Cottage Hill Inspections, Inc.

Larry was so nice and professional. He explained everything and did it in a way I could fully understand. I will recommend him to any and everyone

Larry Coha was extremely thorough. He found several issues which we didn't know about. We can now get them fixed before we put our house on the market, which should make it easier to sell. He divided his inspection into different areas and explained issues after he finished inspecting that area. His report was broken into the same areas. It detailed what was inspected, whether or not there were issues and provided photos to highlight problems.

Was available on a short notice. Very professional and thorough. The inspection took about 4 hours. Explained every detail. Provided very detailed report (pictures, graphs, diagrams, etc). Communicated in a timely manner.

Larry Coha arrived early at the site and had already started assessing the exterior of the building when I arrived. He was friendly and professional. He explained the process before he started and each system as he performed the inspection. He was helpful in finding issues needing correction as well as putting other more minor issues into perspective. His demeanor is well suited to teaching new homeowners about the different areas they will need to know about owning a home. This is home number four for me and I've had inspections on all but one. This is the first time I've used Cottage Hill, but I will use them exclusively going forward. The 34 page report I received was excellent! It clearly explained every area that was inspected and used photos taken onsite to highlight areas needing particular illustration. I enthusiastically recommend Cottage Hill. Larry made an otherwise stressful event a joy to deal with. Thanks Cottage Hill!

Larry performed an inspection for us on a house before we purchased it. He was very thorough and did a great job.

Larry was very thorough and quite willing to explain as he went. He caught a number of faults that were fairly serious but was in in no way an alarmist. A lot of small things were described as typical of an older home. I would like to think I would have caught some of the worst - such as the completely missing AC condenser (!) and water seepage - but buyers can have stars in their eyes. There were a number of safety issues that will require immediate attention and won't be cheap fixes. I was able to go back to the owner (who had bought the house for a song a year ago and fixed it up ) with legitimate concerns.

Larry was very professional. I was impressed how thorough he is. He took excellent notes throughout his inspection, which were well reflected on the 30+ page written report we received the following day. It was zero degrees that day, but that didn't slow him down : ) He listened well to any concerns that I have about the house. It really set my mind at ease after having a pro come in and look at items like plumbing, electrical and insulation. He had the right tools to test and didn't make any bit of a mess during the 3.5 hour visit. Great job, Cottage Hill!

Excellent, excellent and excellent from start to end. Larry was very nice from start I talked to him on phone. He took care of radon testing by himself by working directly with Seller side. He inspected home very carefully and looks he was doing it from heart not just to make money. His report was very detailed and very easy to understandable. He is always eager to answer any questions we have. I will strongly recommend him.

Overall: Larry showed up early to the site. Very nice man. He was thorough and easy to work with. I didn't exactly make it easy on him, as I brought my brother and cousin along for the inspection as well. So he had five people looking over his shoulder. He was patient and answered all our questions. Price: Not rock bottom pricing but competitive with others that I called. Quality: The report was great. Lots of pictures. Thorough. He highlighted the items that needed to be addressed. He was knowlegeable and explained everything to us. Not just what was wrong, but the ins and outs of the house (things we never would have noticed on our own). Responsiveness: Fantastic. Always answered my phone calls or called back in a timely manner. Our inspection was on Saturday and we were in a major rush to get the report completed and in our hands by Monday morning. We had only 7 days to complete the inspection and get the report to our lawyer. Larry got us the report first thing on Monday. We can't thank him enough for this. Punctuality: We got there 15 minutes early and he was already there. Professionalism: The only reason I gave a 'B', which was minor, was how he handled the radon test. The test was about $150 extra. Price was fair. But, he contacted the listing agent to have the test set up. I would have preferred he went through my agent.

Professionalism - Larry promptly returned my phone call and was able to accommodate my short notice inspection request. He advised me on what to expect from the inspection and on the format of the report. Inspection - I followed Larry throughout the inspection to further my knowledge of my home and to learn what things a homeowner should be looking at for maintenance purposes and for signs of trouble. Larry was very knowledgeable and thoroughly explained what he was doing and how different systems function within my home. Larry emailed me the next day a PDF file of the inspection report, it included photos of areas of concern and all items he had inspected. The report is very useful as it not only includes cross section illustrations of the homes components but also notes on how the different components work and explanations of construction terms. Overall, best inspector I've hired after working with multiple inspectors over the years. I would highly recommend!

