Nobody loves these spaces. A photo-first pass with the right gear gets you in, covered, and out — with evidence that writes the finding for you.
Safety first, always: if access is unsafe, obstructed, or beyond your SOP, disclaim it and move on. No finding is worth an injury. For everything you do enter, gear up — respirator, headlamp plus backup light, gloves, knee pads — and tell someone where you are.
Capture wide establishing shots of each area before you touch anything, then close-ups of every defect with something for scale. Shoot photos straight into the finding as you go — in a dead-zone crawlspace an offline-first app keeps capturing while cloud tools spin. Widen, then tighten: context first, defect second, label or plate third.
Crawlspace: standing water and staining, vapor barrier coverage and condition, insulation falling or missing, wood rot and fungal growth, plumbing leaks, disconnected ducts, rodent evidence. Attic: ventilation balance (soffit plus ridge, not a mix of systems fighting each other), insulation depth and gaps, bath fans venting into the space instead of outside, roof leaks at penetrations, damaged or cut framing. Photograph data plates on air handlers and water heaters while you are there — the serial decodes the age later. How equipment age lookup works →
Dictate or thumb-type the finding next to the photo while the smell of the space is still in your nose. Two hours later every joist bay looks the same; the photo plus a fresh note does not lie. Mark up the money shot — arrow on the stain, circle on the disconnected duct — and the original stays pristine underneath. Non-destructive markup →
Finish the report on-site →
Photo markup that doesn't destroy evidence →
What underwriters want in photos →
← All field notes
