BENCHMARK HOME INSPECTION SERVICES

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Great.

He started off with the exterior of the house and immediately told us that the deck was attached to a cantilevered floor and the span of the deck required that it be free-standing. The floor joists were being pulled out due to the lack of bolstering from under the deck and he recommended that we keep this as the highest priority as we need to be safe in the deck. He also told us about the masonry front porch being cracked probably due to the lack of a small spout to let the water out. Basically, the soil underneath freezes in winter and expands thus cracking the concrete. He also talked about the cantilevered bay windows being nice to look at but never perfect in terms of structure. He spent sometime checking the roof, chimney and told us a lot of tidbits that would help us in the short and long run for better upkeep. I was busily writing them down and even taking some videos. He then started with the interior. He went to the attic straight and then the basement. He identified that the homeowners were using a dehumidifier in winter and was onto something...as expected, they had a hidden sump pump near that. But nothing gnarly...He moved onto the furnace and spent at least 45 minutes opening it and checking the heat exchanger and all the parts (including serial number). He told me that Lennox furnaces are not the best and have had a history of heat exchanger failures. At this point (about 3 hours in), I had to rush to the restroom and asked him if he wanted to use a break. He told me that "he developed a large bladder as part of the job and he was fine"! He finally checked what a lot of other inspector check...appliances, lights, switches but he seemed to worry less about them. And I couldn't have been more happier...the cosmetic things are easy fixes in a home...I don't want an inspector to tell me that a switch is old or rotten...i can see it and fix it. It is the stuff I cannot see that I want him to tell me. Overall, I learned so much about the house. It was like a 4 hour comprehensive tutorial of the house. The real estate agents probably hate him as he is so thorough and they have to sit in the house for 4 hours+! Following the inspection, I was able to call him many times about information, suggestions and backup evidence when the homeowners did not accept/agree with his report. He wrote up a letter explaining why the furnace had to be replaced since the heat exchanger had cracked....the stubborn homeowners still did not agree (it was a 37 year old furnace for heaven's sake!). But he was very accommodative of my requests even though he had a busy schedule. He is one of the most professional people I have worked with. The hallmark of a great inspector is that he will be able to find all the issues that are important and need to be fixed soon so that you can potentially re-negotiate the price or ask the owners to fix things. I think he has the right attitude and work ethic to facilitate this. The sellers hated him and told us through the attorney that he cannot come for the final walkthrough or inspection of repairs which was baloney but you get the point about why sellers would dislike him. Through all the imperfections in the house I also felt like I knew what I was getting into. No house is prefect and they'll all have issues. So, it is better to go into it guarded not feel like everything will be a breeze and everything is perfect since you've paid the money for it. I wish it would be the case but that's not how it is. So, in addition to all that he offered from the technical standpoint, I also got a reality check of what to expect and where to ground my expectations.

I've selected Kyle based on reviews and called him right away. He was very responsive and detailed in his responses. Also had very flexible schedule, so it was easy for us to find a time and date. Kyle showed up ahead of time and start his work right away. Went through whole exterior of the house pointing out every single little fault, as well as taking pictures of it for the report and instructing us how serious the problem might be and how to fix it. Every single item was explained in detail - what it is, how the issue started, and how can it be fixed. When inspecting inside of the house we spent lots of time in basement, where Kyle explain how to use and maintain every single utility. His explanations were very informative and easy to understand, so anybody with no prior how ownership experience will know right away what he's talking about. The whole inspection took over 4 hrs and generated long report, filled with many photos. It was delivered to us via email, so it was quick and easy to share with our attorney. I'll keep it save on my hard drive, so I can go back and make sure that I don't forget about any potential issues, which I need to have fixed in our new home.

I was very pleased with the thoroughness and breadth of Kyle's work as well as his follow up afterward. The home we are purchasing was built in 1938 so there were many things that needed to be looked at and Kyle spent lots of time going thru and explaining everything to us. In addition to the standard home inspection stuff he organized a full property scan that too was very timely and helpfull. My past experiences with home inspections left me cold it looked like they were to check a box off with very little benefit. Kyle's inspection was money well spent, we will use his reports for many years to come. I would recommend him to anyone looking for a top notch inspection.

