Structure Tech Home Inspections

Dwayne was the name of our inspector, and he arrived before we did to the home. Had all his tools and he removed his shoes since the ground was covered with snow. He was very thorough during the inspection. He started on the outside and worked his way in. He inspection the outside for damage, rot, and other issues. He wasn't able to inspect the roof due to snow cover. Once inside he went room by room and and checked them from top to bottom. He always let us know what he was doing and helped educate us and what we needed to know as home owners. He also gave us ideas of what potential fixes and upgrades would cost. At the end of the day he told us he would email us a complete inspection report w/ pictures and within 24hrs we received the completed report. It was well worth the price and we feel that he are now getting a great house.

FANTASTIC - VERY THOROUGH INSPECTION, WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

Overall, our experience was average. Nothing major went wrong, but it was not what I was expecting from a company that seems to have stellar ratings on Angie's List. We had some issues with the front office. All fairly minor but, in sum, show some issues with scheduling and communication. 1. I was told by the front office that the radon sensor would be placed over the weekend so we could get our test results on the same day as the actual inspection. For some reason this didn't happen. The inspector placed the sensor on the day of the inspection, which meant that we didn't get our test results until two days later. This putus "down to the wire" for responding to the seller as part of the purchase agreement. 2. Our coupon from Angie's List wasn't applied properly at first. 3. I was quoted a higher price on the phone for a follow-up inspection than my Realtor was. (Shouldn't there be just one price?) 4. The follow-up inspection was scheduled for the wrong date. To her credit, Lisa fixed this quickly. 5. There was a glitch with the payment for the follow-up inspection. As far as the actual inspection was concerned, things were just fine. The inspector arrived 40 minutes early and had already inspected several areas of the house when we arrived. I asked him to go back through the areas he had already inspected with me so I could ask questions. The report was completed quickly and emailed to us. One thing to keep in mind is that not all of the inspectors on Structure Tech's roster are ASHI Certified (I'm sure this is true of other inspection companies as well). Some are associate members, which is a stepping stone to getting certified. To get certified, an inspector has to take a battery of tests and perform at least 250 inspections, some of which are audited. Bottom line, my experience was very average. Structure Tech is not cheap compared to its competitors.

Our appointment with Wayne from Structure Tech took place on 3/21/14. He was right on time, and we went outside so I could show him where the water stains were occurring on our siding. From there, we went inside to check out the master bathroom, which I suspected was the source of the problem. I explained that I had been in the attic to see if I could figure out the issue, and found behind our shower where we have an approx. 2.5x2.5 enclosed shower bulkhead cavity, there was no ceiling drywall -- only a poly vapor barrier. The wall sheathing in the attic felt slightly damp above this area. I had set up a ladder so we could check the attic. Wayne was nice enough to put a drop cloth under my ladder to collect any insulation that fell when we opened the attic access door. In the attic, he checked out the issue, scanned with the infrared camera and also inspected our bathroom exhaust fan because we had a small ceiling stain in our bathroom by the fan. Using his moisture meter he was able to isolate the problem to the sheathing directly above the shower bulkhead cavity. Air leaks in the poly were creating condensation, especially during the extreme cold. I had many questions, but Wayne patiently listened and answered them all. He recommended a solution for the area above our shower and in the cavity itself, recommended a few minor fixes for our bathroom exhaust fan to ensure we didn't have any more issues with that, and on the way out of the attic he even noticed some water stains on a different wall. I knew about these other stains and was fairly confident I had corrected them when our house was re-roofed a few years ago. He did a double-check for me with his moisture meter along the entire wall. Everything checked out well, but it was great of him to check and it reassured me to know we had solved the previous problem. After inspecting the attic, Wayne went outside to scan the exterior siding for moisture. He determined the moisture was confined to an area behind our shower and running horizontally where we saw staining on the siding. He noticed another small section with damage not related to the shower issue so he inspected that, too, finding the moisture problem had already been corrected with kick out flashing when we re-roofed (but he recommended we prime/paint the section to fix the previous damage). I was impressed with how thorough, professional and patient Wayne was throughout the inspection. I'm the type of homeowner who wants to understand the issue and the solution, and I'll ask questions until I understand. He made me feel very comfortable asking questions and expressing concerns. I would definitely recommend Structure Tech and will be calling them again to re-inspect next winter after I've made their suggested corrections.

