One of the interesting parts of being a home inspector is discovering little mysteries about a home. Sometimes the mystery is regarding how a home was constructed in the first place sometimes it is about a change to a home that is unusual or difficult to explain. The inspectors job is not to figure out what happened. The inspectors job is to notice if things that are not right, report them if they are, and recommend how to address them if need be. Typically we recommend that a licensed, qualified professional address significant issues. Home inspectors are generalists. We are trained to know how the home is put together and how the systems are supposed to function. We may or may not know what the proper fix is for an issue is but we do know which type of professional would know. That is who we recommend the buyer to contact. Often a buyer will ask how a issue came to be. As an inspector I cannot tell always how things came to be. More importantly how they came to be is not important from the standpoint of the report. What is important that an issue is recognized and a recommendation is offered on how to address the issue. That doesn’t mean that I am not just as curious as the buyer about how they came to be. What I can say is that often humans make mistakes. Sometimes in the initial construction errors are made. Sometimes inexperienced but well meaning homeowners make repairs or modifications that are not inline with current standards and practices. Regardless of the source, I often find myself saying “what happened here?” That is sometimes followed with “What were they thinking?” #homeinspection #diagnostichomeinspections #whathappenedhere #contstructionmystery
