 Home Inspections:
New Construction Inspections:
Radon:
EIFS (Synthetic Stucco):
Home Inspections
Q: What’s Involved In A Home Inspection?
A: We look at everything that we can see -- top to bottom, inside and out. We look at the structure, plumbing, heating and cooling systems, water issues, roofing and even the condition of all the appliances. Then, we give you a written report of what we’ve seen. We use the Standards of Practice of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) as the basis for our inspections. Actually we try to exceed these standards in every possible way. Ask us and we’ll gladly give you a copy of the ASHI Standards of Practice.
Q: Should I Be At The Inspection?
A: You’ll get more value from the inspection if you join us. It's better for you, and better for us. We like it when you’re there and sharing the exploration with us. That way we can make sure you have a clear understanding of what we’re talking about. We can also make sure that all your questions are answered.
If you can't come to the inspection, we'll send you a Summary Report. We can send you an E-Mail or a FAX the same day we performed the inspection. If you have questions, you can call us and ask us.
Q: How Long Does An Inspection Take?
A: Usually we’re at a house for about two and a half hours. Some take longer. It’s a rare occasion that it takes less time. Even the smallest, easiest house will take nearly two hours.
Q: What Does It Cost?
A: It depends on the size and condition of the house. We have to charge more if the house is large, complex, older, or if it requires lots of travel time. Our minimum charge is $250 for a small townhouse. Most inspections cost between $275 - $400.
Q: When Do We Pay?
A: At the end of the inspection, we hand you the report and you hand us payment. It’s pretty straightforward, really. For your convenience we take cash or checks or even credit cards (VISA & MasterCard). Unlike most costs associated with buying a home, our fees are not paid at closing.
Q: Do You Offer Any Guarantees?
A: Well let’s see… we guarantee to do our best. We guarantee that we have the best-trained inspectors in the area. We guarantee the most professional service. We guarantee that we strive to exceed the ASHI Standards. We guarantee that we’ll lay out everything in writing before the inspection so you’ll know exactly what we’ll be doing.
What we ‘sell’ is our professional opinion of the condition of the house on the day we see it. We do this every day…day in and day out. We know from experience that we can't see every square inch of a house, so there's always a chance that we could just plain miss something. It’s not likely but it can happen.
There's also the chance that something that looked good on inspection day could break the day after the inspection. Life is funny like that. If you come across an inspection company that offers a guarantee, we strongly recommend that you read their fine print. In fact, it seems contrary to us that any inspection company would even consider offering a warranty program. It’s as though they’re saying, “We checked, but just to make sure why don’t you buy some insurance from us…”
All that said, we do offer a service that removes the limitation of liability from our contract. This type of inspection would be conducted by a team of experts costing between $5,000 - $7,500. If you want this service we’ll be happy to arrange it. We call in soil engineers, electrical and mechanical engineers, and HVAC specialists, among others. It takes us a couple of weeks to arrange everyone’s schedule but you’ll know about every nail, pipe and screw in your house.
Q: What’s the Difference Between an Appraisal and a Home Inspection?
A: An appraisal is not a home inspection and a home inspection is not an appraisal. An appraisal tries to establish a ‘market value’ for the house, while an inspection evaluates the actual physical condition of the house. Some folks think an appraiser ‘inspects’ because they have to look at the overall condition of the house. Appraisers are NOT going into any details and they are absolutely not going to give a report to you about the conditions of the house. A home inspector provides an objective visual examination of the physical structure and systems of a house.
You hire the home inspector. We work for you. An appraiser reports to the mortgage lender. An appraiser hired by a lender works in the best interest of their client, the lender. In essence, the appraiser works for the bank while the home inspector works for you. A home inspector hired by you works in the best interest of their client…YOU.
New Construction Inspections
Q: Do New Houses REALLY Need to be Inspected?
A: The fact is, many issues and discrepancies are found by a professional home inspector during the construction and completion of a new home. Even if the contractor you choose for building your house is known for top-quality work, you should keep in mind that the Builder does very little building. Most of the construction tasks (foundation, framing, plumbing, electrical, drywall, painting, etc.) are usually subcontracted out to the lowest bidder. Builders cannot really supervise all the work going on at one time, especially if they have multiple houses under construction at one time. It’s impossible to do. It helps if your Builder is known for top-quality construction because they want to keep up their good reputation. But new home construction will always be susceptible to errors and problems.
Q: Aren’t New Houses Approved by the Local Code Building Officials?
A: Certainly. But the real question is ‘What does that get you?’ People assume that the local county or city building inspector checks out the house. This is true to a degree. But these municipal inspectors spend nowhere near enough time in the home to fully check it out. Besides, that’s not their job. Their sole purpose is to determine if the house meets the minimum building standards. Think about that for a second…They are only checking to see if the house is safe and built to lowest common denominator. Even at that, the municipal inspectors are often too pressed for time to check all the details. It’s sad but it’s true. If you want anything more than that, you need a home inspector that’s experienced in new construction.
