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Home Inspections

This is our bread & butter. We spend most of our time every day doing home inspections. Day in and day out. There’s no better way to hone our skills than to work on them each and every day. There are many subtle clues that simply can’t be seen by part-time inspectors or others that ‘dabble’ in this business. In fact, it’s not uncommon for us to be called in after another inspector to clarify or evaluate issues that were missed.

We have a wide variety of report formats, but the one we use the most is the “HomeBook”. Why? Simply put, it’s the best reporting system available anywhere. It gives YOU the best report system and a great reference manual that will be useful for as long as you own your own home.

Farms and Estates

All of HomePro’s inspectors have a common bond – we love old houses. We especially like the older, larger and historical buildings. We got into this business because we love helping to care for and respect the architecture and craftsmanship of days gone by. That’s why we started studying architecture in the first place.

We have been fortunate to have been chosen to evaluate and inspect some of the finest, largest and most prestigious estates and manors in the area. And we’ve got some pretty impressive homes in this area! It’s a real treat for us to get to see some of the finest examples of architecture, historical context, and craftsmanship that has been seen in this country for hundreds of years.

RADON Testing Services

Radon is a growing concern across the country and certainly here in Virginia. Almost one third of all the houses we test have high radon levels. Radon has been proven time and again to be a health risk – it’s second only to smoking for producing lethal lung cancer. People are asking us to test more and more often than we did just a few years ago. Some clients even have their new houses tested just so they don’t have to worry about radon when they resale their house several years later. For them, it’s purely a financial consideration.

When we test for radon, we use the most sophisticated equipment on the market. We use continuos radon monitors (CRM’s) because they provide the best results. They also help us find out when people try to tamper with the test results. (Yes, it really does happen!). And most importantly, we use these CRM’s because we can get the results the minute we the test is complete. You get instant results!

Expert Witness Testimony

Sometimes things don’t go right between you and your builder. That’s a shame, but sometimes you need your own advocate – someone that’s impartial yet fair, thorough and knowledgeable. We are called upon to review construction problems and present our findings in a well-documented report. Most of the time, simply documenting our findings is enough to bring an issue to resolution. Other times, going to court is necessary. We can serve as an ‘expert witness’ in court for all types of proceedings, including arbitrations, mediations, depositions and even trials. We’ve even had some clients tell us that our reports have won their cases for them, even though they didn’t have lawyer!

New Construction Inspections

More and more often people ask us to inspect their newly constructed houses. Builders offer a ‘1-year warranty’ for all new houses, but lots of savvy buyers would rather get it right the first time. They want to enjoy their new home rather than argue about getting all the little details fixed for a year or more. That’s where we can help.

We can do every type of new construction inspection, but typically we do two types most often:

Phased Construction Inspections – This is where we scrutinize the house during the critical stages of its construction. We can catch details and errors before they are hidden by subsequent building systems. This is the best approach for building your new home. We often include inspections to review the building plans and specifications; review the foundations before the concrete is poured; evaluate the framing and structure of the house; review the layout, coordination and installation of the utility systems; inspection of the insulation and energy efficiency of the house; and a final punch list inspection of all the components and finishes.

Punch List Inspections – This is a detailed version of the punch list inspection mentioned above. We’ll run the entire house through the wringer - operating everything and make sure that every system works perfectly. If we can only see the house one time, we want to make sure that you are getting the house you bargained for.

By the way, Builders may tell you that they have their own ‘Quality Control’ guy that will walk you through the house, just before closing the deal. It’s true, they do. He’ll fix all the cosmetic issues that you see just before you sign on the dotted line. But you should remember who that guy works for. If there are safety issues, design flaws, or substandard construction that are not intuitive or visible, he’s not going to show them to you. We will.

Certified EIFS Testing

EIFS (commonly called ‘Drivit’ or ‘synthetic stucco’) has several lawsuits and class-action lawsuits against it. But sometimes it doesn’t deserve the bad reputation its been getting. Sometimes we find EIFS that needs a little maintenance, sometimes there is a little water damage, and sometimes real serious work needs to be done. There have been a few occasions that significant portions of the wall system had to be removed to rebuild the underlying structure.

We are the only company in central Virginia that is certified and approved to provide third-party inspections on EIFS. We’ve been sent to all the surrounding states to perform and consult on difficult EIFS projects. For a while, we were even on the national Board of Governors, representing Virginia EIFS issues on the national level. We take EIFS very seriously, but we also don’t presume that it’s bad simply because it’s installed. Each house has to be evaluated on its own merits.

Building Consultations

HomePro does building consulting work both locally and nationally. Often, we are called in to check out a specific issue in a house or commercial property. More often, people don’t know what the issue is exactly, they just know that something’s wrong. We do a variety of tests and protocols to help define, evaluate and resolve all sorts of building issues around town.

We also do consulting work for the federal government. We do consulting work on military bases around the country, on commercial properties and in large residential subdivisions. We have traveled throughout the southeast and even all over the country to evaluate and inspect buildings, military bases and their facilities.

Moisture Analysis & Tracking

Water is the most common problem that people have in their homes. It shows up in a variety of ways. Sometimes its just a smell, the basement seems ‘dank’ and ‘musty’. Sometimes it’s a mold and mildew showing up in your storage area. Sometimes its fungus and wood decay in your crawl space. And sometimes its settlement and structural deterioration of the foundation system of the house.

If water can do that much damage, we feel it’s important to make sure that we understand all the nuances of water infiltration. Believe it or not, we actually went out and got trained and certified in water analysis and forensic investigations. I know it makes us sound like we’re over the top, but we’re willing to do that if it makes your house a better place to live.

Water Testing Services

Speaking of water, the water in your well might need some attention. If your house site used to be a farm, or a quarry, or a watershed area. There can be all types of contaminants in your water. Even at its finest, our local water can have all types of sediments and minerals. Perhaps even a few bacteria. It’s best to test, if you want to be sure your water is the cleanest and purest it can possibly be.

Energy Savings Analysis

Natural gas, propane and electricity prices are all going sky-high. You look at your utility bills every month and groan when they grow to 2-3 times their usual costs. That’s when you wish there was something you could do to lower your utility bills. There is – call us. Whether it’s a simple 1-step review of your homes thermal envelope or a detailed evaluation of the overall building and its system, we can help you cut back on those monthly expenses. Just give us a call.

Building Diagnostics/Forensic Analysis

• Condensation, Corrosion and Moisture Investigations
• Indoor Air Quality Investigations
• Building Condition Surveys
• Rain Penetration/Moisture Testing
• Heat Loss & Roofing/Infrared Scans
• Air Leakage/Blower Door Testing
• Air Movement/Air Pressure Field Mapping
• Intrusive Disassembly
• HVAC System/Flow & Pressure Measurement
• Remedial Recommendations
• Contract Documents Review
• Follow-up Testing