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

Questions Your Inspector (Should) Answer

3/5/2023

Comments

 
I am now entering my third year running an independent home inspection company and what a fun ride it has been! I can now confidently say that every home is different, no two homes are alike and one of the most exciting parts of being a home inspector is discovering something new. It is always fun to see a unique feature of a home and to see things that we previously have only seen during training. 

However, there are some things that are the same on every inspection and while no two inspector’s skill or background is the same there are some things every inspector should know. It always comes off as a shock when I tell clients that there are zero home inspection regulations in Nova Scotia, and anyone can legally call themselves a home inspector in a week or two. Here is a sample of some questions a home inspector should be able to confidently answer after every inspection. 

Does This Home Have Concerning Electrical Issues?
While we are not electricians, home inspectors should be able to detect most major electrical issues. They include: 
  • Potential unsafe aluminum (AL) wiring, and differentiating between normal and abnormal AL as not all AL wiring is a concern. 
  • If a home is grounded, why this is an issue and how much of a concern it is. There are a few solutions at various costs for ungrounded homes and a home inspector should be aware of the major solutions electricians use aside from rewiring the entire home. 
  • If any receptacles have reverse polarity and why this can SOMETIMES be a concern with certain appliances.
 
What Are the Major Plumbing Materials? 
Most homes I inspect use copper pipe to bring service in from the street, cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) for distribution and plastic, and either ABS (black) or PVC (white) for wastewater. An inspector should be aware of materials that may or may not be a concern such as: 
  • Lead supply lines and the dangers of lead poisoning. They should be aware that here in Halifax they are only found in certain areas, such as peninsular Halifax and downtown Dartmouth. 
  • If a home has polybutylene or Kitec (PEX-AL-PEX) and why these are controversial materials.
  • If the water pressure is lower than average, especially when multiple taps are used. This may or may not be an issue and a home inspector should be able to advise accordingly. 

Does The Home Have Potential Water Infiltration Issues? 
There is a common phrase I use which is “water is the #1 enemy of homes” and biggest concern I get called about is moisture and the damage it has caused. A home inspector should know that water has many ways to enter a home and some of the many signs of water damage. Like many home inspectors, I use a number of tools as well as all my senses to look for signs of either active or potential water infiltration into the home. While we don't have X-ray vision and leaks can be very difficult to detect, a home inspector should be aware of the various ways unwelcome ways water can enter a home. 

These are just some baseline areas that all home inspectors should be able to confidently speak of. While we are generalists, not specialists we should have a strong enough knowledge to identify the majority of home defects. Your inspector should answer these three questions either verbally or in a report.  
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