There are often problems with a new home that aren’t code violations, yet nonetheless have serious consequences. We’ve seen roofs that don’t drain, trusses that aren’t fastened, septic systems that don’t work, and even chimneys that don’t have fluepipes. You name, we’ve probably seen it.
You’d probably be interested to know that some builders try to prevent home inspectors from inspecting their newly built houses. If you are in the process of buying a new home and the builder says “No” to you bringing a private home inspector on site, you should ask yourself, "Why won't the builder allow the home inspector on site?" & “What does the builder have to hide?” At this point you should be consulting with your attorney and thinking hard about moving forward with another homebuilder.
Q: What’s Involved in a New Home Inspection?
A: There’s two different ways to approach a new home inspection. The best way to ensure that a house is well built is to review it several times throughout its construction. We call these Phased Inspections, where we examine the house during each stage of its development. The major stages include the foundation, the framing, the utilities and the punch list. We’ll even review the drawings and specifications before construction starts to make sure your house will work the way it’s supposed to. We check out details that you cannot even imagine. Each of these inspections takes several hours and you’ll get a detailed report with diagrams, photographs and documented references. This is the best way to make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for.
The other approach is simply to do a detailed Punch List inspection. This is the best choice if you’re buying a ‘spec house’ from a builder. Just before it’s completed, we’ll go through it with a fine-toothed comb. It’s true that some things could be hidden inside the walls and ceilings, but you’d be surprised what a trained eye can find. This approach is not as complete or detailed as the Phased Inspections, but it’s your best option. This inspection should be completed BEFORE you make your final payment to the Builder. That way, you can make sure all the items are completed and in good order before you become the owner of the house.
Radon
Q: What Is Radon?
A: It's a radioactive gas that comes from the natural decay of uranium. Uranium is found deep in the ground below our feet. Radon seeps up through the ground and escapes into the air. Radon is colorless and odorless, so some folks don’t believe it exists. That's Silly. High radon levels produce lung cancer. In fact, after cigarettes it’s the leading cause of lung cancer in America.
Q: What Are The Chances Of My House Having High Radon?
A: In central Virginia about one chance out of three. That’s about how often we find high readings in a person's home. Overall, Virginia is slightly higher than the national average, but the mountain and foothill areas are significantly higher than the norms.
Q: With A Crawl Space Under The House, Do I Need To Worry About Radon?
A: We hear this one all the time. It ain’t true. There is no statistical difference in the radon levels regardless of the construction type. The single most important criteria in determining the radon concentrations is whether it’s coming up out of the ground underneath your house. It’s really that simple.
Radon isn't neighborhood-specific. It can be high at one house and low right next door. The house in Pennsylvania that started the initial radon scare was built over an outcropping of uranium. Radon levels at this house were 700 times the maximum allowable level. Researchers determined that the house would have had only minor problems if it had been built four feet to the left.
Q: What Does a Radon Test Cost?
A: We charge $125 if we do the radon test at the same time as the home inspection. If you want a radon test independent of a home inspection, it'll cost slightly more.
EIFS
Q: What Is EIFS?
A: EIFS is short for ‘Exterior Insulated Finish System’, which is the generic name for synthetic stucco. We usually pronounce it like ‘E-fuss’. This system looks like stucco but it’s got a backing of insulation instead of several coats of cement.
Q: My House Looks Fine So I Shouldn’t Have Any Problems. Right?
A: I wish that were true, but you can’t tell by looking at it. In fact, if you consider that the visible coating is actually an acrylic plastic you’ll realize that it always looks good no matter what’s going on inside the wall behind it. This is why testing is so important. We often find water where we don’t expect it and some areas that may appear to be wet are dry. Of course, there are visual clues that may lead us to believe there are problems, such as de-lamination, cracking, etc.. Even though these areas usually require repair, they may or may not be caused by water. There is only one way to find out water infiltration is occurring. Have your EIFS tested.
Q: How Do I Know If My House Has Problems?
A: We can often spot the telltale signs of an improper EIFS installation just by looking at the house. These include the overall design, gutter and flashing details, control joints, and window details. However, quantifying the problem requires poking holes – sometimes dozens of holes -- in the EIFS cladding. (The holes are small and come in pairs. We call them ‘snakebites’.) We insert a probe, which measures the percentage of water in the framing and/or sheathing. Moisture levels above 20% indicate problems that need to be corrected. (We patch the holes with caulk after the inspection.)
Q: What About New Houses With EIFS Systems?
