Warren Engineering

Inspection was for a new build 1 year checkout. The inspector didn't find any major issues (which is what we want right!?), but he did find some minor issues we could have the builder resolve. Stuff like a vent that had disconnected in the ceiling cavity so they were things we would want resolved. He had feedback for care of some other items that we should be managing now to keep working well for the future so I feel the cost was worth it for not only those things he caught, but also the peace of mind that we don't have major issues missed. Inspector was punctual. Delivered a paper summary report from his walk through upon leaving and sent a digital more verbose copy through email over the weekend so we had everything pretty quick. In hindsight I would have brought them along for our early build inspections as I'm sure they would have caught some items we had to have fixed during our first year that could have been avoided. No one was perfect, but the issues seemed to be present enough in his mind that he saw what happened and had recommendations to improve beyond what the builder did for more lasting repair.

Doug inspected the house our daughter was interested in purchasing. He was thorough and did a good job explaining his findings to her and her fiancé. We were very pleased with the way he answered their questions as first time home buyers.

I thought quite well, until significant structural issues with the home were found after closing that were overlooked by the inspection. Had I been informed I wouldn't have bought the house. Now I'm stuck with 100k in repairs. Not excusable for licensed engineers.

The service was excellent and I have nothing other than "great" in referring to the company, the engineer, and the whole process.

We had an excellent inspection from Michael Zamiarski. He walked us through the house, providing essential information about maintenance, danger and potential problems. He spent about 3 hours there, and we received a report a few hours later. I'd highly recommend this service.

Examined all aspects of the home from roof to basement. Wrote a comprehensive report on functionality of appliances, windows, furnace, a/c. The report included structural aspects of the house, garage, basement

Was nice and answered my questions, but after we moved in, we found some things that we felt should have been discovered or noted. I would want someone more thorough next time. He looked at a lot very quickly and we've had better in previous real estate transactions.

Extremely thorough home inspection. Written report was timely, accurate and comprehensive. Inspector was very friendly and professional. Explained everything he was doing and looking for. Did not nit pick. Pointed out a few things that looked troublesome, but explained what we were seeing and assured that it was not an issue. Set up a radon test unit that was retrieved a couple days later, by appointment. Unfortunately found slightly high radon levels in basement. Had to find a contractor to mitigate the issue, which was done prior to sale.

Overall, the inspection went well. Tom walked us through the house, took time to share his observations and suggestions regarding the interior and exterior, mechanical items (furnace, hot water heater, HVAC, etc.), electrical and plumbing and found no significant issues. During the inspection (which was performed mid-Summer) of the basement he noticed there was no pump in the drainage sump and that it contained fiberglass insulation. Other than that, the only other minor issue was a small spot of white mildew on a 2x4 adjacent to the sump hole. As we walked out of the laundry room (where the drainage sump is located), I remember him saying "This is the driest basement I've seen in Henrietta" With that in mind and no serious concerns present in the final inspection report we received from Warren Engineering, we moved forward with buying the house. Shortly after moving in, my wife and I noticed an uptick in sneezing (we don't have seasonal allergies) which I associated with summer pollen. We also noticed the crawlspace/storage area which is accessible from my home office seemed to be more damp and musty than expected. We left the doors open in an effort to "dry out" the storage area but it didn't improve, even with the central air running 24/7. Since our home is a California Split Level, most of the basement is finished living space (connected to my home office) which made this important enough to investigate. We contacted Ever Dry Waterproofing for a free inspection which identified drainage issues, step down cracks in the foundation, a large crack in the basement floor and very high moisture levels in the concrete slab which was contributing to high moisture levels in the house. We decided to have them perform their Multi Step pressure relief system which has alleviated all moisture issues in our home. I'm not sure if this is a common issue and I realize there is limited time during a "Standard Inspection" to check basement areas, but it would have been helpful to be aware that substantial repairs would be required to alleviate the poor drainage and high moisture levels in our home.

