No Home Inspection is Complete Without Time Well Spent in the Attic
If you’re in the market for a new home, it pays to have a home inspection company that isn’t afraid to peek into the dark corners where others may fear to tread, such as crawl spaces and attics. A detailed inspection of an attic can answer some critical questions about the home: How much and what kind of insulation is present? Is there adequate venting? Could there be hidden roof leaks? What about unwanted critters and wood-destroying insects?
The certified professionals at A-Pro Home Inspection perform complete 500-point inspections, so every accessible nook and cranny of a home, including the attic, gets a thorough examination. Here’s what you should expect from the attic portion of a home inspection:
Insulation: The inspector reports on the type of insulation (blown-in fiberglass or cellulose insulation, rolled or pre-cut fiberglass batt insulation), note its depth and thickness, and point out defects. These may include lack of insulation; double layer insulation compressed to the size of one layer; insulation blocking attic vents; improper installation; gaps, disturbances or unevenness; and flattened or dirty insulation that drastically prevents it from blocking the flow of heat.
Venting: A home stays cooler in the summer by expelling trapped solar-heated air, which translates into greater comfort and cost savings. A well-vented attic in winter prevents roof warming, which leads to the formation of destructive ice dams. Further, extreme summer heat in a poorly vented attic can cook shingles and roof sheathing, cutting short their intended life spans. Your home inspector will check to see if there is a proper balance of correctly placed intake and exit venting designed to keep the attic close to outside temperatures. This will help prevent high moisture levels that can damage roof and attic wood structures, harm roof decking, spur mold, and mildew growth, lead to paint failure, invite wood-destroying insects inside, and other concerns. An attic should have at least one square foot of ventilation for every 300 square feet of attic, according to the Federal Housing Administration. The home inspection will include an evaluation to determine if attic venting is present, the type of venting and if it’s performing as it should. Evidence that there may be inadequate attic venting includes shingle deterioration, mold, and mildew in the attic, wet insulation, excessive attic heat, and condensation on sheathing and rafters.
Framing: The home inspector will check exposed framing in the attic for signs of rot, damaged sheathing, sagging or bowing, and the general quality of the framing construction, which may give hints about the rest of the home’s skeleton.
Water Leakage: During the attic inspection, special attention will be given to areas that are prone to water leakages, such as around skylights, roof vents, and chimneys. It is not uncommon to find decaying sheathing, mold, and rotting wood where water penetration has occurred. Signs of a roof leak include water stains on roof sheathing, venting pipes, and framing, as well as matted insulation. Use of a moisture meter can assess the extent of the problem.
Pests: Finally, the inspector will check for signs of squirrels, bats, birds, rats, raccoons, and insects that can cause severe damage to a home, pose a health risk, and scare the living daylights out of you if one happens to jump on or fly by the breakfast table. Ripped screens, holes, nests, droppings, and evidence of chewed wires and wood will be noted in the inspection report.
Inspection of a home’s attic is just one part of an A-Pro 500-point inspection. To schedule a home inspection, call 1-509-731-4992 or visit here.
After running water, the home inspector will observe if the sink, toilet, and tub/shower are draining properly. Debris such as hair, dirt, paper towels, etc. can clog internal plumbing, restricting water flow. The inspector will also determine if there is adequate water pressure when fixtures are run at the same time. Severe water flow issues may be an indication of blockage in the main sewer line to the home.
The home inspector may report on a number of toilet problems, such as poor connection to the floor, cracks in the bowl or tank, a continuously running unit (which can damage the pump and cost homeowners’ money in high water bills), a failed flapper seal (which can cause leakage), and toilets that fill too slowly or take too long to flush.
Inspection of a home’s bathrooms is just one part of an A-Pro foundation-to-roof 500-point inspection. To schedule a home inspection, call 1-509-731-4992 or click 
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Negative Grade: Your home inspector will note instances in which negative grade, also known as “poor grade,” directs water toward the building. This condition results in rainwater collecting against foundation walls, particularly at downspouts, window wells, and near steps. Water penetration can cause costly foundation deterioration. Saturated soil can also bring on settlement issues and water intrusion into basements and crawlspaces.
A complete grading assessment is part of an A-Pro 500-point inspection. To schedule a home inspection, call 1-509-731-4992.
Roof and Exterior Damage: When trees and bushes are too close to a home and have not been properly pruned, they can rub up against building materials, causing abrasions and more significant damage. Limbs overhanging a roof can drop leaves and seeds that clog gutters. If unchecked, this can lead to rainwater runoff that can stain siding and facilitate foundation problems. Snow-laden or wind-blown branches and limbs can break off and cause severe roof damage and potential bodily injury. Because they retain moisture, shrubs planted too close to a structure can speed up the deterioration of the exterior cladding and attract wood-destroying insects.
A Final Thought: When your clients need home inspections this summer– or any season – give your local team at A-Pro a call. We’ve performed thousands of inspections from coast to coast since 1994.
Reach us in Washington or Yakima at 1-509-731-4992 or schedule an inspection 
Contact your local A-Pro Yakima Home Inspection team now at 1-509-731-4992 .
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Here are a few tips from A-Pro regarding two often forgotten but valuable home maintenance appliances—bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans. Share these ideas with your clients to help prevent potentially big problems down the road.
When temperatures plummet and your furnace kicks on, do you run to put on your favorite fleece sweatshirt? Are wall surfaces cold to the touch? Do you get hit by a chilly draft when passing an upstairs window? Are you running the heating system less but still paying high utility bills?
If you answered yes, then it’s time to consider a Thermal Imaging Home Inspection. These inspections take the guesswork out of understanding whether a home is sufficiently air tight or not.
As a real estate agent, recommending a Thermal Imaging Home Inspection to your home-selling and home-buying clients is also a smart idea. Through use of thermography, a home inspector can pinpoint areas in a home that are experiencing heat loss or heat gain.
During winter months, thermal imaging equipment can more easily detect if cold outside air is creeping into a home through walls, ceilings, the roof, poorly sealed windows and doors, chimneys, the attic, locations where there may be a lack of insulation, and other areas. Experts estimate that as much as 50% of a home’s energy consumption is due to these leaks.
Similarly, summer thermal imaging assessments—particularly during the hottest months—can dramatically highlight spots where warm outside air is finding its way into an air-conditioned home, making life miserable for the homeowner, both in terms of physical discomfort and unnecessarily high cooling costs.
Using an infrared camera, the home inspector can see a visual representation of heat differences at the finished surfaces of walls, floors, and ceilings. Thermal imaging can also identify hidden plumbing issues and high moisture areas that may be susceptible to mold, damage caused by wood destroying insects, overheating electrical wiring, and other dangerous and expensive problems.
Armed with this information, the home-seller can address these issues before listing the home and present potential buyers with a Thermal Imaging report that provides concrete evidence that the home meets standards for air tightness. If the inspection finds areas that were deficient, the seller can take action and then show proof of how problem spots were fixed.
For homebuyers, a Thermal Imaging Home Inspection can help them make a decision with confidence by enabling them to negotiate a fair price based on the findings or by requesting that the seller take care of air leakage concerns upfront.
Thermal Imaging Home Inspections are not part of a complete 500-point A-Pro home inspection.
Call NOW 1-509-731-4992 for more information.