American Home Inspection Service

We have used Danny for three home inspections and I could not recommend him higher. He is thorough, clear, reliable, professional, helpful. Even our agent said that he pointed out stuff that most inspectors would not mention (using a camera to check on old sewage lines - something that even the neighbors had mentioned was a problem in the neighborhood). On the third house we had under contract we scheduled an appointment with him, too. He came out, took a walk around the house and inside and said, "Before you invest in me, call a structural engineer. This house is moving!" That's integrity. We ended up having to walk on that house because the owners had just put it on the market and hadn't accepted the fact that there were structural problems.

He never returned the voicemail message I left. It's been at least 3 weeks.

To start with, we have recommended Danny to friends that are looking for a house right now. Danny was on time or even a few minutes early to the appointment. He went right to work. I walked around with him as he did the inspection to see what he found. He checked everything and found more than our real estate agent thought he would find. Not only did he explain what he found he also gave pointers on things that we should and should not do if we bought the house. The house needs a new roof, and while on the roof Danny took pictures of it to show the need in our negotiation for a closing credit to replace the roof. The homeowners denied that the roof needed to be replaced but then saw pictures and could not disagree any longer. We closed on the house yesterday. We are walking in there knowing exactly the items that need to be addressed (a new roof) versus those that we want to address (ie paint). Our real estate agent recommended three other home inspectors but after the inspection said that Danny would be added to her list of recommendations.

Danny was very responsive--calling me back every time I called him. On the day of the inspection, Danny was professional and explained everything as we went through the house--even suggesting some items that while technically correct I might want to ask the builder about, as well some items I might want to do myself for additional insulation/sound proofing. At the end he provided me two copies of a written report--one for the builder and one for my records.

I left Danny a couple of voicemail messages, and I never received a response. I even tried one additional time to reach him, but he was away from his phone. I'm sure he is fine and very busy, but if you can't get a hold of him, I would recommend that you go on to the next inspector on your list.

If you're looking for a terrific home inspector, then look no further. Danny responded to my initial call in less than an hour and scheduled the appointment. On the day of appointment, he was there early. He checked the roof, the basement, and EVERYTHING in betw. Danny has the great combination of professionalism, attention to detail, and an easy going personality. He walked me through all of the issues of concern in his inspection report and made it very easy to understand. After submitting Danny's inspection report to the seller, they agreed to fix most of the issues that he discovered; saving me hundreds in repairs! After the seller made the repairs, Danny came out again to make sure that they did everything right, at no additional charge! He even reduced the cost by $50 for using Angie List! What more could you possibly ask from a home inspector?! A fantastic experience all the way through.

The inspection went smoothly. The inspector was thorough, knowledgeable and articulate. The inspector went through the house with me room by room pointing out things that were important but that I would not have noticed. Having this information up front has allowed me to more efficiently plan for placing my home on the market. Outside, the inspector pointed out important areas that needed to be addressed as well. Overall, it was an excellent experience. I plan on using the same company to inspect my new home.

The inspection was very thorough and made great suggestions for how to resolve our leak problem.

Danny was very thorough and gave us a lot of extra information about the house and its history. Very courteous, professional and punctual. He came back for free to check the gas (because it was turned off at the time of inspection). He also couldn't access the roof so gave us a $200 discount so we could hire a roofer he recommended. We feel confident in moving forward with the sale based on his inspection. Greatly appreciate his time and service and would definitely recommend American Home Inspection Service to others.

I was not happy with the responsiveness of this company. I left a message on Sunday requesting a call back to set up a home inspection appointment. By Monday afternoon I called back again after not hearing from anybody. I left another message as nobody answered the phone. Late afternoon I received a call back but I was unable to answer the phone since I was in a meeting. The message was pretty rude with person saying that he could not hear my message that I had left. I called back and again, nobody answered. I left another message speaking much louder as to when I could set up an appointment. It is now Tuesday evening and I have not heard back from the company.

