Originally Posted By: ecrofutt
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Funny story from one of my field training inspections.
Being the gofer, I carried the ladder upstairs and got it all set for the paid inspector to go up the ladder to remove the hatch and then got out of the way.
She climbed the ladder, with the clients and myself standing around the bottom of the ladder. She lifted one side of the lid about a foot as she stepped up the ladder. Suddenly she drops the flashlight, drops the attic hatch back into place, slides down the ladder, landing on the floor in a crouch looking back up at the hatch.
Seems there was a family of squirrels sitting there looking her in the eye as she opened the lid. After waiting a few minutes, she went back up the ladder, knocked a bunch on the hatch, then opened it and did her inspection from the hatch. The squirrels were hiding by that time.
I enter the attic and go as far as I safely can, which is usually all the way to the far end. I'd rather mess up a little bit of insulation than miss some of the things I've seen by going to the far end or around the bend on the L shapes.
How many referrals are you going to get from clients when you miss these things and the client, during repairs, or another home inspector upon selling, find these.
None of these photographed items were visible from the hatch area. The rafter and missing insulation board were around bends on L shapes and the chimney stuff was on the far side about 30 feet from the attic hatch. The ceiling at the chimney had been repaired so no visible signs from below. The chimney flashing was covered with gunk that had already cracked.
Erby Crofutt
B4U Close Home Inspections
Georgetown, KY
www.b4uclose.com