A: The devil is in the details. A house with bad details can have excessive moisture in less than 3 months. A few good rains are all that is needed for water to start to infiltrate the structure and start the downward spiral. Most of the problems with EIFS are now known, ever since the lawsuits in Wilmington, NC in 1996. Most EIFS installers learned from those experiences and either improved their product or demanded that the installers prove they know how to do the installation correctly. Most EIFS installations done during the last five years are significantly better than EIFS installed before 1997.
Q: What Is Involved In EIFS Testing?
A: There are several different protocols for testing for water infiltration in EIFS. Be careful of the protocol described by EIMA. EIMA is the association of EIFS manufacturers. They have a biased interest in perpetuating the sale of EIFS products. They figure that if there are fewer problems found in EIFS throughout the country then maybe more people will want EIFS houses. The EIMA protocols cannot and do not mandate a detailed evaluation of the EIFS system. We recommend that you don’t hire anyone that uses the EIMA protocols.
The best protocols in the country were developed in Georgia. Atlanta was one of the biggest hotbeds of EIFS construction in the country. They had many problems with the early EIFS installations so the State of Georgia worked long and hard to develop rigorous protocols that provided the best information available. We use the modified version of the GAHI protocols, which provides the best information with the least amount of invasive probing of the walls.
We use a combination of scanning and deep wall-probe moisture meters. A scanner cannot be used alone to determine water infiltration issues. An invasive probe meter is required to perform this test – don’t believe anyone that tells you they can test without probing. Based on the current technology, that would be impossible. The wet areas are then probed for rot and actual moisture content, then mapped to meet the test protocols. By using a combination of moisture meters we can minimize the number of probes that are required. An average house may have 30 small holes. After they're filled, you’ll be hard-pressed to find them unless we show them to you.
Q: How Much Does EIFS Testing Cost?
A: Each house is different. EIFS testing is expensive…prices start at $500. Most EIFS inspections cost between $750 - $1,000. It seems like a lot but consider the following :
We are the only EDI-certified EIFS inspectors in the area. We have even been elected to the EDI National Board of Governors. We started evaluating EIFS systems over 15 years ago.
- EIFS testing must demonstrate an understanding of not only the EIFS, but overall house construction as well. We'll tell you exactly how the house is put together and what is involved in locating and repairing the source of the water.
- EIFS testers must have the ability to make sound, cost-efficient recommendations that will work in the real world.
- Proper documentation that is understandable to the layperson is critical. It is also extremely time consuming. Technical reports must use excellent communications skills in order to keep the findings in proper perspective, yet honest and informative.
- EIFS testing equipment necessary to do the job correctly costs thousands of dollars.
- If there is water in the system, our clients expect us to find it and tell them what to do about it. This is meticulous, time-consuming work.
- A $750.00 EIFS test that ultimately saves the client tens of thousands of dollars is a much better value than a $250.00 test that gives little or no useful information.
Q: How Do I Find A Reputable EIFS Testing Company?
A: This is the hard part. There are folks entering the business with the intent of making easy money for a while and then moving on. This kind of thing happens in all businesses. These guys come to your house, perform their elaborate dance and give you a report that says "The EIFS is not installed correctly and should be torn off and replaced". Since over 90% of all EIFS installation in this area have something wrong with it, this is a worthless statement. The REAL questions are, “What’s the impact of the EIFS deficiencies?” and “What’s it going to take to fix them?”
Others folks offering EIFS testing services may have good intentions but simply don't have the knowledge, training or experience to know what they’re talking about. Still others sell an “Annual Warranty” program where they caulk up the joints and give you a worthless “Guarantee” that doesn't provide you with anything of value. Be very wary of these folks.
Here are a Few Simple Guidelines for Researching Your EIFS Inspector:
- Make sure the company is licensed and certified.
- Find out how long they have been doing EIFS testing.
- Ask how many houses they have tested.
- Ask what protocols they use to perform their EIFS testing. If they don’t know what you’re talking about, take that as a sign and hang up on them.
- Find an inspector who is certified by the Exterior Design Institute (E.D.I.). EDI is the only source of certified third-party EIFS inspectors that has been approved by BOCA, which is the Building Code for houses in Virginia.
- Ask if they have a construction background and how much experience they have. Construction knowledge is critical to making successful recommendations.
- Some companies refuse to testify in court. You may well need this service. If your tester is not willing to stand behind his work in court, you may have to re-test using a company that is willing (and qualified) to provide expert witness testimony.
- Do not hire companies that offer to repair the problems. They often overstate the amount of work needed in order to increase their fees. Many installers have branched out into the testing business. But do you really want the firm that installed the EIFS improperly, to test it for problems? This would be an example of the fox guarding the henhouse.
- Ask to see a sample of previous EIFS inspection report. You’ll be amazed that some EIFS inspectors can barely write a letter, much less a detailed, technical report. EIFS inspection reports should help you understand and make sense of the issues.
- Check references.
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