How do homes age? When a home is 100 years old or even 200 years old, home inspectors must apply a different set of standards to evaluate the house. For example, building codes were not in effect 100 years ago and the quality of construction was often left up to the integrity and expertise of […]
New Construction Hand Built ?
This photo is all the lumber that is needed to build a home on a basement. The floor joists are the only part of the structural framing that has to be put together by hand. The exterior walls come as pre-made panels with the window and door openings already cut in. They are most of […]
20 Year Membership
It’s hard to believe that we have been in business since 1999 and members of the Dayton Area Board of Realtors all that time. For years we taught classes at the DABR to help new Realtors understand what a home inspection was all about and how to deal with needed repairs. There have been so […]
Venting Frustrations
There is nothing worse than badly draining sinks, tubs, and showers, not to mention toilets that need three flushes to finish the job. A call to a drain cleaning company did not help. They looked down the drains of the three year old home with a camera scope, all the way to the city sewer […]
How “Safe” is Your Bathroom?
When you hear it said that bathrooms can be unsafe you might not think that a half ton of steel would be the answer. But bathrooms can be one of the most dangerous places in a home, with a multitude of potential hazards. Starting with tiled floors which can become slippery when wet to the […]
Unreasonable Expectations
Inspections can sometimes be a challenge for the inspector and the reason is rarely because of what is found, but trying to find it. Vacant properties are much easier to get around, no furniture, no stored items blocking the inspector at every turn. We do our best to get around obstacles and into difficult areas, […]
Sales Brochure Mentioned The New Roof
Video of sales the listing that said the house had a new roof, take a look it was obvious to our inspector that it was far from new, and a big surprise for our client.
Relaxing Day Enjoying Life
So often it’s arrive, and get going. Tool belt on and get to work, room by room, plumbing, electrical etc. Recently at a house out in the country, I had to park in the driveway and walk through a paddock to get to the house. Horses appeared as soon as I entered the field which […]
Read The Report ? “yeah” really..
We get paid crazy money to do a Home Inspection. The home is often way bigger than we are scheduled for. Clients are too busy to attend (we love when you come to the inspection) The report is printed on site and then emailed that evening. All the information in the report is easy to […]
Cute Table Right? Well…
Don’t eat off of it! This DIY project has all the right look of a farmhouse table. Unfortunately the top is made of treated fence pickets which contain harmful chemicals that you don’t want on your skin, let alone on food and utensils. We see a lot of beautiful furniture and updates that are made […]
Who Will Keep the Dog In?
It never ceases to amaze me how many homes have chain link fences around the back garden proudly displaying the iconic Sears brand on the gate. In fact It’s hard to believe that Sears has closed down and the dishwashers, refrigerators and garage door openers that are in so many of the homes we inspect […]
Licensed Home Inspectors
The state of Ohio has started issuing licenses for home inspectors in an effort to raise the overall standard of inspections. While not yet required, we went ahead and have become some of the first licensed inspectors in the state. The application which involved getting FBI background checks as well as submitting a record of […]
Don’t Ever Assume!!
In life I have discovered that it’s a good policy never to assume that something works, that the door is locked, that you have your ticket and passport in your backpack as you head to the airport. Over the last 20 years of inspecting homes, offices, hotels and everything else from Chinese restaurants to schools, […]
Planning Projects Pays Dividends
The old saying: measure twice cut once can apply to many DIY projects. Before rushing out and buying what you think you need for a project, it can pay off to plan what you are doing. If it’s a big project tape it out on the ground or walls, measure, re measure and make sure […]
