Inside Edge Home Inspections
  • Home
  • Services
  • Mike's Blog
  • Our Story
  • Credentials
    • Guarantees
  • Contact Information
  • What to Expect
    • Sample Report
  • Privacy Policy
Home Inspector Blog

Michael Burfitt

​Internachi certified professional inspector
Halifax, nova scotia

Home vs Building Inspector

1/15/2023

Comments

 
When I originally set up my online business profile, there was no option for “home inspector” and I was redirected back to the option “building inspector”. This has since been corrected and for good reason: while they sound like similar career paths, they are in reality very different. I personally would like to see home inspectors referred to as “Professional Home Consultants” as this term better reflects the more broader services we provide.

What is a Building Inspector?
Building inspectors or code inspectors are usually employed by the municipal government. While they do inspect homes as well as commercial properties, their focus is more on building code violations and enforcement. They generally are involved in both new construction and renovation activities and their main focus is that builds are done according to the various building codes. Building inspectors often have a heavy caseload and often cannot dedicate a significant amount of time to each site they visit.

What Exactly is a Home Inspector?
Home inspectors (such as yours truly) are usually either self-employed or work for a small company. We usually deal with individuals, often during home buying although I have been contracted by companies (such as property management companies) and have done inspections that are not part of any real estate transactions.  Our focus is to check all significant aspects of the home and its various systems based on knowledge of home construction and operation. While we can have a working knowledge of codes, we do not bring codebooks with us and do not engage in any form of law or code enforcement. We also tend to work in many different municipal areas, such as Kentville or Bridgewater and each area has specific building requirements whereas home inspectors standards are generally uniform across North America. Our main concerns are twofold: identifying safety concerns and items that need repairs with a special focus on big ticket items.

​The Biggest Difference Between the Two
To sum it up briefly, a building inspector often uses an objective, pass or fail evaluation similar to a school teacher’s test while a home inspector is usually far more subjective in their evaluations. There is no such thing as failing a home inspection although it goes without saying that some issues are far more serious than others and are highlighted accordingly.
Comments

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021

    Categories

    All
    AED
    AFCI
    Air Conditioning
    Aluminum
    Anode Rod
    Ants
    Arcs
    Asbestos
    Attic
    Balcony
    Brick
    Building Inspector
    Carbon Monoxide
    Children
    Chimney
    Circuit Breakers
    CO Detectors
    Communication
    Contractors
    Cost
    Criticisms
    Current
    Deck
    Drains
    Drywall
    Eavestroughs
    EIFS
    Electrical
    ERV
    Exterior
    Failed Seals
    Female Inspectors
    Fiber Cement
    Fire Safety
    First Aid
    Flips
    Flooring
    Foundation
    Framing
    Fuses
    Garage
    GFCI
    Grow-Ops
    Heating
    Heat Pumps
    HGTV
    Hoarding
    HRV
    Humidity
    HVAC
    Ice Dams
    ICF
    Infrared
    Insulation
    Ionization
    Joe Mazza
    Kitchen
    Kitec
    Knob & Tube
    Lead
    Manufactured Houses
    Marijuana
    Masonry
    Meth
    Mike Holmes
    Mini Homes
    Misconceptions
    Mobile Homes
    Moisture
    Mold
    Newcomers
    Oil Tanks
    Open Concept
    Orangeburg
    Personal Decor
    Pests
    Photoelectric
    Plumbing
    Polybutylene
    Pressure
    Price
    Psychrometrics
    Radon
    Rain Gutters
    Real Estate Agents
    Regulations
    Resistance
    Roofing
    Safety
    Septic
    Sewer
    Sewer Scopes
    Sheds
    Shipping Containers
    Siding
    Smoke Detectors
    Staircases
    Stove
    Structure
    Stucco
    Temperature
    Termites
    Trailer Parks
    Trees
    Value
    Ventilation
    Vinyl
    Voltage
    Walls
    Wasps
    Water Heater
    WDOs
    Windows
    Wiring
    Wood

    RSS Feed

Picture
Inside Edge Home Inspections Ltd. 
Halifax, NS
(902) 209-9921
info@ieinspections.ca
Proudly Serving the HRM & Surrounding Areas
Picture
  • Home
  • Services
  • Mike's Blog
  • Our Story
  • Credentials
    • Guarantees
  • Contact Information
  • What to Expect
    • Sample Report
  • Privacy Policy