This house was vacant / unoccupied at the time of inspection. Vacant and unoccupied houses present unique challenges for home inspections, especially the piping and wiring systems which have not been subject to regular use prior to the inspection. While these systems can be tested during inspection, this one-time test is different than regular use and it is difficult to know how these systems will respond to regular use after the inspection. For example, septic systems may initially function and then fail under regular daily use. Plumbing traps may operate with no signs of leaks and then let go when being actively used for a few days. Shower pans may only leak when someone is standing in the shower and taking a shower. Seals for plumbing fixtures can dry up and leak when not in use. Sewer lines with roots may allow water flow, but then fail when waste and tissue are flushed; it can take a few days for that to backup. Please understand we are trying our best to look for clues of past or existing problems to paint a realistic best-guess as to the reliability of these systems during inspection.

This home had staging furniture at the time of the inspection. Inspections of furnished homes present some challenges as belongings can obstruct visual inspections and access to parts of the building. I do my best during the inspection to work around belongings to discover as much as possible about the house without moving or damaging personal property, however, the presence of personal items does limit the inspection.

This section covers the lot around the property: walkways, patios, driveways, vegetation, grading, surface drainage, and retaining walls that could affect the building.

These are photos of the grounds at the time of the inspection.

While performance of lot drainage and water handling systems may appear serviceable at the time of inspection, predicting drainage performance as conditions constantly change is impossible. Furthermore, items such as leakage in downspout/gutter systems are very difficult to detect during dry weather. Inspection of foundation performance and water handling systems, therefore, is limited to visible conditions and evidence of past problems.

According to Washington State inspection standards of practice, only the fencing immediately adjacent to the house and potentially impacting the structure is inspected. I observed the fence anyway, but it wasn't an exhaustive investigation. Please note that individual boards can come loose or be rotten. Depending on your use of the yard, I recommend a more thorough investigation of the full fence line.

Detached outbuildings are not included in the scope of a standard home inspection; this inspection is limited to the house only. However, a cursory check of any installed and visible plumbing and electrical systems was performed. Any defects with these systems can be found in the Electrical and Plumbing sections of this report.

This section covers the siding, flashing, trim, windows, exterior doors, steps, porches, decks, balconies, eaves, soffits, and fascias. The main job of the exterior is to keep water out.

The chimney had been resided with newer fiber cement siding.

Any installed window coverings (blinds/drapes) were not systematically tested. Their operation is outside of the scope of a home inspection.

Please note that the deck framing inspection was limited. I could not see framing and deck structural components in many places because the underside of the deck was not accessible.

Please note that the deck ledger board (how the deck attaches to the house) inspection was limited. I could not see the full ledger board because the underside of the deck was not accessible.

This section covers the roofing material, flashing, and roof penetrations.

Some roofs are not safe to walk on due to slope, access, materials, or weather. In those cases I observe the roof as best I can from the ground or other vantage points.

These are photos of the roof taken to add context.

Roof flashings are used to keep a roofing system waterproof where the roofing material starts, stops, changes direction or is penetrated. During inspection, I look for standard flashing techniques that could be considered normal or standard in our region. Damaged, incomplete or non-standard flashings can be a sign of an older or less reliable roofing system and may require repair. Any non-standard flashings noted during inspection will be reported on below if found.

Typical granule loss was observed in places; the black material visible on the shingles is exposed asphalt due to granule loss. This is one way to estimate a roof's age. The granules on the shingles help reflect UV radiation from the sun. When granules are not in place, UV radiation causes the asphalt shingles to dry out and crack, eventually leading to roof failure.

This section covers the living areas not covered elsewhere in the report, such as bedrooms, hallways, and living and dining rooms.

These are photos of the interior at the time of the inspection.

Some flooring was not accessible/visible due to stored personal items.

Some areas were not accessible/visible due to stored personal items.

I operated all plumbing fixtures in the bathrooms, checked tile shower enclosures with a moisture meter for concealed leaks, and sounded for loose tile in shower and tub enclosures. I do not test bathtub overflow drains, as this risks damaging finishes around the tub. Monitor tubs while filling and avoid pushing water into the overflow; the gaskets dry out over time and can leak.

Testing during an inspection puts less stress on plumbing than daily use, especially in a vacant home, so monitor the plumbing after moving in.

These are photos of the bathroom(s) at the time of the inspection.

There was a jetted tub in the primary bathroom. The drain and water controls were inspected. Testing the jet system in the tub is outside the scope of a standard home inspection.

This section covers the kitchen sink, cabinets, countertops, ventilation, and appliances. Safety concerns, water leaks, and inoperable appliances are reported.

These are photos of the kitchen at the time of the inspection.

Thermal images show the freezer and refrigerator were working during the inspection.

Thermal images show the oven was operated and was working at the time of inspection.

Thermal images show the cooktop was tested and working during the inspection.

This section covers the laundry area: visible plumbing, venting, and any installed appliances.

This is a thermal image of the dryer operating at the time of the inspection.

This section covers the garage, including garage door safety features and the fire barrier between the garage and the living space.

These are photos of the garage at the time of the inspection.

The photo eye sensors are sensors that project an infrared beam across the bottom of the garage door. If something breaks the beam while the door is closing, the door should automatically stop closing and reverse to prevent it from crushing something.

The auto-pressure reverse sensor should trigger when the garage door hits something while closing. It should trigger with 10 pounds of force or less. This sensor will immediately stop the door and cause it to reverse to prevent the door from crushing something.

