Section of a report from a new entry to the biz

[Chad Fabry]

Below is a bit of a report discussing a horizontal crack that's about 60 feet long- it extends from one corner to the opposite corner of a 60's ranch.

The wall in question is bulged about an inch out of plumb.

I was going to critique the section but thought I'd put it up here for a broader perspective.

OBSERVATIONS

I saw previous repair work to the concrete block foundation outside the home and signs of movement in the foundation walls, including displacement of the rear wall. There is a horizontal crack in the basement on the rear wall that runs the entire length of the wall. This is a serious structural issue and the wall must be repaired or rebuilt immediately. I'm convinced that this wall has failed and been repaired in the past. In addition to repairing the wall, the conditions that are causing its failure must be remedied. The property is graded towards the home, which means all runoff water from the ground and roof is directed against the foundation wall. This has contributed significantly to this structural failure and needs to be corrected.

[kurt]

It may indeed be what he says it is, but he's taken a roundabout horribly phrased bit of language to describe it.

[Marc]

He could start by taking out the first sentence, go from there.

The flow of the paragraph is a train wreck.

Marc

[gtblum]

He could start by taking out the first sentence, go from there.

The flow of the paragraph is a train wreck.

Marc

And, punt after the second sentence. Beyond that, It's nothing but speculation, and leaving him/herself wide open to an explanation of something outside of what we provide. Unless, you're a chest beating cowboy, hell bent on gambling.

[Steven Hockstein]

I'm convinced that the description of the crack in the rear wall that was pointed out in the report shows that the writer is clearly not stating what could be said much easier in a way that is more direct and could be better written. In addition, the way that the reasons for the structural problem were explained as well the additional contribution of the grading and water run-off problem may or may not be correct.

[Jim Katen]

Below is a bit of a report discussing a horizontal crack that's about 60 feet long- it extends from one corner to the opposite corner of a 60's ranch.

The wall in question is bulged about an inch out of plumb.

I was going to critique the section but thought I'd put it up here for a broader perspective.

OBSERVATIONS

I saw previous repair work to the concrete block foundation outside the home and signs of movement in the foundation walls, including displacement of the rear wall. There is a horizontal crack in the basement on the rear wall that runs the entire length of the wall. This is a serious structural issue and the wall must be repaired or rebuilt immediately. I'm convinced that this wall has failed and been repaired in the past. In addition to repairing the wall, the conditions that are causing its failure must be remedied. The property is graded towards the home, which means all runoff water from the ground and roof is directed against the foundation wall. This has contributed significantly to this structural failure and needs to be corrected.

At the south foundation wall, a horizontal crack extends from one end of the foundation to the other. This wall is bulging inward by up to an inch in places, and it could be the beginning of a serious structural problem. Hire an engineer to design and oversee repairs.

[Nolan Kienitz]

He might have been trying to polish his use of excessive verbiage on his quest for a Pulitzer Prize for a long home inspection report ... []

JK - Nice, succinct, to the point edit.

[Scottpat]

I would call it fairly typical for a new person. We all have many more years of experience with reporting and have learned from others, hopefully this person will acquire the proper reporting skills that are so important in this profession.

All in all, it is wordy but I give them credit for not being soft and dancing around the problem.

[Jim Baird]

I'm convinced that the description of the crack in the rear wall that was pointed out in the report shows that the writer is clearly not stating what could be said much easier in a way that is more direct and could be better written. In addition, the way that the reasons for the structural problem were explained as well the additional contribution of the grading and water run-off problem may or may not be correct.

Steve you crack me up.

I agree with the report's description as serious, but not urgent or immediately hazardous.

It is likely a deal-killer, as the remedy could be quite a lot of trouble and expense.