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What is a home inspection

A home inspection is a visual examination of the house and its components.

The key word here is “visual.”  A home inspection has to be a visual inspection because as a home inspector I am a guest in the home.  The host (the seller) allows me to walk through his home to perform the inspection but he wants to be assured that I will not do any destructive tests.   I cannot hack a hole in the wall to see the insulation or to check for mould.  This limits the inspection.  If I were to be given the freedom to rip up carpets, remove drywall, or take apart the furnace, and I could spend all day doing an inspection, a lot more defects may be uncovered.  The inspection would also cost a lot more.  Having said that, a thorough home inspection will give you a good idea about the condition of the house you are thinking of purchasing.  

Almost every home has imperfections and because of the nature of a home inspection, I won't catch everything.  The limitations of a home inspection often are set by not only what impedes our vision but by weather also. Clutter prevents us from seeing what is behind is behind it. Sunny weather may not provide conditions that may reveal water penetration.  Winter weather can obsure grades and prevent me from testng an air conditioner.  Blown in attic insulation can hide notching into roof trusses.

What I will be looking for are major defects and safety concerns. 

During the course of the inspection I will point out some minor defects as well but they are not the main purpose.  I will be looking for end of life cycle items re the furnace, the roof, the hot water heater, and air conditioner.  I will go through safe guard systems where there are elevations, we will cover CO and your home thoroughly,and I will look at truss and roof members that I can see.  

There are substantial benefits to having your home inspected before listing it.

The inspection allows you to see your home through the eyes of a critical and unbiased third party.
It allows you to correct defects ahead of time so they won't become stumbling blocks when someone wants to make an offer.
You have the time to get reasonably priced contractors or to make the repairs yourself.
It may alert you to immediate concern such as furnace exhaust gas leaking into the house.
Your chances of getting an unconditional offer are greater if you can provide copies of the inspection report along with receipts for any repairs to potential buyers.

All the main areas of a house are inspected. 

These include

 The roof inspection is not an inspection of the roof structure.  That aspect will be dealt with during the structure inspection.

I will look at items like;
1. The kind and quality of the roofing material used.  Is it in good repair or should you count on replacing it soon.
2. Does the design of the roof facilitate the easy shedding of water?  Are there areas to watch for ice damming?
3. What is the condition of the flashings?  Have they been installed correctly?
4. Particular attention will be paid to roof penetrations; "anything sticking through the roof."  Plumbing vent stacks, skylights and chimneys are some common ones.


The electrical gets inspected right from where the power enters the house to the outlets and light switches.

This includes
1. The size of the service entrance wiring, the size of the main breaker and the condition of the mast, safe clearances of the wiring. 
2. The service panel and distribution panel (breaker box), breakers and connections in the panel.
3. The wiring from the panel to the rest of the house. I check switches, GFIs and receptacles.
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The plumbing inspection includes

1. The water supply as well as the drain, waste, and vent systems and the fixtures.
systems including all fixtures and faucets.
2. The water heating equipment and hot water supply system.
3. vent systems, flues, and chimneys.
5. fuel storage and fuel distribution systems.
6. drainage sumps, sump pumps, and related plumbing.
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Many of the structural components may be inaccessible.  Keeping this in mind, the inspection will include

1. The foundation. I will look for evidence of moisture intrusion, settling and heaving.
2. The framing. The main issues here might include rotten, cracked or bowed beams, joists, rafters,truss members,  and the roof deck underside.
3. This part of the inspection will take me into attics and crawlspaces. It is here that I will look for water stains, matted, wind blown, missing, and uneven insulation, conditions around the baffles, proper venting of fans,  structural issues, vermin entry, all celing and roof penetrations, or the lack thereof.
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Like the structural inspection, the insulation inspection is limited because of lack of access.

1.  The insulation and vapour retarders in unfinished spaces will be inspected. 
2.  The insulation, vapour retarders and venting in attic spaces will be inspected.
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The Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) is a major component of a home. 

The following is included in the inspection
1.  Installed heating equipment like furnaces or heat pumps.  (Portable heaters etc are not included.) 
2.  Wood stoves and fire places.
3.  The vent systems, flues, and chimneys.
4.  Installed AC units.  (Window air conditioning units are not included.)
5.  House fans like air make up units, whole house fans and kitchen/bathroom fans.
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The interior inspection includes functionality and safety issues.  Cosmetic items may be mentioned as a courtesy.  The following will be included;

1. walls, ceilings, and floors.
2. steps, stairways, and railings.
3. countertops and a representative number of
installed cabinets.
4. a representative number of doors and windows.
5. garage doors and garage door operators.
Try to have the clutter in front of furnaces, electrical panels and the attic hatch access clutter free as these are important areas for a home inspector to access.  While CO detection is not a part of the standards of practise for home inspection I do include this as a "Safe Home" should include an indication of the most likely sources, prevention, maintenance, and best monitoring practises to have a home CO prepared for safe living
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The exterior part of the inspection covers the house itself as well as that part of the property which has a direct impact on the buildings.:

1. Siding, flashing and trim.
2. All exterior doors.
3. Attached or adjacent decks, balconies,
stoops, steps, porches, and their associated
railings.
4. Eaves, soffits, and fascias where accessible
from the ground level.
5. Vegetation, grading, surface drainage, and
retaining walls that are likely to adversely
affect the building.
6. Adjacent or entryway walkways, patios, and
driveways.
Please note snow cover may impact what we can say about grading or downspout kick out safety
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