The property has a fencing system in place. Inspection and evaluation of fencing is beyond the scope of a home inspection. If the fencing system is important for your use of this property, I recommended a self-examination to see how it will meet your needs. I may make cursory comments about fencing as a courtesy.

Roof flashings are used to keep a roofing system waterproof where the roofing material starts, stops, changes direction or is penetrated. During inspection, we 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.

Manufacturers of fiber cement siding have made it difficult to distinguish their products after installation;. This report will site James Hardie manufacturers installation requirements for reference because they are the most common manufacturer of fiber cement siding and the various manufactures seem to share similar installation guidelines. Here is a link to the HZ-10 Best Practices Guide. However, reference of these guidelines in this report does not ensure that the fiber cement siding here is a James Hardie product.

Parts of the exterior siding system here are done using manufactured stone veneer. This is a cement-based product that is manufactured to look like natural stone. It is often used as a decorative detail on the exterior of residential construction and it is occasionally used as an extensive part of the exterior siding system. As a general guide to understanding this product, it should be installed in a fashion similar to hard-coat stucco. One critical aspect of the installation that is concealed once the installation is complete is that two layers of underlayment should be used beneath this product.

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 in the building are required to be "bonded" (connected) to the 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. There are many things that can lead me to recommend further evaluation of this system by a licensed electrical contractor and they will be documented as repair items in the observations below if discovered.

A representative number of receptacles and switches were tested during inspection. Any defects found during inspection are noted in this report. Only visible and accessible receptacles and switches were tested during inspection and personal items and furnishings are not moved to access any receptacles or fixtures.

The installation of carbon monoxide alarms is recommended for all homes that have fuel burning appliances such as gas or oil furnaces, gas water heaters, gas ovens and cook-tops, gas fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, Washington State law (WAC 51-51-0315) now requires UL 2034 approved carbon monoxide alarms in ALL homes and condominiums being sold in Washington State. The location should be: at least one alarm outside of all sleeping areas and one on each floor of the house. Best practices are to have these alarms hardwired with a battery back-up - though requirements are for the installation to meet manufacturer's specifications. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause sickness, nausea and even death. Alarms have a useful service life of roughly 6 years, so changing them more frequently than smoke alarms is recommended.

During the home inspection, I try and test a representative sample of the smoke alarms by using the test button on the alarms. This is NOT an accurate test of the sensor just a test to see if the unit is powered. For reliability, fire marshals recommended updating smoke alarms every 10 years and changing batteries bi-annually. The latest data indicate that we should be using photoelectric technology in our smoke alarms for improved fire detection and to reduce problems with false alarms which can lead to disabling of this important safety system. Unfortunately, the alarms have to be removed to determine if they are photo-electric or ionization types. It is surprisingly complex to accurately test a smoke alarm system and determine the reliability, age, and type of sensor technology used, especially as many homes can have half a dozen or more alarms throughout the house. A complete evaluation of smoke alarms is beyond the scope of this inspection. For optimal fire safety, I recommend taking control of these important safety devices and learning about how to service and maintain your smoke alarm system to keep the building occupants safe. For more information, please read this link. For more information, please read this link.

This house has a gas forced air furnace. A critical component to all combustion heating equipment is the heat exchanger. This is the welded metal assembly inside the furnace that contains the products of combustion so that moisture, carbon monoxide and other products of combustion do not mix with interior air and get safely vented to the exterior. Heat exchangers on modern furnaces have an average life expectancy of 15-20 years. Unfortunately, heat exchangers are concealed inside the heating equipment; they are not visible and specifically excluded from a home inspection. Cracks in heat exchangers may be concealed and can pose a potential safety hazard.

This shows the data plate from the furnace. 📸

The heating and cooling system has disposable air filters installed. These should be changed quarterly or more to ensure proper air flow at the furnace. Be sure to install the filters with the arrows pointing in the same direction as the air flow in the furnace.

This shows the gas shut off for this gas fireplace.

This shows the fireplace working during inspection.

The visible portions of the supply piping appear to be insulated. However, prior to freezing weather it is always a good idea to check pipes and hose bibs for adequate insulation and freeze protection to protect pipes from cold weather and freezing conditions. Hose bibs can often be winterized prior to cold weather.

This shows the location of the sewer cleanout found during inspection - crawl space. 📸

This shows the data plate for this water heater.

A temperature and pressure relief valve (TPRV) is required on all water heaters to discharge any excessive pressure within the tank. A discharge pipe should be attached to the valve and directed to a safe location away from body contact. Newer installations must be directed to the building exterior or to an approved indoor drain receptor. Most manufacturers suggest that homeowners test these valves at least once a year by lifting the lever to ensure the valve discharges properly and also recommend inspection of these safety devices every three years. The picture here shows a typical TPRV. They may also be found on the side of the heater on some models. I do not test these valves due to the possibility that they may leak after testing. A leaking or inoperative TPRV should be replaced immediately by a licensed plumber.

Attic and roof cavity ventilation is a frequently misunderstood element of residential construction. All roof cavities are required to have ventilation. 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 wild over-simplifications 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: Link

During inspection of the crawl space, every effort is made to inspect the entire space. Visual inspection of crawl spaces is difficult and limited as access is often restricted by pipes, ducts and sub-floor insulation as well as limited clearances.

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