My New Outside Blog

 

All of my note taking during inspections is done by camera.  Very rarely do I ever write anything down.

I photo everything from data plates to just general reminder pictures that tell me what kinds of floors there are and what the driveway and roof is made of.

I have found that there is almost nothing I can’t create a record of photographically.  Sometimes I have to resort to “symbols” to designate what I want to be reminded of.  Like squeaks in the floor.  For this I simply photograph my voltage tick-tester lying on the floor and that is my reminder.

Sometimes though, it is difficult to photograph things that “move” that should not be moving.  A “still” photo will not necessarily remind me that the thing moves.  This is common with improperly supported gas lines or barrier railings.  For these kinds of items I typically will take a “still” photo and then a short video clip of the offending item.  Sometimes when I revisit these videos while writing the report I have to howl with delight as to how well the video conveys what the still photo had no clue of.  The video will work for “sounds” as well---how do you, after all, photograph a bathroom exhaust fan about to digest itself?

Here is a picture of a stair barrier railing from a recent inspection.  As you can see it is a good distance to the ground from the top landing.

 

As you can see from the still photo---it pretty much looks like a normal acceptable barrier.  It is perhaps not acceptable by current regulations but nonetheless adequate for its day.

Here is a 7 second video of the same stair barrier. 

It communicates the issue quite dramatically don’t you think? 

Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle

 

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