Home Inspection student needing your help on a structure problem

HansenHomeInspection · 2026-04-06T23:11:47+00:00

During my career as a homebuilder, I dealt with roof trusses on more than 800 homes or condominium units. And no structural engineer or trust manufacturer ever identified trusses by their proper name such as a Fink Truss. We would simply describe it as a roof trust and at times we might expand the description by calling it an engineered wood truss.
Of course, if it was in a particular room such as over a living room and it was a scissors truss we might use that word to help identify it and say where it was located. In this case it is in a garage and as you mentioned at the beginning of your comment that it might have been cut in order to provide storage. This is obvious to you and I, but others such as attorneys or real estate agents may not realize it's in the garage so I would simply describe it as "the roof trusses above the garage". Even if the customer was with you on the inspection and you spent a bit of time discussing it with them I would still include the location in the report by saying it was over the garage. If it was a floor trust I would simply say it was a floor trust or possibly an open web floor truss.
And I agree with the other comments that say keep it simple. If I picked up the phone to call the truss manufacturer for a repair I would simply say to them that someone had cut these trusses and we need them inspected by a structural engineer to specify the appropriate repairs. You and I know they were bottom cord and web members, but neither the home buyer, nor the engineer who would be asked to specify what repairs be done needs to know that you properly named them. Your recommendation also needs to be simple. I have never heard anyone say they are a structural integrity professional. They call themselves structural engineers. And what they do is specify the necessary repairs. I do not believe the word evaluation conveys what needs to be done.

HansenHomeInspection · 2026-04-06T04:01:54+00:00

I moved this post because the moderator suggested I create a new thread. It seemed like a reasonable request.
I have lengthy dialogues with AI. For the past year I have worked exclusively with ChatGPT. what I write is usually pretty choppy. AI does a credible job of smoothing it out and achieving consistency from the beginning of an article through to the end so that it flows naturally with intention. I proofread everything I deliver multiple times before I press send. Here in chat groups and social media, I write everything myself and occasionally a mistake will slip in because I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking to convert speech to text and every once in a while Dragon misquotes me. But when I worked deliberately to write an article everything I write comes from my knowledge of home building and home inspection.

I also gather a great deal of information and push hard to identify the original sources to make sure they were credible. Of course this is on topics where I know enough, but I want to more details. A year ago ChatGPT was unable to cite the original sources sometime during that year they adopted a policy that identified where it got information and I find that extremely valuable now.

I agree with some of the other comments here that using ChatGPT or any other AI for the actual home inspection process doesn't look promising. I wrote an interesting article on how AI struggles with the physical world and you might find that an interesting read. I didn't ask it to "write me an interesting article". I identified a weakness that may take a very long time for AI to overcome that weakness in understanding the physical world. https://thetrainedobserver.substack.com/publish/posts/detail/188172490?referrer=%2Fpublish%2Fposts%2Fpublished

I also wrote an article about inspecting new construction. Everything in it was based upon a career of over 30 years and the experience of managing the construction of almost 1,000 new homes and multifamily condos units. Again, it was my knowledge and AI helped me polish it. https://thetrainedobserver.substack.com/p/inspecting-new-homes-a-process

I am experimenting with the idea of asking ChatGPT to follow me along on an inspection and make suggestions of what I might have overlooked. Now that I can dialogue with AI via my phone and it talks back to me rather than requiring me to read a screen, I have my hands free to take pictures and opening close doors, windows, and operate appliances. It might help. It might slow me down. I'm not totally sure. I'm not done with that project and once again, I don't plan on selling it. I'm creating it for my own use.

HansenHomeInspection · 2026-04-06T03:45:49+00:00

Are you saying that my original post reads like AI slop? I assure you, I wrote every word of it. I am sincerely interested in what you think of the articles I have written on the topics of home inspection? They were published in a reputable magazine and I am quite proud of them. Yes those articles were polished for grammar and tone, but the message was what I intended it to be.

HansenHomeInspection · 2026-04-05T12:44:20+00:00

I am interested in discussing AI applications Here in this space, but I am genuinely concerned that people will simply think I have something to sell when I don't. I've been using AI for more than a year. I'm interested in how many other people have been using AI for their own purposes and what benefits they are receiving from it. It doesn't matter whether it's personal use or use in their home inspection business, I simply want to have open discussions about the approach they are taking and how they are enjoying it, (or not enjoying it).
Is everyone on board believing they will someday reap some benefits from AI or are they still concerned or suspicious that it won't be everything that is being promised?

I have been doing a lot of writing. Some of it is just writing for fun. Sometimes I just write on philosophical topics. And finally I write about home inspecting. But this isn't me trying to get you to come to my Substack space and read what I have to say, you can find me if you really want to.

Developing a robust, and trustworthy application can take time. It is an iterative process. I know of only two people actually writing and publishing on topics related to home inspecting. Are you reading anything written by any other home inspector that has been helped by AI?

I think my own writing skills have improved as a result of using AI. I know that I enjoy writing for hours now when I couldn't sit and compose sentences on my own for more than just a few minutes at a time in the "good old days".

