It is always nice to be able to figure out why a problem exists. At a recent inspection I had noted some minor gutter and downspout maintenance issues prior to the deluge of heavy rain. But, when I was down in the crawl space, the otherwise dry area was really wet in one corner. This always requires further review from the outside. Sure enough, when I got the fine tooth comb out, on the outside, the foundation drain was not functioning and water was running over the top of the drain and out around the downspout. You can see the water stain on the concrete, lower left in the photo. There are benefits to inspecting in the rain. Had this inspection been done in dry weather at this newer home, that wet corner would have been dry and there would have been no water coming out of the downspouts and gutters. Wet weather can turn up many more problems at a home and it is beneficial to the inspection process when an inspector works in a climate such as Bellingham. Thanks for stopping by, Steven L. Smith
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Steve, this is soooo true----no guessing when it is raining :)
Hi Steve, I think the inspection is more complete if done in the rain, it certainly does expose trouble spots., we just don't get much down here till mid June. jay
Steve, I've always thought that a downpour was the perfect time for a home inspection.
I had one of dem dere buried drain lines just Friday. The people were wondering if the basement wall was wet (they recently spent many tens of thousands to regrade and landscape outside their house with the new sump pump inside). The lady said she didn't think it was working.
This is one of 16 images in the basement. There is mold gleefully growing on those lavender and purple areas. The moisture content is 22%.
Gee, why? Clogged buried drain and negative grading!
Had this been a crawl space I bet it would be wetter still...
I'm emailing their extensive report today. I bet after spending all that money they won't be happy. Neither will the "dry home" company after seeing all those images!
We wanted to buy this nice home in an older subdivision. We had already seen the inside and decided to make an offer the following week, as we had one more house to see. Later that week it rain like crazy and I told my husband...lets go see the house! He said, "It's raining!" I told him that was the best time to go see a house.
We walked the perimeter of the house and notice very bad drainage. The water was so deep at the sides and back of the house that it was threatening to come into the home!
Needless to say we did not buy that home...since then it has resold 3 times!
Coming to you from Texas...
This shows the importance of a home inspection. Rain or shine.
I had to show property to folks once and they preferred going in the rain because they could tell how the water ran. I don't think they ever bought anything from me.