PRAIRIE HOME INSPECTION SERVICES INC

It was great. Throughout the inspection, Mr. Newman kept me informed of what he found and pointed out the things that were important to take care of.

Appointment was easy to set up (came by the following day). Immediately put us at ease by explaining what had appeared to be very complex and costly problems concerning our front porch. Then comfirmed our perceptions that our windows were not rotting away and in fact were still servicable. The part that stuck with me was when we asked that he look at the cracks in our basement floor, cracks that we were certain indicated structural damage. He gave us a verbal history of the older buildings in the area and reassured us that the cracks were due the original owners installing the floor over soil mixed with coal dust (retains moisture) and did not indicate a faulty foundation. All of the favorable reviews were accurate! Add ours to the list of fans of this service.

Peter Neuman was on time, very thorough, walked me through every aspect of the inspection. Painted all areas he tagged. Very professional.

We have a couple of spots in our basement where we thought there might be mold, so we called Prairie Home Inspection to get a quote for removal and remediation. We called this morning (a Saturday) and got a call back within a couple of hours. After describing our situation, we were told that we don't actually have mold at all - it's just a couple of places of isolated mildew that can be killed with any bathroom mildew cleaner. The first place we had called for a quote didn't tell us anything like that; in fact, they scheduled time to come out and inspect and then never showed. I'm so glad they flaked out, because Prairie Home just saved us a ton of money and hassle.

He was very knowledgeable and seemed thorough. It was easy to schedule an appointment and seemed professional. I liked his services and will use the same in future.

Overall, the experience was great. Originally he gave me a quote of $400 over the phone. When he arrived, he quoted a lesser price ($300). This was incredibly honest; he could’ve kept the same price that he quoted to me over the phone but instead saved me $100. He changed the price because the job requirement was different than what he had originally thought. Pete is very welcome to phone calls & he's very responsive. He's also very professional, thorough and I can tell that he really likes what he does and wants to do a great job. After the work was complete, within a day, he submitted a very clear & detailed report with pictures. I'm happy with his services.

He was very good. He came on time to do the job, took his time but the work was really good. He told me what is it all about and answered all my questions.

The reviews that were on his website were fantastic. He is a quality guy and he was the one who found out that our house wasn't grounded and we had that done immediately. He identified key problems and what needed focus on. He found stuff that our home inspector should have known when we bought the house. I recommend him to anyone who owns a home or who's looking to buy a house. He has a background in construction so he knows how things are built and he gave us some realistic ideas. He tells you what needs to be done and the possible time line it needs to get done. Since he did not do a write up for me it was less expensive. He’s so good.

Pete rocks. He is, in my opinion, the perfect home inspector. Extremely knowledgeable, thorough, prompt and professional. But the thing I liked best about Pete is he is not a salesman, and has true concern for your investment (the biggest one you'll ever make). His tempermant is very re-assuring, but at the same time he doesn't make promises about "non-issues" that other inspectors might. Excellent experience, and I recommend Pete to all my friends. Oh, and I bought the house. And I'm paying for the exact repairs that Pete pointed out needed to be made.

Pete was very flexible and accommodating when we scheduled the inspection. He arrived early and performed a very thorough inspection, providing many interesting insights into the 100 year old home we are buying. He is a wealth of knowledge and clearly enjoys his work. He is very professional, easy going, and quick to produce a comprehensive inspection report that is/was helpful for ongoing contract negotiations.

Mr. Newman was punctual, thorough in his inspection. He has a remarkable knowledge in civil, electrical, HVAC, plumbing fields. He is a true professional.

He explained everything in the home to the last detail. He helped us to understand what needed to be addressed and whether we could handle it ourselves, or call in a specialist. I’ve called a couple of times for follow up questions and he has provided immediate responses. He has even been willing to come back at no cost for any additional questions or concerns. This has been a perfect experience!

I think he is wonderful! He charges very reasonable prices and is very thorough. He has incredible attention to detail.

This is the second time we used Pete. First off, Pete is honest. What is the point of having the biggest investment of your life inspected by someone you think is sketchy? Go with Pete!! Here is why: (1) he educates about the home in a simple yet thorough fashion. You will understand what needs to be done and why as well as what may need to be done but isn't absolutely necessary, (2) he answers questions completely- before, during and after (even long after) the inspection, and (3) he knows his stuff! Pete is also licensed to test for mold and I was very please with his services in this regard as well. Pete is the owner and the inspector, don't talk to someone who subs out the work to someone else you never spoke to, go with someone you can trust!

Working with Pete was a very positive experience. He took a very didactic approach with us, not only identifying problems and anticipated problems, but also explaining why things happen and making recommendations for remediation. We feel that we got a real education about caring for our vintage building and his report will serve as a guide for the building's ongoing maintenance. The reserve analysis that Pete and Gary did is also a great planning tool, identifying probable time lines for ongoing repair and replacement issues and explaining how to budget for them. We couldn't be happier with our experience working with this company.

