Home Inspection Services Inc

Second attempt to find a local home inspector not only knowledgeable but able and willing to write up issues. And once again, discovered this guy wasn't that kind of home inspector. I should have just told him to go home when he arrived on site and said he wouldn't have much to do because it was new construction. Spouse would have done it but he was deployed in a far away and unpleasant country. Sigh. Here's the short list of things he didn't notice that were eventually verified by either investigators for various state licensing boards or competent tradesmen. Enjoy. 1. Multiple structurally significant cracks in supporting roof beams 2. Hot water heater overflow piping not installed 3. Hot water heater pop off valve not activated properly 4. HVAC attic overflow alarms not connected (I know this because it flooded the attic. And the kitchen and dining room ceilings.) 5. HVAC attic drain left to discharge into soffit 6. Bathroom vent fans and oven fan discharge into attic, not outside per IBC. When questioned, Grafe responded that 'local codes allow venting to attic'. Absolutely not true. Local codes can be more stringent but never less. 7. Failed to check roof 'because this is new construction'. Ridge vents were not nailed properly and blew off. Shingles in valley were triple stacks because roofing contractor crew did not know how to properly shingle valleys. Shingle nails failed to connect with wood. 8. Rusted out metal lintels over all windows due to contractor failure to properly prep surfaces. 9. All exterior doors improperly hung and weatherstripping not installed properly: multiple gaps of 1/2-1" between doors and framing. 10. HVAC ductwork 'obviously' undersized for house size with bizarre amounts of elbows so that no air flow to one side of home. 11. Eleven electric outlets not secured properly: pulled out of wall with first use. 12. Garage door missing 48 pieces of structural hardware and lumber framing. Took manufacturer rep nearly three hours to retrofit. 13. Damaged/defective full drywall panels that had been exposed to moisture and warped. 14. Kitchen floor tiles cracked (due to large foundation cracks.) 15. Privacy fence lumber poor quality: multiple large knot holes, resin splits and thinner than normally used. 16. Irrigation system: multiple buried sprinkler heads. Timer defective. 17. Packing materials and installation manual left inside lift pump. 18. S/S range was a scratch/dent model: if pulled out, would've seen bottom left corner was caved in. 19. None of the builder-installed plastic window blinds were properly installed or cut. Cords were inoperative and each window had between five and nine superfluous slats that should have been removed. What were the 18 items that Grafe listed as unsatisfactory? Most were paint defects that the realtor and I had previously identified and blue-taped. And one item noted that the 'temporary' front door be replaced. He was wrong. It WAS the permanent door. Oh, one more thing. If you're wondering which contractor was responsible for this home, it's Colony Homes. Build with Colony. Simple More.............Disappointment.

Mr. Grafe inspected all areas described in the contract, but went beyond the limits of our contract by showing me other problems in the old house that I would have to deal with in the future. He is personable, efficient, businesslike, and prompt. Rather than objecting to my shadowing his movements, he encouraged me to observe his work and I learned from being allowed to do so. In my opinion, he performed an excellent inspection.