Home inspection limited by snow
Q. A home inspector is scheduled to look at the house I'm buying, and I'm concerned about whether a roof inspection will be possible. All of the roofs in my town are covered with snow, which will prevent the inspector from checking this part of the building. What can a homebuyer do in this situation?
A. This is a common winter-weather problem for home inspectors in snowy locations. Evaluating roof conditions is of utmost importance when buying a home, but snow cover can sometimes make this part of the inspection difficult or impossible.
The basic limitation of every home inspection is that only visible portions of a property can be evaluated, and this is an impediment when doing a winter home purchase in a cold climate. Not only roofing, but pavement, site grading, ground drainage, lower portions of walls, exterior plumbing and electrical components, and more, can be hidden from view during a snowy-winter home inspection.
In some cases, depending upon the degree of iciness and the depth of snow, it may be possible to clear portions of the roof prior to commencing the inspection, but this may cause roofing damage and possible injury to those performing the work. Most often, it is necessary to await the spring thaw, which may not occur until after the close of escrow.
When snow and ice preclude the possibility of a thorough property inspection, buyers and sellers can instruct the escrow company to withhold an agreed amount of the sellers' proceeds until weather conditions enable completion of the home inspection process. If problems are discovered at that time, escrow funds can be used for needed repairs. The remainder can then be released to the seller. Unfortunately, not all sellers will agree to withhold funds. It's a matter to be negotiated.
Q. My home was just inspected for the buyers, and one item in the home inspector's report has caused disagreement. The door of my stall shower swings inward. It has been this way since the house was built and has never been a problem. In fact, I prefer it this way because it keeps water from dripping on the bathroom floor when the door is opened. The buyer wants the door to swing outward, as advised by the home inspector, but this seems to me to be a pointless alteration. What is your opinion?
A. The home inspector's recommendation is by no means "pointless." Shower doors that are hinged are required, for safety reasons, to swing outward, rather than toward the interior of the shower stall.
Imagine, if you will, that an accident has occurred in a shower: Someone has slipped and fallen against the door, which would ordinarily have swung open when pushed. Instead, the glass has broken upon impact because the door is unable to swing outward. Worst still, suppose someone has lost consciousness in a shower, be it the result of fainting, heart attack, stroke, etc. You find this person, a family member, lying on the floor of the stall. The door cannot be opened because the prostrate victim is lying against it. What do you do?
These are among the considerations that gave rise to the code requirement, which states "hinged shower doors shall swing outward."
In addition, this seems to be an inexpensive repair and a minor disagreement, neither of which should hold up the sale of a house.
• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
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