Beware of the DIY'er!

A Dash of Honesty

I must confess that in the past I have fallen victim to three day binges of HGTV of which I resurfaced with an overwhelming desire to upgrade an area of my home. This was coupled with a new found confidence that I could manage the project on my own, complete it in only a couple hours, and remain well under budget.

This generally was not the case and hindsight always presented a more realistic picture. The Do-It-Yourself'er is a brave soul.

A Bit of Caution

When performing a home inspection, I often find what appears to be the work of a DIY'er. Some of the time the work is fine and not a concern but sometimes it is worth mentioning. Common issues are usually found with water heaters and electrical installations. The pictures show a 14/3 NM-B (Romex) electrical wire connected to a 12/2 NM-B (Romex) wire in the attic of a Tallahassee home - clearly the work of a DIY'er. 

The red wire (hot) was not connected and was exposed which was one issue. I traced it to the panel where I  found it unconnected as well. It appears that the 14/3 wire was used until it ran out, and then 12/2 was used during the rest of the installation - likely because it was available. 

Another concern is that none of the connections were inside junction boxes. There were about 4-5 recessed lights found which were wired this way. The home buyers were happy to learn about this issue and were able to have it repaired before moving into their new home!

Thomas Ailstock, CPI - FL# HI9155

Blue Bear Home Inspection, LLC

Tallahassee Home Inspector

Dedicated to providing the Best Service Possible