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Choosing the right home inspector can be difficult. Unlike most professionals, you probably will not get to meet me until after you hire me. Furthermore, different inspectors have varying qualifications, equipment, experience, reporting methods, and yes, different pricing.

One thing for sure is that a home inspection requires work, a lot of work. Ultimately a thorough inspection depends heavily on the individual inspectors own effort. If you honor me by permitting me to inspect your new home, I guarantee that I will give you my very best effort.
This I promise you. Tom

At Kollias Property Inspections Inc, all the homes systems and components that are readily accessible and visible are inspected with the same Experience-Education-Comittment and Professionalism regardless of which City or Village that the property is located in.

Have More ??'s

Please feel free to contact us at any time you have a question or concern about us or the inspection process. We will be happy to give you an honest answer, and if we don't know the answer we will get it for you as quick as possible.

Property Drainage
During a heavy rainstorm (without lightning), grab an umbrella and go outside. Walk around your house and look around at the roof and property. A rainstorm is the perfect time to look at how the roof, downspouts and grading is performing. Observe the drainage patterns of your entire property, as well as the property of your neighbor. The ground around your house should slope away from all sides. Downspouts, surface gutters and drains should be directing water away from the foundation.

Poor drainage. Most problems with moisture in basements and crawlspaces are caused by poor site drainage. The ground should slope away from window wells, outside basement stairs, and other ways of egress. The bottom of each of these areas should be sloped to a drain. Each drain should have piping that connects it to a storm water drainage system (if there is one) or that drains to either a discharge at a lower grade or into a sump pit that collects and discharges the water away from the building.

Water Service Entry
Curb Valve. A homeowner should know where the curb valve is located. It is the way for the main water supply to be turned off. It is typically located at the junction of the public water main and the house service main, usually at the street. The curb valve is usually the responsibility of the municipal water department.

House service main. The house service main begins at the curb valve and ends at the inside wall of the building at the master shutoff valve.

Main water shutoff valve. A master shutoff valve should be located where the house service main enters the building. If the water meter is not located inside the building, the water meter will likely be outside in an underground crock. Home inspectors typically do not test this main valve during a visual-only inspection.

Water meter. The water meter is normally the property of the municipal water company and may be located near the street, adjacent to the house, or within the house. If the water meter is located inside the house, look for two shutoff valves, one on the street side and one on the house side of the meter.

GFCI. A GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlet is a device that adds a greater level of safety by reducing the risk of electric shock. Most building codes now require that GFCI protection be provided in wet locations such as the following: all bathroom receptacles: all exterior receptacles: receptacles in laundry and utility rooms: receptacles next to wet bar sinks: all garage and unfurnished basement receptacles, except receptacles that are not readily accessible or single receptacles for appliances that are not easily moved; receptacles near a pool, spa, or hot tub and; light fixtures near water.

Downstream. A GFCI outlet may be wired in a branch circuit, which means other outlets and electrical devices may share the same circuit or breaker. When properly wired GFCI trips, the other devices downstream from it will also lose power.

If you have an outlet that doesn't work, and the breaker is not tripped, look for a GFCI outlet that may have tripped. The non-working outlet may be downstream from the GFCI device. The "dead" outlets may not be located near the GFCI outlet; they may be several rooms away or even on a different floor.

GFCI outlets should be tested periodically-at least once a year. All GFCI devices have test buttons.

Basement air leaks. Along the top of the basement wall where floor system meets the top of the foundation wall is a good area to look for open holes and gaps. Since the top of the wall is above ground, outside air can be drawn in through cracks and gaps where the house framing sits on top of the foundation.

Sealant or caulk is best for sealing gaps or cracks that are 1/4 inch or less. Use spray foam to fill gaps from 1/4 inch to about 3 inches. We also recommend you seal penetrations that go through the basement ceiling to the floor above. These are holes for wires, water supply pipes, water drainpipes, the plumbing vent stack, and the furnace flue.

Attic and basement air sealing will go a long way to improve your comfort because your house will no longer act like an open chimney.

Inspect And Clean Your Microwave
It is easy to take your microwave for granted, since it is the appliance that most of us use every day, and it typically does not require much maintenance. However we suggest that you take a moment to inspect and clean your microwave. In particular we suggest that you thoroughly inspect and clean the door seal. If your microwave's door does not seal, then it could be allowing dangerous level of microwave radiation to be escaping during operation. If your door seal is damaged or the door is not closing properly, then this should be immediately repaired or replaced.

Copyright© Kollias Property Inspections, Inc. 2005-2012