# Was our house used for growing pot? And what should we do now?



## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

This weekend my husband went up to the roof to clean it and just check it out. This was his first time up there. We had an inspection on buying the house and the inspector said it was fine. Well my husband discovered two large south facing skylights that would shine into the attic, if they werent covered from the inside with plywood. The attic is only about 3ft high, so I can’t imagine anyone wanting to finish it and the skylights straddle a wall below, so they wouldn’t work opening them to the house. So only logical reason would be to grow plants in the attic. Now other things are coming to mind, like a weird irrigation system outside and some handyman wiring, though the wiring isn’t as extensive as you would need for a big growing operation. I’m concerned about potential problems were haven’t found yet related to growing pot in a house. I’m also concerned about the structural integrity of the house and roof. I doubt this was permitted, though I’ve requested records from the city to check. What do I do from here? None of this was disclosed and our inspector dropped the ball.


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## SLSTech (Jan 19, 2021)

Anything is possible & if so they probably used the skylights for the lighting so no need for artificial lights or power. The main thing to worry about is mold up there as the moisture loads are enormous. No mold - no issues / structural for the most part should easily be seen


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## Unassailable (Aug 14, 2021)

If you think they used the skylights to grow "pot", then you are mistaken. Now, if they were amateur botanists that enjoyed indoor plants or growing seedlings, then maybe. 

You have a picture?


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## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

Gotta love a good mystery!

I wouldn't assume a grow operation. Those would usually not use natural light. There would be lots of grow lights, and provisions for ventilation and watering. I suppose you could use skylights for ventilation, but I think a fan is more common.

Could the house originally have had cathedral ceilings, with the attic and flat ceiling added afterward? Were they skylights just crudely boarded up from inside, or are you looking at part of the roof sheathing?


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## Steve2444 (Sep 28, 2020)

Do you feel the need for munchies?


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Alikmcc said:


> What do I do from here?


Hopefully the skylights are in a nice location where you could build tunnels to the living area.


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## u2slow (Feb 9, 2012)

Do you fear that a few basic houseplants would damage a house too?

The growing that is damaging to homes are high-yield operations - normally using high-intensity lighting (not natural) and hydroponics. Its like running a greenhouse indoors.


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Go into the attic and inspect. If it is a problem you will find mold growing everywhere. If there is no mold then I don't think you have anything to be concerned about even if it was a grow op.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

The skylights were likely there before the wall below.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

CaptTom said:


> Gotta love a good mystery!
> 
> I wouldn't assume a grow operation. Those would usually not use natural light. There would be lots of grow lights, and provisions for ventilation and watering. I suppose you could use skylights for ventilation, but I think a fan is more common.
> 
> Could the house originally have had cathedral ceilings, with the attic and flat ceiling added afterward? Were they skylights just crudely boarded up from inside, or are you looking at part of the roof sheathing?


probably not a grow operation, maybe just for personal use or selling to friends and local shops. Idk. We live in Oregon and it’s legal here. The property is also nearly a half acre and wooded all around. Maybe he was starting seedlings up there, then moving them outside in the spring. There is a bunch of odd irrigation running to no plants in the backyard. There is a ton of ventilation added in the attic and a few outlets that look newer. Don’t know why’d you need outlets in an attic. As far as I know, the house hasn’t been remodeled, the trusses and ceiling joists look original. The bedroom and hallway ceilings that the skylights are above also look original. The boards look like sheathing to me, and there also looked to be some kind of insulation under the glass, there is moisture too.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

Nealtw said:


> The skylights were likely there before the wall below.


Yea I doubt it. I don’t think the layout has changed. There are three very small bedrooms down one hallway. The skylights are above the hallway wall. If there wasn’t a wall there at some point, there is no reason for that space, it’s not adjacent to a living room or anything. It is a very standard 1979 split level floor plan. And it has original everything.


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

I've known people who have had to reroof, and decided to install a couple skylights for a future remodel while they were at it (hallway, bathrooms). Opened up the holes a year or two later.
An easy tell would be if there is a floor to walk on or hold seedling flats, and I'm sure it would be a mess and if not, there would be a consistent layer of dust everywhere if it was only an attic and not used for any storage.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

u2slow said:


> Do you fear that a few basic houseplants would damage a house too?
> 
> The growing that is damaging to homes are high-yield operations - normally using high-intensity lighting (not natural) and hydroponics. Its like running a greenhouse indoors.


I was most concerned about the integrity of the roof structure. You can’t just cut into a roof Willy nilly. And these were obviously unpermitted. We also wanted to add skylights to the bathroom and living room, obviously permitted. Now that is likely going to be a problem. Also any handyman wiring up there is possible dangerous. It looks like there were four outlets added in the attic.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

3onthetree said:


> I've known people who have had to reroof, and decided to install a couple skylights for a future remodel while they were at it (hallway, bathrooms). Opened up the holes a year or two later.
> An easy tell would be if there is a floor to walk on or hold seedling flats, and I'm sure it would be a mess and if not, there would be a consistent layer of dust everywhere if it was only an attic used for storage.


There is plywood on the ceiling joists under the skylights, but not on the other side. And there is a wall under the attic where the skylights are, so unless the plan is to have a wall in the middle of the skylight, I don’t think there was any intention to open it up to the house. They are also half over the most sunny room in the house. There are plenty of places that the house could use extra light, that room is not one of them.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

3onthetree said:


> I've known people who have had to reroof, and decided to install a couple skylights for a future remodel while they were at it (hallway, bathrooms). Opened up the holes a year or two later.
> An easy tell would be if there is a floor to walk on or hold seedling flats, and I'm sure it would be a mess and if not, there would be a consistent layer of dust everywhere if it was only an attic used for storage.


Also the attic is strangely clean. Not dusty at all.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

joed said:


> Go into the attic and inspect. If it is a problem you will find mold growing everywhere. If there is no mold then I don't think you have anything to be concerned about even if it was a grow op.


We had the house fogged for mold.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

SPS-1 said:


> Hopefully the skylights are in a nice location where you could build tunnels to the living area.


Unfortunately, they are in virtually the only location that wouldn’t benefit from them. Literally anywhere else I would love skylights.


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## u2slow (Feb 9, 2012)

Alikmcc said:


> I was most concerned about the integrity of the roof structure. You can’t just cut into a roof Willy nilly. And these were obviously unpermitted. We also wanted to add skylights to the bathroom and living room, obviously permitted. Now that is likely going to be a problem. Also any handyman wiring up there is possible dangerous. It looks like there were four outlets added in the attic.


Sounds like you have handyman issues moreso than post-grow-op issues.

