What We Do

What is a Home Inspection?

The profession known as Home Inspection (sometimes called Building Inspection,
Structural Inspection or Engineering Inspection) has developed to help home
buyers understand better what they are buying.

Most houses cannot be inspected in less than two and a half hours. Depending
upon the age, condition and size of the house, the inspection can take considerably
longer.

The Home Inspector's Mission:

The home inspector's mission is to help figure out what you need to know about
the house components (except environmental issues*). You need to know if there
are things about the house that would seriously affect habitability or force you to
spend a lot of money you were not planning on. To address this need, the
inspection concentrates on 8 major items: Roof, Foundation, Structure, Plumbing
System, Electrical System, Heating System, Water Well System, and the Septic
System. Important secondary building components are also addressed such as:
siding, windows, drainage, cooling system, hot water and finishes.

To Make These Evaluations, the Home Inspector Will:

Climb on the roof, inspect the foundation and structure for movement and decay,
operate the heating equipment, go into accessible crawlspaces and attics, remove
circuit breaker panel covers to inspect wires, operate water fixtures and perform
a push test on any septic system or water well system. NO HOUSE IS PERFECT.
The professional Home Inspector can help you distinguish between minor
imperfections and major problems. Many houses also have components that are
significantly better than average. These are worthy of mention.

It is more likely that your house will not have a major problem. Still, by attending
the inspection, you will gain understanding of what you are buying. Knowing the
construction type, maintenance needs, where things are and how they work can be
invaluable. Be there.

The Report:

The inspection is documented by a 25+ page written report, discussing noteworthy
observations. The implications of the inspector's observations are put in
perspective by clearly written suggestions. Estimates of component remaining life
and replacement cost are included, where appropriate. Don't settle for a
non-engineer's cryptic on-site report attached to a glossy generic encyclopedia.

*Environmental Issues

The arena of environmental issues is, in general, not included in a Home
Inspection. There are environmental labs which specialize in issues such as the
identification and disposition of asbestos, lead and mold. Any such service can
be purchased from one of these labs at your discretion.