Photo: Contributed - Hugh Cairns

Plywood doesn’t absorb moisture like drywall. Plywood makes a great surface to mount components of a grow op.

Inspecting homes in BC bud country also means investigating for obvious signs that the home may have been used for marijuana grow operations. More than 70% of BC’s grow operations are indoors and most are unfortunately in houses. One thing is for certain, growers don’t care what damage that they do to a home. One thing that a home inspector knows is never to assume that a grow op location is too bizarre or inconvenient to be a grow op. Grow ops are found in large and small homes, in basements and attics, in apartments and outbuildings.  Recently, I read about a grow op in a 5 ton cube truck and some tractor trailers in Langley.

When a home is used as a grow-op, there can be serious consequences to the structure. The presence of mould, alterations to the structure, and amateur rewiring can be expected. Grow-ops can pose a significant fire hazard. Some statistics say that grow-ops are almost 40 times more likely to catch fire than homes without one.

There is no doubt that when a home is suspected of containing a present or previous operational grow-op that a home inspector has an obligation to advise his client. But when all of the signs are virtually absent and the grow room is at the first stages of construction it’s difficult to prove intent. In the case of the room pictured in this article there wasn’t any structural damage, wiring hazards or mould issues. The room was absent of any perforations for screws, nails or hooks used in mounting fans, lights, electrical components or racks. When asked what the room was being developed for that answer was a bathroom.

Basements are suitable places to build a grow op room. They tend not to experience climatic swings that above ground rooms do. Plywood doesn’t absorb moisture like drywall. Plywood makes a great surface to mount all of the components of a grow op. If the walls are caulked and sealed tight it helps prevent the smell of the room spreading throughout the house.