Contrary to popular television shows, a home inspection is non-invasive, which means the inspector does not damage or tear open walls to view what is hidden inside. Our inspector utilizes Infra-red thermal imaging, moisture meters, viewing scopes, gas detectors, electrical testers and other specialized equipment to search for specific defects or problems. The inspection include all of the major construction elements such as the site, roofing, structure, exterior, insulation, electrical, plumbing, heating, appliances and interior cosmetic condition. Further detail on what is involved in an inspection can be found on this website under Scope of Inspection.

In practical terms, a thermal camera is able to view heat that is emanating or emissive from any surface in the image. The photo shows heat. When a trained home inspector is able to see temperature variance, the inspector’s construction experience can generally determine the cause, which may in fact be a problem that would not have been seen with the naked eye. Technically, Infra-red is part of the Electromagnetic Spectrum below visible light. Infrared has a longer wavelength than visible light but shorter than microwaves or radio waves. For additional information on thermal imaging click here.

You are not required to attend your home inspection but we highly recommend that you do. Typically, the ideal time to arrive at the home inspection is approximately one hour after the home inspector. This allows the inspector at least one hour to quietly investigate the home without distraction and possibly have a few items ready to report and describe to you once you arrive.

The average home inspection takes 3 to 5 hours at the site. Our inspector produces most of the report while on site but will likely spend another hour after the inspection careful wording the report and describing details in the report which will help you better understand any issues. This additional report preparation time happens in our inspector’s mobile office and does not require the real estate agent or buyer to wait on site while the inspector wraps up the report. The inspector should not be rushed when drafting text to describe a problem. The report is then delivered electronically or by email, generally 1 hour after the physical inspection is complete.

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