Gary DeWitt It seems to me there are some inspectors out there who have lost sight of the main purpose of an inspection. First and foremost, is it safe? I don't care one whit whether it's in any code, licence or SOP, if it's patently dangerous, it gets written. Second, IS IT FUNCTIONING AS INTENDED? Is the roof keeping out water? Does the furnace produce heat? Does the AC cool the air? We are there to say, on the day, are the building components doing what they are supposed to. A similar situation to your deck example is old, pre-war roof framing. True 2x4 rafters on +- 24" centers spanning 15' with no purlins does not meet todays standard. If it's not bowing, if it is performing as intended after 70+ years, what do you say? Exactly that. While it does not meet current standards, no adverse conditions were observed. Upgrade for improved seismic performance if desired. Stepping off soapbox. I just got about half way through your video and had to respond. I'm feeling much better now.

Kc Bartley Excellent episode! I respect all opinions and understand that everyone runs their business as they see best for them and their clients. But, I'm in the camp of adding in all the minutiae that I think will help the client. I evaluate everything that I can to today's standards, and don't pay attention to "gray" areas. It's black or white in my book; I'll call out guardrail spacing at 4 1/16", riser heights at 4 7/8", tread depths at 9 7/8", joists overspanned by 1/2" etc. Although no repercussions may be seen with some of these discrepancies, it's not my place to "okay" them. Now of course, I can't evaluate every single component to this detail, but i do my best daily, and will disclaim findings as the listing of deficiencies may not be an all-inclusive listing of discrepancies, and qualified contractors should do further evaluations to learn of all possible deficiencies, etc. I'm there to let the client know of all I possibly can, I'm blessed to never have to consider what the realtor thinks of my reporting style. My clients love the way in which I report...and that's all that matters.