Chris Bernhardt

I think you are interpreting it right. Both the article that W.J. mentioned and the commentary on the IRC are pretty clear. If you don't have time to go talk to the AHJ before sending the report then write it as Hausdok recommended. Go talk to the AHJ and find out what is their lame excuse for allowing the contravention. The masonry inspection class is next on my list down at Chemeketa. Right now I am taking the plumbing codes sequence. Chemeketa Community College offers a 2 year degree in Building Inspection Technology (The only one in the State). These code classes are pretty interesting. They give you some insight into the mind of the muni's. If the public thinks the rank of HI's are formed by reject contractors you ought to take a look at the muni wannebes that fill these classes. They are as sharp as a butter knife. By the way, in any class I have ever taken there, I was the sole HI. Chris, Oregon

And you guys call your selves inspectors. Anyone can clearly see that was from the blood of one of those Aliens![:-alien] Chris, Oregon

I use a Tramex moisture encounter plus but I see a need for the smaller compactness of the surveymaster. The Tramex scans deeper and is faster at scanning larger areas but the surveymaster can fit into smaller areas and much more practical to go with you into attics and crawlspaces. When spring returns I'm adding a surveymaster to my repertoire. In other words I recommend having both. Chris, Oregon

Worked for me. Maybe some setting in your browser is disabling something? Nice card. Thanks Mike O. Mike B. and Rose for all that you do for us knuckle heads. I think we all forget that behind every great man is a great women. Thanks to Yung for putting up with Mike O. Chris, Oregon

What I am interested in is the differing structure and organization of our reports. But speaking for my self I learn the most when I post an example of my lame narrative to be Katenized. In reviewing homnspectors report I found myself thinking like a client trying to misunderstand what was being said. It made me realize I need to make things simpler and let a photo explain the detail to interested parties - like repair contactors. I am now thinking that clients would rather see something simple like the word "damaged" rather than "portions of the eave are delaminating, rotting, and sagging". Thats too hard to picture even for me without a photo. But tell me it's damaged and I easily know it's something that needs to be repaired now. Oh, concerning W.J. 's clear and simple comment, when I worked as an engineer that was something I really admired in the execs when I was in on big meetings. The execs talked in clear and simple terms - short sentences, while the engineers went on & on in passive voice speak which would usually get summed up by an exec saying something like - "Well what you are trying to say is - (some short sentenceid="blue">), right?" Then the engineer turns red and says "yea".... Well thats actually a lie. What they really did was start up with their diatribe all over again trying to be accurate. It was embarassing. Chris, Oregon

Thread drift Jim Katen let me peek at one of his cool reports. I wonder what it will take get Hausdok to show me one of his? Probably have to take a trip to Seattle and pretend I am buying some house and hire him under false pretenses just so I could see the master at work. Chris, Oregon

You used this type of construction a lot. You made lots & lots of passive voice constructions for example: I would have written something like: On the north side of the house above the electric panel the eave is damaged. Have a roofer repair the damaged eave.id="blue"> Then I might have a picture or two of the damaged eave with a caption describing the type of damage marked up by arrows or circles etc. Do you have a copy of Bonnie's book? If not, get it and read it at least 10 times. You also have a lot of "consider" doing this type constructions Consider, acts like a convention. It weakens your point. I advocate making recommendations imperative. Chris, Oregon

Why I don't use conventions to flag the findings: 1) Zoids and sellers will use them against the buyer. 2) They give me a headache trying to figure out if in any one particular circumstance is the thing better characterized as a repair, maintenance or an improvement. 3) All those definitions taking up space in the report. 4) They tend to weaken and cloud the point. 5) They cause misunderstandings. 6) They are lawsuit baitid="blue"> I believe times have changed. Clients today tend to see everthing as a repair item. Chris, Oregon

Jim do you recommend a particular company or companies when writing this issue up? I imagine you don't go thru all the verbiage to describe how to properly install a dewatering system in a crawlspace. Also do you recommend that the same company address grading and drainage around the house as part of the recommendation? Clients and worst, sellers, do a horrible and useless job most of the time attempting to do even simple grading and drainage corrections. Chris, Oregon

Do you think that there is anyway to eliminate the monitoring aspect of a finding like this? I don't think that clients will monitor something anyway. They will just let it become a big problem and then blame the inspector for not recommending that something be done about it at the time they bought the house. Chris, Oregon

Unless I am mistaken the original point of the question had to do with labeling/flagging findings in terms of repair, maintenance or improvement etc. - a form of prioritizing the findings. In my opinion, in today’s real estate environment with today’s client, that does more harm than good for the client. I advocate just listing the items in terms of what section of the SOP they are under and not labeling or flagging the finding. I know that runs against tradition. Labeling presumes that a client knows enough about a house as to understand what the label implies. - Well in my experience these days either most don't or they don't care or worse the zoids or seller will take advantage of the flagging and pull items off of the negotiating table. Thats why I like Hausdoks model construction so much because I don't have to label the finding. The narrative explains it all. An example applied to a maintenance item Now I am sure that Chad, Hausdok or Jim K. Could write it a lot better but you get the idea. Chris, Oregon

