The BrickKicker

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He did a great job and appreciate the time he took to explain things to me. I would definitely hire him again.

My complaint is not of how much it cost, it is that they did not inform me that once he comes out he can just say that he doesn't want to do the home inspection, before he even came inside he said he didn't think he was going to do the inspection because there was a lot of work to do on the house. That is fair enough if I had known up front that they can just decide not to inspect after setting up the appointment. I told them up front it was a foreclosure house. When I emailed to complain about not knowing they could just not do the inspect once setting up the appointment and me taking out time to drive to the house, they emailed back that it is a judgement call (right, I just want to know why they don't tell me up front that it is possible they won't even do the inspection). I was incredulous that they still don't answer my question as to why I'm not told up front so their next email says this in part (with large bold letters): Definition of JUDGMENT CALL a subjective decision, ruling, or opinion Ok real nice for a company to email back some snide remark. And all I care about is that they should let people know UP FRONT that there is a possibility that once they come out they might just tell you that they don't want to do the inspection. That's it. Simple as that but instead I get snippy email back. Whatever.

We were out for the weekend on a house hunting trip and found a place unexpectedly. Mike came out on a Sunday and performed a full and comprehensive inspection with 24 hours notice, and got the report to us that night so the whole process could keep moving. He invited us (and preferred for us) to come along and look over his shoulder, talked us through the process and findings as he noted them, including the thermal imaging, which was cool to see. He was very personable and professional throughout. We were very pleased and give him the highest recommendation possible.

I chose this company because of their reviews on Angie's List, and they did not disappoint. Mike was punctual, professional and knowledgable. He did a very thorough job, I will definitely use him again.

Mike with the BrickKicker is definitely the best in the business. I used him simply because of his certification and positive feedback from Angie's List. Everything that has been said about Mike is absolutely true: he is punctual, thorough, professional, and does not back away from questions. Myself, my fiance, my future father in law, and my realtor were ALL present for the inspection and he answered every and all concerns and put all technical terms in language we would all understand. He told us what and why he was doing, what we could do to fix things ourselves, and checked absolutely every nook and cranny in the entire home. The home I had Mike inspect was a bank-owned foreclosure. From my research, most companies were charging a very steep fee to check foreclosures. Mike with the BrickKicker did not, in fact, he didn't change his business to me whatsoever. Everything he said he would do, he did, and on time as well. Mike is undoubtedly the best in the business and is a buyer's dream come true for home inspections.

I found him on Angie's List. He was very friendly and very informative. He would walk around the house and he explained everything that he was looking at. He ensured that I knew what he was doing and why it was important. He kind of gave me some pointers about some things.

Excellent experience, have had many home inspections over the years and this exceeded my expectations. Mike went the extra miles with me over some issues found on the roof. His inspection found things that I had missed and showed no evidence to the eye with his thermal imaging unit. His use of technology and knowledge combined with a detailed inspection from attic to basement found multple issues to be addressed with the seller before continuing with the purchase. I would reccomend him highly to anyone in his area to use his service before some others I considered.

They were very good. They thoroughly went through the whole house and told us what needed to be fixed. I would use them again.

All I can say is EXCEPTIONAL!!! I've experienced several home inspectors in my past and none are remotely close to the Brick Kicker (Mike LaBlanc). My schedule was VERY tight...he was very flexible and understanding. Once in the home, he was extremely knowledgable and didn't look at me as a "number" but a person buying a Home in this tough economy. He didn't take that for granted and spent the time to explain everything. Even if there wasn't a "problem" with a particular area of the home, he gave me tips to improve it. I needed a Radon test....normally an additional $150. He asked me if it had any thing to do with the negotiations (would I still purchase the home if the test failed?)...I told him I was. He stopped the test, informed me of another option that cost only a FRACTION of the $150. Then he took the $150 OFF the bill!!! Did he have to do that? NO!!!! He was 100% honest and had the integrity one would expect (but don't always see). I would not hesitate in the least to recommend the Brick Kicker to my friends, family, or anyone else. They were OUTSTANDING in every area! Plus, I received a military discount...THANK YOU for that!!!

This is the second time I've utilzed Mike LeBlanc / The BrickKicker of Des Moines inspection service. Kindly enough, they offer a discount for repeat customers! As others have stated, Mike is extremely through and friendly. I've had three home inspections in my life now, and compared to my first ...his are a dream. While you can tell he has a stride and routine, at no point can you not stop him to ask questions. For those adventurous enough, he'll even let you shimmy up into the attic on his ladder. One of the BIG reasons I use Mike is his thermal imaging camera. While it can't show you OLD water issues, on a days like today with tons of melting snow it can show you a lot. It's also great for finding the cold and leaking spots in the house too. I really don't think its a gimick at all, and wish I owned one of those. It should go without saying he'll check every outlet, open the breaker box and all of that fun stuff. I hope to not be buying again anytime soon, but should I .... he'll be my first call after the offer is accepted.