Are the rafters intact with skylights between them? Or have rafters been cut to fit them in? The former wouldn't concern me, so long as they don't leak. Delete them on the next roof re-do.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

I think the rafters are intact, I just looked. Thanks, that’s less worrisome then.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

So what's the issue?
If they give you lemons you make lemonade, have someone open up the ceiling, add a tunnel and add light to the room below, or just remove the sky lights.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

Unassailable said:


> If you think they used the skylights to grow "pot", then you are mistaken. Now, if they were amateur botanists that enjoyed indoor plants or growing seedlings, then maybe.
> 
> You have a picture?


Why am I mistaken? It’s Oregon, it’s legal. What else would


joecaption said:


> So what's the issue?
> If they give you lemons you make lemonade, have someone open up the ceiling, add a tunnel and add light to the room below, or just remove the sky lights.


i am worried about the integrity of the roof, also we want to add skylights in other areas of the house. This seems problematic now. There would be absolutely no reason to open those up to the house, you wouldn’t gain anything.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

Unassailable said:


> If you think they used the skylights to grow "pot", then you are mistaken. Now, if they were amateur botanists that enjoyed indoor plants or growing seedlings, then maybe.
> 
> You have a picture?


Why?


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## Unassailable (Aug 14, 2021)

Because it is better and more efficient to set up an enclosed room with lights. You can't effectively flower and harvest with skylights. You'll never get your ROI.


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## joe-nwt (Jul 15, 2020)

Pretty sure if pot was grown in your house you would smell it.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

joe-nwt said:


> Pretty sure if pot was grown in your house you would smell it.


The house was vacant for over a year before we purchased it


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

Unassailable said:


> Because it is better and more efficient to set up an enclosed room with lights. You can't effectively flower and harvest with skylights. You'll never get your ROI.


I guess it depends on how much you are growing. Lots of people in Oregon start plants inside then move them outside. I can’t think of any other reason for these skylights. Do you have any ideas?


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

joe-nwt said:


> Pretty sure if pot was grown in your house you would smell it.


Also there is a ton of added ventilation up there.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)




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## Thom Paine (Nov 24, 2021)

Maybe ? Could have been ? 

A drug and Illegal alien stash house ?

Maybe check with the DEA on that. 

Just more curiosity and wondering.


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## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

Alikmcc said:


> The house was vacant for over a year before we purchased it


Then you would really smell it.
Forget about the pot issue.
If you can incorporate the skylight into future renovations....great.
If not, oh well.
As others have mentioned, maybe a new roof was installed and the homeowner was thinking ahead for future use.
If they don't leak, don't worry about it.
I would uncover them and see if they have any issues. Quite a bit of heat may be produced and have no where to go since they are covered.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

Missouri Bound said:


> Then you would really smell it.
> Forget about the pot issue.
> If you can incorporate the skylight into future renovations....great.
> If not, oh well.
> ...


If you were planning a renovation, why would you place skylights across trusses and load bearing walls?


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

joecaption said:


> So what's the issue?
> If they give you lemons you make lemonade, have someone open up the ceiling, add a tunnel and add light to the room below, or just remove the sky lights.


No....IF anything the "attic" was a drying oven.....

My daughter bought (in Tiburon Ca) a small grow house. If I recall righht....they ran a 60A subpanel out to the garage (off and old FedPacific main) to power the garage for lights/heat/vaporization and as the grow place. 

Actually, the electrical was professionally run, with LiQ TIGHTt conduit, correct sub panel out there.

And , when I was under the kitchen counters doing something, I felt a metal box up under the counter in a cabinet. Yep... a safe....NOTHING IN IT THOUGH.

So look for a safe somewhere...otherwise no problem unless the electrical was done by an amateur, or there is any evidence of mold, or if some dealer thinks the address is still a score house.

Good luck with finding a safe..


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> No....IF anything the "attic" was a drying oven.....
> 
> My daughter bought (in Tiburon Ca) a small grow house. If I recall righht....they ran a 60A subpanel out to the garage (off and old FedPacific main) to power the garage for lights/heat/vaporization and as the grow place.
> 
> ...


That would be great, a safe with some money in it to offset the costs of all these undisclosed unpermitted “upgrades” this dude made and our useless inspector missed.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Alikmcc said:


> That would be great, a safe with some money in it to offset the costs of all these undisclosed unpermitted “upgrades” this dude made and our useless inspector missed.


Oh...By the way, if they were amateurs. look around for phony register vents where they usually hide the stash....

It's gotten really expensive and valuable now that the states have made it legal and regulate and tax it....

Find a good batch and you'll have a complete remodel at your fingertips.

*Be careful, though. !!!! * *now that it's legal. you can get in a chit load of trouble selling something legal.

Best to ya*


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> Oh...By the way, if they were amateurs. look around for phony register vents where they usually hide the stash....
> 
> It's gotten really expensive and valuable now that the states have made it legal and regulate and tax it....
> 
> ...


haha! Not sure I’m desperate enough to get into the pot peddling business! But ask me again if it turns out this roof needs to be replaced.


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## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

Alikmcc said:


> If you were planning a renovation, why would you place skylights across trusses and load bearing walls?


Anything can be changed.
Trusses are removed to vault a ceiling all of the time.
And installing skylights to grow plants in the attic?
That is completely insane.
Attics are unbearably hot in the summer, cold in the winter.....neither appropriate for plant growth.
Plants of any kind need daily maintenance. Can you imagine carrying water up there daily?
And 3' isn't tall enough to grow pot. 
Your paranoia makes me thing _*you're *_the one smoking pot.


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## Bill McC (Sep 15, 2021)

CaptTom said:


> Gotta love a good mystery!
> 
> I wouldn't assume a grow operation. Those would usually not use natural light. There would be lots of grow lights, and provisions for ventilation and watering. I suppose you could use skylights for ventilation, but I think a fan is more common.
> 
> Could the house originally have had cathedral ceilings, with the attic and flat ceiling added afterward? Were they skylights just crudely boarded up from inside, or are you looking at part of the roof sheathing?


They actually use liquid CO2 and close off all ventilation. It just keeps escaping out of any crack or crevice. 

Sincerely,

William McCormick


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## Bill McC (Sep 15, 2021)

Alikmcc said:


> This weekend my husband went up to the roof to clean it and just check it out. This was his first time up there. We had an inspection on buying the house and the inspector said it was fine. Well my husband discovered two large south facing skylights that would shine into the attic, if they werent covered from the inside with plywood. The attic is only about 3ft high, so I can’t imagine anyone wanting to finish it and the skylights straddle a wall below, so they wouldn’t work opening them to the house. So only logical reason would be to grow plants in the attic. Now other things are coming to mind, like a weird irrigation system outside and some handyman wiring, though the wiring isn’t as extensive as you would need for a big growing operation. I’m concerned about potential problems were haven’t found yet related to growing pot in a house. I’m also concerned about the structural integrity of the house and roof. I doubt this was permitted, though I’ve requested records from the city to check. What do I do from here? None of this was disclosed and our inspector dropped the ball.


