What the inspector documented

Maple Ridge is a classic center-hall colonial: slate-look architectural shingles over original sheathing, a brick chimney serving a living-room fireplace, and a basement with a mix of poured and stone foundation walls. The buyers were relocating and had only one weekend in town. We scheduled a Standard visit plus a sewer scope because the street is lined with mature maples.

The roof was in the last third of its service life, with granular loss on the south slope and an open step flashing at the chimney. The electrical panel had been upgraded, but several branch circuits in the attic still used older cloth insulation that we flagged for a licensed electrician. Moisture staining at the chimney chase was active after a hose test at the crown. HVAC was a mid-efficiency gas furnace with a matching outdoor coil; both operated, and we noted a dirty evaporator and a missing condensate overflow switch.

The buyers used the chimney and roof notes to request a credit. The cloth wiring was left as a future project with a dollar range in the summary. That is the point of a consumer report: separate what must be handled before closing from what can be planned after move-in.

Systems photographed

Exterior elevations, roof edges, chimney crown, service panel directory, water heater TPR discharge, furnace heat exchanger viewports as accessible, attic hatch, and representative interiors. The digital file included 118 labeled photos.