Ideally, the ground should drop one inch for every one foot that you move away from the house for the first 5-to-10 feet around your house. While this is not always possible, the ground should never be sloping upwards as you move away from your house foundation.

A note regarding concrete: Concrete driveways, patio slabs and walkways are prone to cracking due to several reasons. The reasons for cracking of concrete are as follows:

• Temperature and plastic shrinkage
• Thermal variation
• Drying shrinkage
• Chemical reaction
• Weathering
• Poor construction practices

Many existing concrete on existing residential homes has at least some cracking. More severe cracking is common when one or more of the above listed variables were/are present. Existing concrete driveways and walkways in cold climates with more extreme temperature fluctuations will usually show signs of *surface spalling/deterioration and is prone to cracking due to frost heaving. Asphalt will typically perform better in cold climates as the material has some elasticity and is more resistant to surface spalling. In general, we look for and report on raised or uneven walking surfaces that may pose a trip hazard which is a safety concern. Otherwise, cracked or spalling concrete will just be categorized as cosmetic and may not be mentioned in the report.

*Spalling is the flaking or peeling away of small particles of cement paste from the near-surface portion of the finished slab. In most instances, the defect does not affect the slab's service life if untreated. Freezing and thawing cycles are the most common cause for concrete to spall.

General Awareness: Just as a reminder and food for thought: Snow removal in winter months is a necessity for ease of access with most properties in this area. Consideration should be given to ways and means of snow removal. Some opt to do it themselves, while others hire a snow removal contractor. Each property will have different requirements for snow removal.

To see a prescriptive guide for residential wood deck construction click this link: Most existing decks do not meet the standards set forth in this guide, but these standards do help guide our deck inspections.

Roof flashings are used to keep a roofing system water proof 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.

Attic spaces can present challenges and limitations. We try to access and view the entire space whenever possible. Most attics will have limitations due to: Low headroom, limited accessibility where framing and ductwork are installed, lack of ramps or walk-boards. Crawling or walking through insulation can damage ceiling finishes, thermal barriers, unseen wiring/fixtures/ducts, etc.

Note that the house has vaulted ceilings - there is no attic space and no access to inspect roof framing, thermal barriers or fans exhaust ductwork in the vaulted parts of the house.

Some general rules for fire separation between garage and living areas:

• Opening Protection; Openings from a private garage directly into a room used for sleeping purposes shall not be permitted. Other openings between the garage and residence shall be equipped with solid wood doors not less than 13/8 inches (35 mm) in thickness, solid or honeycomb core steel doors not less than 13/8 inches (35 mm) thick, or 20-minute fire-rated doors.
• The garage shall be separated from the residence and its attic area by not less than 1/2-inch (12.7 mm) gypsum board applied to the garage side. Garages beneath habitable rooms shall be separated from all habitable rooms above by not less than 5/8-inch (15.9 mm) Type X gypsum board or equivalent.
• Where the separation is a floor-ceiling assembly, the structure supporting the separation shall also be protected by not less than 1/2-inch (12.7 mm) gypsum board or equivalent.
• Garages located less than 3 feet (914 mm) from a dwelling unit on the same lot shall be protected with not less than 1/2-inch (12.7 mm) gypsum board applied to the interior side of exterior walls that are within this area.

You should have your garage door serviced periodically if no other issues arise. Service technicians prolong the life of your garage door with preventative maintenance: Lubricating moving parts of the door, tightening bolts and screws, adjusting spring tension, etc.

Maintenance Recommendation: You should have these garage doors serviced periodically. Service technicians prolong the life of your garage door with preventative maintenance: Lubricating moving parts of the door, tightening bolts and screws, adjusting spring tension, etc.

During a home or property inspection, every effort is made to inspect the visible components of the electrical system grounding. The grounding system is critical for safely discharging electrical surges, especially in the case of lightning strikes. 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 in the way we can test a furnace or a plumbing fixture. General info about grounding systems:

• Modern homes (2008 and newer) generally use UFER grounds (foundation rebar) and no longer need ground rods.
• Older houses (1963 and earlier) used metal water pipes for grounding instead of ground rods and these older ground conductors may be disabled if the old metal pipes have been updated with plastic pipes.
• In between, (very roughly 1963-1990) ground rods have been used for grounding. Typically two ground rods are required (to try and achieve the recommended 25 ohms or less) unless there is also an older metal water piping system that can be grounded, then often 1 ground rod will suffice.

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. 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.

