Before purchasing our house, my husband and I paid for a home inspection.
We knew that the property needed a lot of repairs and work.
The roof was missing shingles and leaking in places. Because of this, there was significant water damage to the ceilings and walls. The windows were extremely old, single pane and most were painted shut. They leaked a tremendous amount of air. There was no insulation in the walls, and both the electrical and plumbing systems were outdated. We needed to replace light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, major appliances and the water heater. It was necessary to take most of the rooms down to the bare studs. Opening up the walls allowed us to easily access the wiring, water pipes and drains. Our project was time-consuming, labor-intensive and messy. However, our efforts exposed the ductwork. The home inspector had mentioned nothing about the integrity of the duct system. We discovered that the pipes were poorly designed and in terrible condition. There were vents in the walls with no ductwork attached to them. There were gaps in the seams, holes, tight bends and corrosion. Some of the pipes were completely crushed. The entirety of the duct system needed to be replaced. This was a major expense that we hadn’t planned on. It was necessary to hire an HVAC contractor with sheet metal fabrication capabilities. We ended up investing into a new furnace and air conditioner as well. Although the project was extremely expensive, it is very nice having a properly designed and brand new heating and cooling system. Our house is perfectly comfortable no matter what the weather brings.