You can put a skylight over a wall it actually looks pretty cool. As long as the opening does not cause privacy problems. 

Sincerely, 

William mcCormick


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## Unassailable (Aug 14, 2021)

Alikmcc said:


> I guess it depends on how much you are growing. Lots of people in Oregon start plants inside then move them outside. I can’t think of any other reason for these skylights. Do you have any ideas?


Do not take this the wrong way but you really have to get past the whole growing pot thing with a skylight. Especially after seeing the picture it makes no sense.

I will defer to all the more experienced individuals as to why it was added there but you already received good advice/theories. Good luck and congrats on your home.

Wait...I just solved it! The husband installed the skylight to have a hidden place where get away from his wife and smoke some pot.


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## Texican57 (11 mo ago)

Perhaps they liked sunbathing in the nude and were just a little too shy to do it where others could see?


I see light tubes in the roof that probably extended below the ceiling for natural light in dark areas like hallways.

Your imagination is running wild.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

Texican57 said:


> Perhaps they liked sunbathing in the nude and were just a little too shy to do it where others could see?
> 
> 
> I see light tubes in the roof that probably extended below the ceiling for natural light in dark areas like hallways.
> ...


Yeah the tube lights add light to the house and are in logical locations. Nobody’s given me any logical reason for the skylights. But I guess it doesn’t matter why, just that there are giant holes cut into my roof by some diyer.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

Unassailable said:


> Do not take this the wrong way but you really have to get past the whole growing pot thing with a skylight. Especially after seeing the picture it makes no sense.
> 
> I will defer to all the more experienced individuals as to why it was added there but you already received good advice/theories. Good luck and congrats on your home.
> 
> Wait...I just solved it! The husband installed the skylight to have a hidden place where get away from his wife and smoke some pot.


the skylights make no sense.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

Your inspector may not have stopped the ball.

Inspectors you hired for a property sale that collects a few hundred dollars for being there a few hours to do a broad stroke eye ball over the entire property.

They have a list of standard tests to do like flushing the toilet twice or measure temperature at an air conditioner vent, examining the electrical panel, water heater, walk on the roof, check appliances, look for cracks on walls inside and outside, nothing too exhaustive or invasive. They are to point out visually things that are potentially unsafe or problematic.

They are not there to tell you what is permitted or not. That is due diligence you must do, or hire someone to do. There are things someone can do that are professional and permitted, there are also things that someone does that are code compliant and professional but he opted to not go through the permitting process, and of course there are plenty of unpermitted and hack work. Hopefully your inspector caught some of those.

Code is a moving thing, what's code compliant in 1982 may not be code compliant today, but if it's permitted back then it's legal but non confirming. Your inspector is not going to note a lot of these situations, only obvious issues. He is also not going to play detective, like guessing why there are skylights in the attic, or outlets, although outlets are useful I'm the attic to plug in a work light, or if you have to do any work, to have an outlet for power tools instead of dragging a 100' long cord from below. I installed outlets in my attic and crawlspace for that reason.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

A chimney that was removed and in it's old footprint put in a skylight?


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

miamicuse said:


> Your inspector may not have stopped the ball.
> 
> Inspectors you hired for a property sale that collects a few hundred dollars for being there a few hours to do a broad stroke eye ball over the entire property.
> 
> ...


You hire someone to inspect the house to catch any safety concerns or large repairs. if I were an inspector and I went on a roof of a house and saw two skylights that were closed off to the house, I would mention them to the prospective buyer. I’m not saying that he was supposed to tell us that they were permitted or not. But he didn’t even tell us about them. He went into the attic. He looked at the roof. He also checked that our railings were satisfactory, and the balusters are about 7 inches apart. Which is not to code. My toddler fell through, down four feet to the ground. Luckily he was fine. I can make sure a toilet flushes on my own, that’s not what I’m paying someone for.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

miamicuse said:


> A chimney that was removed and in it's old footprint put in a skylight?


No, there is a large original fireplace in the living room. There would be no reason for a chimney to be in a small bedroom.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

Alikmcc said:


> You hire someone to inspect the house to catch any safety concerns or large repairs. if I were an inspector and I went on a roof of a house and saw two skylights that were closed off to the house, I would mention them to the prospective buyer. I’m not saying that he was supposed to tell us that they were permitted or not. But he didn’t even tell us about them. He went into the attic. He looked at the roof. He also checked that our railings were satisfactory, and the balusters are about 7 inches apart. Which is not to code. My toddler fell through, down four feet to the ground. Luckily he was fine. I can make sure a toilet flushes on my own, that’s not what I’m paying someone for.


Then you should have known that before hiring an inspector.

You hired him to check a list of things, these things are predetermined, and at the end of the day to produce a report containing 65 pages, as thick as a phone book, and 10% of it is information, 90% of it is boiler plate disclaimers and declarations that the inspector is not a subject matter expert in the relevant field and recommend you hire a plumber, an electrician, an HVAC tech, a roofer, a termite specialist, an appliance service, a foundation company etc etc etc...to do a more thorough evaluation.

For someone who is not familiar with construction, or for someone who is looking for items to negotiate the price down from the seller, an inspection can be helpful to some degree, if you are familiar with home construction somewhat, an inspector may not be helpful at all.

For example, inspectors can't tell if there is a roof leak. He can only guess at it if he sees water stains on the ceiling. A seller can easily hire that with some stain blocker and paint. The inspector is not going to crawl into the attic to look at each rafter to hunt for stain marks or termite infested hollows. Every inspector I have hired took a flashlight up into the attic, standing on the top rung of a ladder, do a 360 sweep while on the ladder and that's it. If they saw wet insulation, cut rafters or joists, a group of raccoons, termite pellets, exposed wiring splices they will note it.

If they see outlets in the attic there is no reason to document it unless those outlets look unsafe.

If they see skylights, unless it's actively leaking they are not going to spend time wondering why it's there. Down here in Florida our windstorm insurance requires a window and door inspection basically all the openings, to see how they are protected from wind storms. No protection, shutters, impact rated or not, skylights are considered to be windows in this case and they will note what kind, whether it can be opened, is the opening impact rated polycarbonate or glass etc.. 

Simply put, a home inspector will never be complete, exhaustive or truly thorough in the way you think.


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## YaterSpoon (Dec 1, 2016)

Hire an electrician to do a safety inspection. And a carpenter or roofer to look at the framing of the skylights. If you want to know if it was flashed properly, go with the roofer.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

YaterSpoon said:


> Hire an electrician to do a safety inspection. And a carpenter or roofer to look at the framing of the skylights. If you want to know if it was flashed properly, go with the roofer.


Thank you for your helpful post! I honestly just want to know what I should do to make sure things are safe. I’m not trying to argue with people that think I’m stupid for whatever reason.


