Home Inspection Glossary
Your report says "polybutylene" or "negative grade" and you're staring at it at nine o'clock at night wondering how worried to be. That's what this section is for — plain English, East Texas specifics, and no scare tactics.
What do the terms in a home inspection report mean?
A home inspection report uses trade terms that most buyers have never encountered — polybutylene pipe, Federal Pacific panels, negative grade, kick-out flashing, delaminated decking. Each one describes a specific condition with a specific level of consequence, and very few of them mean what a first-time reader fears they mean. This glossary explains the terms that appear most often in East Texas inspection reports: what each one is, why it matters here specifically, and what it actually means for a buyer.
- Terms covered
- 25
- Categories
- Electrical, foundation and drainage, plumbing, roof and attic
- Written by
- Jeff Stalnaker, TREC #26322-PI
- Region
- Tyler and East Texas
Electrical Terms
Panels, breakers, and wiring — the findings that most often send buyers to an electrician before closing.
AFCI Breaker
AFCI stands for Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter. Where a GFCI protects people from shock, an AFCI protects the house from fire. It…
What this meansAluminum Branch Wiring
Single-strand aluminum branch wiring was commonly installed in homes built roughly between 1965 and 1973, when copper prices…
What this meansDouble-Tapped Breaker
A double tap is two wires connected under one breaker terminal that was designed to hold a single wire. It's one of the most…
What this meansFederal Pacific Stab-Lok Panel
A Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Stab-Lok panel is an electrical panel installed in millions of American homes from the 1950s…
What this meansGFCI Outlet
GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. It's an outlet or breaker that watches for electricity leaking off its intended…
What this meansKnob & Tube Wiring
Knob and tube is the earliest form of residential electrical wiring, installed roughly from the 1880s through the 1940s. Two…
What this meansZinsco Panel
Zinsco — later sold as Sylvania-Zinsco — is a panel brand installed mainly from the 1950s through the 1970s. The documented…
What this meansFoundation & Drainage Terms
Clay soil, slabs, crawl spaces, and where the water goes. The most misunderstood category in East Texas.
Moisture Intrusion
Moisture intrusion means water is getting somewhere it isn't supposed to be — through a roof, around a window, into a wall, under…
What this meansNegative Grade
Negative grade means the ground slopes toward the house instead of away from it, so rainwater runs to the foundation rather than…
What this meansNormal Foundation Movement
Some movement is normal here, and a house with zero evidence of it would be more surprising than one with a little. Our soil…
What this meansPier & Beam Foundation
A pier-and-beam home sits on piers and beams with a crawl space underneath, instead of resting directly on a concrete slab. It's…
What this meansPost-Tension Slab
A post-tension slab is a concrete foundation reinforced with steel cables that were tightened after the concrete cured. They're…
What this meansSettlement Crack
Nearly every house in East Texas has cracks somewhere. Hairline cracks in a slab, or the fine cracks that appear at drywall…
What this meansPlumbing Terms
Supply lines, drain lines, and water heaters — including the pipe materials that affect your insurance.
Cast Iron Drain Line
Cast iron drain and sewer piping was standard in homes built before roughly 1975. It generally lasts somewhere in the range of 50…
What this meansGalvanized Supply Pipe
Galvanized supply pipe is zinc-coated steel, used for household water lines in homes built roughly before 1960. It corrodes from…
What this meansHydrostatic Test
A hydrostatic test plugs the drain system and fills it with water to see whether it holds — a way to check for leaks in drain…
What this meansPolybutylene Pipe
Polybutylene is a flexible plastic water supply pipe — usually gray, sometimes blue or black — installed in homes built roughly…
What this meansSewer Scope
A sewer scope is a camera run down the main sewer line to look for breaks, bellies, root intrusion, and blockages. It is not part…
What this meansTPR Valve
TPR stands for Temperature and Pressure Relief. It's the safety valve on a water heater that opens if the tank gets too hot or…
What this meansRoof & Attic Terms
Flashing, ventilation, and decking — the small parts with outsized consequences.
Attic Ventilation
Attic ventilation moves hot, humid air out of the attic. In an East Texas summer a poorly ventilated attic can run well over…
What this meansKick-Out Flashing
Kick-out flashing is a small piece of bent metal installed where a roof edge meets a vertical wall. Its entire job is to push…
What this meansRidge Vent
A ridge vent is a continuous vent running along the peak of a roof, letting hot attic air escape along the whole length of the…
What this meansRoof Decking Delamination
Roof decking is the plywood or OSB sheathing that sits under the shingles. Delamination is when its layers separate — generally…
What this meansSoffit & Fascia
The fascia is the vertical board running along the edge of the roof, usually where the gutters attach. The soffit is the panel…
What this meansVapor Barrier
A vapor barrier is a plastic sheet laid across the soil in a crawl space to stop ground moisture from evaporating up into the…
What this meansDon't See Your Term?
This list covers what comes up most often. If your report has a word on it that isn't here, call or text me — I'll explain it, and if enough people ask I'll add it.
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