This section covers the accessible attic: framing, insulation, ventilation, and exposed wiring. Damage such as organic growth or rodent activity is noted below.

Full attic access/visibility was not possible due to limited clearance in the attic and surfaces blocked by insulation.

This house had vaulted ceilings in areas. With this roof design, there was no attic space and no access to inspect roof framing, thermal barriers, or fan exhaust ductwork.

These are photos of the attic at the time of the inspection to provide context.

In our climate, modern building standards recommend insulation with an R-value of between 38 and 60 in the attic. Different materials have different R-values, but in general, around 12 to 14 inches of insulation is the minimum recommended in attics.

The R-value of blown fiberglass is around 2.5 per inch of depth.

The R-value of fiberglass batts is around 3.2 per inch.

Attic and roof cavity ventilation is a frequently-misunderstood element of residential construction. Most traditionally insulated roof cavities are required to have ventilation. This is primarily to reduce moisture levels in the attic, which helps prevent organic growth issues, and keeps the roofing material cooler, which extends its lifespan. The general default standard is 1 to 150 of the attic area and ideally, this comes from at least 60% lower roof cavity ventilation and 40% upper, but this is a significant oversimplification of the subject. As a good guiding principle the most important elements for healthy attic spaces, which are traditionally insulated and ventilated are:

1. Make sure the ceiling between the living space and the attic is airtight
2. Ventilate consistently across the whole lower part of the roof cavity with low, intake soffit venting
3. Upper roof cavity venting is less important and if over-installed can exacerbate air migration into the attic from the living space.
4. Avoid power ventilators which can depressurize the attic and exacerbate air migration from the house into the attic.

For more information, please see here.

This section covers the foundation, framing, and any accessible crawl space. I probe structural components where deterioration is suspected, but not where probing would damage finished surfaces.

Structural problems usually develop slowly over time, so I look for evidence of structural movement. An inspection is a snapshot of one day, which makes it difficult to tell whether movement is old and stable or still ongoing.

Full crawl space access/visibility not possible due to limited clearance, surfaces blocked by insulation, and duct work.

These are photos of the crawl space at the time of the inspection to provide context.

Signs of seismic protection were noted during inspection. This inspection is not a cohesive analysis of seismic engineering, but I do look for signs of seismic protection.

Crawl spaces ventilation is designed to keep humidity levels as low as possible. Crawl spaces are a common location for rot and mold issues, and having airflow through the space helps keep moisture levels low.

The sub-floor in this crawl space was covered with insulation in most, if not all, areas. This obstructs visual inspection as most of the framing was not able to be inspected. I did pull back insulation in places to spot check the floor frame. No defects were found.

In our climate, modern building standards recommend insulation with an R-value of at least 25 under the floor. Different materials have different R-values, but in general, that's around 8 inches of insulation.

The R-value of fiberglass batts is around 3.2 per inch.

This area of the report describes the exposed water plumbing materials, main water shutoff location, water pressure, the water heater, and plumbing fixtures in living spaces.

Please note that many supply pipes were concealed behind walls and were not visible during the inspection. Determination of the supply piping materials used here is an educated guess based on the materials that were visible coming out of the wall and below fixtures.

Note that the waste piping system was mostly concealed behind finishes and not visible to inspection.

Note that when the sewage discharge type is listed here, it is listed based on public records and disclosure. It is always possible that the system is not as it is listed; for example, a property could be listed as a public sewer system when in fact it is on a private septic system. This is unlikely, but is possible.

These are context photos of the water heater.

This water heater appeared to be using F.V.I.R technology. Prior to 2003 most gas water heaters had an open combustion system which made them a potential ignition source in places like garages where gasoline vapors could ignite. Starting in 2003, residential water heaters began using “F.V.I.R.” (Flammable Vapor Ignition Resistant) technology. This means that the combustion chamber is now sealed. In order to light the water heater, you must use the pilot mechanism and you can no longer use a match, like the old pilot lights. Effective July 1, 2003, all water heater manufacturers are required to build their 30,40 & 50 gallon atmospheric vent water heaters to new government standards. The American National Standards Institution (ANSI) have established these new standards to prevent accidental or unintended ignition of flammable vapors, such as those emitted by gasoline. By July 1, 2005, the ANSI Z21.10.1a-2002 standard will apply to virtually all gas fired residential water heaters with BTU ratings of 75,000 and below.

This section covers the electrical service, panels, wiring, GFCI protection, and a representative number of lights, switches, and receptacles.

This is a photo of the electrical service entrance, meter, and any visible service wires.

During a home or property inspection, every effort is made to inspect the visible components of the electrical system whole house grounding. The whole house grounding system is primarily for safely discharging electrical surges from lightning strikes, which are rare in our area. There is no way in the context of a home inspection to verify the "effectiveness" of the grounding system as much of the system is not visible and there are not practical tests one can perform. Washington State Law requires inspectors to look for a whole house grounding system, but it plays a smaller role in day-to-day occupant safety than the grounding of the branch wiring. This is not the same thing as the grounding of wiring in the house, which is a significant safety issue to prevent shock/electrocution hazards for occupants.

During the inspection, I attempt to visually document electrical system bonding. There is no way in the context of a home inspection to verify the "effectiveness" of system bonding. All metallic systems (metal water pipes and metal gas pipes) in the building are required to be "bonded" (connected) to the building's electrical grounding system. Bonding creates a pathway to shunt static charges (that would otherwise build up on the system) to earth, and to provide a pathway to trip a breaker in the event that these bonded metallic components became energized.

Photos of the electrical panel are provided for context.