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## joe-nwt (Jul 15, 2020)

Alikmcc said:


> But he didn’t even tell us about them. He went into the attic. He looked at the roof.


Didn't you go into the attic before buying the house?


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

miamicuse said:


> Then you should have known that before hiring an inspector.
> 
> You hired him to check a list of things, these things are predetermined, and at the end of the day to produce a report containing 65 pages, as thick as a phone book, and 10% of it is information, 90% of it is boiler plate disclaimers and declarations that the inspector is not a subject matter expert in the relevant field and recommend you hire a plumber, an electrician, an HVAC tech, a roofer, a termite specialist, an appliance service, a foundation company etc etc etc...to do a more thorough evaluation.
> 
> ...


The inspector should note anything that is out of the ordinary in his visual inspection. I’m not saying they should find any and every single flaw in the house. I’m not saying they shouldn’t miss anything at all. But a railing not to code and two giant skylights on the roof that aren’t open up to anything should be mentioned. He marked that windows and skylights and railings were satisfactory. I would say two skylights that are boarded up are not satisfactory. A railing with balusters 7 inches apart is not satisfactory. I don’t know how you are arguing with that?! There was literally a check list that he filled out that included these things and he did not write any notes about them.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

joe-nwt said:


> Didn't you go into the attic before buying the house?


You can’t see the skylights from the attic, and we didn’t go up on the roof. The inspector said the roof looked good. I also had a roof inspection done and they said they could fix some flashing around the solar tubes but other than that it looked fine. We are also not electricians or in construction. I would have no idea what to look for when it comes to wiring. I paid someone to inspect it because I do not have the expertise to say whether something like wiring or attic venting is abnormal. It looked like a normal attic to me.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

joe-nwt said:


> Didn't you go into the attic before buying the house?


Unless you went up to the roof you wouldn’t know those skylights were there. I would’ve assumed something abnormal like skylights that are closed off to the house would have been mentioned in our inspection. The inspector even took pictures of the roof, but not of the skylights. So we looked at the pictures and thought, yea the roof looks ok. There is also a solar panel up there. I don’t know why.


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## Texican57 (11 mo ago)

This may not apply to your situation, but I've seen buyers get burned.

When it comes to home inspections the buyer should never use an inspector recommended by the seller or the realtor.

Neither of those two are out for your best interests.

The seller is trying to get rid of the house and the realtor wants his commission.

Not saying this is what happened to the OP, just making a suggestion to anyone looking to buy a property.

The solar panel may be connected to what appears to be an attic vent to draw heat from the attic.
Those are pretty common around my place.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Alikmcc said:


> Thank you for your helpful post! I honestly just want to know what I should do to make sure things are safe. I’m not trying to argue with people that think I’m stupid for whatever reason.


ALIK.....Apart from my goofin about a grow house....I do find it pretty strange a HI would not note those skylights.

And quite honestly , that would make me also skeptical as to how competent he/she was.

As such as to safety....Just my *personal opinion*...might be smart to have someone look over the electrical...and if there is any evidence of a moldy smell/moisture behind the wall, to me that would be a *primary concern* as to my familys safety.

(I'm a GC and my wife was a realtor...so I got in alot of experience with HI and supporting her clients as both sellers and buyers. Like anything, good/bad GC's/plumbers/mortgage brokers/attorneys etc.....50% are at the bottom half of their class. ...You may have gotten one of those.)

But, if you notice other strange issues....lights/plumbng etc acting strangely....most of the guys are happy to give there best advice.

Good going

Edit (PS...just curiosity at play...any old time neighbors around who might recall what went on wit those skylights to nowhere.)


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

Texican57 said:


> This may not apply to your situation, but I've seen buyers get burned.
> 
> When it comes to home inspections the buyer should never use an inspector recommended by the seller or the realtor.
> 
> ...


I do think we got burned. I don’t know that it was intentional, might of been incompetence or laziness. But we certainly are paying for it.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> ALIK.....Apart from my goofin about a grow house....I do find it pretty strange a HI would not note those skylights.
> 
> And quite honestly , that would make me also skeptical as to how competent he/she was.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much! Yeah that pot thing is not a mystery that needs solving. I honestly don’t care, was just a theory, those skylights are curious. But I am concerned about safety, mostly electrical and structural. I think it is worth having someone look. The neighbors are mostly new, no one seems to know much about the previous owner.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

Alikmcc said:


> Thank you so much! Yeah that pot thing is not a mystery that needs solving. I honestly don’t care, was just a theory, those skylights are curious. But I am concerned about safety, mostly electrical and structural. I think it is worth having someone look. The neighbors are mostly new, no one seems to know much about the previous owner.


I did get shocked plugging in the vacuum the other day, I’m sure I didn’t touch the socket. I don’t know what that was about.


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Alikmcc said:


> Unless you went up to the roof you wouldn’t know those skylights were there. I would’ve assumed something abnormal like skylights that are closed off to the house would have been mentioned in our inspection. The inspector even took pictures of the roof, but not of the skylights. So we looked at the pictures and thought, yea the roof looks ok. There is also a solar panel up there. I don’t know why.


I noticed the solar panel. It's not very large, so not very much output. If it is/was connected to anything there are likely wires coming into the attic through the mushroom vent it is leaning up against.

My guess - and only that - the inspector has a routine that they follow, and the routine might have interfered with any natural curiosity they had, if any. It seems natural that, if you observe skylights on a roof, when you are later inside the house, the brain might say 'wait a minute - where are those skylights?'. But if they are working through a rote routine or trying to get done and onto the next job, maybe not.

I have no clue why they are there. I don't think a pot-legal State implies reefer madness. With the difficult accessibility, low headroom and really unfriendly environment for growing pretty much anything, I think canabis is the bottom of the speculation list. Mature plants are 6-8' tall and if they wanted to start seedlings, they'd have much better luck with much less trouble using a sunny window sill.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

lenaitch said:


> I noticed the solar panel. It's not very large, so not very much output. If it is/was connected to anything there are likely wires coming into the attic through the mushroom vent it is leaning up against.
> 
> My guess - and only that - the inspector has a routine that they follow, and the routine might have interfered with any natural curiosity they had, if any. It seems natural that, if you observe skylights on a roof, when you are later inside the house, the brain might say 'wait a minute - where are those skylights?'. But if they are working through a rote routine or trying to get done and onto the next job, maybe not.
> 
> I have no clue why they are there. I don't think a pot-legal State implies reefer madness. With the difficult accessibility, low headroom and really unfriendly environment for growing pretty much anything, I think canabis is the bottom of the speculation list. Mature plants are 6-8' tall and if they wanted to start seedlings, they'd have much better luck with much less trouble using a sunny window sill.





lenaitch said:


> I noticed the solar panel. It's not very large, so not very much output. If it is/was connected to anything there are likely wires coming into the attic through the mushroom vent it is leaning up against.
> 
> My guess - and only that - the inspector has a routine that they follow, and the routine might have interfered with any natural curiosity they had, if any. It seems natural that, if you observe skylights on a roof, when you are later inside the house, the brain might say 'wait a minute - where are those skylights?'. But if they are working through a rote routine or trying to get done and onto the next job, maybe not.
> 
> I have no clue why they are there. I don't think a pot-legal State implies reefer madness. With the difficult accessibility, low headroom and really unfriendly environment for growing pretty much anything, I think canabis is the bottom of the speculation list. Mature plants are 6-8' tall and if they wanted to start seedlings, they'd have much better luck with much less trouble using a sunny window sill.


