Home Inspection Services

 

We are required to cover certain aspects of your home and systems by state law standards of practice.  The systems we visually inspect/operate include:

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• Roof (covering, flashing, penetrations, chimney exterior, skylights, etc)

• Exterior (wall cladding, flashing, trim, decks, balconies, windows etc)

• Foundation and Structure (walls, flooring, supports, etc)

• Grounds (vegetation as related to home, walkways, driveways, grading, etc)

• Plumbing

• Electrical

• Crawlspace or basement Attic

• Permanently Installed Appliances (furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, water heater, range, dishwasher)

• Interior Insulation and Venting (laundry, kitchen, bath venting, attic and crawlspace insulation and ventilation)

​Blower Door Testing

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Blower Door Tests help determine a home's airtightness. Establishing a home has the proper air tightness can help

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• Reduce energy consumption due to air leakage. 

• Avoid moisture and condensation problems. 

• Avoid uncomfortable drafts caused by cold air leaking in from the outdoors.

 

These tests determine the air infiltration rate of a building. A Blower Door Test may also be used in conjunction with thermographic scans. This specialized infrared technology allows you to see air leaks through the camera's viewfinder.

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Air Duct Testing​
 

A duct leakage tester is a diagnostic tool designed to measure the airtightness of forced air heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) ductwork. A duct leakage tester consists of a calibrated fan for measuring an air flow rate and a pressure sensing device to measure the pressure created by the fan flow. The combination of pressure and fan flow measurements are used to determine the ductwork airtightness. 

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• Find leaking, loose or missing ductwork 

• Keeping contaminants out of your ductwork and therefore your home

• Increasing the air quality in your home

 

When installing or modifying new or used ductwork we recommend testing for maximum efficiency, can be completed on new or existing homes.     

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Home Energy Audits

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Energy audits can be performed on your existing home or partner perfectly with home inspections to provide you with an even deeper look at the inner workings of a home. An energy audit is an in-depth analysis of a home’s energy performance.

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Why is this important?  Because through diagnostic testing, an energy audit will reveal where and how a home is losing energy. Losing energy can result from any number of issues, including:

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• Poor insulation

• Air leakage

• Inefficient appliances

• Mechanical systems

• Building materials

• Landscape

• Moisture intrusion, etc

 

All of which lead to the same place an uncomfortable home that’s expensive to maintain. We can also incorporate  Blower door testing, Air duct testing and Thermography with our ENERGY Audits.

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Infrared Thermography

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What is Thermography?

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All objects with a temperature above absolute zero emit infrared radiation. The amount of infrared radiation an object emits increases with temperature. Thermography (also commonly called Infrared (IR) or Thermal Imaging)  is a science and a non-invasive method for detecting temperature variations related to heat. While a regular camera basically is a light sensor, capable of creating images by detecting tiny differences in light, an infrared (IR) or thermal camera is essentially a heat sensor capable of creating electronic images based on the interpretation of temperature differences across surfaces.

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How is Thermography helpful during a home inspection?

 

Infrared or thermal imaging technology not only compliments the conventional home inspection methods, it offers key advantages as it can help identify – or rule out – problem areas that may not immediately be seen with the naked eye.  Thermography can increase the likelihood of detecting:

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• Missing, inconsistent, or wet insulation

• Heating and cooling losses around windows, doors, electrical outlets, etc.

• Leaky or disconnected duct work

• Broken seals in thermal pane windows

• Moisture issues such as roof leaks, plumbing leaks, leaky skylights, leaky foundations, moisture ingress

• Electrical hot spots

• Poor construction

• Damaged or malfunctioning in-floor heat

• Signs of rodents or insects