crawl spaces: Is your house an island? It better be. - 04/02/12 07:10 AM
Crawl spaces can be one of the biggest contributors of moisture in the attic space. Crawl spaces with exceptionally high moisture levels can overwhelm even crawl spaces that have “technically” adequate ventilation. Moisture as vapor (a gas) will move from the crawl space, through the living space, and end up in the attic where it can condense on the cold roof sheathing. This moisture vapor can overwhelm an attic that also has “technically” adequate ventilation.
On a recent inspection, I had such a crawl space. Much of the crawl space had flooded to such an extent that the vapor barrier … (43 comments)
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crawl spaces: The Dirt Giveth and the Dirt Taketh Away. - 01/09/12 09:57 AM
Without dirt, the biggest trees in the world would not amount to much. Redwoods may not be the biggest trees in terms of volumn but they are the tallest trees on earth---reaching as high as 378 feet---that is longer than a football field including the end zones. They grow in dirt and when they eventually die, as much as 2000 years later, they return a lot of dirt to the earth as well. Even the great redwoods succumb to wood decay/rot and wood destroying insects.
It is very common to see support posts in crawl spaces that are impacted by dirt.Just … (19 comments)
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crawl spaces: Why is there a medicine cabinet in the crawl space? - 12/10/11 01:19 PM
Of course there is no end to the "stuff" home inspectors find in crawl spaces.
These spaces get used to store all kinds of stuff. Many people are probably crawling through their crawl spaces at this very moment retrieving their Christmas decorations. Like poor Rudolph here from an inspection several years ago.
And while there may have been an old medicine cabinet thrown into a pile of other stuff in some other crawl space that I have inspected, none stood out quite like this one.In the first place it was HUGE----as in WAY bigger than the ordinary recessed type medicine … (28 comments)
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crawl spaces: Pay attention to the details---or pay later. - 08/11/11 08:07 PM
If you want a very dark, Bukowskiesque and cynical look at modern day life, and perhaps reflect on ones own drinking habits, I highly recommend the movie Barfly. But be warned, this movie is not for the squeamish or easily offended. Even some of you that are NOT easily offended might find parts of this movie a little over the top. It is nonetheless very funny, sad, and poignant. One of the great lessons to be learned from the movie, and there are many, is when Henry (Mickey Rourke) talks about how one of the things he can't stand is "obviousness."The … (19 comments)
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crawl spaces: You have to ask yourself, "Do I feel lucky?" - 05/08/11 06:15 PM
While it is not quite on a par with Dirty Harry, every home inspection brings with it the question of, “Do I feel lucky?” There are instances where it is often better to be “lucky” than “good.” A nice mix of the two keeps most inspectors out of trouble.
Today’s story has to start at the end before I can get to the beginning.
Inside the crawl space of this home there was obvious flooding. There was a lot of standing water on top of the moisture barrier/ground cover and even more water underneath it. This is not all that uncommon … (25 comments)
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crawl spaces: If you are squeamish about seeing Barbie naked----skip right on by to the next post! - 11/30/10 10:53 AM
I have found all sorts of things in crawl spaces.
Dead rats are very common.
As are the skeletons of cats, dogs, birds and mice----and even snakes.
I have seen live raccoons, snakes, rats, and mice.
There is always the spiders and wood destroying insects----termites, carpenter ants, moisture ants and anobiid beetles.
There can be structural concerns from rotten floor systems and support posts----as well as failing foundations and supports.
All of these things, along with the plumbing leaks from both sewage and water supply pipes, and electrical issues make these places a treasure … (95 comments)
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crawl spaces: The doctor is in----and I promise----no colonoscopy! - 11/10/10 09:08 AM
I went to the doctor the other day for a routine checkup-----actually that is not true. This is what I should do! Now most people might go to the dentist a couple of times a year----and keep things in their mouth tuned up---but when it comes to regular doctors, most people, unless they are hypochondriacally disposed, put off going to the doctor until something is actually wrong.
I guess our minds take the possible things that can go wrong at the dentist and multiply it by 100 to arrive at the number of more things that can be found out at … (24 comments)
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crawl spaces: Are there really gofers in Seattle? - 11/08/10 09:11 AM
As a builder we always had someone on the job called “Gofer.” You know the guy---that has to “gofer this” and “gofer that?” As a worker, before starting my own business, I paid my dues as a gofer too.
One of the best gofer stories I remember is when I was being a gofer for my dad. My Uncle Bob---who worked for my dad----sent one of the newest gofers (with less seniority than me) down to the local auto repair shop to get a muffler belt. Another time is was to the hardware for ten pounds of 17 penny nails.
The … (38 comments)
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crawl spaces: Rulerdog was such a wimp! - 08/01/10 11:14 AM
I sometimes “jokingly” tell my buyer, as I disappear into the crawl space, that if I am not back in an hour, to pull on the rope I have tied to my leg and pull me back out. It usually gets a chuckle----as they appreciate me doing what they would not like to be doing.
If a crawl space does not have proper clearances, Licensed Washington Home Inspectors are allowed to exclude the crawl space and recommend that proper clearances be created. I am very aggressive when it comes to inspecting these spaces and I have my own personal … (40 comments)
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crawl spaces: Oh, by the way, we will have to schedule the inspection at low tide! - 07/27/10 09:33 AM
While it is never a good idea to jump to conclusions as a Home Inspector, our experiences as home inspectors can lead us to sometime “predict” with great accuracy what we are going to find.
For example if we find large areas of missing shingles on a roof it is not too much of a leap to suspect there might be considerable damage on the interior of the building----especially if there is evidence that the shingles have been missing for a long time.
