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Woman on Phone

Real Stories From Our Clients

Hidden Mold

A young couple in Idaho Falls contacted us to say they purchased a home a few years ago and that their inspector didn't identify any significant issues. However, soon after moving in, their son began to get very sick and ended up getting hospitalized several times as the years went on. The health issues were mainly respiratory-related. They tried humidifiers, air purifiers, etc., but nothing helped. 

We arrived and, after thoroughly inspecting the home, noticed that the bathroom fans were venting straight into the attic, and the attic lacked adequate ventilation (only roof vents were present). As a result, their attic space had significant mold growth above their son's bedroom and play area. 

We took air samples in the rooms where their son spends the most time, and sure enough, the samples showed very high levels of mold. The type of mold the doctor said the child was very allergic to. After explaining to them the process for mitigating mold and preventing its return, we returned several weeks later to retest the home's air. The air test came back clean! After checking in later, they informed us that their child's health was improving.

Failed Sewer Line

A young couple in Pocatello was looking to buy their first home. The home was located in Old Town, which has homes built in the early 1900s. They were debating whether we should also inspect the sewer pipe during the home inspection. 

They ended up adding the sewer scope inspection, and after inspecting the pipe, we found it was an Orangeburg pipe (bituminized fiber pipe). The pipe had several areas that were deformed, twisted, and beginning to pinch. Although water was still flowing through this pipe, no one knew how much longer it would be before it fully collapsed. 

Luckily, they were able to work with the sellers to get that sewer line replaced! Sewerline replacements are usually $5,000-$10,000, but can cost more!

New Construction Home Water Leak

While inspecting the attic space of a new construction home in Rigby, we noticed a few wet spots in the insulation. Upon further inspection, we realized that there was visible daylight around the plumbing vent pipes going through the roof! After reentering the living space, a thermal scan showed several rooms on the 2nd level with cold spots, indicating they were wet. 

After going outside and inspecting the roof with a drone, we found that the contractors had forgotten to install flashing around all the plumbing vent pipes and to seal the water heater exhaust pipe. While no one was living in this home, we looked at other homes in the same development that already had people living in them, and they ALL had the same issue on the roof!
 

Custom Home Missing Insulation

A custom home in the foothills of Idaho Falls had very tall ceilings and really nice finish work. The house was about 10 years old, and the people selling it were the ones who had the home built. At the end of the home inspection, while we were doing our usual thermal scan, we noticed that most of the tall exterior walls in the main living space were missing insulation, and the 2nd level of the home had no insulation installed in the ceiling! Luckily, the buyers were able to negotiate with the current owners to have insulation added where it was missing.

🔥Animals Chew Wiring in Attic

A lovely home in the heart of Idaho Falls had very nice trim, cabinets, carpets, appliances, you name it. However, during the inspection, we noticed a strong odor near one of the living room windows. After further inspection, we found a dead squirrel in the air duct. 

After going into the attic, we found that animals had compacted every square inch of insulation. All of the wiring for the lights throughout the 4,000 sq ft home was not only exposed, but also chewed up. All the HVAC ducts and bathroom fan ducts in the attic were destroyed (most likely how the animals got into the HVAC system). Luckily, there was no fire, and the sellers are now able to fix these issues before anything catches on fire.
 

New Construction Home Roof Replaced

Once we got onto the roof of a new construction home in Shelley, we quickly found the shingles were in very poor condition. The roof looked like a hailstorm had hit it. There was damage everywhere, and many areas that were heavily walked on. The buyer ended up having the builder address this issue.

After the issue was "fixed," the buyer asked us to return to reinspect the roof. Upon reinspecting the roof, we found a couple of spots with sealant. Other than that, the roof damage remained. After a couple of months, we heard they had the builder re-evaluate it, and this time the entire roof was replaced. These kinds of issues could have quickly become the homeowner's responsibility had they not gotten a home inspection done before closing.
 

Mold Causes Apartment Building Tenants to get Sick

During the inspection of a fourplex in Rexburg, we quickly found that, after going from unit to unit, inspecting and talking to the tenants, many of them had gotten sick more often than they had before moving into the building. At the end of the inspection, we noticed that there was no attic ventilation other than the roof vents. After entering the attic, we saw that every inch of the roof structure was black, wet, and covered in mold. None of the bathroom fans vented to the exterior, and mold was found in all bathrooms and bedrooms across all units. The humidity in the attic was so high that water was dripping through the soffit and onto the exterior.

💧 Hidden Water Leak in Bathroom Ceiling

Our client, who was purchasing a cabin in Island Park, also asked us to perform a Mold air test. This cabin had neither an attic nor a crawlspace. This means that if there were any mold or water leakage, it would most likely be hidden. We performed the mold air test a few days before the inspection. The air test revealed the presence of Stachybotrys in the basement. 

The good thing about the procedures we follow at Vantage Point Inspections is that we can usually force those hidden leaks to appear. At the end of the inspection, we found three hidden water leaks with an infrared camera, then confirmed them with a moisture detector. Two of the leaks were from the 2nd-level bathroom toilet and shower. The other leak was from the main-floor bathtub, which was leaking into the basement bathroom ceiling. These water leaks were most likely what caused the mold test to come back positive for Stachybotrys. 

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