The Home Inspector As The Storyteller

A reference was made today, in a blog, to the home inspector as a storyteller. I look upon writing a report in much that manner. While not always possible, it is my goal to get the point across, good or bad, with detailed descriptions and interesting photos. Where possible, I try to use the terms that people understand. While electricians use the term "receptacles" most people refer to those things you plug into on the wall as outlets. I say receptacle, but define what that means. Sometimes a simple tool, that takes a good photo, can get a point across very well. That can be a moisture meter with a high reading, or a low reading if the floor is dry and looks good. Or it can be a carbon monoxide detector with a high or low reading. In my reports, as a general practice, I show a photo of a moisture meter with a reading around the toilet. If the reading is good, then I point out that the moisture around toilets was negligible. If it is bad, high, then I go there too.

Below was an interesting example of a simple little tool that I bought on Ebay years ago for $5.00 but I use it sometimes to show when gutters are too long with too few downspouts. Both photos below were from the same home. Obviously the gutters required cleaning, but that was only part of the story. A guideline is that a gutter should have a downspout approximately every 35 to 40 feet. Even being a bit lenient in that regard, the gutter below had a single downspout and, as the rolling wheel measuring device shows, the gutter was 122 feet long. That is a bit of a stretch but the simple tool tells the story well. While not panicking buyers, I like to document my findings so someone cannot argue later that the inspector was wrong, that the gutter was only 20 feet long.

Thanks for looking.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspector