ADVANCED BUILDING INSPECTION

We were out-of-state buyers of the home. Our real estate agent contacted Advanced Building Inspection to have the owner, Kevin Tuttle perform the home inspection. There was snow on the ground the day of the inspection, although not enough to obscure the ground next to the house. For the roof, he wrote "No Access - Evaluate", "Limited Inspection due to snow, weather, height." We followed up with a contractor to evaluate the roof. For the foundation, he wrote "OK w/Comments", "Earth to wood contact was noted, recommend soil slope away from structure." He didn't indicate that any repairs were necessary, nor did he indicate that he didn't have access to the foundation (like he indicated with respect to the roof) due to the high grade. For the floor structure, he wrote "Appears Serviceable", "Suggest joist hangars to reinforce the floor system." He didn't indicate that any repairs, major or minor were necessary. The sales contract stipulated that all repairs under $1,000 were the responsibility of the buyers, and all the repairs over $1,000 were the responsibility of the sellers. No noted repairs were required with respect to the foundation nor the floor structure. We closed on the house and moved in the end of February 2013. I noticed a strong "dip" in the floor near the center of the house. When I went into the basement, it became apparent that a wall that spanned the first and second levels of the house was completely UNSUPPORTED in the basement. This was not mentioned at all in the inspection!!! Furthermore, the space where we would need to install supports is blocked with a web of pipes coming from the steam boiler. In April, we began the process of grading the backyard to discover the entire foundation across half of the back of the house had disintegrated!!! The inspector didn't note (as in the roof), "No Access - Evaluate". He didn't even indicate that a "major" or "minor" repair was necessary as he did in other areas of the report. We are now looking at over $30,000 to fix what he didn't write and reflect in his report. We contacted Mr. Tuttle to discuss the inconsistencies between his report and the house, and he has referred us to his insurance company. He said that I signed a release of liability that limited him only to the cost of the inspection. I didn't sign such a document with respect to this property inspection, and he has yet to provide me a copy of such document. I am now pursuing legal action. I will never do business with this company or its owners ever again, nor will I recommend them.