I am recently a Widow and am alone in buying a condo, for the first time in my life. When needing to have an Inspector to look at a Condo that I was considering to buy, I wanted to use someone different from the realtor's Inspector. So I turned to Angies List, and that is how I got connected to Lawrence Coha, Cottage Hill Inspections, Elmhurst, Il. DO NOT USE LAWRENCE COHA, FROM COTTAGE HILL INSPECTIONS, ELMHURST, IL. Hiring Lawrence Coha was a major mistake. I specifically told Lawrence what I wanted him to zero into, as the condo was approx 40 years old, and the elderly person who was living there was there for about 15 years., and nothing recently had been done. He asked for complete payment $325 when he was done inspecting that day, and I had not yet received his report. I paid him in full. That was also a mistake. I told him to make sure all appliances were working, and also the furnace and AC. Additionally, I specifically told him that I was concerned about the ceiling in the Living Room area, as it looked like it had been repaired, as the "popcorn" finish was a little different than the rest. After receiving his report, I noticed that he completely forgot to do this, and I had to call him to come back. The morning that he was coming back to look and test the ceiling for any moisture, I called him on the phone and specifically told him that I wanted him to look up into the attic, and that the doorway was just outside the condo door on the 2nd level where we were. He said OK. I mentioned this because it had been raining very hard the night before and even that morning, and I wanted to know if he saw any leaking from the room. HOWEVER, when he got there he immediately checked the ceiling with his little meter and said it was OK. I then said, the attic door is right outside here for you to look up there, and HE REPLIED IN FRONT OF THE REALTOR, " I DON'T NEED TO CHECK THAT. THERE IS NO NEED!" I almost fell over. I PAID HIM.... HE WAS WORKING FOR ME.... HE ACTED LIKE HE WAS WORKING FOR THE SELLER, AND MORE SO...HE ACTED LIKE HE WANTED TO IMPRESS THE REALTOR SO SHE WOULD USE HIM AGAIN. Let me state emphatically...she said she would never use him. Compared to other Inspectors, he does not compare. CHECKING THE AC UNIT. The temperature has been below 65 degrees here for the past few months. When he came out, it was too cold to run the AC to check it. He said in his report to ask for a contingency so that when it is above 65, it can be checked. I called him this week to come out on Friday when it is suppose to be 70 degrees, and he said: "I don't have to come out and check it. Just run it for 30 minutes and if it cools the place down, it is working!!! I replied, "I paid you to check it, and I want to you to come and listen to it, and really see if it is in good shape." He answered, " I cannot go back to everyone I inspected when it was cold, and check their AC now that it is warmer." Then he added, "If you want me to come back, that will cost you extra!" I told him I was completely dissatisfied with his performance, and would NOT RECOMMEND HIM on Angies List, and ended the conversation. I am going there tomorrow and will run it myself and hopefully the Condo will cool. LAWRENCE COHA, COTTAGE HILL INSPECTIONS - I STRONGLY DO NOT RECOMMEND !!!!

Larry arrived on time at the condo we are in the process of buying. He brought everything he would need... No extra trips back to the truck to get something. From my perspective, he did a very thorough job. He that everything worked: appliances, fireplace, whirlpool tub, furnace. It was too cold to check the airconditioner, but we did get copies of the warranties for the two year old unit. He checked the emissions from the fireplace and stove. He checked hot water temperatures and polarity of all the electrical outlets. He took time to explain what he saw, what he was doing, and why he was doing it. Besides the inspection, I received an education about my new condo.

Larry's report was incredibly helpful when negotiating with the buyer on what items needed to be resolved prior to sale. Also, the report is a great guide for when we need to hire someone to repair those items that need to be fixed with the home; we can just ask them to read the report - and they understand the issue immediately (in case we fail to best explain it ourselves).

Happy with the quality and completeness of Larry's work product.

We contacted Cottage Hill Inspections to do our home inspections as the regular guy we use was unable to do it. When I talked to Larry on the phone to set up an appointment he was very detailed on what to expect. The day of inspection Larry was on time and showed me the things that needed to be corrected as he found them. He answered any questions that I had during the inspection and made sure that if I did not understand that he showed me what he was talking about. I would definitely use him again! UPDATE: We've been in our new home for exactly two months now. About a week after moving in, we had some rain and noticed leaks in the ceiling and by the fireplace! In addition, one of the two furnaces broke down and the dishwasher stopped working. These are all things to which the inspector gave a clean bill of health. As I noted in the original review, I've used the same home inspector for years...and never had any issues. But because our regular guy was unavailable, we had to rely on Angie's List for a recommendation....I am now regretting my decision to hire Larry. The price was a lot higher than I've paid for inspections in the past...but it would have been worth it if we at least got a reliable inspection out of it....instead, we have expensive issues to fix. We're in the process of filing a complaint with IDFPR because the lack of diligence was downright negligent. UPDATE II: Larry's response below is an outright lie. He *DID* walk the roof...there are pictures and commentary in our inspection report to prove it. But given our experience with the quality of the report, I am not surprised that he chose dishonesty rather than attempting to set things right. We would have felt much better about his ethics had he offered an apology and a refund of some sort....oh well, we'll let the state regulator sort this out.

