This one-story home, roughly 65–70 years old, is in generally solid condition for its age. The most consequential issue is the pool: none of the state-required child-drowning-prevention features are currently installed, which is the top priority below. A handful of other safety and code items are worth addressing early, and two older-but-functional systems — the furnace and tankless water heater — are worth budgeting for over the next several years rather than acting on immediately.
Safety and code items to handle before or shortly after move-in.
Range
$2.9k–$6.5k
Severity 5/5Safety — do not wait
Pool / Safety
Pool has none of the required child-drowning-prevention features
Home inspector found zero of the 7 safety features required by CA Health & Safety Code §115922 (no fence/enclosure, no mesh fence, no safety cover, no exit alarms, no self-latching door hardware, no pool alarm).
$1.2k–$7.5k
$1.2k–$7.5k
Options to address · pick one
Minimum
Alarms & self-latching hardware on doors to the pool, plus a pool alarm
Meets the 2-feature minimum
$1.2k–$2.5k
Thorough
Removable mesh safety fence with self-closing gate
5' min height per CA code, more durable if young children will be around
$3.5k–$7.5k
Note · Pool perimeter wasn't in the documents so the mesh-fence quote needs an on-site measurement.
Home inspection report
Severity 5/5Safety — do not wait
Electrical
Exposed and abandoned electrical wiring
Unprotected NM cable in the garage subject to accidental contact, plus an abandoned live-status-unknown cable in the crawlspace.
$300–$600
$300–$600
Severity 5/5Safety — do not wait
Safety
Missing smoke detectors
Detectors missing from the office and the left bedroom.
$150–$600
$150–$600
Severity 4/5High priority
Fire safety
Garage-to-house fire door doesn't self-close
The fire-rated door between garage and living space should self-close and latch but doesn't.
$75–$150
$75–$150
Severity 4/5High priority
Garage
Garage door safety sensors mounted too high
Electric-eye auto-reverse sensors sit above the manufacturer's 4–6 inch recommended height, reducing child-safety protection.
$100–$200
$100–$200
Severity 4/5High priority
Electrical
Electrical system grounding unconfirmed
Inspector couldn't locate or verify the grounding electrode connection.
$150–$1.5k
$150–$1.5k
Severity 4/5High priority
Wood decay / WDO
Patio cover support post — active fungus/wood-decay damage
Termite report (Section I, active finding) found fungus damage at the base of a patio-cover support post.
$950–$2.5k
$950–$2.5k
Tier · 12 items
For consideration
Budget for year one — meaningful but not urgent.
Range
$3.9k–$10.4k
Severity 3/5Moderate
Drainage
Downspouts dumping water at the foundation
Downspouts aren't extended away from the building; runoff pools near the foundation.
$200–$600
$200–$600
Option to address
Add extensions/splash blocks or tie into a drain line
$200–$600
Home inspection report
Severity 3/5Moderate
Exterior
Stucco extends below grade / no weep screed
Pre-dates modern weep-screed standards; can wick moisture from soil and mask pest activity. No active damage found.
$500–$8k
$500–$8k
Severity 3/5Moderate
Plumbing
No sediment trap on water heater gas line
Code-recommended trap to keep debris out of the burner is missing.
$150–$300
$150–$300
Severity 3/5Moderate
Gas / Safety
No emergency gas shutoff wrench or seismic valve
Gas shutoff is accessible but there's no wrench on site for an emergency shutoff.
$20–$650
$20–$650
Severity 3/5Moderate
HVAC
Furnace combustion-air vent blocked by insulation
Attic vent screen for the furnace's combustion air is clogged, restricting air supply to a gas appliance.
$250–$500
$250–$500
Severity 3/5Moderate
Pest
Dead-animal odor near the furnace
Inspector noted the smell but couldn't locate the source.
$200–$1.2k
$200–$1.2k
Severity 3/5Moderate
HVAC
Furnace nearing or at typical end of service life
Trane furnace dates to 1997 (~29 years old); gas furnaces typically run 15–20 years. It was operating fine at inspection.
$150–$300
$150–$300
Severity 3/5Moderate
Plumbing
Tankless water heater well past typical inspection interval
Rinnai unit dates to 1996 (~30 years old) — old for a tankless system, though it delivered hot water as designed during inspection.
$200–$400
$200–$400
Severity 2/5Low priority
Plumbing
No vacuum breakers on hose bibbs
Exterior faucets lack anti-siphon devices, a backflow-contamination risk.
$100–$250
$100–$250
Severity 2/5Low priority
Electrical
AFCI breakers not installed on required circuits
Arc-fault protection isn't present on circuits that current code would require — an upgrade, not a violation of the code in force when the home was built.
$1.5k–$4k
$1.5k–$4k
Severity 2/5Low priority
HVAC
AC evaporator coils not inspected
Coils are in a concealed location; inspector recommends a specialist check coils and refrigerant charge. The condensing unit itself is only from 2021.
Current vents limit ventilation compared to mesh-screen vents.
$200–$600
$200–$600
Option to address
Swap to mesh-screened vents
A handful of vents
$200–$600
Home inspection report
Severity 2/5Low priority
Access / Info
Right-side crawlspace was inaccessible for inspection
Area under the living room/kitchen couldn't be reached due to pipes, ducts, and low clearance — flagged by both the home and termite inspectors.
$300–$1k
$300–$1k
Severity 1/5Informational
Plumbing
Water softener system not evaluated
Outside the home inspector's scope.
$100–$200
$100–$200
Severity 1/5Informational
Interior
Interior office door doesn't latch
Latch plate needs adjustment.
$75–$150
$75–$150
Severity 1/5Informational
General
Seller-disclosed minor punch-list items
Soiled washing-machine gasket, a loose stove exhaust-fan screw, door handles needing periodic hex-tightening, and a low-clearance stove hood a tall resident has bumped.
$50–$200
$50–$200
Severity 1/5Informational
Permits / Info
Remodel blueprints referenced in seller disclosures
Seller indicated blueprints exist for a remodel; permit status wasn't included in what we reviewed.
No cost
No cost
On the horizon
Big-ticket systems that are fine today, but old enough to plan around.
1997, ~29 years old old
Furnace (forced-air gas)
Past typical 15–20 year service life remaining
$5k–$9k
Reactive replacement typically runs $5k–9k installed (full gas+AC replacement $12k–20k). BAAQMD's current rule would prohibit new gas furnace installs starting Jan 1 2029 — a post-2029 replacement would likely need to be a heat pump system, generally $8k–16k installed.
1996, ~30 years old old
Tankless water heater
Unusually old for a tankless unit, delivering hot water as designed remaining
$3.4k–$9.2k
Comparable gas tankless replacement typically runs $3.4k–9.2k installed in the Bay Area.
Additional scope to include in your bid packet
Add anything else you'd like contractors to bid on — improvements, upgrades, or work that wasn't flagged in the disclosures. Attach photos or notes to sharpen the bid.
Common additions
Ready to get real numbers?
Send your selected scope to three vetted contractors. You'll get comparable bids in a standardized packet, plus a pre-bid consult with your Project Manager.