Landscape 'inspection'?

16 years ago

I think I was trying to get at something on the thread about design problems and never got there.

It is usual to have (and to pay for) a "home inspection" and even to get other known experts to give a house a going-over before buying. I guess these guys sometimes identify really severe drainage probs, primarily those that would affect the house structure itself.

But, there isn't really a parallel "landscape inspection"! There could be, of course. Aimed at, what have we got here, what are the possibilities, what things will be really hard to fix or develop, etc.

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Comments (7)

Embothrium
16 years ago
Someone that interested could hire a consultant.
Saypoint zone 6 CT
16 years ago
One inspection I had a couple of years ago included comments about the condition and placement of large trees, as well potential drainage problems on a sloped lot. Not in-depth, but helpful.
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Agree with annkathryn that this is pretty common in Northern California. I'd say well over half of the homes we looked at in the Bay Area had seller inspections (and 80%+ of the "good" homes we looked at--the ones without seller inspections tended to be distress sales, probate, etc.) In our case, our seller had the inspection done several months before she intended to sell--and then corrected all of the major issues (aging roof, drainage, etc.) When the house was shown, a notebook that included both the original inspection and all of the documentation of corrections sat on the table. This was further than most sellers went--but was one of the reasons we decided to make an offer. (We even wound up waiving our buyer inspection, since we knew and had faith in the companies who had done the original inspections and work--ten months later, no surprises or regrets yet!) But honestly, apart from the cost I don't see much reason not to do it, if you're in an area where inspections are generally solid and you have any concerns about your home's condition. Yes, you have to disclose the results--but then both you and potential buyers will know about them and you won't wind up having to discount an offer when you discover something major in the buyer inspection. Alternatively, you can opt to repair things, which might be cheaper than the discount you'd be asked to give. (Exception to this might be if you're in an area where inspections often miss big issues, in which case I guess you might want to lay low and not open up that box.)
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Comments (18)
First and foremost, I'm not trying to be snide, but seriously, you get what you pay for...and $250.00 for a home inspection pretty much gets you a walk through...which is probably why he missed the red flags. That said, lets talk about those red flags. The sealer alone is not a red flag...because bottom line is that chances are that at some point most basements will experience water intrusion even if they have gone for years and never had a drop. This is because things change....the most obvious is development, which creates more impervious coverage, so the water flows to places that it never did before...often entering basements. The weather pattern has also been very weird for at least few years now, in terms of sometimes raining for days on end, overwhelminmg even the driest of basements. This is why many places are enacting new storm water management measures etc. That said, it is pro-active to seal the basement walls with seller...so that is not necessarily a "red flag". It is also best to have a sump pump? Do you have one? If not...have one installed. A friend who has owned his house since new 15 years ago had a flood in his basement for the first time a few months ago...a sump pump would have saved him a lot of grief. Of course, IF the staining along the floor and walls were present on the day of inspection, and did not develop between the day of inspection and the day you closed, and IF it was not concealed by the sellers possessions...yes, he should have noticed this and reported it.. If he took pictures of the basement and you have them to prove that the staining was present, you can make a case for money back. Otherwise, probably not. The porch is whole different story, as all of that should have been reported. If he did not include that in his report, I would send him documentation of what he missed, and tell him you want him to refund the cost of the inspection for that reason alone, water intrusion or not. However, you may need to prove that the porch issue caused water to intrude. You still have not said what the waterproofing company plans on doing about the water main issue, and the unknown source. Until you have definitive info on all of this, IMO, he will probably not comply as he can say that you can't pinpoint the cause as being the porch. Before spending huge bucks on the WP company, hire a professional landscaper to check the grade...as that could be your problem. You may also want to hire a forensic HI, to see if he can determine where the problem is coming form...as water has a funny way of appearing no where near the actual source of entry. Expect to pay at least $500.00. Last but not least...what state do you live in? I can check for you to see if they regulate the HI profession..if so, you should report him to the licensing board..or at least tell him you will..as that has far more impact than the BBB. .
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Yes, it had an inspection period and in it we agreed to a final inspection just prior to closing. We initially were only worried about HVAC. The buyers did add "as-is" to the contract after the sale previously. Any finding if positive are owner responsibility and very expensive to remediate also very dangerous to live with. I was appalled at finding out this was a possibility in this home. We did offer to extend closing pending results to any future date. It also hits the 3 issues I was advised to look for: have a cat or litter box, new fully redone kitchen or new carpet in certain areas, and no smoke alarms or CO2 detectors. I really hope it's just happenstance. I truly believe these are kind loving parents who may not know what happened during a vacation or prolonged stay. I simply cannot risk the safety. My realtor said at this point it would probably be a judgement but said after the findings we have a strong case. "Having a large contingency right up to the day of closing would irritate any seller." Yes, we are in the same boat, beyond irritated and upset. Initial disclosure was inaccurate but we moved on previously.
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Comments (13)
It has become my policy to hire experts for inspections. It always seems that home inspectors always note problems with the caveat to consult a professional. It gets them out of all sorts of trouble. I do the obvious stuff myself, appliances, broken windows and locks. Open and close all the doors and windows. I inspect around the foundation and the basement. Check all of the hand rails and banisters to be certain they are solid. Any wiggle and they need repair. A phone to take pictures, a flashlight and a screwdriver are useful. I use a flashlight to look at the drywall in all the rooms. Turn off the lights when you do this. This will allow you to see if there is any water intrusion or buckling. Having the lights on will hide drywall problems. I hire my HVAC guy to inspect the units. I also hire my plumber, electrician and roofer to do specialized inspections, too. You absolutely need a pool inspection of both the equipment and leak detection. For this house you will need a stucco inspection with a moisture meter reading underneath each window, both interior and exterior as well as around the doors. You can hire an independent remediation contractor to do this job. Just because they did the repairs doesn't mean that it was all fixed properly. The owner may not even know. The remediation guys will have the meter and know how to use it. I suggest a structural engineer if you have any idea that there may be a problem with the retaining wall or drainage. Don't hire one if it looks good to you. They can also help you with the foundation. It's a great idea to have a tree guy out to look at the health of the trees. I've learned the hard way about the trees. If there is a sprinkler and alarm system, be certain to run them both to find out if they are fully operational. Just be sure to get a written report from each specialist with an estimate of the cost to cure should anything be found. In my state, a termite inspection with a clearance report is required in order to transfer the property. Blow off the little stuff that inspectors always flag.
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muddydogs
16 years ago
You need to point out any problems with the property. I made the mistake of trusting the real estate agent and the home inspector and the bank with a home I bought. Yes you have to pay for a home inspection but it's wasted money if you rely on others who will profit by selling and making money off of your ignorance.
perel
16 years ago
Also, most regular "home inspections" aren't all that thorough.. inspectors miss a LOT. Landscaping is just like any other major house system - if you have reason to be concerned, you need to have a specialist review it. Just like how you would want to have an actual electrician review the electrical system in an 80-year-old house, since the glance-over a general purpose home inspection will give it isn't going to be detailed enough.