Neil Saltzman did the inspection, and he went way beyond my expectations. He was meticulous, careful, and very slow. I asked dozens of ridiculous questions and he answered them all. He acted like he had all day, and as though it was his own home. It was well worth the $500. I payed $125 extra for the IR Scan, and it was worth it. He even had us turn every switch on when we walked in so that at the end of the inspection he could use his IR Scanner to look at the temperature of the wires in the electric box. I STRONGLY recommend Structure Tech, and especially Neil. If I could give an A+, I would.

It went well. We were very happy with them and definitely recommend them. They came on time. He was very patient in explaining the whole process and I would absolutely use them again. He was very detailed and throughout in his inspection process.

It went very well. They are very professional and I felt did an exceptional job of checking over the house and letting use know things to look for and maintenance to do. I would definitely have then do another home inspection if I need one.

I would highly recommend Structure Tech. If there is one thing you want when you buy a house, it is a good inspector. George was at the property for nearly 4 hours and looked into EVERYTHING! He also documented everything he found that needed fixing or replacing. He also encouraged us to attend the inspection so he could show us his findings (which not all inspectors allow). He took pictures of everything and sent an amazing report. Needless to say there were some items that needed to be addressed and I did not end up buying that particular home. George saved me from buying a house that, in my opinion, would have been a mistake. Thanks George! You were worth every penny!

Nick Pickert not only did a thorough inspection, he also provided a sound education about the issues and problems he is identifying. His inspection allowed us to understand the condition and problems of the house we were considering which allowed us to effectively negotiate and in the end be comfortable walking away from the purchase.

Nick did a wonderful job of inspecting the home. He was very detailed and informative. We have purchased five houses over the last 14 years and he is the best home inspector we have ever had the pleasure of dealing with.

I hired Structure Tech for my seller's inspection and again, on the purchase side, for my buyer's inspection. I actually used them twice, because of the findings the first time I decided not to purchase the first house. My husband was a little upset and felt we had "lost" $400 on the inspection, while I think we won b/c we didn't buy a house that had tons of electrical issues (to say nothing of the colonies of mice living in the attic). Duane was my inspector at both inspections and I will speak to both experiences: First, I started out with Lisa who helped me book the inspection. I contacted them on the weekend and had a date scheduled for first thing on Monday morning. Awesome! Duane was right on time and waiting for us at the property. We shook hands and talked about the property a little bit and then he went off and did his thing while we spent some time looking around the house. If there was ever a large issue, Duane would come find us to show us so it wouldn't be a surprise when we read the report. Duane is extremely thorough and this is the guy you want on your side, I would be scared of him if I was the property owner. If there is something wrong, or out of compliance/code on your house - he WILL, without a doubt, find it. Now, with that being said, not everything out of code on a house is a deal breaker, but it's nice being armed with the information before you buy the house. He took the entire three hours. When he was done, he went over his findings with us and asked if we had any questions. He emailed us the report that night. I would, and have already, recommend this company - and specifically Duane - to anyone needing a home inspection. If I ever sell again, I will make sure to bring these guys in before we list so I know what issues that we need to take care of to ensure a seamless sale. Duane is the guy in overalls - trust me, you want him.

George was our inspector. He called ahead to let me know he'd be arriving soon. He was on time. Very courteous. Quiet (my two young daughters were sleeping). Non-intrusive. He explained what he was doing and gave a couple of good suggestions. I liked him so much I scheduled him for the inspection on our purchase side as well.

Structure Tech came on the recommendation of our realtor, and I could not be happier. They met with us on site toward the end of the inspection and reviewed everything they had found. The inspector answered every question I had, and was honest and direct (politely so) with his answers. Their report came within 24-hours, and was very thorough. It included links to videos and articles online at their website, which explained things in appropriate detail using clear language. I could not want more from this company, and felt very comfortable with our purchase as a result. Use them for your next home inspection.

