CERTIFIED PLUS
HOME INSPECTIONS
The NC Home Inspection Company
with the MONEY BACK GUARANTEE
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INSPECTION PRICES
START AT $199 FOR A NORTH CAROLINA HOME INSPECTION BY A
STATE CERTIFIED NORTH CAROLINA HOME INSPECTOR. STATE OF NORTH
CAROLINA / NC LICENSED ASHI, NACHI CERTIFIED, NORTH CAROLINA
INSPECTOR, HOME INSPECTION SERVICES FOR COUNTIES ALAMANCE,
CHATHAM, JOHNSTON, LEE, ORANGE, WAKE. TOWNS AND SURROUNDING
AREAS APEX, CARY, CHAPEL HILL, DURHAM, HILLSBOROUGH, RALEIGH
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CERTIFIED PLUS
HOME INSPECTIONS INCLUDE:
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PRICES STARTING AT $199 |
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ON
SITE WRITTEN REPORT |
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MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! |
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FREE!
TEST OF ALL APPLIANCES |
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THE FOLLOWING ARE
NATIONALLY ACCEPTED STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR HOME
INSPECTIONS
ONE -
GROUNDS - A North Carolina home inspection will
include an inspection of the grounds. The home inspector will
first make a visible inspection of the grounds around the
house to see if the natural rain water is draining away from
the house or towards the house. Rain water that drains towards
the house could undermine the structure, damage the foundation
and allow water to penetrate the basement.
TWO - OVERALL CONDITION -
A North Carolina home inspection will include a visible
inspection of the dwelling for overall condition. The N C home
inspector will inspect the overall condition of the house, the
settlement, and conduct a visible evaluation of the structure
for squareness and vertical plumb. The visible includes where
exposed, the foundation, side walls, roof line, and any
extensions that may have been added to the house. Many time
structural defects are noted by just simply stepping back and
looking at the overall squareness of the house.
THREE - ROOF LINE AND ROOF
- A North Carolina home inspection will include a visible
inspection of the exposed areas of the complete roof. The N C
home inspector will visibly inspect the house roof line for
squareness and the ridge beam for any deflection. The complete
roof will be given an overall visible inspection for condition
and deflection. A low section in the roof is a good indication
that there may be a rafter or roof sheathing problem.
FOUR - ENTRANCE STEPS - A
North Carolina home inspection will include an inspection of
the entrance steps or ground level entrance areas. The N C
home inspector will inspect all the entrance steps of the
house. The entrance steps are a very high maintenance item.
This inspector has discovered that most houses over five years
old need some type of general maintenance to the entrance
steps or stoop. Two of the more serious problems of entrance
steps other than general maintenance is concrete deterioration
and stoop rotation. Stoop rotation is when the foundation of a
concrete, stone, or brick stoop has heavy settlement, causing
it to rotate back into the foundation of the house. This
condition can cause serious cracks in the foundation. In other
words, the stoop because of settlement is putting heavy
pressure on the foundation wall that can cause the wall to
crack.
FIVE - EXTERIOR FOUNDATION INSPECTION
- A North Carolina home inspection includes a visible
inspection of the exposed areas of the exterior foundation.
The N C home inspector will inspect the exterior of the
foundation for cracks, bulging, bowing, deterioration, and
heavy settlement. Particular attention will be paid to areas
of the foundation where there may be large trees growing. The
N C home inspector will be looking for foundation damage from
large tree roots. Another area of concern is the foundation
area where a rain gutter downspouts may be discharging water
right alongside the foundation. Thousands of gallons of rain
water being discharged right alongside the foundation,
eventually will damage the foundation and penetrate the
basement.
SIX - INTERIOR STRUCTURAL FRAMING
- A North Carolina home inspector includes a visible
inspection of the exposed areas of the interior framing. The N
C home inspector will make a visible inspection of the house
interior for structural problems. When feasible , he will
inspect the main beam, lolly columns, rim and floor joists and
all other components of the structure. Particular attention
will be paid to the levelness of the floors. Floors that have
a visible noticeable slope is an indication that there may be
a structural problem.
SEVEN - OVERALL CONDITION OF THE
DOORS AND WINDOWS - A North Carolina home
inspection includes an inspection of the doors and windows.
The N C home inspector will make a visible inspection for :
the condition and squareness of the doors and windows which is
a good indicator of the settlement of the house. Doors that
are really out of square and a if the floor has a severe
slope, definitely would call for a visible inspection and
evaluation of the framing and foundation. The N C home
inspector will also test a number of the windows for condition
and ease of operation.
EIGHT - INTERIOR FOUNDATION
- A North Carolina home inspection includes a visible
inspection of the exposed areas of the interior foundation.
The N C home inspector will inspect when feasible, crawl
spaces, slab foundation, and basement floors and walls for
structural condition and settlement. These are the areas that
are most susceptible to water damage. The inspector will be
inspecting for : cracks, heavy settlement, deterioration of
the concrete, displacement of foundation walls, heaving or
settlement of the slab or basement floors. The areas mentioned
are just a few of the main areas of the interior foundation
inspection.
NINE - INTERIOR STRUCTURE - A North Carolina home
inspection includes a visible inspection of the interior
condition of the dwelling. The N C home inspector will inspect
the interior walls floors and ceilings for structural
problems. First he will inspect the visible wood framing in
the basement such as sill plates, girders, and floor joists,
just to name a few framing components. The home inspector N C
will be looking for: wood rot, functional support columns, the
condition of the main beam and floor joists, and, if visible,
the condition of the sub flooring. In the inspection of the
wall and ceilings, the inspector will be inspecting for:
cracks , displacement, water damage and the overall condition.