During inspection I make an effort to test and inspect all accessible electric receptacles and switches. In general, the scope of testing is directly related to access; where personal belonging and furniture obstruct access to receptacles and fixtures, fewer of them can be reasonably tested during inspection. Any defects found during inspection today will be listed in this report.

During inspection I test all Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) devices that are readily accessible. GFCI's are those electric receptacles with re-set buttons that you commonly see in bathrooms, kitchens and at the exterior of the home. GFCI's are important safety devices that limit the duration of electrical shocks and have demonstrably saved lives. I recommend being aware of where re-set buttons are located in the house as GFCI's can trip and disable a circuit which can not be re-energized without re-setting the button. I avoid testing to determine if a receptacle or circuit is GFCI protected if it is not clear where the re-set button can be found. This is because re-set buttons can be concealed behind stored items, so such a test risks disabling a circuit in the home. Occasionally, during testing of GFCI's one can fail. This is a statistical reality that some of these devices will fail under testing and require replacement after testing.

The link below includes important information about smoke alarms that could save lives in the event of a fire. There are two basic types of smoke alarms: ionization, which are better at detecting flaming fires and photoelectric, which are better at detecting smoldering fires. Standards in the building industry are moving toward recommending BOTH types of alarms in the home. It is nearly impossible to accurately test smoke alarms during a home inspection. I recommend learning more about these important life saving devices and consider installing both types of smoke detectors in your home. http://getscribeware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Ionization-vs-photoelectric.pdf

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.

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. 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.

This shows the furnace and data tag.📸

Determining proper ventilation to the exterior from kitchen, bath and laundry fans can be tricky as exhaust fan ductwork is often concealed beneath insulation, behind finishes and fan terminations can be all over the house from the roof to the foundation, presenting difficulties for systematically checking every fan termination. During inspection, every effort is made to verify proper terminations of fan vents to the exterior, but it is possible to miss something here that is latent or concealed.

The wood burning fireplace has a flue damper up inside. This is designed to keep cold air out of the house when the fireplace is not in use. Be sure to keep the flue damper closed during the heating season when the fireplace is not in use to prevent heat loss.

Sinks are flood tested and waste assemblies are checked for leaks or minor drips. Homeowners should check the waste plumbing connections beneath the sinks periodically to avoid water damage from unseen drips that can occur. Wastebaskets and other storage coming in contact with waste assemblies beneath sinks can sometimes loosen connections and can cause drips to develop. We also often find that sink stopper assemblies in the drain assemble work loose and drip.

This shows the water heater and data tag .

The water temperature was tested multiple times during inspection. It is common for water temperatures to fluctuate throughout the house depending on the distance from the water heater, the water heater settings, the type of water heater and any thermostatic controls used in the plumbing fixtures and mixing valves. For reporting, the median temperature is used.

We make every effort to visually inspect and operate every single interior door. All interior doors may be tested on smaller homes - where a representative sample of interior doors are tested on larger homes. Occasionally we find doors be locked or blocked by stored items or otherwise inaccessible.

Kitchen appliances were tested during inspection today. The typical design life of appliances can range from 4-20 years. Some appliances such as an older electric range are simple and tend to last longer than more complex appliances such as dishwashers and refrigerators or modern appliances with circuit boards. It is impossible to predict the useful remaining life of an appliance. I ran appliances during inspection. Any defects noted will be listed in this report. There are companies that offer warranties for appliances such as AHS Home Shield. While I do not endorse or recommend any specific warranty. I know that some home owners have been very happy with this insurance. For your convenience, I have attached a link to a web site of one such warranty product. LINK

Homeowners should inspect their dryer and transition ducts regularly and have them cleaned as needed to remove lint and debris to prevent the potential for a dryer fire. Every year, dryer duct fires cause $35 million in damages, hundreds of injuries and even deaths. If you ever notice a burning stench in your laundry room, this is another indication you should get cleaning sooner rather than later. If you don't want to do it yourself - hire a duct cleaning professional to take care of dryer vent cleaning.

7 Signs You Need to Clean Your Dryer Vent:

1. Clothes take longer than normal to dry
2. Clothes are unusually hot to the touch
3. The room is warmer than normal when the dryer is running
4. You've noticed burning smells
5. The lint flap isn't opening
6. The dryer tells you there's a problem
7. The dryer stops working

During inspection of the crawl space, every effort is made to inspect the entire space. Visual inspection of crawlspaces can present challenges and limitations as access to some areas is often restricted by pipes, ducts and sub-floor insulation as well as limited clearances.