This is the second home inspection that Kyle has done for us, which I suppose tells you something in and of itself. This second inspection only reinforced the views expressed in our prior report (dated August 23, 2011). We wanted to also note, however, just how accommodating Kyle was in getting this second inspection done. In this case, the Seller was looking for any excuse to avoid the contract (on account of a later, higher offer). Accordingly, we were given very short notice, and a very small window, to get the inspection done and decide how to handle any deficiencies. When we apprised Kyle of this circumstance, he rearranged his inspection schedule to account for my time constraints, and made himself available to perform the inspection at 9 am the day after I called him. Because I had a very short time to come to a landing about how to handle the deficiencies (and had not been able to attend the inspection), Kyle was on the phone with me that same night (after performing the inspection) for about an hour from 10 pm to 11 pm, talking me through the inspection and forwarding ? while we spoke and in answer to my questions ? digital photographs of areas about which he had concern. His inspection report (which is narrative, detailed, and illustrated with digital photographs) followed the next day. It is difficult to overstate just how important this was. The long and short of it, though, is had we not been able to get the inspection done and determine how to handle the deficiencies almost immediately ? we would have lost the deal. Normal scheduling lead time, normal time to issue a report, checklist form reports ? any of these perfectly ordinary things would have cratered our deal. I?m sure that there are a great many inspectors who would have considered that my problem; Kyle made it our shared problem, and bent over backward to get it done right in the short time available. He is first-rate; you cannot go wrong.

After a brief phone conversation where Kyle described options and prices for different aspects of home inspections, we opted to get a complete workup. This would include septic - also a hydraulic test, as the house had been unoccupied for nearly a year - a general mechanical inspection including roof, electrical, foundation, furnace, pests, oil tank...we also had Kyle perform a scan of the property to ensure there were no buried oil tanks. Kyle emailed a contract, we signed. The day before the inspection was to take place, the septic guys (a subcontractor) arrived to start the hydraulic test. They were unable to perform the test because the septic tank was found to be completely filled, and the rest of that test was cancelled. Kyle called me shortly after the septic contractor arrived to let me know. We met on the property the following day for the inspection proper. Kyle led me on an extremely thorough tour of our prospective home. He took no notes, but thoroughly documented the inspection through photographs. No stone was left unturned; we went through every inch of the house (although he walked the roof alone). Along the way, he described the different aspects of the house, ranging from the types of pipe used in the heating system, to the amount of flashing required on a window installation, to the proper installation of fascia, to the recommended installation techniques for electrical panel backing board. Kyle made suggestions about maintenance - what sorts of tradesmen we should have look at the house, and at what intervals - for instance, he recommended that we have a mason come out each spring to check the fieldstone walls and chimneys for any cracks. I came to the process completely uneducated about a home's systems, and while I still feel far from confident in my knowledge, I do feel that Kyle was able to impart enough knowledge during the inspection that I will be able to somewhat intelligently deal with issues in the home. We finished the inspection by placing a radon detector for that test; he'd be back to pick it up in a couple of days. Kyle's report was a detailed recap - complete with photographs, including arrows pointing out what he was specifically addressing in the photo. The report is thorough enough that not only do I know what must be dealt with immediately (and by the seller, thank you very much) but I also a basic plan for what I need to look at doing or having done in the house over the next few years. Kyle also offers a home checkup service, and I fully intend to reengage him in a few years to see how we are doing. I can not possibly recommend his services highly enough.

Both realtors said Kyle performed the most in depth inspection they have ever seen.

