TOPIC: California Mountain Cabin Inspection

Looking for some advice on inspecting a mountain cabin in California that is in an area that gets snowed in each year. Looking for any areas I need to pay close attention to during the inspection, such as plumbing insulation, weatherizing and snow load or other areas of concern. Like to hear from inspectors that are in areas with these conditions. If anyone has a specific HIP template I could use would be appreciated. Thanks.




James A. wood Construction, Inc. Home Inspection Service
www.visalia-home-inspector.com

Is this a house they'll live in year round, or a vacation home? Where is it? I lived up in Crestline/Lake Arrowhead for about 10 years.

It is in Shaver Lake, CA at about 6000' elevation. They average maybe 3 feet of snow in a normal year. I do not have any details as to full or part time occupancy but many of the homes in that area are seasonal vacation homes. I am waiting for the realtor to get me the specifics then I can be more informative.

Ice Damming is a big issue in Minnesota!

Start with these images to get an idea of what you could be looking for... www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&sou....0...0.0.FE5sgP6V6zQ ? 

James... how about an update? Did you do the inspection? How did it go? What did you find? Don't leave us hanging here! We want details!!

The inspection was done and was pretty much normal. The buyers were mainly concerned with the sloping landscape at the rear of the property and if it would cause any problems. The builder, who was there had the plans and told me how he installed a French drainage system behind the 36" retaining wall to minimize erosion and enhance the water management. The roof had a very steep pitch, 8/12, so ice damming would be at a minimum concern. The crawl space was impressive as the entire sub grade was concrete and sloped to drains with secondary weep drains. I was concerned that there was no crawl space ventilation, which is not required when the concrete (rat proofing) is installed. I still think some ventilation is good. I will post a few photos here later today. Thanks for info on ice damming Jeffrey.