I have had many inspectors over the years, Larry Coha was the best inspector with whom I have ever worked! He was on time for our meeting; we were a few minutes late, so he began by walking around the exterior of the property to get a feel for the property. Larry was incredibly thorough. The best part of the inspection for us was that Larry explained everything that he found that needed to be repaired. Where things did not need to be repaired but required future maintenance on our part he also explained. He used clear language so we walked away actually understanding the various systems in our future home. Never have I had an inspector that took the time to explain the important facets of an electrical panel, a furnace, sump pump, etc! He also explained important maintenance issues for the exterior of the house, things that I had never noticed before or knew were important. He sent us the report via email as promised the next day. The report not only listed the problem areas to be repaired, but it listed what we should expect for every system in the house. His report included pictures of what various systems should look like. It is easy to read the report and actually learn something! The report ended with a summary of the most important and pressing issues that needed to be repaired. Also, he said we could always call if we had any questions in the future. I did take him up on that an called him regarding a question I had; he remembered me and was very helpful! Our real estate agent was also very impressed with him and took some of his business cards to give to her other clients.

This was actually the second time we have used Larry to inspect a home we are buying. The first sale fell through and when we found this second home we naturally came back to Larry because we were so impressed with his professionalism and thoroughness the first time. Both times, Larry thoroughly inspected the homes, took detailed notes, photos of important areas of concern, and returned a thoroughly detailed inspection report in less than 24 hours. This was a larger home and Larry took the extra time to completely inspect the home - he didn't shortchange us in time or service. Larry is the reason I come to Angie's List - to find a seasoned professional at a reasonable price in an area of expertise that I am deficient in. Would I use him again? I did, and I am glad I did so! An added, unexpected surprise was the discount he gave us for the second inspection, a true professional!

Larry is not licensed asbestos inspector.

Larry was very throrough in his inspection. He took the time to communicate any potential safety hazards and explained them in detail. In addition, he provided explanations of all the valves, as to what they control and how to turn them off in the event it is needed. In addition, he was very flexible in accommodating a request for inspection within 48 hours of request and was quick in his response time. I would definitely recommend him again in the future.

Larry emailed back quickly, and we set up a date and time. He arrived before we did and was already looking around. He explained what he saw and gave us ideas to improve the property. We were very pleased with his report which included photos.

Extremely thorough home inspection. Would highly recommend.

From my initial conversation to the follow up email to the final report, Larry was very informative and great to work with.

Larry was able to accomodate the timeframe in which I needed my inspection. He was on time, very pleasant to work with and the quality of work and attention to detail was great. His report was comprehensive and will organized. It will be a tool that we will use in the future. I would definitely recommend Larry.

We picked Larry after talking to a few inspectors. He had availability and good reviews, and seemed willing and eager to take a look at the house for us on short notice. He was also reasonably priced. We asked him to show up earlier than he normally would and he said that would be no problem. When we arrived at the house, Larry was already there taking some pictures of the outside of the house for his report. I then followed Larry around for the next three hours as he explained what he was checking, what he would fix if anything, and how certain systems work (heater, humidifier, sump, etc). He was patient with my questions and even helped me get an idea of things like "What would you do about this downspout?". This process what great for me as a first-time home-buyer. It felt as if Larry was looking at the home for himself. Larry did not hesitate to get into the crawlspace, attic, and up on the roof. He was polite, focused, and thorough during the entire inspection. The next morning we had a full 30+ page report with pictures from the house, highlighted issues he would have fixed or looked at, and a nice summary page of issues. This quick turnaround was important to us as we did the inspection 3 days into our attorney/inspection period. We used his report to ask the sellers to make a few fixes Larry noted, which they agreed to do. I would definitely recommend Larry to a friend and we will use his services if we need them in the future. One sidenote is Larry does not provide radon testing himself, but had a colleague who he uses. Those services were scheduled and handled by Larry and we had those results back promptly for a reasonable charge as well. CHI + Radon was still less expensive than some of the other inspectors we talked to.

Larry really went above and beyond for this home inspection. We had it scheduled for Friday and a big snow storm was forecast for Thursday night. He took it upon himself to coordinate with our realtor to visit the house Thursday to get up on the roof before the snow storm. He also inspected the rest of the exterior before it was covered in snow. He came back Friday morning and went over the inside with a fine-tooth comb. He did a great job explaining how everything worked and anything we need to look out for. The interior inspection took nearly four hours and the inspection report was nearly 40 pages. He is incredibly thorough and does a great job. He was also $175 less than the other quote we got. I highly recommend him.