What does the walk actually cover?
The walk covers the outside walls and openings, the rooms where signs were reported and the spaces where moisture and shelter are likely. Each finding is recorded with its position, and the limits of the walk are stated.
The outside is first, because most openings are there. The foundation, the grade, the frames, the thresholds, the vents and the penetrations are checked, and each one receives its own line on the list.
The inside follows the household's account. Rooms with reported signs are looked at first, and the kitchen, the bathroom, the basement and the closets are checked for moisture and shelter. The rest of the house is walked at a lighter depth.
The walk does not try to find every insect. It targets the signs that matter for the plan and records what was not checked, so the household knows the boundaries of what it has been told.
What is the written plan made of?
The written plan lists the findings, the options that fit them, what each option involves, the price confirmed on site and the order the work would follow. It names which items belong to the household and which to the owner.
Findings come first, in plain words, with the place and the sign for each one. A household should understand the list without knowing the vocabulary of the trade, and each entry says why it matters.
The options follow. Where more than one approach fits, the plan places them side by side, showing what each does, what it leaves undone and what the household would have to support.
The plan ends with the openings and the items for the owner or a tradesperson. The household keeps it, and the next visit begins from it.
How should a household get ready for the walk?
Write down when and where signs were seen, keep a photograph or a sealed sample, clear access to the foundation, the garage and the crawl space, and avoid any treatment before the walk.
The date, the room, the time of day and the weather for each sign are the most useful notes a household can keep. A sign that appears every morning is a different clue from one seen once at night.
A photograph or a sealed sample helps identification, but the signs should be left as they are for the technician to read. A product applied before the walk changes what the technician sees.
Clear the way to the foundation and the outbuildings, and move firewood and stored material from the walls. A walk that reaches every side is more complete on the day.
