Our inspector missed a leaky pipe in the wall and we found out the hard way

We closed on a 1970s ranch house in Portland back in March and everything looked fine on the inspection report. Two weeks later I noticed the drywall in the laundry room starting to bubble and peel. Turns out there was a slow leak behind the wall where the copper pipe met the washing machine valve. The inspector never ran a full pressure test on the lines, just turned the water on for a minute and called it good. We had to cut out three feet of drywall and replace a rotted stud. Cost us $1,200 out of pocket and a weekend of sweat. Now I always ask the inspector to run every fixture and leave the water running for at least 10 minutes. Anybody else gotten burned by something the inspector totally skipped over?

3 comments

3 Comments

lisa_murray18d ago

$1,200 seems like a drop in the bucket for a 1970s house though.

linda_butler2818d ago

Totally agree Lisa, $1,200 for a 70s house is nothing. I had to drop almost double that on mine just to fix the dang leaky roof and rewire a couple outlets that were scary old. These houses come with so many hidden surprises it feels like you're always playing catch-up.

julia84318d ago

These houses come with so many hidden surprises" - you said it, but I think "discoveries" might fit better. Some of those old wiring and plumbing issues are definitely not surprises, more like ticking time bombs waiting to drain your wallet lol. At least once you fix them you know the house is solid for another 30 years.