The Scope and Purpose of a Home Inspection

Purchasing property involves risk

The purpose of a home inspection is to help reduce the risk associated with the purchase of a structure by providing a professional opinion about the overall condition of the structure. A home inspection is a limited visual inspection and it cannot eliminate this risk. Some homes present more risks than others. We cannot control this, but we try to help educate you about what we don’t know during the inspection process. This is more difficult to convey in a report and one of many reasons why we recommend that you attend the inspection.

A home inspection is not an insurance policy

This report does not substitute for or serve as a warranty or guarantee of any kind. Home warranties can be purchased separately from insuring firms that provide this service.

A home inspection is visual and not destructive

The descriptions and observations in this report are based on a visual inspection of the structure. We inspect the aspects of the structure that can be viewed without dismantling, damaging or disfiguring the structure and without moving furniture and interior furnishings. Areas that are concealed, hidden or inaccessible to view are not covered by this inspection. Some systems cannot be tested during this inspection as testing risks damaging the building. For example, overflow drains on bathtubs are generally not tested because if they were found to be leaking they could damage the finishes below. Our procedures involve non-invasive investigation and non-destructive testing which will limit the scope of the inspection.

This is not an inspection for code compliance

This inspection and report are not intended for city / local code compliance. During the construction process structures are inspected for code compliance by municipal inspectors. Framing is open at this time and conditions can be fully viewed. Framing is not open during inspections of finished homes, and this limits the inspection. All houses fall out of code compliance shortly after they are built, as the codes continually change. National codes are augmented at least every three years for all of the varying disciplines. Municipalities can choose to adopt and phase in sections of the codes on their own timetables. There are generally no requirements to bring older homes into compliance unless substantial renovation is being done.

This is just our opinion

Construction techniques and standards vary. There is no one way to build a house or install a system in a house. The observations in this report are the opinions of the home inspector. Other inspectors and contractors are likely to have some differing opinions. You are welcome to seek opinions from other professionals.

The scope of this inspection

This inspection will include the following systems: exterior, roof, structure, drainage, foundation, attic, interior, plumbing, electrical and heating. The evaluation will be based on limited observations that are primarily visual and non-invasive. This inspection and report are not intended to be technically exhaustive.

Your expectations

The overall goal of a home inspection is to help ensure that your expectations are appropriate with the house you are proposing to buy. To this end we assist with discovery by showing and documenting observations during the home inspection. This should not be mistaken for a technically exhaustive inspection designed to uncover every defect with a building. Such inspections are available but they are generally cost-prohibitive to most homebuyers.

Your participation is requested

Your presence is requested during this inspection. A written report will not substitute for all the possible information that can be conveyed verbally by a shared visual observation of the conditions of the property.

How to Read This Report

Getting the Information to You

This report is designed to deliver important and technical information in a way that is easy for anyone to access and understand. If you are in a hurry, you can take a quick look at our "Summary Page” and quickly get critical information for important decision making. However, we strongly recommend that you take the time to read the full Report, which includes digital photographs, captions, diagrams, descriptions, videos and hot links to additional information.

The best way to get the layers of information that are presented in this report is to read your report online (the HTML version), which will allow you to expand your learning about your house. You will notice some words or series of words highlighted in blue and underlined – clicking on these will provide you with a link to additional information. The HTML version of this report also contains streaming videos. Short video clips often contain important information and critical context and sounds that can be difficult to capture in words and still pictures.

For the most reliable viewing experience, I recommend viewing the report on as large a screen as practical, as much detail can be lost on small devices like smart phones. For similar reasons, reports should only be printed in color to retain as much detail as possible and minimize misinterpretation of photographs.

This report can also be printed on paper or to a PDF document.

Chapters and Sections

This report is divided into chapters that parcel the home into logical inspection components. Each chapter is broken into sections that relate to a specific system or component of the home. You can navigate between chapters with the click of a button on the left side margin.

Most sections will contain some descriptive information done in black font. Observation narrative, done in colored boxes, will be included if a system or component is found to be significantly deficient in some way or if we wish to provide helpful additional information about the system or the scope of our inspection. If a system or component of the home was deemed to be in satisfactory or serviceable condition, there may be no narrative observation comments in that section and it may simply say “tested,” or “inspected.”