Another example is when we are walking around the exterior of a home that we … (21 comments)
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crawl spaces: When was the last time you looked at yours? - 07/13/10 03:51 PM
Lots of shite can happen when you haven’t checked your crawl space in 30 years.
For example, take a look at this plumbing leak in the drain from the kitchen/laundry. The leak has been spraying on the concrete pier support for 30 years. One can see how it has etched the concrete----exposing the aggregate in the concrete. Now this is not a “big” leak, and not much in the way of “solids” have escaped the drain----but it still represents a very unsanitary condition in the crawl space. Bottle flies like these kinds of leaks and many were noted … (25 comments)
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crawl spaces: Crawl Space Storage Facilities----still expensive at half the price. - 01/02/10 09:41 AM
The ever growing scourge of self-storage facilities around the country is a testament to our having too much “stuff.” They sprawl across the landscape like mausoleums----their rolled barb wire fencing winking in the sunlight.
These storage units, on a daily basis, devour millions of tons of stuff that is destined to never to be seen again.
Perhaps one of the more bizarre stories to come out of (or go into) one of these storage units was the Seattle man that murdered his wife and two kids. He successfully hid the bodies in the unit for 12 years before … (35 comments)
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crawl spaces: We are going to: “Party-down”----in the basement! - 11/18/09 07:56 AM
In Seattle there are a lot of older homes with partial basements. The rest of the house will typically have a crawl space under it.
Ever since we started putting basements under houses people have wanted to use these basement spaces for all kinds of things. Typically they started out as a place for the furnace and other utilities. People quickly realized these spaces would also be a great place to put the laundry. The next obvious thing to do with these spaces was to turn them into living spaces----rec-rooms, bedrooms, work-shops, grow-ops----you name it.
The various … (16 comments)
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crawl spaces: Noah, and----how long can you tread water? - 04/04/09 08:48 AM
One of Bill Cosby’s most famous stand-up comedy acts was called “Noah.” I am not going to recite the whole monologue and if you want to hear it you can find it here: Noah. It is a little long---but funny as all get out. You see, Noah is building the Ark and his neighbor comes over and wants the pile of wood out of his driveway so that he can go to work. Noah is being secretive and won’t tell him what he is building and the neighbor wants to know if Noah can at least give him a hint. … (25 comments)
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crawl spaces: Well----what IS the REAL reason they pay us the big bucks? - 04/03/09 08:58 AM
Since most people already consider crawl spaces to be “BIG BLACK HOLES,” it will probably surprise most of my readers (considering my reputation for loving the “adventure” of crawl spaces) that the thing that gets me the most “unglued” in there is: holes.
Especially the big black bottomless type.
For me, there is nothing more un-nerving than to be feeling my way across the plastic ground cover and feel “NOTHING” under the plastic.
Water under the plastic----feeling like a giant waterbed-----is not uncommon and that is fairly simple to deal with. You either back up … (35 comments)
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crawl spaces: HOUSE COMMITS SUICIDE! - 04/01/09 11:06 AM
Headline in today’s paper: “HOUSE COMMITS SUICIDE!”
Apparently the house just could not take it any longer and decided that enough is enough.
I mean really, what is a house to do, when no one ever cared enough about it for the last hundred years to put a proper foundation under it and has allowed a river of mud to attempt to carry it down the hillside.
It is actually somewhat amazing that the house put up with such difficult life circumstances for as long as it did before deciding to go over the edge. It … (31 comments)
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crawl spaces: Stumped! - 03/25/09 02:18 PM
I am not often stumped by things I find at an inspection. It was particularly distressing to be stumped on a house that was only 432 sq ft!
I mean how difficult could it be?
This cute little structure started out as a fishing cabin in 1921-----and now the structure leaves everyone fishing for answers----lots of answers----to lots of questions. Aside from needing an all new foundation (because there was none in some areas), new floor structure (due to Anobiid Beetle damage) and a new roof (due to water damage to the roof structures); the home would … (27 comments)
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crawl spaces: The Seattle Inspector as: Gumby! - 03/07/09 08:00 AM
I have had a spate of tight crawl spaces lately----an earlier one I blogged about was in a Seattle Houseboat.
When my buyer called to book this inspection we discussed that the craw space was going to be difficult to get into. I recommended that necessary permissions be gotten to do whatever it took to get into the space. This is what the access opening looked like.
While I like to think of myself as “Gumby,” there was no way I was going to deform myself enough to get through this opening. So, while the opening … (41 comments)
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crawl spaces: "Surfs Up"---in Seattle! - 01/31/08 03:54 PM
Even the nicer crawl spaces can be inhospitable places----like visiting another planet. Some inspectors even look like spacemen (and space women) when they are all suited up to go in the crawl space.
Lots of inspectors look for almost any excuse to not go in the crawl space. ONE rat turd and they are "outta-there." ONE little water puddle and they are "outta-there." It is important to be safe in the crawl space---but someone has to check it out. While I don't "love" crawl spaces (and on the Planet Charles, there wouldn't be any crawl spaces), I do like them … (4 comments)
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crawl spaces: Oh NO----a "finished" garage! - 01/27/08 03:15 PM
On first glance this is a "normal" enough looking house. Even the door where the garage door used to be is not all that unusual-----lots of garages get finished off into living space. I think the first thing that seemed unusual about the house was that the finished garage space was at the same level as the house floor and my reaction was, "Damn another finished garage with no access under the floor framed in over the old slab." Those things are problematic because there is limited ability to tell what might be going on in there.
It wasn't until … (5 comments)
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