Absolutely first-rate inspection and report. We could not have been more happy with the service we received from Kyle. When arranging our inspection, I mentioned to Kyle that we were first time home-buyers, and so were particularly dependent upon his inspection. He quoted a price of $750 and said to expect the inspection to take between four and one-half hours to five hours. Although I'm sure he could have been finished in that time, because he was trying educate us as well as inspect, Kyle went through, around, on top of, and under, the house for eight hours -- we started at 9 am and ended at 5 pm. At each step of the way, he stopped to explain what he was looking at, what he hoped to find, what he actually found, why it mattered to us, and, where indicated, what sorts of remedial measures were necessary or appropriate. He took dozens (if not more) of digital photographs along the way, memorializing every condition and concern with a color photograph. Kyle walked the roof, photographed the chimney, crawled under the deck (disappeared from view for about 5 minutes), lifted and photographed above the drop ceiling in the finished basement (finding much to be concerned about that was otherwise concealed from view), dug through the garage, covered the attic (not by just sticking his head up there), stuck a flexible-neck camera into the furnace, gave the electrical panel and hot water-heater a thorough going-over, tested every outlet, opened every window, closet, and cabinet in the house. Everything -- literally everything -- was looked at, tested, and written up. There really wasn't any part of the house that didn't get a thorough look. By the end of the day we'd received an enormously valuable education (and I was tired just from watching Kyle work). The realtor was slack-jawed -- said she had never seen so thorough an inspection. The 40+ page report (delivered two days later) was terrific -- detailed narrative descriptions illustrated with color photographs. Everyone with whom I've shared the report (including a general contractor that just had his own home inspection) says that they have never seen a home inspection report like it. Bottom line: It's hard to overstate just how pleased we were that we choose Kyle. I would not even think about using anyone else. If this place doesn't work out for us, we will be calling Kyle when we find the next place that we think might (and we'll probably call him after we buy, just to make sure that we're maintaining the place correctly). You can't go wrong.

He is an EXCELLENT inspector. FANTASTIC all around and goes above and beyond after the inspection is complete. I really appreciate that he is patient and explains how to maintain the home. I can't say enough great things about Kyle. He is completely worth the money. You will be very luck to have him inspect your home. He shows up ready to work and has a specific plan that he goes through. He's not the "follow a checklist" type of inspector. He's been in the business and sets out to do his inspection with a methodical plan. He is very, very thorough. He climbs on things and gets into crevices to make sure that he actually sees what is "hidden" behind walls. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Due to timing of the house purchase transaction and a need to continue the paperwork flowing even though I was about to go out of the country on vacation for 2 weeks, I found myself in a position that required the home inspection be accomplished over the Independence Day long weekend. After reading other reviews of Kyle's services I phoned him and felt very cheeky asking if there was any way he could accomplish the inspection on the long weekend (only 4 days away). Kyle was extremely accomodating and said he would be able to meet my scheduling needs. I can't thank Kyle enough for taking basically a whole day out of his long weekend, at very short notice, to do the inspection. The inspection was very well organized, Kyle has a methodical approach to looking at all areas, inside and out and does not miss a thing. Kyle's attention to details, knowledge of building codes and building best practices was amazing. I am a very detail oriented guy and I was very impressed by, and certainly appreciated, Kyle's analytical and thorough approach. The advice he gave me as we went through the house was invaluable, I learnt a lot of new things, not just about the findings he observed, but also about home repair and maintenance in general. I took a lot of notes throughout the inspection but Kyle did such a fantastic job with his final written report, which included a lot of digital pictures he took and then marked up to show specific areas of concern, that I did not foget anything that I learnt about the house. The entire inspection took nearly 5 1/2 hours. You probably can do it quicker and a little cheaper, but why would you try to save a few bucks and risk missing something significant on one of the biggest transactions you will ever make? You always get what you pay for and with Kyle I am very happy with the service provided and believe I got every single cent of value for my money. I have had a couple of follow up calls with Kyle to get more details about how to approach a couple of repairs mentioned in the report and Kyle is always very helpful and gives good advice. Kyle also organized a good septic system inspection for us and I am confident that any company he recommends is detail oriented and highly credible. If you use Kyle's services, I am confident you will be happy and that you will benefit from his depth of analysis - you will definately appreciate his professional style.