I say if an inspector is pretty much incapable of using his brain and putting simple pieces together, he could be replaced with a monkey and get the same result. A monkey would’ve also been a lot more entertaining, especially if he was wearing a hard hat. We don’t really have any sunny windows in the house. All of our house plants died as soon as we moved in. The house is shaded by large cedars on the north side and shaded by cherries on the south. The only area not shaded is the south side of the roof, where the skylights are.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

lenaitch said:


> I noticed the solar panel. It's not very large, so not very much output. If it is/was connected to anything there are likely wires coming into the attic through the mushroom vent it is leaning up against.
> 
> My guess - and only that - the inspector has a routine that they follow, and the routine might have interfered with any natural curiosity they had, if any. It seems natural that, if you observe skylights on a roof, when you are later inside the house, the brain might say 'wait a minute - where are those skylights?'. But if they are working through a rote routine or trying to get done and onto the next job, maybe not.
> 
> I have no clue why they are there. I don't think a pot-legal State implies reefer madness. With the difficult accessibility, low headroom and really unfriendly environment for growing pretty much anything, I think canabis is the bottom of the speculation list. Mature plants are 6-8' tall and if they wanted to start seedlings, they'd have much better luck with much less trouble using a sunny window sill.


I’d also add the previous owner doesn’t strike me as a genius. So who the hell knows what he was thinking. Maybe he wasn’t growing weed but was trying to communicate with aliens. Idk, and honestly don’t care. But I wish I would’ve known about all the weird **** he did before buying the house.


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## YaterSpoon (Dec 1, 2016)

For what it's worth, your roof doesn't look "hacky" from the outside. That's a good sign.


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## colin123 (Oct 9, 2014)

I don't understand what the problem is. If no rafters are cut and the flashings aren't leaking why are you so convinced this is a safety hazard. It's not an inspectors job to question where skylights are placed it's their job to evaluate if they are installed properly. Can you tell us anything specifically about these windows done improperly that your home inspector missed?


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

colin123 said:


> I don't understand what the problem is. If no rafters are cut and the flashings aren't leaking why are you so convinced this is a safety hazard. It's not an inspectors job to question where skylights are placed it's their job to evaluate if they are installed properly. Can you tell us anything specifically about these windows done improperly that your home inspector missed?


How are skylights that aren’t open to the house not unusual or not worth mentioning in a house inspection? It seems like a basic thing. Even a simple “Hey, there are two closed off skylights up there”. And I would say that these skylights are questionable since they are crossing rafters and aren’t open to a room. Does that affect the integrity of the roof? I don’t know. Can you have glass resting on rafters, idk. I posted this question asking if there were safety concerns because I don’t know. Some people say yes, some people say no. I’m concerned because it doesn’t look like a professional job or one that was following any kind of code. The previous owner was an obvious over diyer, there’s lots of evidence of it. There are also the concerns of handyman wiring up there. Which I wasn’t initially aware of the extent of. Contractors were commenting on the strange venting and odd wiring. So it is concerning. But this post is going nowhere fast. I’ll get someone to look at in person.


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## colin123 (Oct 9, 2014)

If no rafters were cut the structure of your roof is fine. Skylights can be installed over exposed rafters. The glazing isn't touching the rafters. The frame of the skylight is sitting on the decking Which is sitting on the rafters. If you remove what's covering it up and photograph it we could probably tell you if there is anything wrong with the installation. As a side note I wonder if the previous owner was trying to put some kind of solar water pre-heater up there. Something like this. The pre-heater solar installation keeps your reliable hot water while saving you money


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## anita.player1 (Aug 11, 2019)

Alikmcc said:


> This weekend my husband went up to the roof to clean it and just check it out. This was his first time up there. We had an inspection on buying the house and the inspector said it was fine. Well my husband discovered two large south facing skylights that would shine into the attic, if they werent covered from the inside with plywood. The attic is only about 3ft high, so I can’t imagine anyone wanting to finish it and the skylights straddle a wall below, so they wouldn’t work opening them to the house. So only logical reason would be to grow plants in the attic. Now other things are coming to mind, like a weird irrigation system outside and some handyman wiring, though the wiring isn’t as extensive as you would need for a big growing operation. I’m concerned about potential problems were haven’t found yet related to growing pot in a house. I’m also concerned about the structural integrity of the house and roof. I doubt this was permitted, though I’ve requested records from the city to check. What do I do from here? None of this was disclosed and our inspector dropped the ball.



