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The Challenges of Sealed Attic Access Panels

by Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech

Sealed attic access panels are a bane to home inspectors. If you talk to 10 different inspectors about how they deal with sealed attic access panels, you’ll probably get 11 different answers. While some may check a box in their software that says “not accessible” and move on, others might take a much more aggressive approach.

Frankly, nothing about home inspections causes more consternation than attic access panels that are sealed shut. This isn’t just true for the home inspector, but also for the buyer, seller and real estate agents involved in the sale. At my home inspection company, we’ve worked out every angle of an attic inspection and put some great policies in place to help eliminate problems for buyers and sellers. This ultimately makes our clients happy.

Home Seller’s Responsibility
In Minnesota where I operate, home buyers typically use a standard purchase-agreement form. They don’t have to, but most do. This form has a line that specifically says the, “Seller will provide access to the attic(s) and crawlspace(s).”

Based on personal experience, I believe most licensed residential real estate salespeople (aka Realtors) are not aware of this language, and most buyers and sellers aren’t either.

If an attic access panel is sprayed shut, caulked shut, nailed shut or blocked by stored items, has the seller provided access? Have they fulfilled their contractual obligation? Heck no.

If I were buying a home and the person I was purchasing from had signed an agreement saying they would provide access to the attic, I’d expect the attic to be accessible. Access panels that are sprayed shut, caulked shut, nailed shut or blocked by stored items are not accessible.

Figure 1: Open attic access panels that are sprayed shut by bumping the scuttle hole cover with your fist.

Attic Inspection Policy
Here’s an overview of the policy and procedures we have in place at my company when it comes to attic access for inspection.

Before the inspection: As soon as my company schedules a home inspection, we email the listing agent to confirm the inspection and send a very short checklist that needs to be passed along to the seller. We ask for the seller to make the attic accessible or to leave a note giving us permission to open it if it’s sealed / caulked / painted shut. I secretly suspect that this email gets opened, read, forwarded, opened, read and followed approximately once every 10,000 times. But that won’t stop us from trying!

At the inspection: We begin every home inspection with a tour of the interior. If the attic access panel appears to be sealed or obstructed to make access difficult, we ask for permission to open it. We call the listing agent to explain that this will technically change the property from its original condition. In most cases, we won’t leave any evidence that we were there, but we can’t guarantee this.

We don’t get super stuffy about exactly how we’re supposed to get permission. We don’t have the sellers sign some kind of legal document or anything like that; we just want something in writing. It can be an email, a text message, a hand-written note, whatever. We’re not picky. We’ve also never had a home seller squawk after they’ve given us permission to open their “sealed” attic.

If they give us permission, we open the attic and conduct the inspection as normal. If they don’t give us permission, we don’t go in the attic. Simple and logical, right? We think so.

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How to Open a Sealed Panel
If an access panel is sprayed shut, we access the attic by bumping the scuttle hole cover with our fist (See Figure 1). View a video of how we do this here. When we’re done, nobody ever knows we even opened it.

If an access panel is caulked or painted shut, we’ll use a sharp razor to cut the caulk or paint (See Figure 2). We will not recaulk the access panel, even if the homeowner or builder gives us permission to do so or provides the caulk. The quality of a caulk job is highly subjective, and I don’t want my company or any of my inspectors to be judged by this. Not only that, but it’s a code violation to caulk the panel shut, which I’ll discuss in a minute. This is a hard line I’ve drawn in the sand, and we’ve said no many times.

If an access panel is screwed shut, we don’t bother asking for permission. We just remove the screws and put them back when we’re done.

If an access panel is nailed shut, we don’t mess with it. At that point, we recommend having the attic made accessible and inspected by a qualified person.

If an attic is blocked with stored stuff, we usually move the items to make the attic accessible. Yes, I know … I’ve heard horror stories of home inspectors breaking things while moving stuff. But my company has been lucky enough to have never had a problem with this, and we’ve done it conducting hundreds, probably thousands, of inspections. If it’s an extreme situation, we’ll call the listing agent to ask for help. I believe the end justifies the means.

It’s important to note as well that in every case in which we access an attic, our inspectors wear respirators to protect their lungs and gloves to keep fingerprints off the ceiling. We also use a drop cloth or painter’s plastic to ensure we don’t leave a mess.

In addition, before accessing the attic, we take a picture to document what the access panel looked like before breaking the seal and then another picture showing what it looks like after we’re done.

Figure 2: If an attic access panel is sealed shut by paint or caulk, use a razor knife to cut through the seal.

What the Code Says
Interestingly, the International Energy Conservation Code specifically addresses attic access panels. Section R402.2. 4 says, “Access doors from conditioned spaces to unconditioned spaces (e.g., attics and crawl spaces) shall be weather stripped …“

So, what does that mean? Well, weather stripping is not defined by the energy code. Here in Minnesota, we have a special section in our energy code (Section R201. 4) that defaults to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary when a term is undefined. Specifically it says:

Where terms are not defined through the methods authorized by this chapter, the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, available at www.m-w.com, shall be considered as providing ordinarily accepted meanings. The dictionary is incorporated by reference, is subject to frequent change, and is available through the Minitex interlibrary loan system. 

Merriam-Webster defines “weather strip” as follows: 

A strip of material to cover the joint of a door or window and the sill, casing, or threshold so as to exclude rain, snow, and cold air — called also weather stripping.

So, does caulk or some other type of sealant cut it? Heck no.

You’d think this would help, but finding a weather-stripped attic access panel on a newly constructed home is rare. That’s not to say they don’t exist, but it’s certainly the exception.

Have a Plan
Attics are a critical part of each home inspection. Every home inspector ought to have a game plan for what to do when an attic can’t be inspected. Don’t be that inspector who says “Not Accessible” and moves on.

Attics pose many challenges for home inspectors, and I’ve probably written more about attic inspections than any other topic. To read other attic-related content, visit Structure Tech. 

About the Author
Reuben Saltzman is a second-generation home inspector with a passion for his work. He grew up remodeling homes and learning about carpentry since he was old enough to hold a hammer. He has worked for Structure Tech since it was purchased in 1997 and is now the owner and CEO of the company. To connect with him, visit Structure Tech.

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