The inspection went quite well. Mark Jenkins arrived at 11 a.m. (as he said he would). He went to the crawl space first and check it out. He made suggestions as to what we could do to make it drier under the house. Then he went from room to room checking all electrical outlets, plumbing services (bathroom), Heating and Cooling systems, Attic, General Interior, Kitchen. Then he inspected the grounds and appurtenances, roofing, guttering, and chimney, and the exterior of the house. He explained that the chimney needed some work because of the false fireplace we have. He told us to have the chimney fixed before using the fireplace. Before he left he went over with us everything that he had written down on his field report and gave us a copy of it so that we could follow up on his suggestions on repairing the chimney and crawl space. He said the house inspected well for it's age and seems to have gbeen fairly well taken care of.

Danny was fantastic. He was remarkably thorough. He found an electrical issue that most inspectors would have passed over, and that the seller's were required to fix. Because of this catch, he saved us close to 2,500. He was also very patient and loved to explain what he was doing. I can't recommend Danny highly enough.

Danny Patkus arrived on time, worked expertly and diligently, answered my questions along the way, volunteered explanations (very helpful insights into the life and habits of heating systems) and left us with a usable report of problems and potential problems. It was a pleasure to work with him. We couldn't be more pleased.

We have lived in our home for about 7 years, and wanted to know what needs work, what not to worry about, and whether our ideas for renovation are practical. Danny was perfect for this. He found that the chimney is deteriorating and and an exterior wall needs repair (unpleasant surprises), but that the roof should be good for many years and that my anxiety about the foundation is unfounded (which may have saved us much unneeded expense). He made useful suggestions for having the new kitchen floor done properly and about walls which we want to modify. He reminded me about a few things like the need to fill in holes in the lawn to avoid possible liabilities. He arrived at the appointed time and his fee was very reasonable.

Danny came highly recommended and was our first choice for the inspection of the property we inteded to buy. Danny provided an extremely thorough inspection and pointed out several critical issues in electric, plumbig, roof and overall condition of the house and safety standards. In addition, he offered throughful advice on potential future home improvements and explained the features of the house to us. he provided us with a complete report in real time. We are relying on Danny again for a re-inspection, to give us peace of mind that all agreed issues have been satisfactorily adressed by the sellers before closing on the house.

Dan was very professional and provided a detailed written report that allowed us to make appropriate decision about our real estate purchase. the property was a foreclosure so it had a lot of problems and required an expert inspector. All of our expectations were met or exceeded. We would recommend Dan and American Home Inspections Service and will use them again in the future.

We have nothing but great things to say about Danny Patkus from American Home Inspection Service. He's extremely thorough, very knowledgeable, and reasonably priced. He's also very friendly and takes time to explain things as he goes so you understand what he's finding and even explains things that aren't problems just so you get to know your house better. In short, everything you could want in a home inspector. Highly recommended.

Danny saved me approximately $15,000 on home repairs that I would have incurred through a home purchase without his home inspection. The house was very clean and nice, and on my own, I would not have identified the serious foundation issues, rodent infestation in the attic, and broken fireplace. Because of his inspection I was able to ensure that the house was fully repaired before I purchased it.

We plan to put our home on the market in the next couple of months and wanted to know if we had any major deficiencies that we need to address before doing so. Danny responded to my call quickly and set up an appointment. He arrived on time, made sure he understood the reason for the home inspection, invited me to accompany him so he could explain what he was looking for, and prepared a thorough written report before leaving. Danny explained the findings and offered solutions to a couple of issues he identified. He was courteous and professional. I would definitely recommend his services to anyone needing a home inspection.

Danny is thorough, knowledgeable, professional and very gregarious. If we ever need inspection services, he's the first person we'd call.

Danny performed the home inspection... was very good, explained things well, provided detailed report, very helpful

mark was our inspector. he is very informative and professional. we'd definitely use him again.