I am buying my first place and was really grateful to have such a patient home inspector. He arrived at the high rise building building before I did and had already completed an initial exterior examination when I got there. He checked every inch of the unit, explained how my heating and cooling systems worked as well as answering questions I had about the appliances. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone but particularly first time home buyers.

This was the third time we used Pete. He checks every last inch of the home and has you feeling completely comfortable that you know what you are buying. Furthermore, he went above and beyond when he came back to our house to reinspect a boiler that the sellers had said they had fixed for us. Luckily, with Pete on our side, we found out the boiler was still broken. Pete is terrific, takes his job seriously, and knows his stuff.

The reserve study Pete and the professional accountant provided to our condo association gave us a framework to understand, prioritize and plan for major and minor building maintenance. Our building was built in 1922 and while we knew generally that our building would need updating, we were not equipped to understand the specifics of our buildings needs or the associated costs. In short, we had no idea what to prioritize, no idea what the costs would be to prevent and or replace, and had no context to establish a reserve fund. Thanks to Pete we now have a plan and can be confident that we are saving at an appropriate rate to protect our real estate assets. If you are on a board of a condo association – I would highly recommend this service. Graham Smith – president of the 927-929 Ontario Street condo association

I cannot say enough about Prairie Home Inspection. My husband and I used Pete to inspect our first home before we bought. Pete did an excellent job, he took the time to explain everything he was doing and answered any questions in great detail. His final report was easy to understand and very detailed. We felt like we really knew what we were getting when we bought our house. We actually had him back after we moved in and had done some of the work that our house needed. Again, he was excellent. He was very willing to go on the roof and did find that the chimney we had payed to have repaired was not done. We never would have known! He made an offer of being available to us even long after we purchased the house. I have actually called him on a few occasions to run things by him and he is wonderful. He always calls me back promtly and talks me though whatever is on my mind. I highly recommend Prairie Home Inspection.

Pete was great! He arrived on time. It was probably the coldest day of the winter. He spent a few hours outside looking and taking pictures at the building exterior: brick and mortar, decks, and roof. We then went indoors to look at common area sump pump as well as fuse boxes. Within days we had a report e-mailed and a within a week we had a hard copy.

Pete was flexible in accommodating our request for a weekend inspection. He showed up on time, and the final bill matched his verbal quote. He performed a thorough inspection of the roof, flashing, gutters and downspouts, concrete block and mortar (including a water permeability test). The end result was a comprehensive written evaluation of the issues, and prioritized correction strategies to address the most likely causes of the water infiltration. Our condo association continued to refer to Pete's inspection report during all the repairs, and used it as a baseline when evaluating potential contractors.

Excellent. Pete came highly recommended by friends who had used his services about 8 months ago, so we didn't even shop around. When I called to schedule the appointment, he warned me to be sure the utilities were on in the house, and told me people would try to tell me they were not necessary. He said, "Stick to your guns and I'll back you up, because the list of things we can't inspect without the utilities goes on and on." When I asked our realtor to try to get the seller to turn on the utilities, she said "You don't need the utilities to do an inspection!" but with Pete's voice echoing in my mind as if in a 1970s sitcom, I stuck to my guns. I am very glad I did because when the gas company went in they unhooked the furnace because it was making an unusual noise, and then upon Pete's inspection, we discovered that the furnace was absolutely shot and needs to be replaced. I am very glad the $4000-$8000 expense did not surprise us the first time we tried to turn on the heat next fall. Pete was very sweet throughout the process, and explained everything very clearly. He seems to just really enjoy inspecting houses and piecing together their physical history. He gave us a 29-page report, which our lawyer said was the most impressive report she had seen—she sounded blown away, really. He detailed each area of the house, inside and outside, and highlighted the parts that he felt required immediate attention to distinguish them from the minor imperfections you'd expect to find in any house. If you're looking to negotiate a fair price with complete information, this is the kind of report you want. If you want to know exactly what you might be buying, this is the kind of report you want. I felt myself wondering what would be involved in an inspection done without the utilities on, and what would be missing from it.

Pete inspected every single part of the house and garage. He stood across the street with us to talk about the roof and then got up on a ladder and took pictures of it for a while. He had told us on the phone that it would take two hours, but it ended up being around four. He did not charge us extra for the extra time spent. He was very knowledgeable about the construction of the house and explained everything in detail. He answered all of our questions and helped us identify the most troublesome aspects of the house. He is really a wealth of information and has many years of experience. He sent us a very detailed inspection report with pictures and diagrams within two days by e-mail. We were able to use this to get a credit from the seller. Overall, it was a very educational experience and I feel like I know the house inside and out.

He arrived on time worked with me to fully understand how much detail we needed and then went about doing the inspection with a minimal amount of disruption to me or the other members of the household. When questions or options came up he quickly found me, fully explained the choices and followed the direction completely.

I used Pete for another home inspection. (This house was directly across the street from the other one he inspected). Again, he showed each item of the house he was inspecting and explained EVERYTHING. I think he's terrific!