With this hands on experience of performing a visually Attic, Insulation, Ventilation and Interior inspection and writing a report simulating the experience of being in the field. Helped me gain more of a understanding of what goes into being an inspector
Installing Attic Insulation is the article I chose to read. I felt like if leaning how the Insulation is installed would maybe give me a more insight. The article gives better view of how the install goes.
Thanks George
my visual inspection of my friends house that was built in 1989 it has soffit vents along the front and back of the house.the insulation that is there looks to be 6-8 inches thick but it is uneven and even bear in a lot of places .Looks to be blown in type of insulation and the level and quality need to be addressed.And there are several open air electrical connection that also need to be addressed
This is a picture of a previous roof leak. The roof has been replaced 2 years ago. The ceiling stipling is cracking and a possibility of a mold issue is present. I would recommend that this issue be followed up with a mold test.
This is a Garden window which is failing. The frame is rusted, the glass is fogged and the frame is falling apart, all from moisture. Contact a qualified contractor to repair or replace the unit.
When inspecting an attic you might run into a water heater. This water heater did not have a thermal expansion tank noted. Have a plumber evaluate and add as needed.
This is a recess can that does not have proper clearance from the insulation. Also the blown insulation in the attic has been packed down from homeowner walking around in attic.
Attic insulation:
It is very interesting how insulation works. I would have thought that by packing it tighter the R-value would go up. But that is not the case. Loose is better. The other thing that I learned was about the paper on the one side of the insulation. Depending on which way you want the moisture to evaporate will determine which way you install and where.
I just finished the Insulation, Ventalation and interior course. I am a Commercial Inspector and I find that this Course was very helpful with me understanding the way an Interior of a home works
Starting the course!
On my Friend house I found no soffit vents with heavy mold build up (on North side). Soffit on South side however, looks good. I asked owner to let me in to the attic…See following pictures.
Part of the roof (above the window) was insulated by owner just 6 months ago: no soffit vents, no attic Ventilation Channels (providing air flow) along with wrong type of insulation…
shown here is a lower level bathroom vent that is closed.
shown here is the same bathroom vent that is open when the switch is turned on
a good example of spot ventilation. the vent is operating as it should when powered on and taking indoor air to the outside of the home.
I decided to post this picture because of the obvious problems seen in the picture.
Notice the section on the left side has separated at the top location and is obvious that the bottom “toe nailing” has failed. testing the stability with a simple had pushing test also showed that it cannot withstand the 50 pound test as required. I would have to note this in my report.
I would also have to have a 4" ball with me or a tape measure to see if the vertical post are less than 4 inches and the bottom horizontal bar is within the same 4" requirement, unless local codes differ from the standard.
The inspection form is very easy to understand and complete after reading and testing in this coarse.
It is very self explanitory and easy to fill out on the spot and can possibly be filled out later if proper pictures and notes are obtained when the inspection is being performed. I don’t forsee any problems with using this form for any inspection and seems to be more thourough than others I’ve seen and had to complete.
There are many types of roofs and roofing underlayments. Local codes and national builing codes may have differences based on a wide variety of reasons. You should be aware of your local building requirements before making your conclusions based on common practices. A person as myself might have personal preferences such as synthetic underlayment verses felt tar paper, but must not reflect this “opinion” to the customer or report so that it does lead to unnessary upgrades. Having product and application knowledge is very good to know, but not nessasary to convey to customers. They do not always know the difference from a suggestion to a requirement, so these situations should be avoided.
here is evidence of a poor past repair of cracking and possible water damage that wasn’t fully finished and shows signs of possible continuing damage although no evidence shows going down the wall below it I would recommend having a professional carpenter fully inspect and repair the entire area
here i go
