1. What Exactly is a Home Inspection?
A Home Inspection is
- An in-field evaluation and professional opinion of the performance of the readily accessible installed systems in a home at one point in time
- Primarily a visual examination, but at Northern Home Inspection we employ the latest technical equipment to assist us in our efforts.
- Intended to identify components that are significantly deficient, unsafe or near the end of their life. While a home inspection may not find all problems, it provides a reasonable degree of consumer protection at a reasonable cost.
- Documented with a written report. At Northern Home Inspection we use a modern layered computer generated reporting system. We complete the report immediately after the inspection and have it ready for you within 24 hours.
2. What’s included in a home inspection.
Exterior:
- Grading and drainage of the property
- Electrical service drop and service entrance equipment
- Natural gas service line and meter
- Foundation, exterior walls, and wall mounted vents (dryer, kitchen, bathroom, furnace etc.)
- Porches decks, stoops and balconies, including associated stairs, railings and guards
- Windows and doors
- Fascia, soffits and eaves troughs
- Roof, flashings, chimneys, and roof mounted vents
- Garages and carports
Interior:
- crawlspace structure, ventilation, and equipment within (heating ducts, plumbing, electrical)
- all rooms within the home for structural defects, doors, windows, electrical, plumbing fixtures
- ventilation of bathrooms and kitchens
- Basement floor, foundation walls, structure
- Electrical service entrance, service panel box, system grounding and branch wiring
- Plumbing supply and waste drainage
- Heating, air conditioning, and ventilation (seasonal limitations)
- Attic structure, insulation and ventilation
3. What is not included in a standard Home Inspection
A professional home inspection does not include appraisals, exact quotations for repairs, noncompliance with building code requirements, and is not intended to provide guarantees or warranties. Well water analysis and septic inspections are not part of a standard home inspection but very important. Several Laboratories provide water sample vials that may be collected and filled by the purchaser and submitted to the lab for analysis.
A Home Inspection is not
- An insurance policy, guarantee or warranty on the home
- An invasive or destructive exercise
- Intended to identify concealed defects
- A code or design review
- Intended to predict future performance or life expectancy
- An environmental review or energy audit.
What’s Excluded
- Cosmetics
- Swimming pools and spas
- Specialty systems including telephone, cable TV, alarm systems, lawn sprinklers.