Upscale Home Inspections, LLC

1) General information: Safety, Repair/Replace - This property has one or more fuel burning appliances, and no carbon monoxide alarms are visible. This is a safety hazard. Recommend installing one or more carbon monoxide alarms as necessary and as per the manufacturer's instructions. For more information, visit
Carbon Monoxide Questions and Answers
4) Exterior: Safety, Repair/Replace, Evaluate - Guardrails are loose and/or wobbly in one or more areas. This is a safety hazard. A qualified contractor should evaluate and make repairs as necessary, such as installing new fasteners or hardware, installing additional fasteners and/or installing additional railing components as necessary so they are securely attached.
5) Exterior: Safety, Evaluate - One or more large, possibly dead trees on the property may be likely to fall on the structure, and are a potential safety hazard. Recommend consulting with a qualified arborist to determine if tree(s) need to be removed and/or pruned.
6) Exterior: Repair/Maintain - Soil is in contact with or less than six inches from siding and/or trim. This is a conducive condition for wood destroying insects and organisms. Soil should be graded and/or removed as necessary so there are at least six inches of space between the siding and trim and the soil below.
7) Exterior: Repair/Maintain - One or more gutters are missing. This can result in water accumulating around the structure's foundation, or in basements and crawl spaces if they exist. Accumulated water is a conducive condition to wood destroying insects and organisms, and may also cause the foundation to settle and possibly fail over time. A qualified contractor should install gutters and downspouts where missing. Also, extensions such as splashblocks or tie-ins to underground drain lines should be installed as necessary to carry rain water away from the house.
8) Exterior: Maintain, Comment - Vegetation such as trees, shrubs and/or vines are in contact with or less than one foot from the structure's exterior. Vegetation can serve as a conduit for wood destroying insects and may retain moisture against the exterior after it rains. Vegetation should be pruned and/or removed as necessary to maintain a one foot clearance between it and the structure's exterior.
9) Roof: Maintain - Debris has accumulated in one or more gutters. This is a conducive condition for wood destroying insects since gutters may overflow and cause water to come in contact with the structure's exterior or make water accumulate around the foundation. Gutters should be cleaned now and as necessary in the future.
10) Garage: Repair/Maintain - Weatherstrip at the sides and/or bottom of the vehicle door is substandard. It should be replaced where necessary to prevent water and vermin intrusion.
14) Kitchen: Repair/Maintain - Caulk is missing and/or deteriorated where countertops meet backsplashes in wet areas, such as around sinks. Caulk should be replaced where deteriorated and/or applied where missing to prevent water damage.
15) Bathrooms: Repair/Replace - The bathtub in master bath drains drains slowly. Appears to be inadequate venting. Drain(s) should be checked by a qualified plumber if necessary.
16) Bathrooms: Repair/Replace - Shower door seal leaking near bottom of door.
17) Bathrooms: Repair/Maintain - One or more sink stopper mechanisms are missing, or need adjustment or repair. Stopper mechanisms should be installed where missing and/or repairs should be made so sink stoppers open and close easily.
18) Interior rooms: Repair/Replace, Evaluate - Screen(s) in one or more windows are missing. The client(s) should ask the property owner(s) about this. Screens are often removed for window cleaning and they may be stored somewhere. If not, then recommend installing screens where missing.
19) Interior rooms: Repair/Replace - Door stops are missing in one or more areas.
20) Interior rooms: Repair/Maintain, Evaluate - Squeaking or creaking noises occur when walking on one or more sections of flooring. This is usually caused by substandard construction practices where the subfloor decking is not adequately fastened to the framing below. For example, not enough glue was used and/or nails were used rather than screws. In most cases, this is only an annoyance rather than a structural problem. Various solutions such as Squeeeeek No More and Counter Snap fasteners exist to correct this. Repairs to eliminate the squeaks or creaks may be more or less difficult depending on the floor covering, and the access to the underside of the subfloor. Recommend having a qualified contractor evaluate and repair as necessary.
21) Interior rooms: Monitor - Stains were found in one or more ceiling areas. However, no elevated levels of moisture were found. The stain(s) may be due to past roof and/or plumbing leaks. Recommend asking the property owner(s) about this, and monitoring the stained area(s) in the future, especially after heavy or prolonged rain. If elevated moisture is found in the future, a qualified contractor should evaluate and repair as necessary.