There are quite a few things that l think you should be looking at and doing.
lf you think they have made some structural changes, l would get that inspector back, tell him that he missed something rather irregular (and possibly dangerous if a layman has constructed it), and letting him know that you consider this follow-up as part of what he has already been paid to do. Furthermore, let him know that you expect him to organise an electrician to check out the dodgy wiring, as this can be a very dangerous situation (l’ll give you an example from my own past - a good friend of mine was working on fixing up a house with his father-in-law [whom, he adored], the father-in-law was up a ladder, preparing to remove a light bulb, so my friend went outside to turn the power off at the mains, he flicked the switch, and shouted out “power’s off”. He then heard a loud crash, he ran back inside to find his father-in-law lying on the floor tangled up in the rungs of the ladder.
To cut a long and sad story short, the old gentleman was electrocuted and died💐. What had happened was this, a previous owner/tenant had messed around with the wiring, with the foolish intention of wiring his house up to the mains of his neighbour, to ‘steal’ their electricity. With extremely tragic results!
Quite honestly, l’d place bets on the inspector having a mate that’s an electrician (especially in his line of work), so he will probably get it done for free.
The next thing that l would do ~ and this is only if l lived in an area where marijuana was illegal (as l do) ~ is that l would immediately inform the police about what you have discovered and your concerns and suspicions regarding the matter. Make sure they take notes and give you a case number, so that if anything happens in the future (like dope being found on your property), you are on file as having reported it to the police prior to the finding. (I would find this extremely important to do if l had children, because you could almost guarantee that the person who would get the blame for that being there, would be one of the kids!)🤦🏼‍♀️
The last thing l would advise is please be careful who you answer the door to - especially at night -, again l am going to tell you something from my past experience. Please believe me when l tell you my reason for relating this to you is not to scare the life out of you, but hopefully to make you a bit more cautious than one normally is (under these circumstance), especially with regard to strangers coming to your door.
It happened one night, at around about 10 or 11 O’clock, Peter, my brother, (aged 40, who lived alone) was just about to go to bed, when there was a knocking on his door, he didn’t open the door at first, but talked to them through a locked fly screen, they were two young guys - about 15-16 years old, one standing there holding a box of beer bottles. They said they had come to visit a friend, the previous tenant, and were surprised to find that he had moved out, they also said that they were good friends with D***** (my brothers landlord). After a little ‘chat’, they mentioned that they had walked a long way, and asked if they could possibly come into the house to sit down for a while, suggesting that they all had a few beers together. My brother decided to let them in. They all sat around the dining table, ~ l remember that piece of furniture very well ~ it was in the Spanish style, solid and made of Jarrah, with massively thick legs (4”x 4”), and seats of a good 2 and a 1/2 inch thick ( you will see why l mention this in a moment). 
They talked a lot of small talk for a while, they asked him about his work, hobby’s, they talked about fishing etc.etc.
Then, in an instant, everything changed, my brother told me he didn’t even see it coming, had absolutely no time to react or even protect himself (from what has been described, l suspect they must have had some signal between the two of them, as they both ‘launched’ at him simultaneously, with no words spoken between them to indicate what they were about to do!). That was when one of the aforementioned chairs, unexpectedly came crashing down on the back of his head and rib cage!
l’m not going to give you a blow-by-blow description, it’s too horrific, l feel it’s better that l just give you a summary of what occurred. 
Terrifyingly, they were also carrying knives, l remember when my brother turned up at my house the next morning, his face was just black, eyes swollen almost shut, ribs so broken he could hardly breath, dried blood all over him, his clothes and the blanket he was wrapped in, and multiple knife wounds to his upper arms, shoulders and a very vicious gash to his neck - making it dreadfully obvious to anyone who saw him, that they had intended to kill him!, when they left him, they left him to die (the doctor told him that if he hadn’t been carrying so much weight {130 kg} he would definitely have died, as two ribs very nearly punctured both lungs)!
They also stole everything they could lay their hands on, every ‘expensive‘ item he owned, (which really wasn’t much), his sterio, T.V., laptop etc. They loaded all their stolen goods into my brothers car, and drove away. Then, when they had finished with it, they set fire to the car !
We couldn’t let Peter go back into the house again, so my father went to try and find a few items for him to wear. When he returned, he described the scene as ”like a slaughterhouse with a madman in control“.
After the investigation was concluded, the Police told us that the incident was definitely drug related, possibly drug fuelled. They nearly killed him just to steal a few measly items, so they could sell them to buy drugs, and quite honestly, they would only have got about $100 - $120 at most !
But on a lighter note now, they were both caught within a day, would you like to know how?🤔
Around about midday, Peter got a phone call from the Police, they asked him if he owned a brown backpack with dark purple panels and purple lacing on the front?, to which he answered “No”, “are you sure?” they queried, “absolutely” he replied.
What had transpired was, as the thieves were eagerly stealing the items from his house and loading them into his car, one of them decided to put his backpack down on the top of my brothers dustbin. When the Police opened the bag, there, along with a lot of miscellaneous personal items, was a large carving knife, one of the knives used in the attack (exhibit A. Your Honour), also a lot marijuana ‘crumbs’ littering the bottom of the bag, as well as assorted drug paraphernalia (exhibit B. Your Honour). But, best of all - the assorted paperwork ~ complete with the attackers name, phone number and address clearly printed on it ! ! !😁👍🙈
When the Police went to arrest ‘dustbin’ boy, his parents let them in the house, - they found him lounging in his bedroom, surrounded by my brothers belongings, listening to my brothers stereo through my brothers headphones, wearing my brothers knee-high sheepskin Ugg boots.
Obviously, they were sentenced to prison for many years !
So, as l said before, this is only meant as a cautionary tail. You see, the way l see it is …. If l know something, and maybe someone else doesn’t have that piece of information, or doesn’t realise the ramifications of what can happen in a certain situation, and l don’t take the time to explain to that person what it is that l’m aware of….. and then, let’s say that something bad happens to that other person, something that l, by sharing what l know, could possibly have prevented from happening, or at least prevented from being quite so bad. Then l would consider myself shamefully remiss, l would, in fact, feel terrible sense of guilt for a very long time, if not probably for ever🤦🏼‍♀️. So, that is why l decided to share these two pieces of information with you.🌻
Best of luck, and stay well and happy.
Yours Faithfully, Anita.


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## joe-nwt (Jul 15, 2020)

Unfollow.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

Alikmcc said:


> How are skylights that aren’t open to the house not unusual or not worth mentioning in a house inspection? It seems like a basic thing. Even a simple “Hey, there are two closed off skylights up there”. And I would say that these skylights are questionable since they are crossing rafters and aren’t open to a room. Does that affect the integrity of the roof? I don’t know. Can you have glass resting on rafters, idk. I posted this question asking if there were safety concerns because I don’t know. Some people say yes, some people say no. I’m concerned because it doesn’t look like a professional job or one that was following any kind of code. The previous owner was an obvious over diyer, there’s lots of evidence of it. There are also the concerns of handyman wiring up there. Which I wasn’t initially aware of the extent of. Contractors were commenting on the strange venting and odd wiring. So it is concerning. But this post is going nowhere fast. I’ll get someone to look at in person.


Because an inspection does not list "unusual" things, it only list visually appreciable unsafe things. Unusual is a very subjective word, what's unusual to me may not be unusual to you. Having a skylight that does not directly lit an occupied space below can be thought of as unusual, but if the installation looks fine, then most likely it will not be noted as a concern.

Have you ever seen anyone paint their house black in color on the outside? I haven't. I would say that is unusual. I bet if I hire an inspector to inspect such a house, the fact that the house being painted in black will not be noted in the report, because that is not what they are hired to do. However, if the paint is peeling off, or there are molds behind the peeled paint, then it should be noted. I fully expect your inspector to look over the skylights to see that there is no sign of moisture penetration but if it looks fine to him there is no reason to note it. The fact that they did not cut a rafter to accommodate the skylight is a good thing. If they did that may have triggered an item on the report.

Most things on the itemized list on the inspector report is tied to a dollar value. A listof problems, and their remedial values, to give you a total value of the "deficiencies" to take to the seller and negotiate the price down some. Unusual things do not have remedial values and is not on an inspector's list to note. It may not be what you want but that's not what you paid for.

I am not defending the inspector, I do hire an inspector when I buy a house, but mostly to confirm what I already know, and hope they can catch a few things I might have missed. I don't rely on them to find everything as they are there for a few hours to look over every aspect of a house inside and outside. There is a list they work on.