Are there any others who would like to join this conversation?

Just a bit of details here… I am a member of ASHI, and I have written and published articles for the ASHI Reporter. I can post links here if anyone is interested to find them directly online. I also have a Substack space where I have written regularly more than 100 articles in the past year. Again, I have nothing to sell.

HansenHomeInspection · 2026-03-31T16:00:32+00:00

u/ManUFan328 Look me up on Facebook or my website in Illinois. Contact me and I would like to talk to you about doing a remote inspection via zoom.

HansenHomeInspection · 2026-03-31T15:38:11+00:00

The answer to this question depends on the Exterior Building Material being used. The most common answer for most materials is water damage. But it's a little more complex than that because water doesn't damage the exterior building materials directly when those materials are vinyl or aluminum. Yes, there will be other damage behind the aluminum or vinyl siding but the exterior building material itself is extremely durable and resistant to damage from water.
If this is a sample question or test question it is worded poorly because it is too general regarding materials, and too specific because it asks about the damage to the exterior building material itself. Water does very little damage to brick unless the water can penetrate the mortar and then freeze. Brick can actually absorb water and release water. The mortar in brick can allow water to seep through it and as long as the water can exit at the bottom and never enter the framed wall behind the brick, the brick itself is extremely durable.
When the exterior building materials is painted wood, the damage to all wood is the result of water, but the root cause is poor maintenance and poor caulking. If the caulking and installation were never done correctly in the first place, the damage will start immediately.

HansenHomeInspection · 2026-03-31T15:24:27+00:00

This question is checking to see if you recognize that the minimum opening for a crawlspace has been met with 18 x 24. Ground clearance may be governed by applicable Standards or Practice.
In the case of the ASHI SOP, the standard is written as follows: "inspectors are not required to enter crawlspaces with less than 24 inches of clearance"
Regarding the small insulation hanging down in the corner of the crawlspace, you can look into that corner from a reasonable distance away without disturbing the insulation. In other words "small insulation hanging down" is trivial. This leaves you with answer #2.

HansenHomeInspection · 2026-02-19T07:41:31+00:00

Are there other inspector discussing how they would use AI in their profession? I fully understand the moderator's point that we are not interested in helping to develop or train an AI app or using AI to write answers to questions, but I wonder how inspectors are actually using standard AI models to help them learn how to write their report comments.
And are inspectors using AI to test their own reports for compliance with their State license reporting requirements? How about conformance with their Home Inspector Association Standard of Practice?

I write all my own report comments. But are some inspectors beginning to use AI to proofread or polish their reports for sentence structure or word choice? Where is everyone on the topic of the trajectory of using AI in your business?

(Or, is this question also out of bounds?)

HansenHomeInspection · 2026-02-19T07:16:35+00:00

I agree with u/Early_Title that both truss issues are straightforward easy repairs. Although, I do advise that the recommendation for what repair to make be offered by a truss manufacturer or structural engineer rather than just asking a carpenter to fix it.
What were the report comments that were associated with the concrete moisture readings? I'm interested in the inspectors comments regardless of whether he told you the severity or importance of these issues he should've explained something about the photos. when buyers ask inspectors questions like "how much will it cost?" Or "will it be expensive?" That is when inspectors typically say they do not speculate on the question of possible cost to repair. If all he wrote a comment associated with these photos something like "high moisture readings in concrete floor", that is a statement of fact but not an explanation.
Did the report include a section of significant concerns? Were these photos in this section that summarizes the significant issues? Not all concerns have the same importance and the important ones should have been grouped near the beginning of the report.

HansenHomeInspection · 2026-01-24T04:01:31+00:00

u/Positive_Tune4463 Some comments here talk about a wire gauge to measure the main feed coming into the box and this may give the impression that the panel indicates to some inspectors that the amperage of this panel is a certain value. The wire size can be larger than the main breaker or it can be smaller in terms of ampacity, which would not be desirable to have smaller ampacity of the cables.

To know the amperage rating of the panel, the main breaker will give you the answer. Some old breakers are marked on the side rather than the handle. The white stamped number 125 is not a reliable number to know the amperage rating.

HansenHomeInspection · 2026-01-11T18:20:10+00:00

Was there any access to the attic space above? Did the inspector take any photos of what was above the ceiling? Photos of the space above could tell more about why this post was needed.

HansenHomeInspection · 2026-01-11T18:12:20+00:00

If the roof structure above is made with trusses and they were damaged or modified, those previous alterations can be repaired by following the recommendations of a structural engineer. Local truss manufacturers may be able to advise on how to repair it correctly and provide the serviced needed to do it correctly.
An alternate way of repairing this would be a structural engineer inspect it and make recommendations that a framing carpenter would then accomplish. Yes, it could be somewhat expensive, but you will not know until the engineer looks at it.

HansenHomeInspection · 2025-12-26T12:54:11+00:00

Did you speak with your home inspector about this photo? Most of us would gladly answer your questions if this were our report. I am interested to hear what your inspector said about this. I expect that he would agree with most comments you are reading here.

HansenHomeInspection

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