There are many areas of the home that don’t get adequately inspected. One in particular is the underside of soffits that are close to the ground. Sometimes, even on hands and knees, it can be difficult to see under these overhangs. The inspector should be looking under these overhangs because often the soffit is missing, poorly attached or otherwise damaged. If it is difficult to “see” under these soffits it is going to be even more difficult for the builder to install proper soffit materials.
These overhangs are usually created when parts of the home are cantilevered past the foundation to create more space, such as extensions for: bay windows, gas fireplaces, bathrooms etc. This first picture shows an extension for a gas fireplace.
You can see where the soffit covering is hanging down because it was not adequately atttached.
In this particular instance water from the roof above was dumping on the ground and splashing up into the opening making the sill plate and insulation wet.
They make a nifty little tool called a “Palm-Nailer” that works great in small areas like this. Perhaps this builder hadn’t heard of them.
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Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector
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