A Northern Virginia Home Inspector's Perspective

When unprofessional "roofers" have never heard of OSHA.Many roofs in our neighborhood got shredded by a tornado in April.  Mine included.Of course I hired a professional I have known for over 20 years - licensed to the hilt, insured, professional in every way.   And voted the best roofer in Virgi...

It's that time of year again, and time to get ready for the seasons ahead, so these are Jay's 2017 Fall/Winter Maintenance Recommendations While not intended to be exhaustive, and you may have things you personally like to take care of, you might consider the following! * Winterize the exterior ...

True or false - you don't need a home inspection on new construction?So, what do you think?This is what you hear from the builder or builder's Realtor:-->   We only employ the best subcontractors to work on your house.-->   We have a supervisor on site, every day.  He is making hundreds of regula...

Doing more than the client expects.  The slight edge business model. What is your business model?  Do you create a slight edge?I think exceeding expectation is an important business model.  Or should be.Clients have expectations in every business.  Are we, as business providers, doing less than t...

Why this hose bib shut-off valve replacement is incorrect.Apparently the old hose bib shut-off valve in this house broke and needed replacement.It's always best to have a professional do such work, or, if one is capable of doing one's own work, at least know what products to use. Do you know why ...

Faux stone has been around a while.  So why am I still seeing this?Over the years I have had many posts about faux stone, and the improper installation thereof.  When not installed well it becomes a problem.  And it's not a matter of if - improper installation will eventually result in problems, ...

Warning- sarcasm to follow.  Is this a pro job or not?To be truthful, I saw the brick work from the parking lot and knew it would be a thermal camera issue inside.Is it a pro job?  Probably not.What happened? Likely the front hose bib was not winterized and it froze.However, to repair that you do...

When staircases are lemons.From my Oxford Dictionary of English -Lemon - informal - an unsatisfactory or feeble person or thing.In this 21 year old townhouse, three levels, when walking up and down the staircases, all of them, that is ALL OF THEM, bounced, sagged, squeaked and felt unstable.  Som...

The walls were wet in the middle but not at the bottom?  Why?And that was the question.  I couldn't answer it!  I only knew what I found.During the thermal image sweep of this condo I found walls and ceilings wet, but only on the lower level. The areas were all under the kitchen.  The reason? Sti...

A flat roof must provide a way for water to go.If not, water sits, and finds any small opening it can. Since we know gravity works, if water can go down, it will.  On a flat roof surface, that means eventual destruction.This is a 17 year old EPDM roof surface.  EPDM is a synthetic rubber surface,...