Our working relationship with the provider could have started better. After our real estate agent contacted the provider on our behalf, they contacted us via email. Without the simplest courtesy or acknowledgement that, of the universe of home inspectors from which we could have chosen, we picked them, this email launched into instructions. It was unsigned and to this day, we don't know who sent it. I consider courtesy, especially from an employee to an employer, to be a part of professionalism and, frankly, I almost did not accept their service as a result, hence the grade of 'C', but this refers to the initial engagement only. After consulting with our attorney, we discovered that he highly recommended this inspection service, so, since our attorney's opinion trumps a few negative Angie's list ratings, we contracted with them to inspect a house we were going to purchase for ourselves. Things could not have gone better. The inspecting engineer they sent was punctual and, after actually greeting us, proceeded with the inspection of the property. Kevin did a very thorough job, evaluating every part of the property to the extent he was able without disassembling major parts of it. He was happy to have us follow him around and ask him several questions. We were very satisfied with the 2 1/2 hours he spent in his inspection. He met with us immediately afterwards and discussed his preliminary findings. We could not have been more pleased with his professionalism, thoroughness, and accessibility for questions, even beyond the scope of his immediate inspection. In addition to being a professional engineer, he was also an architect and this added value to our inspection, which we felt was very reasonably priced. The issue of professional engineer vs. certified home inspector was something we were initially concerned with, but, after the fact, we realized it is really the skill and thoroughness of the properly qualified individual which makes the most difference. We received a very thorough 14 page report within 24 hours of the completion of inspection. It contained valuable safety information which we were able to pass on to the sellers to act on prior to closing. It was full of insights and knowledge about our future house and suggestions as to what to watch out for in engaging contractors for upgrades or repairs to the various systems of the house. We would use them again and would recommend them to others; just don't expect any niceties. I guess if they had social graces, they'd be attorneys or real estate agents. Highly recommended.

We hired Warren Engineering as a referral of a co-worker and they were very professional. This is our home purchase and Douglas answered all of our questions. He was on time and even took additional time with me to explain not only the inspection, but how to deal with contractors in the future. He knew we were both going to be new home owners and wanted to make sure that we weren’t take advantage of with regards to future upgrades to the home. I would recommend Warren Engineering not only because of our experience but also because of the references we received regarding their company and business conduct.

This company was suggested by my realtor. He did arrived on time and the inspection seemed to go well. He did take a significant amount of time (4 hours). He allowed us to tag along for much of the inspection and did point out some things to us. However, upon getting possession of the house we found a number of significant issues which we feel he should have found. The first issue was a major leak in the master bathroom. Frankly, the brand new ceiling paint but water marks on the ceiling molding in the hall (which my mother noticed when she can on moving day to help kid wrangle!) should have twigged that there were water issues! It turns out that the tub drain had a leak and water seeps behind the tiles of the tub. A plumber (Penfield Plumbing, rated here) looked at it and running/tapping his finger nails over the tiles said that you could hear that the tiles were loose. Penfield Plumbing found the leak and fixed it, but only after the front vestibule ceiling had major damage (which took us a bit to notice as we used the back door and the water leaked behind the wall paper for a while until it gave out). The second issue was the condition of the masonry. The engineer found (or rather the chimney specialist he brought to the inspection) pointed out that there was a serious issue with one of the chimneys. This fact was used as a bargaining point to reduce the cost of the house. So we were pleased that this problem was brought to our attention. We had a mason (Johnathon Kreider) fix the chimney. At the time he fixed it, he pointed out problems with the angle irons above windows at the back of the house. Wish that we'd fixed it then, but we had to spend 5000.00 on the chimney fix and thought it could wait. The first winter in the house, we started to have a leak in our ceiling. We replaced the flat roof. However, it turns out that that was not the problem. In fact, it turns out that the masonry in the back-- those angle irons that Johnathon Kreider pointed out the summer we bought the house - are in bad shape. Water is coming in through the back brickwork and above those windows where the angle irons are. It is certainly the case that the problem has accelerated. I emphasize that there wasn't an leak when the house was inspected. However, the mason we used to repair something that the house inspector did point out, noted the angle iron problem. Considering the amount of trouble that it is not causing us, I would have hoped (since it was visible at the time and difficult and costly to repair) that it would have been pointed out to us. We are finding out that fixing this problem is going to cost big bucks. Mr. Kreider has suggested that we need a structural engineer to assess the wall as it is bowed out and will complicate the repair. We will not be using Warren Engineering to look at this. One issue which was pointed out to us by the engineer was the fact that our electric service was slightly under what would be expected for a house of this size. We had expected to upgrade this. Funny thing is that we haven't had any problems with the electric! So we haven't. There were other small things - such as a bathroom faucet which makes major clacking / groaning sounds, a back brick pathway which is buckled (we soon discovered because it is covered in 1/2 of water every time it rains), a toilet with a *super* slow and weak flush (also fixed by Penfield Plumbing!). It was really disheartening to move into our new house - which we thought we had 'done our homework' and knew what we were getting into. Now, of course, I know that you never really know 'what you are getting into' when buying a new house -- you are at the mercy of the previous owner fully and honestly disclosing -- but I felt that the house inspection should and could have given us a better idea of what to expect to fix in the short and medium term.

