Proudly Serving: Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Hillsborough, Mebane, Morrisville, Creedmoor, Wake Forest, and surrounding areas

Our Home Inspection Routine

our home inspection routine

Under normal circumstances, clients would be welcome to attend the home inspection at any time during the process. We would especially encourage you to be there at the end of the inspection for the on-site Review and Q & A session.

 

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, for safety reasons, we cannot allow anyone to follow along with Ken during the inspection. You can, however, meet Ken outside the home at end of the inspection for a review and discussion of any findings.

 

If you already have any issues of particular concern that you would like Ken to give special attention to during the inspection, please email them to Ken ahead of the inspection. In addition, Ken will be happy to discuss the completed report on the phone and, as always, will gladly take your additional questions at any time he is available.

Ken, like many inspectors, follows a detailed routine during his inspections so that he consistently and thoroughly covers all aspects of every home. Below is a short summary of his basic inspection routine so that everyone will understand the inspection process.

 

Ken’s Home Inspection Routine

Quick Pass Through to Prepare for The Home Inspection:

 

  • I try to start the inspection early so that I can familiarize myself with the house and take 360 degree photos of every room and exterior elevation.
  • While walking around the house taking preliminary photos, I turn on every light in every room (to put a load on the electrical system and get it heated up), turn on every exhaust fan/hood (to be sure they are connected to the vent on the exterior and the baffle opens), and turn on the dryer, if present (to be sure it is venting properly).
  • I turn on at least one hot water faucet to be sure the water is on and the water heater is functional.
  • I open all window blinds, open all doors and leave them open, adjust the thermostat up or down 10 degrees depending on the season (to evaluate its function and to provide a temperature

 

differential that makes it easier to see water leaks and missing insulation with my infrared camera).

 

  • Finally, I do a general scan of the rooms looking for cracks or water stains that may be helpful to know about when I start my inspection of the rest of the

Under normal circumstances, this is the time the buyer/agent would show up. I use this time for a meet and greet time and to ask about any concerns you have with the house and what your priorities are for the inspection so that I can specifically address these in greater detail while I am inspecting the home. Some clients have specific concerns, others do not.

 

The Home Inspection:

 

Exterior Inspection

 

  • I usually start my actual inspection with the exterior of the house, moving counterclockwise around the house on the first pass. Looking at each side from a distance and observing the grading, roof drainage, roof shingles, etc. Then I start the micro, up-close inspection of each component as I encounter it: Siding/trim, gas meter, electrical panels, HVAC units, roof shingles, exterior of the windows and doors,
  • Once I am done going around the house counterclockwise, I turn around and do the same inspection going clockwise to see if I missed anything and have a different vantage point or perspective. On this pass I look at the close up or micro first and then step back and for the macro view of the exterior of the house and

Interior Inspection

 

  • Next I go into the house and enter the kitchen, inspect and turn on the dishwasher (since it takes a while to run). Inspect sink and plumbing (measure water temperature), check all outlets in the kitchen, open and close all cabinet doors and drawers, check out the visible countertop. Turn on all built in appliances. (already turned on the hood and checked to be sure it is venting properly to the exterior as )
  • Next I go to the front door to evaluate it and move along in a counterclockwise direction in each room checking all accessible outlets and open/close/lock all doors and
  • I move around the house in a clockwise direction inspecting each room and its components as I encounter them. If the room has an electrical panel, water heater, furnace, garage door opener, etc. I inspect it as I come up to it. As I leave a room I put the blinds back to where they were when I arrived, turn off the lights and shut the door so that I know I inspected
  • In each bathroom, I turn on the hot water for a few minutes at the sinks and showers and measure the temperature with my infrared camera and note the flow. Check the outlets, lights, look under the sink for leaks and plumbing issues, flush the toilets and check the flooring around the toilet and in front of the shower/tub.
  • Once I do all of the rooms in the house, I use my Infrared camera in each room to measure the temperature of each register to be sure that conditioned air is exiting each and at a consistent distribution throughout the house. I will also use my infrared camera on the walls and ceilings or each room to look for missing insulation and/or water leaks that may have been painted over. I changed the HVAC temperature for the house so that the temperature difference between the attic and outside walls will be greater and will make it easier to identify water leaks, missing insulation or air infiltration. I use a moisture meter on the ceilings to determine if a cold spot is missing insulation or is a roof

 

Attic Inspection

 

  • Now I can go up into the attic with the same protocol of inspecting, moving in a counterclockwise direction, checking the roof ventilation, structure, decking, insulation, HVAC equipment/ductwork, bathroom fan exhausts, electrical wiring,

Crawl space Inspection

 

  • Finally, I get ready to go into the crawl space, after all of the water fixtures have had water running through them so that I can look for leaks in the crawl space. (If your home has a slab foundation, I will walk the exterior again and look for signs of leaks around the foundation.) While initially walking around the interior of the house, I will note (and record) any weak spots in the flooring and will specifically check out these areas looking for cracked floor joists, or moisture damaged
  • In the crawl space, as I did on the interior, I move around in a counterclockwise direction looking at the foundation walls, flooring structure, piers, HVAC and ductwork, plumbing, electrical wiring, vapor barriers, moisture conditions, etc. NOTE: the subflooring is usually covered with insulation and given a time limit for inspections I am not able to see all areas of the subflooring. Also, there may be some areas of the crawl space that are too low to easily enter to evaluate these areas. I try to check all areas where damage usually occurs: under exterior doors, around all plumbing fixtures, around HVAC duct registers,

Summation of Findings

 

  • At this point, I will try to clean up and then go over my findings with you and try to help you prioritize the major issues. Please note that what is a major issue for one of us may not be one for the other.

I take between 300 to 2000 photos during an inspection (360 degree photos, Infrared photo, interior photos, exterior photos, crawl space photos, etc.) It takes awhile to go over each photo and pull out the 50 -60 photos for the report, and I often need to do some additional research if I find something new, so it usually takes 24 hours before I can send out to you.

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