Home buyer/seller,

A home is probably the largest purchase or sale you'll ever make, so it's important to understand the condition of your potential investment. I will complete a non-invasive examination of the home’s accessible structure, systems and components. While a home inspection is not a prediction of future conditions, and cannot reveal every concern that exists (or ever could exist), it will significantly reduce your anxiety by arming you with the knowledge you need to make an informed home buying or selling decision.

Using technology can help significantly with this process. Either by using state of the art testing for air quality, thermal imaging for heat loss, use of a borescope for investigating even the smallest holes, or even mositure meters for moisture and mold inspections. It all goes a long way to making sure you are informed before buying or selling. Even real estate agents can benefit from pre-listing inspections, significantly reducing the number of 'zero-hour' negotiations.

Heat and cooling is what makes us comfortable. Venting removes stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air in a controlled fashion. Plumbing interconnects these systems, along with managing and routing fresh and waste water.

The goal for a HVAC system is to provide proper air flow, heating, and cooling to each room. There are a lot of key design and installation considerations made, but it's no use if they aren't maintained or examined.

The word “plumbing” comes from the Latin word plumbum, which is the element lead, and was so named because lead was used extensively in the development of piping systems. The practice of installing pipes and using the piping materials became known as plumbing.

Piping, fittings, devices, faucets, tanks, containers and receptacles that are used to supply, distribute, receive and transport potable water, liquid wastes and solid wastes are now considered plumbing.

With all these connections, devices, faucets, and so on, it's important to make sure they can be serviced and won't leak. Additional service fees include testing for lead and hard water.

Basements can offer additional living space, as long as they are livable. It's the most likely spot you will see water leaks and moisture issues because it's below grade and surrounded by soil.

Properly waterproofing a basement will lessen the risk of damage caused by moisture or water. But it's even more important to prevent water from entering the basement by ensuring it is diverted away from the foundation. Poor roof drainage and surface runoff due to gutter defects and improper site grading may be the most common causes of wet basements. Addressing these issues will go a long way toward ensuring that water does not penetrate the basement.

While traditional basement walls are made from masonry materials such as concrete or stone, some home owners are opting for permanent wood foundations (PWFs). These have additional cocerns but keep more heat in during the winter months.

The best case is to inspect a basement and it's foundations when it is in an unfinished state. However, home inspections of these important parts can still take place.

While many may consider the interior to be just the floors, walls and ceilings, there are actually more parts to it. As a certified home inspector, I will also look at the attic, insulation, and related components. On the outside is the exterior, which is the primary source of curb appeal.

The exterior may provide the asthetics, but it also greatly affects how moisture, heat, and energy move through a home. The outside can be one of the easiest sources to find defects.

Roofs play a key role in protecting building occupants and interiors from outside weather conditions, primarily moisture. The roof, insulation and ventilation must all work together to keep the building free of moisture. Roofs also provide protection from the sun. In fact, if designed correctly, roof overhangs can protect the building's exterior walls from moisture and sun. The concerns regarding moisture, standing water, durability and appearance are different, reflected in the choices of roofing materials.

Homeowner maintenance includes cleaning the leaves and debris from the roof’s valleys and gutters. Debris in the valleys can cause water to wick under the shingles and cause damage to the interior of the roof. Clogged rain gutters can cause water to flow back under the shingles on the eaves and cause damage, regardless of the roofing material.

A leaky roof can damage ceilings, walls and furnishings. To protect buildings and their contents from water damage, roofers repair and install roofs made of tar or asphalt and gravel; rubber or thermoplastic; metal; or shingles made of asphalt, slate, fiberglass, wood, tile, or other material.

If you aren't sure whether your house is at risk from natural disasters, check with your local fire marshal, building official, city engineer, or planning and zoning administrator. They can tell you whether you are in a hazard area. It is never a bad idea to ask an InterNACHI inspector whether your roof is in need of repair during your next scheduled inspection. Protection can involve a variety of changes to your house and property which that can vary in complexity and cost. You may be able to make some types of changes yourself.

Home inspectors will be able to examine an electrical panel, including identifying common electrical violations, defects and concerns.

Other common concerns include double-taps and over-fusing, electric dryers and appliances, aluminum branch wiring, GFCI and AFCI breakers and receptacles, and service conductors.

Most appliances now run off electrical energy. However, for heat related applications natural gas still holds ground. Unvented combustion appliances are not allowed in Canada, but it isn't abnormal to see incorrectly performed ventilation of appliances that require it.

All inspections include examinations of appliances, whether they be the dishwasher, food-waste disposer, refrigerator, doorbell & chimes, or even trash compactors.

While home inspectors aren't chimney sweeps, they are still able to point out defects that need to be addressed.

A chimney is a vertical shaft through which smoke and gases from fuel-burning heating systems, stoves, appliances and fireplaces exhaust. The chimney may be built of masonry or metal pipe materials. The flue liner, chimney inner wall, or vent inner wall must be continuous and free of cracks, gaps, perforations, and other damage and deterioration that could allow the escape of combustion products, including gases, moisture and creosote. A solid-fuel-burning fireplace, stove, or heating system must not connect to a chimney venting another fireplace, stove, or heating system.

Factory-built chimneys should be installed according to the manufacturer's recommendations and building code. Pre-fab chimneys should be labeled on all components of the chimney system, including pipe sections, shields, fittings and caps.

As you will see on the ordering form, there are plenty of additional inspections that your home inspector can perform for you. These include thermal imaging, water and air quality, even testing for mold and moisture intrusion.