We called BrickKicker the day before Christmas Eve (a weekday) and were able to make an appointment right away. A woman set up the appointment and asked a few initial questions, including whether we wanted a radon test done. We were able to schedule the appointment at our preferred time, about 3 days after Christmas (also a weekday, but less than a week after we called). One of our questions was to make sure that he had a thermal heat detector (think this is the correct name for it) to check for moisture in the walls, as this was a concern of ours. He does have one, as well as a thing to test for gas leaks. These are common tools an inspector has, but I think not all of them have the thermal heat detector, so be sure to ask. Mike was early to the property so he could introduce himself to the homeowner and set up the radon test, which he will be back for in two days. He was friendly and accommodating throughout the entire inspection. He took the time to answer our questions and explain anything we needed clarification on. Our realtor attended the inspection as well (highly recommend this, and with sharing the inspection report with them), and he answered her questions as well. He was great about making recommendations for the easier, DIY fixes, and could make recommendations of types of companies to call if we wanted a professional to do it. But he was not pushy at all about it. He never tried to upsell us on anything, or push a particular company. The inspection took about 2 hours for a 1700 sq ft home, but we didn't dawdle. We covered every room, the garage and all exterior sides of the house. At the end of the inspection, he provided a folder/binder with information, including a checklist that we should go through when we do the final walk-through when we take ownership, as well as info about common household fixes/problems to look out for. Within 2 hours after the end of the inspection, we received via email an 18 page detailed inspection report including lots of photos and comments. He was able to cc our realtor (with our approval), so this will expedite the addendum she will create with our fix requests. The cost was not inexpensive, but didn't seem overpriced. Our cost also included the radon testing, which I think runs $125 or so. We had no red flags throughout our experience; it was entirely positive and informative. We would love to recommend BrickKicker to anyone needing a home inspection in the DSM area.

Mike was great! We scheduled the inspection a week before closing, as our builder suggested. Mike arrived early and did a walk through. When we arrived he stated he would rather push the inspection back a few days as not everything was complete and he wanted to make sure everything was complete so he could do a proper inspection. We rescheduled for the following week. Mike was very thorough, paying close attention to every detail. The thermal imaging camera was great - it made us feel reassured that the home was well insulated with no cold spots! Upon learning that this was our first home, Mike gave us tips on being homeowners and things to watch out for and tips on how to be energy efficient. He was very thoughtful and courteous and made the whole experience a lot of fun. We definitely recommend him!

Mike was early and Very professional. The thermal camera found a vent not producing. and showed areas that could be cold.

Mike was professional, thorough, courteous, and friendly. He made the experience very comfortable and his report was the best/most thorough report that my father-in-law, who is a contractor and owns several homes, has seen. He has a tool that checks for temperature differences in the walls, which most home inspectors do not have. I highly recommend using him!

I was very pleased how thorough and responsive they were. I called a left a voice mail on a Sunday and they called back that day. They strive to get back to people quickly as the offer I made was that an inspection needed to be done in 7 days. He has standard blocks of time to pick (noon or 4 pm) which was nice, I picked noon. He was very helpful in explaining the inner workings of my new home. I'm a single female and I liked the training I received. He had some suggestions of things they could fix and do and he showed me photos on the spot of what would go in the report. He left me a homeowners manual and within 24 hours I had a PDF report of the inspection. VERY PLEASED.

Overall it went really well. He called the day before the appointment to remind me of the home inspection. When I got the house at the appointed time, he was already there making notes. Mike was super professional and offered many 'extra' helpful tips for up-keeping of my old home. As a result of the home inspection, we discovered that there was a gas leak (which the seller promptly fixed). Also, we found some of the electrical plugs outlets to have 'reversed polarity' and other minor electrical issues. I was able to get the seller to give me a buyers credit to fixed those as well. The biggest thing we found though was that when multiple sources of water were used, say the dishwasher, someone taking a shower, and the sink going, the water pressure appeared to be lower than acceptable. The solution to this is to fix the main water pipe coming into the house, cost? $5000. This is will be fixed in the future, but it's good to know that going into the purchase. I got a final electronic reports 21 pages with all the details as well as pictures. And I got a separate electronic report for the radon test as well. I would have to say that this home inspection was extremely thorough, helpful , and informative. It allowed me to make a better informed decision about purchasing the home, as well as getting the seller to fix some of the major issues. Buying a home is a huge decision, and you want to know all there is to know about the home you are about to buy. I highly recommend Mike for home inspection, he made everything understandable and fun! Heck, if you are a seller get Mike to do a home inspection for you, so that you can fixed potential issues before the buyers learns of them. This will save time, and make a better impression on the quality of the house.

I found Mike on Angie's List, as we had to perform the inspection on this house within 5 days. I called Mike yesterday around 11:30 AM, and had an inspection scheduled for this morning at 8 AM. I was a couple of minutes late at the property, and found Mike already there, walking around the house and taking pictures. He had all of his equipment out of his truck and waiting at the front door. We walked around the house and he immediately began talking to me about the features of the house (he noticed the high efficiency furnace from the pipes that were outside, for instance). He sincerely wanted to know our highest concerns with the inspection, and kept those in mind throughout the process. We walked throughout the house, and at each step, Mike paused to check doors, windows, light switches, and anything else he saw. He took the time to explain what he was doing, and to recommend maintenance tips that we should follow in the house. He also completed a thermal scan of the entire house (at no additional cost) to look for any moisture in the structure that may not show yet. Mike actively invited my participation, and even had me climb up to see the attic, so that I would understand what he was seeing. Throughout the process, he was professional and respectful, and was able to "dumb down" everything to my level. He spent a full three hours with me this morning and did not seem rushed to move on to his next appointment at all. In addition, I had the final report from him in my email by 5:30 PM on the same day as the inspection. My husband did not attend the inspection, but he felt like he was up to date after reading this very detailed report. In addition, Mike provided us with a binder full of recommended maintenance information and checklists, so we now feel fully prepared to make an informed decision. Thanks, Mike!

I had purchased a forclosed home and needed to see exactly what work was needed to be able to resell. I called The BrickKicker at about 6pm Tuesday to get a quote and was able to make an appointment to have him come out Wednesday morning at 8am. He spent the extra time to go through and explain everything he was doing, what he was looking for, and even offered advice on fixing up the place. It was a small house but he was there for about 2 hours making sure everything was covered and explained. I received a nice report when he was done and then received an emailed report with detailed information and photos a couple days later. In the end he ended up providing me some extra services a no charge to win my future business, which worked since I'll be using him again in the future.