Structure Inspection

Per the State Standards of Practice, we visually inspect the structural components of the home, including the framing and foundation.  In homes with reasonable attic and crawlspace access, we can get a pretty good idea of the general construction quality and find problems such as leaks and wood rot. In some homes with no access to the attic and no crawl space, observation of the framing may not be possible since most of it is covered with finishes and wall coverings.  In addition, homes that are constructed on a concrete slab have little visible foundation for us to inspect.

After our visible inspection of the framing and foundation, we put our findings in our report.  Here, we describe the methods we used to inspect crawl spaces and attics, and describe the foundation, floor structure, wall structure, ceiling structure and roof structure.  We also offer recommendations for addressing issues that we might find.

The State Standards of Practice indicate that we are not required to offer an opinion about the adequacy of structural systems or components.  We are not engineers or architects, and we don’t offer judgements about things like the carrying capacity of wall systems or how many roof trusses are necessary in any given space.  The State Standards of Practice also indicate that we are not required to enter crawl space areas with less than 24” of clearance or traverse attic components that are concealed by insulation or other materials.