Unless you have Xray vision, you really should use Infrared!

Infrared technology helps you get a better look at what's happening behind the walls and ceilings of your home by picking up on heat differentials in areas where insulation is lacking or has pulled away from the interior wall.  This heat loss can be a significant factor in high energy costs during the summer and winter months. These are issues that can be corrected, but only if the homeowner knows about it. . .And don't forget about water intrusion either!  Moisture can often remain undetected after the leak event has passed. Damp areas will show up very distinctly on infrared scans because moisture is often cooler than the surrounding materials.

I’m not afraid of heights.  Walking the roof is vital to a quality home inspection because so much can go wrong up there—and often does. Metal flashing which is supposed to shed water into the gutters can be improperly installed, damaged or absent all together. This can lead to dry rot in the trim and fascia boards often not observed from the ground. Roofing penetrations such as plumbing and furnace vents often are loose or degraded and are always inspected closely. Excessive moss or debris on the roof is never good for a home since it can trap moisture against the roofing shingles for months at a time degrading the fiberglass underneath and shortening the life span of the roof.  We also take time to examine the gutters as hidden debris can clog the downspouts and cause rainwater to shed near the foundation of a home potentially leading to significant moisture and structural issues in the crawlspace.

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Attics aren’t just places to store the Christmas boxes.  Attics are a part of the roofing system and is why we inspect it thoroughly. Clogged soffit vents or undersized gable vents can cause moisture problems. Additionally, space between lighting fixtures installed in the ceiling or bathroom fans not vented through the roof can cause heat and moisture from the home to rise through the openings and condense on the cooler roof sheathing.  That’s why we traverse as much of the attic as possible and use a camera pole to get to the places we can’t so you can have the fullest confidence that your attic has been thoroughly examined. 

When was the last time you walked around a house and stared at the siding?  It’s probably been awhile.  This is probably why  so many homes have siding issues.  Defects include poorly attached components, over driven nails and cracked or rotting trim boards.  Many homes have cement fiber cladding (Hardiplank) which can be improperly flashed, or cracked.  Vinyl siding is easily damaged by weed trimmers or melted when a heat source such as a barbeque is placed too closely to the wall.  Excessive moss build up on northern exposures keeps wood siding damp and leads to early deterioration. We also look for bird nests and rodent holes – evidence that a homeowner will be sharing the house with more than just their family. . .

Most house fires start here. Is the door from the garage to the house self-closing and is 3/8X sheet rock installed in all rooms adjacent to the garage?  Let us check for you.  Sure the garage door works but does it have an automatic reversing mechanism and do the safety sensors at the bottom of the door actually work so your five year old doesn’t get trapped under the door?  Better get that fixed before you buy the house. 

We will enter every room we can and examine every corner so that you don’t have any surprises after you move in.  Did you know not all cracks in the drywall are created equal?  Horizontal cracks mean one thing but diagonal cracks above a window is something else entirely.  Let us check it out.  And don’t let the nail pops in the bathroom get by you.  Maybe it’s just cosmetic’ but we will call it out so you can get it fixed before you buy.

Trust me you don’t want to go down there.  In fact, I don’t even want to go down there.  Most home inspectors are looking  for a reason to skip this step and the truth is the last set of eyes down there was probably the last home inspection.  A lot can go wrong here as well.  Standing water is often an issue as are significant structural issues not observable anywhere else.  We often see loose insulation, disconnected duct work, poor workmanship and evidence of wood destroying organisms not to mention other kinds of organisms that have fur and teeth.  You should know who your roommates are going to be before you close. 

Do all the appliances in your potential new home work?  You should know if they don’t.  We test every appliance we can so you will know what you need to replace and how to work that into the negotiating process.

It seems as though every homeowner has a guy who knows how to wire stuff.  The problem is he often isn’t an electrician and he liked watching MacGyver back in the nineties.  Rewiring a house should always be done by a qualified professional but often times it isn’t.  Wire gauge can be the wrong size or improperly spliced and reversed polarity and improper GFCI protection are more common than you might think.  Let us take a look at your wiring for you so you can be assured it’s not only properly installed but that’s its safe for you and your family.

Do you have galvanized, copper, or PEX piping in the home you are about to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for?  You really should know. Re-plumbing a house is an ordeal you don’t want to experience.  Do all the fixtures drain properly?  Any leaks of any kind anywhere?  What’s the water pressure at the hose?  Too much and it can scaur pipes and stress the fittings.  Too little and you may have a corrosion problem.  We’ll check that for you.

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” They say.  But they should also say, “Service it or forget about it!”  Furnaces and AC units can last a long time if they are properly maintained. Unfortunately many homeowners don’t know the furnace has a filter that needs to be changed regularly.  A dirty filter restricts air flow across the heat exchanger and strains the motor as negative pressure continues to build.  Ductwork can become detached because it is improperly fastened or poorly installed and the condenser coils on an AC unit are rarely cleaned.  Is the unit at the end of it’s life?  Just because you have central air and heat when you buy the house doesn’t mean you will still have it after you move in.  Let us check that out for you so you can negotiate and budget as needed.