TEN - ATTIC AREA - A North
Carolina home inspection includes an inspection of the attic.
The N C home inspector will inspect the attic areas when
feasible for any structural problems with the floor, rafters,
walls, main beam and all other structural components.
Particular attention will be paid to the rafters. The
inspector will be looking for sagged, rotted, or cracked
rafters that may need repair or replacement. Note, for safety
reasons, a home inspector doesn’t have to enter an un-floored
attic.
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THE
FOLLOWING ARE ACTUAL STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS DISCOVERED BY
CERTIFIED PLUS HOME INSPECTORS
HOME INSPECTOR
NC WAR STORIES |
DON'T
WALK, RUN, FROM THIS BUILDING!
The house was a three family dwelling. When I pulled up in
front of the building, I knew I wouldn't be doing any three
family inspection on this day. I didn't even have to get out
the car to give a complete evaluation, the whole building was
splitting in half and the problem was visible from the car on
the other side of the street. In the center of the building
there was a giant crack that ran from the basement straight up
through all three stories. The crack started out in the
basement and got wider and wider as in ascended the building.
At the roof line the crack was about six inches wide. The
crack had been filled in with concrete but the patch job was
vert noticeable. In the rear of the building, there was a
similar crack right in the center and also about six inches
wide at the roof line. In plain English, the building was
splitting in half.
When the buyers arrived, I informed them of the problem and
suggested that they not even consider purchasing the building.
It's rare that I tell a client not to buy a dwelling but, this
particular dwelling, if it could be repaired, the cost would
be prohibitive . I charged them a minimum cancellation fee and
told them to find another dwelling. At this point I was
curious as to why the building was splitting in half and,
being that the basement was open for inspection, I decided to
take a look. Well, there was severe termite damage on both
sides of the building causing each side to pull away from the
center of the building. It was very evident that this building
had this major termite problem for many years, maybe decades.
Besides the structural problem with this building, it was also
loaded with mold. Needless to say I didn't stay in the
basement too long.
It's funny how certain things stick in one's mind. Every time
I hear " Is a home inspection really worth it ? ", I think of
this building.
THE
APARTMENT HOUSE -OH BOY !
The inspection was for a four family apartment house . Usually
we inspect an apartment house by inspecting the apartments
first one at a time. As usual I started the inspection in one
of the first level apartments. When I got to the rear of the
apartment, there was a heavy slope in the floor towards the
rear of the building. The slope of the floor was so severe, I
suspected that the building may have a serious foundation
problem. Instead of inspecting all the apartments, I went
directly to the basement to evaluate the foundation.
What I found in the basement was unbelievable. The front
section of the entire building was sinking into the ground
about two feet. There was about ten screw jacks being used as
extra supports to hold up the front of the building. The
basement floor was just a large pile of cracked and severely
broken up concrete. At this point I informed the buyer not to
buy the building unless he was a large building rehabilitation
contractor. He said that he didn't want the building after
seeing the foundation damage. At this point I stopped the
inspection and only charged him a minimum fee for the partial
inspection. I was really curious as to why this building was
sinking so severely and only in the front of the building.
This building was built on the side of a hill. When we went
outside and looked up the hill, the answer was pretty obvious,
there was a wide underground creek running under the front of
the building. Up the hill at the next corner was a large
hospital building with a retaining wall running all around the
hospital. In a straight line with our building damage, the
hospital wall was deteriorated and damaged, the street was
sunk, and several other homes were damaged, all in a straight
line with our foundation damage. This building was so
seriously damaged, I called the selling real estate broker and
informed him of the damage and suggested that he only sell
this building to a contractor and not a retail client. In
other words, this was a law suit looking to happen.
OTHER ADDITIONAL SERVICES
TERMITES—IN GROUND POOLS - RADON—ASBESTOS
IN GROUND OIL TANKS— SEPTIC SYSTEMS— CARBON MONOXIDE
Disclaimer - North Carolina
DISCLAIMER - The information contained on this site/article is
for general information only. Anyone using information
obtained from this site/article has the responsibility to
obtain professional advice on your particular problem or
circumstance Certified Plus home inspections LLC. disclaim all
responsibility, including negligence, for all consequences of
any person acting on, or refraining from acting in reliance
on, information contained in this site/article. The laws and
regulation undergo frequent changes and the fact that there is
a multitude of items covered under the “ Grandfather Clause ”,
anyone using this information , should first obtain
professional advise on your particular circumstance before
using information from this site/article. Note - Due to the
fact that every home inspection is unique, and many of the
items mentioned in this site/article may be inaccessible,
covered with wall covering, storage, etc. Certified Plus home
inspections LLC. gives no guarantee, or promise, expressed or
implied, that every/any item mentioned in this article will be
inspected or addressed in a home inspection. Any home
inspection conducted by Certified Plus Home Inspections LLC,
the actual home inspector’s report supercedes any information
contained in this site/article.
Licensed North Carolina Home
Inspector Serving: Alamance County, Chatham County, Johnston
County, Lee County, Orange County, Wake County. Towns and
surrounding areas for Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham,
Hillsborough, and Raleigh.
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CERTIFIED
PLUS 
