Believe it or not, as I was "speaking-with-conviction" to my son this morning as he lounged in bed about the importance of cleaning his room, even on Spring break, the part of my brain not being used drifted to a real life real estate metaphor.
Both adolescents and water have something in common: They both seek the path of least resistance and will always give way to the force of gravity. In the case of water, it rolls downhill, and in the case of teenagers, they get pulled along with their friends, and you hope they're good ones too!
When we help our clients find that perfect home, we do our job by recommending inspection after inspection to determine the fitness of the house. But often, new or used, something will come up post-purchase that no inspector could have foreseen and is nobody's fault. In Oregon it's usually an issue with water.
How do you know if there's a problem? Get into the crawlspace, or if you don't like creepy/crawlies in small dark places, hire an inspector to do so, and do it during the rainy season to see what's up down there! If the water level is what's up, it may be time to install a low-point drain, or check if the existing drain needs clearing. It's an icky job, and it could be costly, but remember to protect your substructure against rot and mold by keeping it as dry as possible.
The next time you're yelling at your teenager to clean their room, remember water and your teenager have something in common and check your crawlspace!
The above are Keith's opinions, he is not an inspector or contractor. Seek professional advice concerning water in your home.
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