I called Mark Jenkins after seeing reviews for AHIS here on angieslist. He actually did two inspections for me. The price listed was for the full/complete inspection. Upon looking at the first home I was interested in buying, he crawled into a wet/muddy crawlspace and let me know about mold and foundation issues, so he stopped the inspection there and charged less than half price (offering to complete the inspection for that home at a later date once the foundation issues were fixed for the rest of the cost). I was really happy that he went under the home and prevented us from buying a money pit with tens of thousands of dollars of issues. For the second house he was extremely thorough and looked at everything. He climbed on top of a two story home with an attic (which shocked my realtor) to look at the roof and gutters. He was extremely thorough in inspecting the appliances, HVAC, toilets, sinks, windows, foundation, electrical system, etc. He answered all of my questions and certainly gave me piece of mind that the new place I'll be purchasing doesn't spell disaster like the first place I was interested in. He noticed a few things that we should get fixed which we certainly expected in a 56 year old home but explained clearly the issue and how to resolve it. I highly recommend using AHIS as it gave me some piece of mind as well as some confidence for what I'm getting into when purchasing a home.

I wanted to have a home inspection on my house that I've owned since 1996, for various reasons (having the roof checked after last winter's blizzards, for one). The house was built in 1930. I wanted a professional to tell me the condition of the roof, chimney, attic, cracks in some walls, foundation, etc. I did not need any mechanical systems looked at since I have a company who checks them twice a year. So the inspection did not take as long as an inspection for a home being newly purchased. Danny is a very friendly, professional, knowledgable guy. He will jump up on the roof lightning quick (wait 'til you see his cool ladder) and he also climbed thru a small square hatch to get to the attic, with no problem. I learned a lot from Danny and he confirmed what I already knew which was that I needed to have a better foundation for my front porch. I've already hired a company to have a proper foundation put in. The job was completed and, Danny, if you are reading this....the cost of the foundation work was exactly in the middle of the range you estimated. My chimney had been leaking every time it rained. Danny examined the chimney and asked me who did the masonry work. He said they didn't do it properly and that the water was channeling inbetween the flues, causing the leaking. I called the masonry/chimney company, the next day, to complain. I told them I had their receipt (from 6 yrs ago) and a report from a home inspector. Well, they came over within a week and fixed it! No charge, either. Soon after that, we had several inches of rain. My chimney no longer leaks! Danny also fixed something for me, but I won't say what because then everyone will ask him to do the same thing if they have that problem! Danny gave me an incredibly fair price on the inspection. I definitely recommend him. I didn't list the cost of the inspection because it varies from house to house.

Danny came to inspect a home that I am buying. Bright and early Monday morning, he arrived ready to search every nook and cranny of the 1954 colonial. We started in the basement, where he identified a couple of problems with a leaky pipe and an inappropriately branched circuit. He also gave us an education about the water heater, as it was improperly vented into the fireplace and causing some damage. He walked and inspected every inch of the basement, looking for evidence of any potential problems and giving us lessons on homeownership during the process! He even detected the smell of a dog in the house, which explained the hundred air fresheners throughout. Danny does it all. He inspected all of the systems, and educated us about their useful lives. He went on the roof (they are not required to do that in DC, and my realtor said that it is "rare" that he sees them do it voluntarily), inspected the shingles, and looked down into the chimney. I get vertigo just thinking about it, but before we knew it, he had grabbed his ladder and scaled it straight to the top of the house. I had also forgotten to ask him to do a radon test when I first contacted him, and he returned to the house to drop off the testing kit and review the results a few days thereafter. He did say that if there was anything that would cause major concern, that he would advise against continuing the inspection. I appreciated his honesty, but secretly (and nervously) hoped that he wouldn't find any real deal breakers. At the end, there were a few minor issues that he discovered, and we were able to get additional credit from the sellers for repair. The icing on the cake was when he said, "I like to start the week looking at a house in such good condition. It is a good way to spend a Monday morning." I couldn't have agreed more. His inspection is worth its weight in gold. Whenever I buy the next home, I will definitely use American Home Inspection, and I highly recommend that you do the same. *Update - Danny returned to my home to do a post-construction reinspection. We had some concerns about the quality of work that had been done, and wanted him to check things out before we moved in. We are so glad that we did! While he said that the house has not been ruined by our contractors, there were definitely health and safety concerns about the quality the installation of a new water heater and chimney damper. Thanks to Danny, we can have true professionals fix these problems so that we can feel more secure about moving into our home! Danny is worth every penny (and then some!)