As for what you can do, you said you don't know if these are permitted, so go to the city's records and ask for all the permit records. In my city they can provide to me a PDF document on a USB stick containing all permits for a property if you give them the dates, say from 1982 to 2003. I have to pay I think $10 for the USB stick. Now if you want to have them printed then that's a different story, they charge $1 a page and it's no telling how many pages. I took the USB and review them at home. Some cities do not have electronic records, they have old stuff on microfilms, that would really suck because you have to sit there and look through each one. So you can do that to get an idea of the permitted work that's happened.

You can also ask the city for original plans submitted with those permits. Those are also very useful. It gives you an idea what was there or not there at a particular time when the permit was filed. A survey showing a fence not there in 1978 and a fence there in 1982 tells you a fence was built between those years.

Why do you think the wiring in the attic are "handyman wiring not safe"? Did you ask the contractors who pointed them out why they are problematic? Just having outlets in the attic in itself is not an indication of problems, many people have outlets in the attic. I have outlets in the various corners in my attic and crawlspaces, and I plug in socket adapters there with LED bulb wired to a switch. When I go to the crawlspace or attic, I flip a switch and the place is lit up from all corners. If the contractors said they are problems, ask them why they are problems, take pictures, then come back here and show those pictures and ask the pros here to verify if they are really problems, the more specific the better.

As for the reason for the skylights, no one knows the answers. May be you can trace last owner and ask them. The house has been vacant but you can still find them. When you look at old permit applications, the applications usually have the contractors name but also the owner's name, Look them up and ask if they know anything about the skylights and ask them is probably your best bet.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

miamicuse said:


> Because an inspection does not list "unusual" things, it only list visually appreciable unsafe things. Unusual is a very subjective word, what's unusual to me may not be unusual to you. Having a skylight that does not directly lit an occupied space below can be thought of as unusual, but if the installation looks fine, then most likely it will not be noted as a concern.
> 
> Have you ever seen anyone paint their house black in color on the outside? I haven't. I would say that is unusual. I bet if I hire an inspector to inspect such a house, the fact that the house being painted in black will not be noted in the report, because that is not what they are hired to do. However, if the paint is peeling off, or there are molds behind the peeled paint, then it should be noted. I fully expect your inspector to look over the skylights to see that there is no sign of moisture penetration but if it looks fine to him there is no reason to note it. The fact that they did not cut a rafter to accommodate the skylight is a good thing. If they did that may have triggered an item on the report.
> 
> ...


I still disagree, a boarded up window is much different than an unusual choice of paint color. Also the color of a house is obvious to any possible buyer. A hidden window is not, it’s only obvious on inspection of the house. inspecting windows is even part of the checklist. Having glass and plywood right up against each other creates condensation and possible mold and could cause sheathing to rot. btw, black is very popular right now for exterior paint, lol, it’s definitely having its moment. I posted a question on Houzz, just asking if they were skylights, because I didn’t know. An electrician said the wiring in the attic was a bit of a mess and not to code. I’ve requested permits and building plans from the city, I’m waiting on them. We know the seller’s name, but he won’t answer our questions. He was even pretty unresponsive when we were purchasing. That should’ve been a red flag. Hopefully the people that think I’m overreacting with my concerns are right, and everything is safe and fine. I think I’ll just get it checked out be professionals to be sure.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)




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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Alikmcc said:


> I still disagree, a boarded up window is much different than an unusual choice of paint color. Also the color of a house is obvious to any possible buyer. A hidden window is not, it’s only obvious on inspection of the house. inspecting windows is even part of the checklist. Having glass and plywood right up against each other creates condensation and possible mold and could cause sheathing to rot. btw, black is very popular right now for exterior paint, lol, it’s definitely having its moment. I posted a question on Houzz, just asking if they were skylights, because I didn’t know. An electrician said the wiring in the attic was a bit of a mess and not to code. I’ve requested permits and building plans from the city, I’m waiting on them. We know the seller’s name, but he won’t answer our questions. He was even pretty unresponsive when we were purchasing. That should’ve been a red flag. *Hopefully the people that think I’m overreacting with my concerns are right, and everything is safe and fine. I think I’ll just get it checked out be professionals to be sure.*


 YEPPERS......Sound thinking to me.

(


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## colin123 (Oct 9, 2014)

The glass shouldn't have condensation on it because the attic is vented and should be the same temperature as the outside. If it does have condensation it's a venting problem not a window problem. It doesn't seem like you have anything to worry about but if you have seen unprofessional work in other parts of the house you should pull off the boards covering up the window to see if it's framed properly. If rafters are cut it's still not necessarily bad as long as headers were installed. It should look like this.


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## colin123 (Oct 9, 2014)

Also this installation may not be as unusual as you think 



 but then again what do I know about normal I literally live in a black house.


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

For the commenters to consider, if I have been following the information trail correctly, the 2 large Velux skylights were installed on top of the roof sheathing, but no holes were cut in the sheathing. 

The roof framing is trusses, so 24"o.c. Assuming from the looks of the skylight flashing being done ok, that the shingles were actually removed under it, so a good assumption is the installer saw the sheathing nails and placed the skylight between the trusses, just no sheathing was cut. And if so, then no trusses were cut. And looks to be a skylight to fit in 24"o.c. anyway.

The condensation would occur on the backside of the glass, within the small airspace between the glass and the roof sheathing.

All to be verified. If the skylights were installed as understood, then it would be a little easier to reuse them, if still in good shape, and move them to a usable location when the entire roof is redone.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

3onthetree said:


> For the commenters to consider, if I have been following the information trail correctly, the 2 large Velux skylights were installed on top of the roof sheathing, but no holes were cut in the sheathing.
> 
> The roof framing is trusses, so 24"o.c. Assuming from the looks of the skylight flashing being done ok, that the shingles were actually removed under it, so a good assumption is the installer saw the sheathing nails and placed the skylight between the trusses, just no sheathing was cut. And if so, then no trusses were cut. And looks to be a skylight to fit in 24"o.c. anyway.
> 
> ...


I don’t know if sheathing was replaced or never removed. I’m looking at the pics again and There seem to be shingles or something under the window. I don’t know though, my husband went up there, I didn’t see it. Here’s the pic he took. He did say there was a lot of condensation. The rafters weren’t cut from the looks of it, but the windows aren’t placed between the rafters as far as I can tell, they cross the rafters. Like I’ve said before, the placement doesn’t seem like they were ever intended to be opened up to the house. There are so many places in the house that need light, there is a vaulted ceiling in the living room, kitchen and entry way that would be a much easier install and logical placement for skylights. Two skylights straddling the hallway and small bedroom just doesn’t make sense. There is also a solar tube adding light to the hallway already.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

colin123 said:


> Also this installation may not be as unusual as you think
> 
> 
> 
> but then again what do I know about normal I literally live in a black house.