George was positive and punctual, friendly and knowledgable. He was knowledge and able to explain the features of the house in language that was easy to understand. We will be calling Structure Tech Home Inspections again when we need an inspection:)

George, the inspector from Structure Tech, promptly arrived at the promised time. He did a very thorough inspection of our home and explained in detail what work was necessary to have done. He was excellent....I would recommend him and Structure Tech very highly!

The inspector arrived precisely on time, went right to work, offered me information about the condition of the home and its infrastructure and systems as the inspection progressed. Very professional. The inspector provided me with a written report, clearly detailing the inspection, with many digital images to support the inspector's findings. However, within the inspector's report there contained a finding that the radon mitigation system was improperly installed. According to the written report the home's plumbing system was being improperly vented into the radon mitigation system. The inspector reported no deficiencies in an adjacent lower level three-quarter bathroom. I contacted a master plumber who has done work for me in the past to come and inspect the entire plumbing system and radon mitigation system and ask for his feedback and an approximate cost to mitigate any deficiencies. The plumber disputed the inspector's findings on the radon mitigation system - plumbing venting. The plumber was able to demonstrate to my satisfaction that the two systems were in fact completely separate. The master plumber was able to demonstrate to my satisfaction that the lower level three-quarter bathroom's enclosed shower was not vented, the vent stack for this bathroom coming from the slab was below minimum standards, the venting for this bathroom was improperly tied into the venting for the nearby laundry and that the location of the WC and basin were likely below clearance standards. The findings of the inspector regarding the radon mitigation system were completely inaccurate, and that the code violations relating to the lower level three-quarter bathroom should have been detected.

Nick from Structure Tech walked us through, room by room, and all around the outside of the property. He explained things in a way that was easy for us as laypeople (not to mention first-time buyers) to understand, and was incredibly knowledgeable and thorough; he spent about 3.5 hours with us going through the almost 3,000 sq. ft. home. As a bonus, the radon testing started before our inspection, so we got the results the same day. Our report was e-mailed to us the same night as our inspection, and we are very pleased, again, with the thoroughness and attention to detail, including several pictures. Nick was extremely personable and a delight to work with. We feel supremely confident in Structure Tech as home inspectors, and we would use them in the future and will recommend them to friends.

We hired Structure Tech Home Inspections to perform a home inspection that we needed done on a house that we were buying. I called them on a Monday, and they were able to have someone come out for the inspection on Tuesday morning. We had Milind do the inspection. He arrived on time, and even a few minutes early. He was very nice and never once made us feel like we were asking too many questions or were an inconvenience. He inspected the entire home from top to bottom in a very detailed manner. My dad was along and is always full of questions and ideas, and he answered all of them with great expertise. If we saw something that we had questions about, he would go back and look it over or stop what he was doing and come check it out. He was very thorough in his inspection, and explained everything to us in a way that we could easily understand. Along the way, if there was something that needed to be fixed, he was able to give us a general idea of how significant it was- whether it needed to be fixed right away, or could be put a little further down on the list. He had good knowledge about what would be needed in order to fix things, and who to contact about it. He took many pictures to document everything that he found, and spent a little over 3 hours with us looking over the entire home. We were very impressed with the work that he did. We received the report the following morning, and it was very detailed, outlining everything that he had talked with us about the day before, including every detail. There was one small item that he forgot on the initial report, and he even took the time to email me to let me know and created an addendum on the report, which he sent right away. I would definitely recommend this company to others, and would work with them again in the future.

They showed up at the scheduled time Friday afternoon and placed the radon test box in the basement. Came back Monday morning to get the box and gave me a reading on the spot of the radon levels. Also emailed me the same day a detailed reading of all the levels thru the weekend. Prompt, Professional.

