Most people believe that a home inspector should, and can, make a number of general assumptions. You know, the basics like if a professional builder did the work, and the code authorities signed-off on the job, then it was done right.
If only that were true, it would make the home inspector's work much simpler and less stressful. Fact is, we have to stay on our toes at all times because there is very little about a home that one can take for granted.
That reality was brought to the forefront at a recent inspection. At a home, less than five years of age, at a casual glance the poured concrete foundation looked much like the thousands of foundations that I have seen in the past -- concrete stem wall extending out of the ground and, about six inches up from that, siding and trim began and that went up to the eaves.
Entering the crawl space, at a corner of the house, something felt off. The outside "stem wall", in the vicinity of the hatch cover, was gray like concrete. But what was that single dark "seam" in the center of "concrete."
Upon a closer look, this area, and approximately 20 feet of stem wall, consisted of oriented strand board (OSB), sill plate and areas of non-treated structural lumber that were below grade. The wall looked gray, where it was visible on the outside, only because a gray membrane had been tacked over the OSB. Somebody, lord knows why, made a major design mistake and nobody had caught the error previously.
This OSB, sill plate and other structural members were about a foot below grade. The ensuing photos tell the story. Taking another closer look at that previous photo, you will see a gloved hand. That is where the concrete ends. All that area to the right is below grade lumber that wraps around a corner for another 15 or so feet.
This next photo, shot from inside, depicts below grade areas and depth. Over on the left side, that is where the wood structural wall turns the corner and runs several more feet underground and below the edge of a nearby concrete patio.
It is inconceivable to me that a builder would design a crawl space in this manner. But, add to that, the municipal inspectors and, apparently, any prior home inspections done on the property, neglected to identify this design flaw. In Washington state, wood to soil contact is, written into law, as a serious deficiency that will lead to rot or infestation by wood destroying insects.
After I reported this finding, and it was hard for me to believe, allegedly a general contractor (hired by seller) retorted that the buyers should not worry about this matter since it was "standard and common" crawl space design in the northwest. Yeah, right! If this is acceptable workmanship, I do not want that contractor building anything for me or my clients.
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