Kyle was extremely knowledgeable and very thorough with the inspection. The whole inspection took about 4 hours, encroaching on 5. He started on the outside of the house going after rot in wood with his trusty screwdriver. He went into crawlspaces and found just about everything you could imagine that would be wrong with the house. After the full outer inspection we moved into the basement to inspect the furnace and water heater. He gave an impressive amount of knowledge of maintenance of the furnace and the water heater. He found termite tubes in the basement underneath some stairs and a dark back corner. He inspected the electrical box that had an impressive amount of non-professional tampering inside and knob and tube wiring was all over the house. He checked every outlet he could plug into (all 3 prongs, no 2 prongs). He informed me of tax credits for heating the home with a wood stove insert for the fireplaces. He inspected the roof (though it was very wet out and the roof had a steep angle so he didn't go on top of the roof). It turned out he wouldn't need to as he saw shingles were falling off the roof which meant that the roof was in dire need of repair and once we were in the attic it was obvious that it would need replacing. After this he inspected what was left of the kitchen, but it was in total disarray and in need of repair. Then he inspected all the bathrooms and toilets and moved to the upstairs inspecting water damage on the walls and ceilings. The report he emailed to me within 3 days (I believe he sent it sometime after 1 am on the third day) included many pictures and excellent do's and dont's and he gave me advice on how to get a proper contractor to work on old brick masonry. If I used new mortar it would just destroy the old bricks that were soft and would soak up water and expand too much for the new type of masonry. He saved me quite a few headaches with that home. He is an amazing home inspector and I would use his services again (and I have).

Benchmark was recommended to me by two real estate agents (one our agent; one a family friend) who both said that if they were buying a home, they'd want to use Kyle. They couldn't have been more right. Kyle did a truly unbelievable job -- this was no cookie-cutter, check-the-box home inspection. We were on a tight timeline for the home purchase and Kyle was extremely flexible in scheduling. We scheduled a day that we hoped would fall after attorney review, and he also held a day as a backup for us if we needed to push it back (he was to call us if someone else wanted to schedule on that day so we could decide). The initial inspection lasted well over 5 hours. He checked every corner of the inside and outside of the house and provided detailed explanations of what he was looking at, why, and what concerns (if any) he had. This is the second home inspection I've gone throughand he provided far more detail than I was accustomed to, and the agent who was with me at the house couldn't believe how long it was taking (I didn't care one bit). He had a digital camera with him and took numerous photographs of everything he was looking at, which he said would remind him of what he was looking at. I was a bit taken aback that he wasn't taking any notes -- so I was writing things down furiously -- but this ultimately wasn't a problem AT ALL as I describe below. He answered all my questions and, when necessary or when asked, explained how things worked. We ran into trouble because the access to the attic was blocked by some California Closets (itself a code violation). In order to be able to complete his work, he arranged with the seller and seller's agent to complete that attic inspection when he came back to pick up the radon detector. (No extra charge to me.) My worries that the inspection report would lack detail were completely unfounded. I received a 25 page PDF of detailed explanations (no check-box answers here), with all the issues he identified included in the text and "major concerns" clearly called out in red. The PDF also included over a dozen of the digital images Kyle took with headings, arrows and explanations of what the photo showed. Where building code violations were noted, Kyle often included the actual building code citation! The inspection report was incredibly helpful in negotiating a reduction in the purchase price to address the noted repairs, and has been even more helpful when hiring contractors to address identified issues, as I can clearly explain what I need to have done. I will note that Kyle is more expensive than other inspectors I considered, but you absolutely get what you pay for. His work was really above and beyond, and he was worth every penny.

Kyle came in person and did a very detailed home inspection. He spent almost 5 hours with me going through the details of the mechanical and structural systems of our new home. His report was very thorough as well. He does not provide septic himself, but he arranged it through one of his sub-contractors and they arrived during the inspection to complete that part. One bill for all services was very nice. His prices are definately higher than some of the others, but a home inspection is not a place to cut corners. Thanks for the help Kyle.

I could not have asked for a better inspection. Yes, Kyle was a tad more expensive than others out there but I have to say he was worth every penny. He was recommended to us by a contractor who referred to him as "the deal-breaker". That sounded good to me. We worked out a start time for the inspection and when I arrived 5 minutes early, I found that Kyle was already there getting ready. He took me from room to room taking ample time to explain everything he saw from the good to the bad and even showing me how to maintain the different things in the house. The entire inspection took 2.5 hours so I can say with 100% certainty that he was thorough. His findings resulted in a very large credit from the sellers so he did his job for sure. Since we moved in, contractors have commented how impressed they were that Kyle pointed out certain things that normally do not get pointed out during an inspection. Also, when doing research into solutions for the issues in the hosue I have been able to call Kyle on multiple occasions to get his opinion which he has happily given, spending as much time as I needed to answer them. You will not be disappointed in Kyle's service, and you will more than likely agree with me that it was the best money you spent on the home purchase.

