What Are These Walkway and Driveway Settlement Cracks?

Walkway, Driveway, and Hardscape Settling Settling is caused by brick or concrete or other hardscape surfaces applied over soil that was disturbed during the construction process and not fully recompacted before the weight of the hardscape was applied. Disturbed soil can expand up to 30%, and eventually, this expansion re-compacts causing settling. Over the years, as the ground that was disturbed from construction compacts, it causes the concrete or other hardscape surfaces to settle and crack, and the brick to...

How I Removed all of my Boilerplate Disclaimer and Made My Reports Better and Lowered my Liability

The Long Journey I have been an inspector long enough, that my first home inspection reports were written on those carbonless-copy hand-written forms. My career does not pre-date computers, but it does mark the advent of digital cameras, and the features we find common today in report writing software systems were not even fathomable when I got started. About a year ago, I showed up at the house of a repeat client in order to do a pre-listing inspection and...

Blockers!

What is the Deal with Houses Built From Concrete Blocks? Identification Concrete Masonry Block [CMU] Construction is easily identified as the perimeter walls are built from concrete blocks. Sometimes when the exterior is covered by siding and the interior is covered by wallboard, you cannot see the blocks. In these cases try looking at the jamb extensions of the windows and doors. A masonry block house will have thick jamb extensions at windows and doors as they need to cover...

Site Preparation: 5 Keys for Moisture Control Around Your House

1. Eliminate Earth to Wood Contact Care should be taken to keep beauty bark, earth and gravel at least 6″ from the bottom course of exterior siding and trim. Earth to wood contact is the easiest way for insects to enter the structure, and keeping a minimum 6″ gap will eliminate conditions conducive to wood destroying organisms. Where soil is in contact with the siding or trim, the dirt, gravel, or debris should be pulled away from the building so...

I Want to Add Narratives to My Home Inspection Report With The Click of a Button

One of the more frustrating things home inspectors face in report writing is not being able to locate a pre-made narrative comment that you know exists somewhere in your software. While no software can make every comment instantly available, smart software will provide an inspector with multiple ways to sort, sift through, organize and recall your narratives. One of my favorite tools at the moment is the Inspector Only Notes checkbox. Inspector Only Notes are designed to show up in...