Hello everyone,
This is a pic of a finished wall in a basement.
The “non-paid” inspection started with the outside of the house where I noticed there were (1) no soffit vents leading into the attic. This is not a complete issue but also missing were any vents often found on the upper sides of the outer attic. This may be of interest to have checked out by an air management professional. Accessing the attic, (2) the cover door was missing and is a violation of city code. Once in the attic, I found soffit screens that had been covered over. (3) I also witnessed the bathroom vent was disconnected from the roof exhaust. This should be corrected immediately. (4) Insulation was missing from between five rafters. There was no insulation in the rafters over the attached garage. (5) Two sections/connections of an air conditioning duct were not properly taped/sealed.
As part of the course requirement I have completed the section of the InterNACHI Home Inspection Report Checklist section titled “Attic, Insulation & Ventilation” (pages 24-25 in the form).
Adam Jones
AJ’s Home Inspections
Arvada, Colorado
ajshomeinspections@gmail.com
720-775-4280
Just finished reading the Library Of Inspection Articles titled “Installing Attic Insulation.”
Interesting that it is recommended that polystyrene or plastic roof baffles are installed where the joists meet the rafters. It appeared as if there were no roof baffles installed in the attic that I inspected. I’m wondering how common are plastic roof baffles, and is this a construction code upgrade? The property I inspected was built in the late 1960’s, has ridge and soffit vents, plywood sheathing, and blown insulation.
I have attached a photo of a loose soffit vent. How might I write that up in the inspection report?
Thanks,
Adam D. Jones
AJ’s Home inspections
Arvada, Colorado
ajshomeinspections@gmail.com
720-775-4280
Hello Classmates,
Hope all are doing well and getting 'er done!
I chose to read about Insulation and R values. I look forward to experiencing through doing actual inspections and coming across the different types of insulation (Batts/Blankets, Loose fills, Polystyrene…). On a personal side, I’m interested in measuring their effectiveness from one type to another while observing the attic’s design and ventilation systems to better understand why a developer or homeowner chose to use a particular type in a particular area.
These are pics from my own attic and closet. My guest bathroom vent through the roof had a small leak in the shingles. The water ran down the vent pipe through the blown in insulation, eventually causing staining on the gypsum board.
This is a picture of a railing system I built in a basement I framed and finished. The hand rail is at 34 inch high. the spindles are spaced at 3 3/4" spacing.
**[FONT=Calibri-Bold][size=5] ATTIC,
INSULATION
&
VENTILATION
[/size][/FONT] INSPECT:
** x___
I
inspected
the
insulation
in
unfinished
spaces
from:
x_
readily
accessible
areas
x___
readily
accessible
panels
readily
accessible
doors
readily
accessible
stairs
The
insulation
in
unfinished
spaces
was
not
inspected,
because
it
was:
inaccessible
unsafe
not
present
not
within
the
scope
of
the
inspection
x_
I
inspected
the
ventilation
of
unfinished
spaces,
including
attics,
crawlspaces
and
foundation
areas.
The
ventilation
of
unfinished
spaces
was
not
inspected,
because
it
was:
inaccessible
x___
unsafe
not
present
not
within
the
scope
of
the
inspection
x_
I
inspected
the
mechanical
exhaust
systems
in
the
kitchen,
bathrooms
and
laundry
area.
The
mechanical
exhaust
systems
in
the
kitchen,
bathrooms
and
laundry
area
were
not
inspected,
because
they
were:
inaccessible
unsafe
not
present
not
within
the
scope
of
the
inspection
** DESCRIBE:
** The
type
of
insulation
observed
can
be
described
as:
fiberglass
blanket
x_
blown–‐in
fiberglass
This is a crawlspace that I inspected last week (one of two in this particular house). Several issues here: no vapor barrier / bare dirt floor, no perimeter insulation, uninsulated duct work, efflorescence noted around the perimeter, and an oversized cut through a floor joist for a waste run. So far (almost two years), I have yet to see a crawlspace meet “best practice” standards. Most are bare dirt, are strewn with debris from lazy plumbers and electricians, few have had insulated duct work and about half have had some kind of insulation stuff into the perimeter. The only crawlspace I have seen with insulation installed under the floor had it upside down (kraft side down).
The baffles install indicated in the Installing Attic Insulation article was informative. I think most homeowners would forget that the air needs to travel from soffit to attic and blow them shut.
Photo of mold in attic. Probable cause of poor ventilation, lack of proper insulation, or improperly installed roof.
Good course for a refresher. This is a picture that is very common in many homes I inspect–the typical bathroom vent fan terminating inside the attic. The rafters and sheathing had all been previously painted as well.
Ready to take the course
Hi:
It was a great course to refresh my memory about the attic ventilation and insulation. Looking foreword to seeing it in the filed.
Ready to tackle the exam.
I just completed the additional required reading on inspecting a garage. I saw the inspectors concerns with paying close attention to the structural supports such as truss design and installation. I will be paying close attention to the construction, types of hangers, fasteners, and to also look for any alterations made without engineering approval.
Hello all,
So, I took a couple of pictures. The first is an example of an exterior penetration from a abandoned cable install that should be air sealed so as not to compromise the wall insulation or allow moisture and pests to enter the home. This hole should be sealed.
The second is a picture of an attic gable vent which is unobstructed and has an interior screen to prevent birds or rodents from entering the attic space.
Going through this checklist of inspection items proves very helpful. It is a great reminder to look for all of the individual items. Having a place to insert notes is good should I need to go back and reference anything for a more detailed description of a fault.
Hello all,
For my reading assignment I chose, Woodpecker Damage Prevention and Inspection.
This is especially relevant to where I work here in California.
There is much woodpecker damage on homes I inspect here and now I have some direction I can give home owners.