I called to schedule the appointment with Kyle. I got an estimate, and to me, I thought it was a bit high. My friends and family have said they all paid around 300-400 for a home inspection. I liked the histogram here for Benchmark and after talking with Kyle, I decided that 675 is not bad at all.. Also the others who had told me paid less had their inspections done over a year ago. Prices change. Kyle told me about what services he provided and what to expect. We needed a Well/Septic inspection and he does not do those, but works with a company that does. He asked if I knew about the well/septic, and I didn't, so explained to me in great detail, what the inspection would involve. We had a time constraint to get the inspection done and it just happened to be the weekend after Thanksgiving. We scheduled for Saturday after and Kyle called the Well/Septic (Eco-Logic) and scheduled that for us. Shortly after, I called to change the appt to Sunday. Kyle said he could come out, but wasn't sure about Eco-Logic. He called them and was able to confirm that they would be joining us for Sunday as well. AWESOME. Inspection day came around, Kyle was prompt and on time. Eco-Logic arrived early and had gotten a head-start on the work they set out to do. I could go in to A LOT of detail, but to summarize, Kyle is extremely knowledgeable on all aspects of the home that he covers. I learned SO much. He didn't just tell us the pros and cons of our prospective-new-home, he taught us things. How to use the equipment, like water softener, heater, A/C etc... and how to maintain everything. EVERYTHING. He spent about 4 hours showing us the ins and outs of the house (literally). Very thorough. I feel very lucky to have found him through Angie's List. After our inspection Kyle let us know that we could call him about anything questions or concerns. If we don't know what such and such lever does...give him a buzz and he'll help us out. Kyle told us that he'd have our report done in 2 days. It came to us in a timely fashion and had very detailed descriptions of everything. Even some things we didn't discuss. I was worried that I wouldn't remember everything he told us, b/c there was so much to know... but he got it all down in the report. The descriptions are color coded and items in red are MAJOR concerns. He took pictures a long the way and provided those in the report with notes on them and arrows to show exactly what he was referencing. In the report he also supplied us with reference sheets such as Do's and Don'ts of Septic Ownership, How to make your water heater last forever, and info on Forced Air Heating and Cooling. Radon test is done electronically. Acceptable payment = Cash or Check No complaints on the price... I feel I got more than I paid for with Benchmark. Job well done, Kyle!

He was the three P's and that is all I can ask - Professional, personalable, and prompt. He did everything that was asked of him. I also asked for a scoping of the sewer line. He did not do it but he had someone come to do it who was just as professional as he was. That company was Eco-Logic Environmental.

Kyle came through for us in a true moment of need; we had booked an inspector who we discovered last minute was not what we wanted, and Kyle came through after a last-minute call. He was extremely thorough, and very much focused on our needs as home buyers (we had originally worried that some inspectors might be favorable to the seller and his/her broker, in hopes of securing future bookings, but Kyle was clearly motivated by protecting us). Also, he educated me as he went, which was invaluable as a perspective new home owner and former apartment dweller. The report he produced had everything he mentioned during the inspection (which was about 4 hours long), was very detailed, extremely well written and had numerous helpful illustrations, pictures, and references. He's also just a plain old NICE guy. Finally, Kyle has been available for questions ever since we purchased our home, and he always provides thoughtful, thorough answers. He's one of the good guys. We couldn't recommend him any more highly. Thanks Kyle!

Kyle spent 4 hours inspecting my tiny bungalow. I wanted to know about all the warts and blemishes I could not see. I got an eye full. He could not have been more professional and thorough. Inspector Kubs is the Tiger Woods of home inspectors!

This was the third inspection that Kyle has done for me. He is the owner and does all the inspections. He is very thorough and very knowledgeable. I walked around with him as he explained everything about the house I was buying. Well worth the money.