No one wants to move into a newly-purchased home only to be surprised by defects that take time and money to repair. Many defects are hidden or are not discernible to anyone but an experienced home inspector. Home inspections typically take from 1-1/2 to 4 hours, depending on the size, age and condition of the home. This detailed scrutiny is not usually undertaken by homeowners -- they do not have the training or the time to perform such inspections themselves. Furthermore, the findings of a home inspection are better received by the seller of the home if the inspection is performed by a reputable third party.
An inspector often finds strange things in attics. I have run into bats, wasps and birds. Once, I found two snake skins about four feet long each. (Snakes need a safe place to shed their skins, because they are vulnerable to attack during this process. Normally, they return to the great outdoors after shedding, because there is not much to eat in attics.) On a few occasions, I have found pigeon nests measuring as much as five feet long and two feet high -- almost as big as a bale of hay! Of course, I have very often found evidence of mice -- tunnels, droppings, etc. Squirrels sometimes chew their way in.
My worst attic experience occurred on the way down from an attic. The homeowner had made a new scuttle himself between two attic truss bottoms. However, he neglected to install framing on two of the scuttle sides. The area around the scuttle was covered with insulation, so when I put my foot down on where the scuttle frame should have been, my foot went through the ceiling! Not only was I irritated and embarrassed, but I paid for the ceiling repair -- and added the missing framing.
For more about attics, click here
John R. Berry is a home inspector for Boswell Building Surveys in Baltimore, MD.
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