads.

The water pressure at this house was 150 PSI, which significantly increases the potential for pipe leakage, and will more quickly wear out the various fixture valves. Defective pressure regulators, of all ages, are a common discovery.

Damaged or poorly installed vent pipes for gas water heaters is a common discovery. This increases the potential for both a fire or carbon monoxide hazard to develop.

If the yard grading is directing water toward a house, the potential for deterioration and termites increases substantially. The yard grading at this house was actually causing a small pond to form against the rear wall.

It is common to find at least some water leakage at the edge of most masonry chimneys, but if the leakage is severe then the roof flashing needs attention.

Older GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt) protection devices, BOTH circuit breakers and wall receptacles, often become defective and need to be replaced. GFCI devices can reduce severe shock or electrocution potential to a small bee sting.

On houses from the late 1980’s to the mid 1990’s it is fairly common to find roofs that do not have roofing felt installed under the shingles, and this lack of felt has a tendency to increase leakage. (Some thought that the roof felt decreased the life of the shingles.)

If the fins of the HVAC condenser coils become clogged, the efficiency of the air-conditioning or heat pump can suffer dramatically. A common source of clogging is the lint from a clothes dryer exhaust that is located too close to the unit.

This entire chimney had become detached from the house, and could be rocked back-n-forth. A strong gust of wind could lay it flat on the ground.

If a house has metal water lines, and the whirlpool bathtub pump is a grounded type, it is required that the pump motor be bonded to the water lines. This is a common oversight.

Bird screens on the intake and the exhaust of a high-efficiency furnace, may seem like a small thing, but it is important. It is common to find nests and dead birds inside these pipes, which reduces carbon monoxide safety.