Watch where you put your feet...

I always climb through the attics. This area of a home is rarely accessed and therefore deserves proper attention. The first thing a home inspector should do when climbing into the attic is knock. It is considered rude to any ghostly guest who may inhabit the space to climb up uninvited.*

Once in the attic, you want to pay close attention to where you step. The bottom chord of the truss, often a 2x4, is the best place to stand but is generally covered with insulation. I tend to use the tension web (braces) when I can. If you misplace your foot - you can fall through the ceiling. This is considered to not be a good thing and should be avoided.

                                

There are many components inspected in the attic. I often find that the insulation is deficient in areas. Here in Tallahassee we are in climate zone 2. It is recommended that 10-12 inches of blown insulation be applied to create an R value of 38. More is always good. Your Blue Bear Tallahassee Home Inspector measures the insulation and includes pictures in your report. Areas which are lacking are pictured and included as well when applicable.

I do not recommend you climb in the attic. Leave this to the home inspectors and paranormal. Give me a call if you have any questions or want me to climb in your attic and peek around!

*Disclaimer - your Blue Bear Tallahassee Home Inspector does not inspect for ghosts.

Thomas Ailstock, CPI - FL# HI9155

Blue Bear Home Inspection, LLC

Tallahassee Home Inspector

Dedicated to providing the Best Service Possible

That's a Good Home - Here's a Cookie!

This Tea Olive tree was damaging the soffit, and shingles.

Rainy days

It has been raining in Tallahassee for a solid two days.


Last night, a good friend sent my wife pictures of her AC condenser unit outside of her home doing its best to survive the flash flooding....if it were a person, the water would have been up to its knees - poor thing.

Here's a Cookie!

The constant rain is a reminder of how good our homes are to us. While it has been raining non-stop, our homes and their many components have been doing a heck of a job - we have stayed dry inside. It is easy to forget the hard work our homes are doing - day and night - 24/7 - with no breaks.

So, do something nice for your home soon; change the air filters, clean the gutters and downspouts, clear the vegetation away from the siding, seal the windows (with the good sealant). Your home will reward you for it.

And if you are in the market for a new home to protect YOU, contact your local Blue Bear Home Inspector and have it inspected to ensure it is up for the job!

Thomas Ailstock, CPI - FL# HI9155

Blue Bear Home Inspection, LLC

Tallahassee Home Inspector

Dedicated to providing the Best Service Possible

Monsters in the attic...

Okay, so maybe there is no such thing as monsters - but there may still be scary things going on in your attic. The attic space is an important feature of your home and serves more purposes than merely a place to store decorations.

The attic space serves to ventilate the roof structure. Many homes in our region of North Florida use a soffit and ridge vent combination to ventilate the structure. This is a great and efficient system which uses naturally occurring temperature and pressure differentials to passively move air. The stale air in the attic is warmer than the air outside, warm air rises through the ridge vents at the top of the roof, and new cooler and fresh air is pulled into the space. This occurs on its own and helps to cool the roofing material.

So what about the monsters?

There can be scary little things in attics. Typically in the form of air and water leaks. I routinely find HVAC leaks in attics. My least favorite monster are the bathroom and kitchen ventilation systems. These guys are supposed to move moist air out of the home's interior, through the attic space, and outside of the building envelope. Unfortunately this is not always happening.

The picture to the right shows a bathroom vent that was disconnected. Unknowingly, when the homeowner turned on the fan, the warm wet air went straight into the attic. Water in the attic is never a good thing. Warm and wet wood breeds another type of monster - mold.

The good news is that Tallahassee has a dedicated home inspector that climbs into the attics and looks for these creepy crawly monsters which could be living in your home. If they are in there - I will do my very best to find them.

Thomas Ailstock, CPI - FL# HI9155

Blue Bear Home Inspection, LLC

Tallahassee Home Inspector

Dedicated to providing the Best Service Possible