Residential Home Inspections

We are both licensed engineers and licensed home inspectors.

Pre-Sale Home Inspections

Selling a home can be a real nail-biting experience. Some people cringe, and schedule themselves to be somewhere else the day of the buyer's inspection. On the other hand, you could be pro-active. Schedule one of our pre-sale home inspections, and receive a written report from a licensed engineer detailing the condition of your home. This will provide you with the time and details to make the necessary repairs prior to putting your home on the market. It provides peace of mind to the seller, time for repairs, and avoids the dreaded "the buyer's inspector found WHAT?"

Structural Assessments

Regardless if your selling, buying, renovating, or planning for the future, we can properly assess your home's structural elements, and determine what the areas of concern are, how they can be repaired or mitigated, and approximately how much they will cost.

Warranty Inspections

Most new homes are required by law to have a warranty. The warranty booklet that your builder provided will spell out what is covered and, more importantly, what conditions and time frames warrant a claim. We recommend that you contact us a full 6 to 9 months BEFORE your warranty expires, and have a full warranty inspection performed. And we will be there assisting you during your claim process.

Bank, Investor, and Relocation Inspections

Life sometimes throws you a curve. If you have to move quickly, having a licensed engineer prepare an inspection report for you to give your employer, relocation company, mortgage company, bank, or a potential investor will be a large step in the right direction in getting quality information into the hands of decision makers quickly.

• A licensed engineer can address the structural concerns, right there in the same visit, saving you time and money.
• A licensed engineer is held to higher standard of care.
• A licensed engineer can provide a professional opinion about your foundation and framing, right there during the visit.
• A licensed engineer’s report will have real insight to conditions that a non-engineer cannot offer.

Here are some examples of what you get from an engineer, versus a home inspector:

Foundation crack present. Crack starts at the slab as hairline in width, and propogates in step fashion to sill, terminating at 2 mm in width. Angular distortion less then 1/300. Differential settlement less than 3 mm. No outward or inward tilt evident. Crack is due to differential settlement of the footing. Crack features are considered Slight to Very Slight (R. Day, 1999). Recommend that the crack be sealed by a knowledgeable person using a typical one-part sealant available in most home centers. Seal exterior parging as necessary. Approximate repair cost if contracted: $300.

Licensed Engineer/Home Inspector's Finding

Home Inspector's Finding

Foundation crack present. Recommend further evaluation by structural engineer.

Six deck piers constructed from 2x4 and 2x6 lumber, using ad hoc construction methods. Piers are not set in or attached to footings, and merely float on an old slate and concrete patio under the deck. Balusters spacing also exceeds IRC limits. Township has no record of an approved permit for the deck in their files. We recommend that the deck piers be replaced in accordance with IRC 2006 and AWC's Prescriptive Residential Deck Design Guide, and that a permit be pulled. Approximate repair cost if contracted: $2,400

Deck piers constructed from scrap lumber. Stability of the deck unknown. Recommend further evaluation by structural engineer.

This may surprise you: In many cases the cost difference is negligible.

Other components of our inspection service include:

• Radon Testing
• Termite Inspections
• Pool Inspections

• Spa Inspections
• Fireplace Inspections
• Well Water Flow Testing

• Lead paint testing
• Sprinkler system survey
• Mold surveys & testing

• Well Water Quality Testing
• Asbestos Testing
• Retaining wall assessments

Transition Inspections

Similar to a transition study for large developments and home owner associations, a transition inspection is a detailed study of what your builder is actually turning over to you, and what deviations there are from what the two of you agreed to. Grading, drainage, clearances, lighting, polarity checks, these are but a few from a long list of checks that a licensed engineer will check for you prior to releasing your builder (or handing him the final check).

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LICENSED NEW JERSEY HOME INSPECTIONS

Why have a licensed engineer perform the inspection?

What about the additional cost?