I like black houses.


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## FrillyLily (Jun 4, 2012)

I didn't read all the responses here cause it's long. I have irrigation running to plants in my backyard and if I ever move I am moving those plants with me, I'll move them out before it's listed for sale and the irrigation will go 'no where'. That is probably what you have. Since this person had prized/expensive plants they moved with them, at least that is what it sounds like to me, it is quite possible that they used the attic space to over winter tender plants that could not stay outside in the winter. They go dormant still to some extent and need cooler temps but still need SOME light to live, they can't just be in the dark. I can tell you right now that I don't grow pot and I'd go to great crazy lengths to get some of my plants to thrive. Also we don't use our attic for any plants or tuber storage, but I have several outlets up there. If husband has to work up there for some reason he plugs in a light. We recently updated some insulation so the outlets were handy. When we moved here we had some kind of booster/exhaust fan that was plugged into an outlet, we removed that and put in new/different things, but the outlet is still there. If I ever grow dahlias or elephant ears, they will go up to the attic for the winter. As far as the attic being strangely clean, your former home owner could have just be a weirdo. My husband I swear keeps bugging me about vacuuming our attic, as we had a new roof put on (complete tear off w new decking) and the attic got alot of sawdust/debris in it. I absolutely do not care one iota and plan on never doing anything about it, but sooner or later my weird husband will go up there and clean it clean enough to eat off of cause that is just the way he is. And as always, have you spoken to your neighbors, neighbors know all kinds of stuff and may have all your answers. And the option of just asking the people who owned it before you, if you have a way to contact them. They may fill you in on all the details of their weird obsessed hobbies and habits!


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## Langer1 (Aug 24, 2021)

Alikmcc said:


> This weekend my husband went up to the roof to clean it and just check it out. This was his first time up there. We had an inspection on buying the house and the inspector said it was fine. Well my husband discovered two large south facing skylights that would shine into the attic, if they werent covered from the inside with plywood. The attic is only about 3ft high, so I can’t imagine anyone wanting to finish it and the skylights straddle a wall below, so they wouldn’t work opening them to the house. So only logical reason would be to grow plants in the attic. Now other things are coming to mind, like a weird irrigation system outside and some handyman wiring, though the wiring isn’t as extensive as you would need for a big growing operation. I’m concerned about potential problems were haven’t found yet related to growing pot in a house. I’m also concerned about the structural integrity of the house and roof. I doubt this was permitted, though I’ve requested records from the city to check. What do I do from here? None of this was disclosed and our inspector dropped the ball.


Pot plants at maturity are 6 to 8 feet tall, your attic is way too low for that. I would guess some sort of construction error or a re-modeling not completed.


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## Mff Dvr (Jun 22, 2021)

Alikmcc said:


> We had the house fogged for mold.


Fogged because there was a mold issue; or just for peace of mind?


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

FrillyLily said:


> As far as the attic being strangely clean, your former home owner could have just be a weirdo. My husband I swear keeps *bugging me about vacuuming our attic*, as we had a new roof put on (complete tear off w new decking) and the attic got alot of sawdust/debris in it. I absolutely do not care one iota and plan on never doing anything about it, but sooner or later *my weird husband will go up there and clean it* clean enough to eat off of cause that is just the way he is.


If I ever suggested such a thing, I would either get 'the look' and/or a reply of 'have fun'. Unless you have rigid insulation up there, ask him how he plans on doing it.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

Mff Dvr said:


> Fogged because there was a mold issue; or just for peace of mind?


There was a mold issue. Mostly in the basement. The previous owner had carpet sitting directly on the slab, it was soaking up water and moldy. There was some moisture in the walls down there too, we solved that issue, hopefully. Don’t buy a house in August. None of this was apparent when we looked at the house. There was some mild mold in the attic, we thought it was likely due to a leak in the roof that had been fixed. I want a standing metal seam roof, we were going to wait until the roof needs replacing, in maybe 10 years. But if we want to put sky lights in and fix the strange venting in the attic, We should probably do it at the same time.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

Langer1 said:


> Pot plants at maturity are 6 to 8 feet tall, your attic is way too low for that. I would guess some sort of construction error or a re-modeling not completed.


We are in Oregon. So you can move them outside pretty early in the year. But yea, doesn’t seem likely. Someone else mentioned he may have been trying to set up a solar water heater. This seems to make more sense. He did a lot of diy projects to save energy. He also decommissioned the gas furnace and put in ductless heating. So it would make sense that he was trying to get off natural gas completely.


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## Alikmcc (Jan 8, 2022)

FrillyLily said:


> I didn't read all the responses here cause it's long. I have irrigation running to plants in my backyard and if I ever move I am moving those plants with me, I'll move them out before it's listed for sale and the irrigation will go 'no where'. That is probably what you have. Since this person had prized/expensive plants they moved with them, at least that is what it sounds like to me, it is quite possible that they used the attic space to over winter tender plants that could not stay outside in the winter. They go dormant still to some extent and need cooler temps but still need SOME light to live, they can't just be in the dark. I can tell you right now that I don't grow pot and I'd go to great crazy lengths to get some of my plants to thrive. Also we don't use our attic for any plants or tuber storage, but I have several outlets up there. If husband has to work up there for some reason he plugs in a light. We recently updated some insulation so the outlets were handy. When we moved here we had some kind of booster/exhaust fan that was plugged into an outlet, we removed that and put in new/different things, but the outlet is still there. If I ever grow dahlias or elephant ears, they will go up to the attic for the winter. As far as the attic being strangely clean, your former home owner could have just be a weirdo. My husband I swear keeps bugging me about vacuuming our attic, as we had a new roof put on (complete tear off w new decking) and the attic got alot of sawdust/debris in it. I absolutely do not care one iota and plan on never doing anything about it, but sooner or later my weird husband will go up there and clean it clean enough to eat off of cause that is just the way he is. And as always, have you spoken to your neighbors, neighbors know all kinds of stuff and may have all your answers. And the option of just asking the people who owned it before you, if you have a way to contact them. They may fill you in on all the details of their weird obsessed hobbies and habits!


I don’t think he was a plant lover. There is no landscaping at all. The plants are all native and here naturally except for 4 camellias that look like they’ve been on the property forever. I don’t know what the sprinkler system is about, but it goes into the woods. It’s not watering where you’d put potted plants. I don’t know, this guy is an enigma. No one in the neighborhood knows much about him and he was unresponsive to our questions. I think it’s a mystery that will never get solved.


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## 1865wingate (12 mo ago)

Nealtw said:


> The skylights were likely there before the wall below.


Me thinks there seems to be a lot of expert ad-*vice *here for this one. Does anything crunch when you walk around?


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