The company was very organized, prompt and courteous. I was able to schedule an inspection within just a couple of days. Most of the communication was handled through email (at my own preference.) They were quick to respond, and gave lots of information. I would say the inspection took about FOUR hours, and was worth every minute of it. Our inspector (Duane) looked at everything, everywhere, and talked out loud about everything he was looking at, giving lots of details, and more in depth information when we asked. He gave us a good verbal summary after going through the house. Within a couple hours we had his final report in my email. It included pictures of issues and lots of follow up information. While looking at the house he found evidence of a potential fuel oil tank buried on the lot. It was just a small sign, but it would have completely and permanently killed the deal. He gave us the name of the person to contact that could follow up with more detail. Dean's Tank, I'll review them later. (Lucky for us, no tank.) This was a most excellent job, and we have used other inspectors in the past so we have something to compare them to.

The inspector did an excellent job and was very thorough. We'd had our home inspected before and Structure Tech found several issues that the previous inspector ignored or couldn't be bothered to report.

I could not have been more pleased with this service. The inspector was very thorough and I learned a lot about the house and houses in general. We went through all aspects of the house and the inspector spent a great deal of time ensuring that everything was covered. The report I received was comprehensive. This was money very well spent and I would not hesitate to use them again.

Booked a home inspection by making contact through the company website. They were very responsive via email communication, but it was nearly impossible to get through to them on the phone when we had more detailed questions and wanted to discuss in "real-time", though we did get everything arranged via email without issue. We had requested a Buyer's Inspection, Radon Inspection and Infrared Inspection. Turned out not all inspectors can do the Infrared Inspection, and our inspector would let us know if he "recommended" one to be done after he did the Buyer's Inspection, which would have to be done by another inspector, on another date. As we were under the wire to make a go/no-go decision on buying the home, we skipped the IR inspection. The request for the Radon Inspection must have gotten lost in the shuffle of email communications, as it was not performed (we were not charged for it, so no-harm, no-foul?). The Home Inspection was quite thorough, taking nearly 4 hours to inspect this 2600 sq ft split-entry (5 BR/3BA) suburban home. We were very comfortable with the inspector's (Duane Erickson) knowledge and experience. The Inspection Report amounted to 44 pages, with nearly 50 full color, high resolution photos embedded within it to highlight areas of concern, or to affirm areas that commonly have issues but were "OK" in this home. Alongside the actual photos taken of the home, were illustrations of how certain things "should" look or be constructed for comparison/reference. A large portion of the report was clearly boilerplate content, outlining proper building techniques and recommended maintenance and care, but this was helpful to us as buyers. The Structure Tech website also has additional reference content on all aspects of home construction, things to look out for, etc. which is a useful resource as we take on maintenance and repairs. For each area of the home inspected, there were comments as to the: *function or lack thereof *issues that would require immediate attention due to structural concerns, safety issues, or building code violations *areas that would need to be periodically inspected to ensure that issues do not arise in the future *areas that require regular maintenance and upkeep to prevent future issues Despite the communication challenges and not getting all of the services performed that we were looking for, we are overall very pleased with the results of the inspection services performed by Structure Tech and the thoroughness of the inspection report. Using the report, we were able to negotiate in our favor additional concessions from the seller and have some key items addressed before closing on the house. We felt much more confident in purchasing 30+ year old home thanks to this inspection and report. Now, after nearly a month living in the house, we still have that same confidence. The cost of the inspection was well worth it.

Although the company was responsive, their inspection failed to under many problems. One serious problem they failed to detect was frequent flooding of the basement', whenever the water softener ran. The water softener was relying on the sump pump to discharge its output. They failed to detect this linkage, the flooding, and the frequent failure of the sump pump. However, they did find the sump pump was oddly placed. Their report said they didn't see any evidence of basement flooding, yet it was frequent! Another serious problem they failed to detect was improper loading of the floor joists. I measured the kitchen floor level, to find it was badly sagging, because of the weight of the kitchen was simply too much for the 18 foot joist spans. They did detect many problems, but these were serious oversights.

I was pleased with scope of the inspection and the written report was well done. The deficiencies in the home, although fairly minor, were clearly explained and remedies were suggested. No major problems were found, but I feel confident that if any had existed the inspector from Structure Tech would have found them.