Lindsley Waterproofing has a great appreciation and respect for home inspectors. A general home inspector has to have a wealth of knowledge. A general home inspector has to climb up onto steep and sometimes very high roofs, crawl into tight and sometimes nasty crawlspaces, and probe around in attics full of horrendously itchy insulation in 130° heat. A general home inspector needs to know about structural components, HVAC systems, electrical systems, plumbing systems, roof/rafter systems, joist/truss systems, appliances, and the list goes on.

 

A general home inspector has to produce a report that doesn’t seem ‘nit-picky’ to a seller but has to be ‘comprehensive’ for a buyer.

 

A general home inspector often faces the wrath of a buyer who found out after buying a house that there was a serious defect not found in the inspection—even when the defect could not possibly have been detected without tearing out flooring, ceilings, or wall coverings.

 

Home Inspectors! We appreciate you! Keep up the good work!

 

Of the many hundreds of home inspection reports that we have seen, we’ve never seen where you have specifically said what needs to be done to fix a malfunctioning HVAC system. Instead, you say on your report, ‘consult a licensed HVAC contractor’.

 

We’ve never seen where you have specifically said what needs to be done to fix a plumbing leak—instead, you say on your report, ‘consult a licensed plumber’.

We’ve never seen where you have specifically said what needs to be done to address questionable wiring—instead, you say on your report, ‘consult a licensed electrician’.

 

Home inspectors! Please, please, when you discover that the underside of a house (whether it’s a basement or a crawlspace) has a ground water intrusion problem and/or a high moisture problem, please, put on your report, ‘consult a waterproofing/moisture control specialist’. Report the problem, folks, just as you do with plumbing, wiring, and air conditioning; but please, don’t try to fill out the prescription - leave that up to the specialists.

 

We have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of general home inspections reporting ground water intrusion and then implying that improving roof water run-off and improving grading will solve the problem. THAT ABSOLUTELY IS NOT THE CASE, FOLKS! If ground and subsurface rain water is getting under a house, it automatically means that the foundation protection (waterproofing and drainage) has deficiencies. Improving guttering and grading can only reduce [not eliminate] the amount of water that exploits those deficiencies but it does not correct or even address those deficiencies. No amount of guttering and grading will stop water from going into the ground (any plant living on the side of a hill demonstrates that); and that water in the ground will find those deficiencies and cause problems.

Reducing the amount (and perhaps the frequency) of water intrusion, obviously, is not a bad thing; but, mold infestation, wood rot, and termite invasions don’t depend on volumes of water—repeated wetness is enough.

 

We have seen countless situations in which misinformed and ill-advised buyers have purchased a house, subsequently found out that guttering and grading [as prescribed by a home inspector] didn’t solve a water intrusion problem, and then had to face the expense of resolving the water intrusion problem themselves.

Home inspectors! When you detect or suspect ground water intrusion at houses, please include in your reports,

 

‘CONSULT A REPUTABLE WATERPROOFING SPECIALIST!!!!’