I live in coastal Florida where there aren’t many crawlspaces–mostly slabs. I’m trying to perform my Inspection + Writing Assignment but am having trouble figuring out how to proceed. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Proceed with what exactly?
Did the Educational Course NOT give you any direction?
Perhaps you need to contact the Educational Dept. directly.
It did provide direction. This is a portion of the prompt.
For example , you may inspect the visible insulation in an unfinished area, the top of the foundation wall, the concrete slab at the lowest living level, a ventilation component, or an actual basement or crawlspace.
My question is how to approach the “other options” when I don’t actually have a crawlspace to inspect in. I may be overthinking it but I’m genuinely stuck.
Thanks for the response.
Do you know anybody who has a house with a crawlspace?
Based on that info, why are you ‘hung-up’ on a crawlspace?
What you posted is basically saying to choose ANY home Foundation related component (your choice) to inspect and discuss what you observed.
No two homes are the same, and there are way more types of foundations and system components than able to list.
Choose from what you have to work with, and go from there.
Easy-Peasy!
Inspect this
Or googoo search crawlspace, download an image, and report what you see… The whole point of the writing assignment is to show you understand how to write up a report…
JJ, you are too critical! Just allow me to ask…was it performing?
As Michael implied, you dont have to actually inspect one to do the assignment. Most people working on their coursework have never completed a single home inspection yet.
Just get a photo and write 40 words about it… Its almost too easy!
You crawled in there?? Was the floor and building level? I’d love to see your writeup.
You guys are making me miss inspecting in Oregon with those pics… that was daily for 20+ years. Over here in Maui pretty much everything is on a slab
I remember talking with inspectors from around the country at conferences (probably the best part of going to a conference) and they’d tell me 95%+ of what they do is on slab and I’d drool with envy. Crawl spaces add A LOT of time to inspecting - hell, just walking to the truck and suiting up takes 10 minutes. Then crawling the damn thing and finally writing up all the issues.
I want to see one of those robot crawler drones negotiate that.
The first rule for crawlspaces… charge extra for crawlspaces.
They can be cramped spaces, hard to get in and out of. You never know what you may find inside. They take a lot of time to inspect because moving around is difficult and there are so many things to look at. HVAC, plumbing, structure, insulation, pests, moisture intrusion, and more.
the second rule for crawlspaces… don’t get stuck.
Bert you better take that tape measure off your side or you may get hung up on that one.
LOL… yeah, I’ve seen those things at vendor booths and laugh. They wouldn’t make it 10’ into most crawl spaces I’d do. Despite what the guy in the super-clean polo shirt says
That’s my first rule.
I don’t mind tight space, I mind entrapment. I’m glad I live in slab world. I’ve had a few crawls under mfg’d homes, but most weren’t even crawlable. 12 inches from girder to sand is not enough. Camera on pole is as good as it gets there.
Kudos for that crawl…but nope, for me. I never see any with an access that small, but if I do, that is a no go for me. A month ago, I had one where the crawlspace entry had the well pressure tank and plumbing at the entrance (photo below).
While, I could have negotiated the entrance with some contortions, I passed. The buyer negotiated with the seller to reposition the well equipment and make the crawlspace accessible prior to closing.
You know your business, but I recommend changing your attire for crawlspaces like that.
I suit up in a coverall with knee pads (you never know what sharp something is hiding just under the dirt), my 1500 lumen headlight band, my 3000 lumen flashlight, gloves, and a big screw driver. If you work in an area with brown recluses, taping your cuffs and a hoodie type coverall is a good idea.
Are you referring to a crawler? I have one and it has served me well the past 3 years. But I use it mostly in very small spaces a person can not access. The thing will fit into a standard crawlspace vent. As there has been a time or 2 that a contractor built an addition with vents but no access, they have their place. I also use it for under decks.