How would you write this up?

[Tom Breslawski]

This is the crawlspace of a lake house, built in 2006. No cracks or movement, just sloppy mortar inside. Everything looks fine outside.

I do intend to write it into the report, although it's really just cosmetic, IMO.

Just wondering how some of you would write this up (or if you would).

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[Chad Fabry]

It's not a defect. I wouldn't mention it.

[ghentjr]

Nothing to tell.

[Tom Breslawski]

No, it's not a defect. I was thinking of mentioning it so the buyer wouldn't *think* that it was a defect when they looked down there, that's all.

Thanks Chad.

It's not a defect. I wouldn't mention it.

[Eric B]

In this case sloppy works for me.

[Marc]

I wouldn't bother the client with that.

Marc

[Mike Lamb]

Don't mention it. Sloppy? In a crawlspace?

[Scottpat]

It would not make it to my report? Not an issue..

[John Dirks Jr]

If I see anything I think might be a cause for question, even though I know it's not a problem, I'll snap a picture of it. Then, when I'm scrolling through my pictures and talking with the client I'll point it out and tell them not to worry about it. Sometimes things get a verbal mention to avoid future confusion but they do not make the report.

[Tom Raymond]

I review my crawl pics with my clients on site. It may be the only time they ever see the crawlspace.

I explain my concerns and anything they ask about. I could see some asking about the mortar.

[kurt]

This is one of the arguments for taking pictures and archiving them for every job.

I do the same; show them pics on site of the crawl because most (all) are never going in there. Of all the stuff that builds the client relationship, going in a crawl has got to be a top fiver.

[John Kogel]

If I was paying a mason to lay up block at my lake house, I would probably want him to leave the mortar sloppy just like that. []

Agreed, show the clients pics of hidden areas and that would be the time to cover non-issues if they came up.

[Jim Baird]

...a brick house near here is two storey and, under direction of the eccentric owner, all the outside joints were left like that, to a surprisingly repulsive effect. Around here people call it "the castle"...don't think I have pics left, but I inspected a 3 storey tower stuck on the side that leaked for that owner.

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[Tom Raymond]

There is a neighborhood of mid 50s ranches not far from here where that finish was popular. It's especially attractive on green brick.

[Marc]

...a brick house near here is two storey and, under direction of the eccentric owner, all the outside joints were left like that, to a surprisingly repulsive effect. Around here people call it "the castle"...don't think I have pics left, but I inspected a 3 storey tower stuck on the side that leaked for that owner.

Those I write up when in combination with an absence of weeps. It's conducive to moisture infiltration issues, somewhat related to the issue with split-face block.

Marc

[Tom Breslawski]

I did end up mentioning it in the report as a quick comment just letting them know that it's normal. This client didn't have much knowledge at all about houses at all.

In the future, this will be a verbal mention on site.

Thanks for all the feedback!

[Gibsonguy]

I see this all the time inside the attic spaces for the common walls. In areas where no one is going to go, it is just not aesthetically pleasing, but it isn't considered a defect. Some houses we have too much to write up already. When there are too many things in a report that don't have any meaning, it takes away from the importance of the things that do.

That pic stays on the cutting room floor in my editing room.

[Jim Katen]

I see this all the time inside the attic spaces for the common walls. In areas where no one is going to go, it is just not aesthetically pleasing, but it isn't considered a defect. Some houses we have too much to write up already. When there are too many things in a report that don't have any meaning, it takes away from the importance of the things that do.

That pic stays on the cutting room floor in my editing room.

That's a really good point. I have no problem including lots of little defects in my report if there are lots of little defects in the house, but the sloppy mortar in the original post falls way short of being a defect.

[Tom Raymond]

The pic in the OP isn't a defect, but, that kind of work on a party wall would be here. When I did masonry work party walls were required to be struck clean on both sides. The inspector cannot see voids in a wall that isn't cleaned.