The redi, roto rooter folk in my parts charge $1500 - $2000 for a sump pump only installation. I have seen them do it and I think it's a big rip off. But you're right, quoting $500 will lower the level to morons. There is a plumber down here who does a first class job with a Zoeller pump and everything for $500. Maybe the thing to do is just give out his name & number? Chris, Oregon

Image Insert: 78.9 KB Image Insert: 81.25 KB OK, would you kindly Katenize this. Chris, Oregon

One issue I find myself tempted to recommend some version of monitoring is finding silt stains on top of the vapor barrier in a crawlspace when things are dry. Do you have any advice for those situations? Chris, Oregon

I am not a proponent for classifying things as maintenance. All it does is serve to weaken the point of the issue IMO. If the client wants to decide it's a maintenance issue then fine with me. Now I know that runs counter to what is even is practiced by the old farts but I just don't like to classify the issues in the report like that although I will freely do it verbally with a client when I able to talk to him eyeball to eyeball. I really like this model construction by Hausdok. For the cable case you could alter this to say As to the AFCI, it might very well become the standard of care to make that recommendation but I don't. I know GFCI's improve safety. I am not yet convinced that AFCI's even work. I have taken to the practice with electrical contraventions of pointing them out and calling for their correction. I do it for two reasons. Jim K. does it and W.J. made a good argument for it. Jim Morrison keeps telling me to do that. I just hope he doesn't tell me to jump off a cliff if they do it to! Chris, Oregon

Kevin I am having trouble understanding your logic. With respect to electrical items if they are done wrong but work why would you recommend its correction as an maintenance item or upgrade? As a matter of policy with electrical items I write them up for correction and right away. I have had my own personal experience of going soft like that and suggesting that they can defer the correction and it came back to bite in a big way. I'm with Chad. Walter has also addressed this before. I think you would get slaughtered on the witness stand for recommending an electrical correction as maintenance need or an upgrade. Chris, Oregon

Using my little engineering brain I agree with Jim K. I can't see why, assuming that the errosion is simple, one couldn't just recompact the ground underneath and adjacent to the footer with dry concrete and gravel and even earth? Now if there were clues that the ground was settling under the footer that would be a different story. Has anyone here ever been told that recompacting this way is a bad Idea? Chris, Oregon

When I started the only examples I had were those I mined from other HI reports. Only a few HI books as Walter says "brushes up against the subject". I was looking and found nothing so I went on my merry way writing things the only way I knew how using passive voice and we language and writing to defend my self instead of just getting the point across to the client. Only after I joined TIJ that I soon realized "Holy cow Batman" that there are some guys out there who know their expletive deleted. I have pursued this subject because I intuitively knew how important it was going to be for me, and that it was going to increase my success, which it has. Yea, it's boring but there is obviously some interest in it as these have been some of the fastest growing and most viewed threads at TIJ. I believe I am not the only one who has found the report writing trough empty. I will keeping pounding away at this subject. I am only getting started. Chris, Oregon

Would anyone disagree that there are some unique aspects to writing home inspection reports? Well if not a book, what about a guideline on HI report writing composed of contributions from the TIJ crew? Have you seen more on the subject then whats here on TIJ? Chris, Oregon

If you have to punt for further evaluation, not for reasons of discovery, but because your eduation is lacking in a particular area at the moment what would be a good way to construct the recommendation? Have a so & so take a look at it and have it repaired as necessary? Chris, Oregon

Looks like this thread has pretty much played out. Here's a recap of some of the things I learned from it. Don’t make constructions laying, indicating or implying blame. Don’t build a case of why it’s wrong. Just say it’s wrong and what could happen if it’s not corrected. The important point is likely to be lost in the sea of details and analysis. Don’t build a case as to why it’s wrong as a preemptive defense to try and outwit challengers to our opinion. Write to teach the client what they need to know right now, Don’t try and teach them everything you know about the subject. Some prior threads have concentrated on passive and vague writing, spelling, punctuation etc. There are already some very good sources dealing with those subjects. I particularly liked Bonnie T.'s book. But what I am interested in are unwritten report writing principles beyond these. Why hasn't anyone ever published a report writing book for HI's? Judging by the interest in this subject here at TIJ I would think it would be a best seller not to mention a bible for the attys. Chris, Oregon

But on the general subject of recommending monitoring in report writing is it to be avoided? Isn't there a healthy amount of legal liability for us telling a client to monitor something besides just kinda leaving the client hanging? Chris, Oregon

Can you think of a case where monitoring would be an appropriate recommendation? My understanding is that its a sin to suggest monitoring. Chris, Oregon

Thanks Kurt and Randy. But does anyone know the proper way to correct it? Can you just rebuild it back up compacting it by hand or do you dig it out and pour more concrete? Chris, Oregon

I hear what your saying Walter but you being a musician I think you can understand this. As far back as 5 or 6 I wanted to be a guitarist. Got my first acoustic at age 12. Joined my first performing rock band at age 14. The guys I was with were much more talented then me and could pick stuff up and play it with flair I could not match. But because I wanted it so bad I kept practicing and practicing and practicing and hung out with and took lessons from the best in the Pacific NW and my crappy playing improved and improved. It took about 10 years before I was even a little bit satisfied with my playing. I eventually rose to the top and became well known at the time and played professionally for a number of years. My point is shear determination and vision can compensate for a lack of natural talent. Chris, Oregon