Most people read the findings list and skip the sketch. That is backwards. The
diagram is what turns a list of observations into a map of your house, and it
answers the question the list cannot: where.
The short answer
The diagram is a simple floor plan of the structure with each finding marked by
a number that corresponds to the itemized list in the report. Read them
together: the number on the drawing tells you where, the entry in the list tells
you what was found and whether it is Section 1 or Section 2.
What you are looking at
The sketch is not architectural. It is not to scale, it will not match your
blueprints, and it is not trying to. It exists to establish location clearly
enough that another inspector, a contractor, or a buyer can find the same spot.
Typically it shows:
- The footprint of the structure, with rooms or areas identified
- Attached elements — garage, deck, porch, detached buildings if inspected
- Numbered markers at each location where a finding was recorded
- Orientation, usually with a direction indicator
- Shaded or outlined areas marking regions that could not be inspected
That last item is the one people skip, and it is often the most important thing
on the page.
Reading it in the right order
1. Find the inaccessible areas first.
Before you look at a single finding, identify what could not be examined. A
report describing five findings in a house where forty percent of the subarea was
unreachable is describing five findings in sixty percent of a house.
Those areas are usually marked on the drawing and cross-referenced with a
“further inspection” recommendation in the text. They are the blank spots on the
map, and blank is not the same as clean.
2. Match every number to its entry.
Work through the numbered markers one at a time and read the corresponding item.
You are looking for two things: what was found, and whether it is
Section 1 or Section 2.
3. Look at the clustering.
This is where the diagram earns its place. A list of six findings reads as six
problems. The diagram might show that five of them sit along one exterior wall —
which usually means they share a cause, most often water.
Findings scattered evenly across a structure and findings concentrated in one
corner describe very different situations, and only the drawing shows you which
one you have.
4. Check the perimeter.
Note which findings sit at the boundary between the structure and the ground.
Wood-to-soil contact, faulty grade, and moisture at the foundation tend to appear
there, and they are the conditions most likely to bring the problem back after
treatment.
The questions to ask about it
If anything on the drawing is unclear, ask before you negotiate. Reasonable
questions:
- “What does this shaded area mean, and what would it take to inspect it?”
- “Are these three findings related, or separate problems?”
- “Which of these are on the exterior and which required interior access?”
- “If the repair opens this wall, what else is likely behind it?”
That last question is worth asking on any finding involving structural framing.
The inspector saw a surface. What is behind it is an informed estimate until it
is opened.
Why it matters in a transaction
During a sale, the diagram becomes shared reference. The listing agent, the
buyer’s agent, the lender and any contractor bidding on the work are all looking
at the same drawing.
Ambiguity there is expensive. A finding marked in the wrong location, or a
description that could apply to two different walls, produces bids that do not
match the work and arguments about scope after the fact. When
the negotiation gets to who pays for what,
both sides are pricing from this page.
Keep it
Reports are usually filed and forgotten once escrow closes. The diagram is worth
holding on to. In five years, when something shows up in the same corner, having
the earlier drawing tells you whether it is a recurrence or something new — and
that changes both the diagnosis and the response.
J&M Termite Control has been producing inspection reports for Bay Area
properties since 1973, under California Branch 3 registration #5223.
Request an inspection or read about
what an inspection covers.