I agree that general house inspections should include some basics - I would think that condition and placement of large trees, obvious drainage issues, etc, would be in scope.

I do like the idea of "landscape inspections" though - it sounds like a real business opportunity for someone with the right skillset who could really market themselves to homebuyers.
squirrelheaven
16 years ago
There's an arborist company around here that can inspect your property for the landscaping portion of things. I don't know how heavily they get into drainage and other site problems, but I'd think a consult with a couple of landscape architects might be beneficial. Trouble there is they may be trying to sell their services at the same time. Certainly worth an opinion before buying though. I'm sure they'd give you a heads up on any serious problems anyway.
prairiegirlz5
16 years ago
frankie, you have identified an opportunity to offer a service that could benefit many an unsuspecting home-buyer! It's the old principle of "see a need, fill a need" that drives the creation of any successful business.

This is our first home. We were lulled into a false sense of security by our home inspector, who was recommended to us by a friend in real estate, not our agent(in an effort to get a totally unbiased opinion). There is an ash tree on the property line boundary...The details aren't important, but you have hit a nerve. I intend to hire an arborist consultant before purchasing another property. You can't resolve a problem until you identify it...

...back to lurking...
Frankie_in_zone_7
Original Author
16 years ago
The most obvious use might well be for visible problems slope, wet zones, or trees.

I had in mind a something a bit different, in which a person reaches some stage of life in which he desires to do some serious "gardening" and begins to identify types of properties, or a series of properties, that might be suitable for that, but would have pros & cons. A more extreme case might be someone buying a farm property or some major parcel of land--; perhaps there are specific experts on that as well.

Of course, a person who is enough of an landscape/garden enthusiast to make use of the information in a landscape inspection might also be knowledgable enough not to need one.

Landscape 'inspection'?

Comments (7)

Embothrium

Saypoint zone 6 CT

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Landscape 'inspection'?

Comments (7)

Embothrium

Saypoint zone 6 CT

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muddydogs

perel

squirrelheaven

prairiegirlz5

Frankie_in_zone_7Original Author

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Frankie_in_zone_7
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