When do you know to go in or not?
Just go ahead and wade through the insulation?
What would you do?
Only if I felt I had to, possible leak ect. Other than that kind of risky when you cannot see your feet in an attic, in a previous slip, I just made a small nail pop, but the seller insisted I have the entire homes ceiling painted, so the repair would blend in. Of course he also was not accommodating, forced me to have it painted after he moved out,and before the new people moved in, I definitely lost money on that job
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When these three things are combined, I don’t go in.
- Deep insulation
- No walking/crawling platform
- Low headroom.
This situation is very common in my area.
If only two of these things are present, the odds of me going in increase, but are still not 100%.
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3 points of contact all of the time. If you cannot see where you are walking, you shouldn’t be walking.
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^^^^^^^^ Totally agree!!
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No, I would not enter. This looks like my attic with the high blown in insulation. If it was not for my walking panels it would be a nightmare to do anything.
From what I see in that picture concerning the distance between the trusses, that particular attic would be a no go for me.
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If this was my house, and you went in and tromped down the insulation, you would get a bill from an insulation contractor for repairs.
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What are you going to do when you get there?
I make my best effort to get to the chimney and roof penetrations. So it depends, risk vs reward. Or, if I’ve already identified one or more leaks then it’s time to let the next guy do their thing vs causing damage or harm.
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Was the picture taken from the scuttle hole? If so, there is no need to enter.
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I was an insulation contractor for over 30 years…I know how to walk (feel my way) though even the deepest of insulation…However, If insulation has not been trampled down (significantly) prior to me entering the attic…I am NOT going to do damage by crawling or walking through the “Seller’s insulation” (except in extreme circumstances). We should not be doing damage when performing an inspection. If you see visible evidence of a problem such as water stains at the ceiling, sagging roof, etc. Report on that (what you see) and let someone else damage the insulation checking out Your Findings. If there is something you can not get to to check like an attic fan without walking on provided platforms, just report it as not inspected and why.
Now if it is an older home and insulation is crap, I will travers the attic as is safely navigable.
In most cases you do not need to crawl through an attic to find many defects, if you have experience and the correct tools. Just did one yesterday that (looked to have) had very nice insulation…as viewed from the attic access and platform… but I did not need to crawl through the attic to Visually See first hand in the attic that there was no fire or draft stops at double wall areas around the front entry and fireplace, and missing insulation over the theater room which is most likely not even accessible/viewable from the attic. Could see all I need to make an accurate report by using Thermal Imaging. IMO Anyone hiring an inspector (in these modern times) that does not use Thermal Imaging (and trained in it’s use), is getting an inspection by a guy/gal/? carrying a white cane . This house built 2005 (problem from when built, required firestops not called out by the code boys either).
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Easy “No”.
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Was your client the buyer? Should have asked them if they even cared about it before paying for repair.
Simple fix- dab some drywall mud only where needed, paint with a q-tip… no need to roll a large section to paint it.
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Yeah this was taken from the scuttle hole.
It was hot as hell up there at only around 12:30PM.
I would have liked to figure out why. I was thinking the soffits may have been covered in insulation.
First of all, You are in Florida, and if the vents were functioning properly, it would still be extremely hot in the attic.
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Client was the buyer, while your ideas are reasonable, the seller was not
Jean Paul Arseneau
Inspect NB your Pro Sight Property Inspection affiliate member
I know of a inspector who went into an attic and fell through the ceiling and landed in the living room. And yes, he had to pay for the damage. So, take this in consideration.
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No,i have camera and 30 ’ extend a pole for such a attic.
JPA, you can add your signature so it shows up below every post you make. Just go to your profile settings and scroll down to the “My Signature” section.
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