Observation Labels

All narrative observations are colored, numbered and labeled to help you find, refer to, and understand the severity of the observation. Observation colors and labels used in this report are:

• Significantly Deficient:
  "Significantly deficient" means that in my opinion the condition is unsafe, not functional, and or it is significantly different from normal standards of practice. For all issues that are significantly deficient I strongly recommend having qualified contractors specify steps and costs to remedy the conditions. Note, there are often multiple options that impact the intrusiveness, cost, and schedule for repairs.
• Repair:
  Repair is used to designate anything that the inspector thinks should be repaired, replaced, or mitigated in some way. In the inspectors opinion these concerns should be addressed. These may have safety and functionality impacts. Impacts may develop or worsen in the future. There are risks associated with items that need repair or maintenance. Items might be worse than they looked at time of inspection as things change and as more information becomes available. The person purchasing the property should decide what to ask the current owner for. Please note, your inspectors opinion of who should repair which items may be offered as a courtesy and should not be considered as part of the inspection or part of the purpose and scope of the inspection.
• Near End of Service Life:
  We can not predict the future or accurately predict when things will fail. I will mark items as being near the end of service life if, in my opinion, the device is likely to be near the end of it's service life. Factors impacting this educated guess include but are not limited to: The average for how long this type of equipment usually lasts. The current age (best guess). Apparent condition of equipment, conditions onsite, and state of maintenance. I recommend budgeting for all eventual replacements. For all home owners I recommend monitoring components regularly so you can replace items before they fail as appropriate.
• Maintenance:
  These are items that should be considered part of normal or routine home ownership activities. Items such as servicing the furnace, cleaning the gutters, or changing filters. These items are not required to be reported as part of the standard inspection. There will be similar items that are not included, not noted, and not reported. Please read manuals and product documentation for all components of the home. Please follow all manufacturers recommendations and all local, county, and state rules. Observations in this category are typically outside the scope of a standard inspection and should not be considered complete or material to the inspection.
• Improvement or Upgrade:
  This category is for observations that are not necessarily defects, but which could be improved for safety, efficiency, or reliability. One reason this may happen is because standards change (both written and informal standards). These conditions may be considered normal or common practice. Common conditions and common practices that are not best practice do have negative impacts. When any work is done I recommend upgrading to current standards where feasible to do so. This category may be used for items that the inspector considers to be cosmetic. Please note, these observations are outside the required standards for home inspection. I provide these comments as a courtesy. These observations should not be considered complete or material to the inspection.
• Note:
  Refers to aside information and or any comments elaborating on descriptions of systems or limitations to the inspection. This can include general information This the information may not apply directly to the inspected property. This information is not directly part of the property inspection and should not be considered complete. Observations in this category are often outside the scope of a standard inspection and should not be considered complete or material to the inspection.
• Inspectors Notebook:
  These are notes and technical information that aid in the inspection process. I may leave such information in the report for reference purposes. These notes include technical information. These notes may have information from codes and other sources. Please note, this inspection is NOT a code inspection. It is NOT a compliance inspection. Please consult with the authority having jurisdiction for rules, laws, and local requirements. This report is the inspectors opinion and recommendations. Acting as a home inspector I do not represent the authority having jurisdiction. Acting as a home inspector I have no enforcement authority.

Pest Inspection

All items with the bug logo () are part of a structural pest inspection. If your inspector included a structural pest inspection as a part of the scope of your home inspection, you can distinguish pest inspection items by this logo. You can also go to the pest inspection summary page to see a summary of the items that are part of a pest inspection.

Summary Page

The Summary Page is designed as a bulleted overview of all the observations noted during inspection. This helpful overview is not a substitution for reading the entire inspection report. The entire report must be read to get a complete understanding of this inspection report as the Summary Page does not include photographs or photo captions.

Moisture Meter Testing

Where moisture meter testing is indicated in this report a Protimiter Survey Master Dual Function was used.