Buying A Home With No Attic Access

They are usually only for insulation anyway.

Buying a home with no attic access.

If you find this situation in a house you are considering buying do not proceed until the seller provides an attic access for examination by you and your home inspector. I own a split level home with a cathedral ceiling in the living room. I know there is ventilation up there from the bathroom on the second floor but no direct roof access. I noticed there is no attic access.

2 the attic access opening may have been removed during a remodeling. We talked to the people who live next door and they bought the house when it was built in 2008 when it was new and it has no attic access either. About 3 4 times per year for the last couple of years water drips into the living room window. There is no attic above that part of the house.

Not all home sellers are aware of the importance of this type of inspection and some may not readily agree to one. Just put your insulation in the roof and don t build the traditional attic make it a loft. As with any other part of a home inspection attics must be accessible. I can tell you that it is a real pita sometimes.

If there really is no attic access you should ask the seller to install an opening as part of the requirement in all real estate sales contracts that access be provided for the buyer to the property for inspection. You can build a home with or without an attic. My company has come across this scenario on the past. In addition many inspectors will not include attic spaces if easy and ready access isn t available.

I d hire a separate inspector for the roof. If it s a vault or there is no attic access in a standard attic space. A nice little cape. This is not a good sign.

This is something that should be negotiated with the seller before you proceed with the transaction. A critical part of the property is not accessible so do not go forward with the transaction until it is. Or the homeowner might have a bureau placed in front of an attic door. For example a past renovation might seal up an attic access panel in the ceiling entirely.

Get a professional roofing consultant or a reputable roofing company to do an inspection. So im possibly buying a house. If they aren t inspectors are not required to gain entry by heroic means. Actually there was never an attic.

Our living room looks similar to the one in your photo.