HOME INSPECTION
As a well trusted and highly rated home inspector we perform thorough inspections in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb Counties. You can view a full list of my service areas here. We will go through your home and inspect it top to bottom, providing you with an easy-to-read multi page inspection report with all of our findings.
Home inspections are priced based on the square footage size of the house among other factors
My home inspection includes:
- Structural Components
- Exterior
- Roofing
- Plumbing
- Electrical
- Heating
- Air Conditioning
- Interiors
- Insulation and Ventilation
- Fireplaces and Fuel-Burning Appliances and much more.
RADON TESTING
Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless cancer causing gas that enters you home through the soil. We will test for Radon on the lowest living, or potential living, level of your home to ensure dangerous levels of radon are not present.What is Radon?
-Radon is a radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, occurring naturally as a decay product of radium. Radon enters your home through the soil and it is everywhere, some areas just have higher levels of it. To be sure levels of radon in your home are safe for habitation, a 48 hour continuous measurement in the lowest habitable level of your home will be conducted.
Radon is measured in picocuries per liter, or pCi/L. The natural outdoor level of radon in the United States is 0.2 – 0.4 pCi/L. The US EPA has set the action level of indoor radon levels to be 4.0 pCi/L, meaning any measurement found in a home at this level or greater requires radon mitigation. You can view a map of areas across the United States and what the average measurement is by visiting epa.gov.
Radon Facts
It is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States next to smoking.
Concentrations vary with season, day to day, and hour to hour.
Soil, Well Water, and certain building materials are sources of radon.
There are radon spas in Russia and Central Europe that treat a number of conditions.
Children are at higher risk from radon exposure than adults because they have more rapidly dividing cells and a higher metabolic rate making genetic damage more serious.
One in 15 homes in the United States has elevated radon levels.
The EPA recommends strong consideration for fixing homes for radon levels between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L.
Radon is responsible for 58 deaths per day.
A Radon level of 4 pCi/L is the equivalent of smoking 8 cigarettes per day.
THERMAL IMAGING INSPECTION
Thermal imaging is included for FREE with every home inspection (a $150 value!). Thermal imaging can allow me to see things like missing or inadequate insulation, building envelope air leaks, moisture intrusion, plumbing leaks, and overheating electrical.
-What is Thermal Imaging?
Thermal imaging, or Infrared thermography, makes it possible to see your environment with or without visible illumination. The amount of radiation emitted by an object increases with temperature, therefore thermography allows one to see variations in temperature. When viewed through a thermal imaging camera, warm objects stand out against cooler backgrounds and vise versa.
Thermal imaging or Infrared technology, whichever term you prefer, helps me and my clients in many different scenarios. It can find the following and more:
- Missing or under performing insulation in walls and ceilings
- Overheating electrical
- HVAC supply registers that have been covered with flooring and/or drywall
- Roof leaks that hadn’t yet shown staining and flat roof leaks under the roof coverings
- Leaking window seals and
- Inadequate or missing weather stripping around exterior doors
- Plumbing leaks
- Radiator’s full of air that need bled or that are underperforming
- Hydronic (radiant) Floor Leaks
- Radiant floors that are not performing properly
- Proper operation of electric stove tops and ovens
- Proper operation of refrigerators and freezers
- Proper operation of exterior condenser units (air conditioning)
- Bee nests hidden in walls in some cases
- Termites in some cases
- Critters in attics in some cases (like racoons)
- Air infiltration into the building
- Windows with argon depletion
- Solar panel issues
- Water temperatures
- Overheating mechanical like motors and pumps
DRONE INSPECTION
We operate a Drone with a 4K video camera and a 48 megapixel still camera that can fly over your roof and take pictures and videos of every angle to make sure it is properly inspected. This is included FREE with every inspection, if needed.
An average inspector can only walk on a roof with a pitch of 6/12 or less. So what if your home has a 7/12 or higher pitch? The inspector will disclaim it as “not inspected” or inspect it from the ground. What if your roof is fairly high? The average inspector’s tallest ladder is only 20-24 feet, so they may not be able to get up on the roof. A lot of defects can be missed because of this. We actually have other home inspectors hire me to inspect roofs on homes they’re inspecting, that’s how trusted my service is!
We operate a Drone with a 4K video camera and a 48 megapixel still camera that can fly over your roof and take pictures and videos of every angle to make sure it is properly inspected because you deserve that peace of mind.
Here are some reasons a roof may not be able to be walked for inspection:
- The roof is too steep to walk
- The roof covering material is made of a material that could break if walked on (slate, tile, for example)
- The roof is wet, a wet roof could be slick and not be able to be walked
- The granules on the asphalt shingles are coming off making the roof slick
- The roof is too high for a ladder to reach
If you are purchasing a home inspection with us the use of the Drone (if we have to use it) is included for FREE (a $150 value!). We prefer to walk roofs but due to steep pitches or high roofs there are times we are unable to walk the roof, that’s why we have a drone! The drone will let us see defects we would not have normally seen had we disclaimed the roof like the average inspector.
ANNUAL HOME MAINTENANCE INSPECTION
Just like a regular home inspection except this is performed annually to ensure your home is in peak shape. On a specified date each year and we will inspect your home and give you a full written report of my findings.
-You are all moved into your new home, you’ve had the home inspection and you’ve fixed what needed to be fixed. You’re all done now right? Not quite. Homes require maintenance, some daily, some weekly, some seasonally, and some annually. In order to ensure your home is in peek shape you need to make sure it is properly maintained, that’s where the annual home maintenance inspection comes in!
An annual home maintenance inspection is just like a regular home inspection except this is performed annually to ensure your home is in peak shape. We will come out on a specified date each year and inspect your home and give you a full written report of my findings. The following will be inspected during an annual home maintenance inspection:
Our annual home maintenance inspection includes:
- Structural Components
- Exterior
- Roofing
- Plumbing
- Electrical
- Heating
- Air Conditioning
- Interiors
- Insulation and Ventilation
- Fireplaces and Fuel-Burning Appliances and more.
For a more detailed list on what parts are included and excluded in each of these categories please see the ASHI Standards of Practice, InterNACHI Standards of Practice, and Michigan Standards of Practice. If you’d like more information or want to schedule an appointment feel free to contact us.
11TH MONTH WARRANTY INSPECTION
Did your brand new home come with a one year warranty? We will come inspect it in it’s 11th month to make sure all systems and components are in working order before the builder’s warranty expires.
-Most new home builder’s offer a one year warranty on a home when it is purchased. We will come out during the 11th month, before your builder’s warranty expires, and conduct an inspection.
You may be asking yourself “Why do I need an 11th month warranty inspection?”. Well with the information we provide you in my detailed report, you will be able to arm yourself with the information to take the necessary steps to hold your home builder to their warranty before the warranty expires. we will perform a non-invasive inspection of the following readily-accessible systems and components:
- Interior
- Exterior
- Walls
- Windows
- Doors
- HVAC
- Basement/Crawlspace
- Fireplace
- Roofing
- Plumbing
- Electrical
- Attic
For more information and pricing contact us today!
SINGLE COMPONENT INSPECTION
If you’re in need of only having a single component or system of a home inspected (for example the roof) rather than the entire home, WE offer a single component inspections!
If you need an inspection on any single system or component of your home I can help you! I offer my services as a certified and licensed home inspector to inspect single systems/components of a home. Whether it be just the roof, the attic, the electrical, basement, crawlspace, HVAC, or more – we can help and I’ll provide you with a written report of our findings.
If you have any questions or would like pricing for a system or component you need inspected, feel free to contact us today!