This being my first home purchase I can only go off of what it seemed to me. I thought the engineer was professional. He had all the tools needed to do his job. This included latter to inspect roof. The report we received afterwards seemed throughout and helpful. He spent approximately 3 hours in the home looking around. Turned on all appliances, made both heat and air conditioner turn on. Checked the whirlpool bathtub. Checked the gas fireplace and chimney. He looked the chimney over and he thought that it wasn't bad but that we should get an inspector to take a look just to make sure. He gave approximate cost of what it would take to fix to chimney in his experience. We did get a chimney inspection and he was pretty much dead on for cost and what the chimney inspector said. Made recommendations and took a lot of pictures for his report. Our Engineer was Thomas Wurzer. The radon test did find Radon so that was helpful as well. The total cost covers the Radon and Home Inspection.

Our new roof started leaking two months after it was inspected.

Prior to contracting with Warren Engineering I talked to several local Home Inspection companies to get a feel for their quality, as well as checking reviews here and in other places. In particular I was concerned to find a home inspector with some experience evaluating the condition of masonry stucco exteriors on a house, since that seemed to be an expertise that was somewhat unusual. When I called Warren Engineering the people in the office listened to my concerns, and were not afraid to admit the limits of their expertise. Compared to several other offices I'd spoken with where the office personal were prepared to offer blanket assurances without any understanding of my concerns I found this to be both reassuring and very professional. In particular, it was made explicitly clear to me that the engineer would not be able to make a thorough determination out of his own expertise, but would rather tell me that a further inspection by a proper expert might be required. I am far happier to be have people working for me recognizing and acknowledging the limits of their knowledge or expertise than to try to claim omniscience. I contracted with the office for a home inspection, and when I had to reschedule because the sellers couldn't accommodate the original inspection time, the office was friendly and profession when rescheduling. Similarly, when a typo showed up in the paperwork that I was sent the office corrected it quickly, while remaining completely professional all through. On the day of the inspection the inspector was punctual, and had a pleasant demeanor. He began the inspection immediately, and was eager to walk me through the property with him as he did his inspection. He made sure to point out to me anything he felt I needed to know, as well as mentioning it both on the preliminary report I received at the time of service, and again with the full formal report I got that evening. Again, he made sure I understood the limits of what he was evaluating, and what he could and could not assure me about. By the time he was done with his inspection, not only did I have a list of items I could legitimately asked the sellers to correct prior to closing, but I had a list of projects to work on over the upcoming years once I move into the property - with a general idea of the priority for each of those items. I feel that I got excellent value for my time and money and feel even more confident that I will be getting a good value with the house that I am buying as a result of the services provided to me by Warren Engineering and Tom Wurtzer, the engineer who did my inspection.

Warren Engineering was extremely professional and thorough. I was very pleased with Kevin's work and attention to detail. He spent a good amount of time after the inspection going over the results and walking through the house with me pointing out details I should be aware of and things to watch out for.

Michael Yun was extremely helpful. He was on time and thorough. He was very informative. If we had any questions he was able to give us answers or provide us with resources to find the answers. He was knowledgeable about the house. We found the company because my sister-in-law used them for her new house and are very glad we did. We would definitely recommend using Warren Engineering.

All of the inspectors were already on site and involved in their inspections when I arrived about 5 minutes late. Everyone was very professional and friendly, and was glad to share observations and have me ask questions. The only problem was that with four inspections going on at the same time, I could not follow each one and get the full benefit from each inspector. However, I did learn some important things about the house I was going to buy and was fully prepared for the closing. The report from Warren Engineering was delivered within a few hours, and included photos and many useful details and suggestions, not just a checklist . I am very satisfied and would recommend them to others.

They were horrible. They found none of the problems with the house such as a gas leak that was found before we could get our gas turned on. They didn't check the windows which were closed shut and there was not ventilation in the house which they failed to notice. We were very unhappy with them. We contacted them but it didn't do any good. They did show up on time and they seemed professional but that was wrong as well.

They were on time and did a very thorough inspection. We were very happy with the services. I did not compare their prices.

They're excellent at what they do and knowledgeable about all building systems. They're highly professional and reasonably priced.

Everything went very well he showed me things that needed attention right away, and things that could wait.

A person I knew referred me to somebody who is really good and who is retired, and when I called him, he referred me to Warren Engineering Inspections. The inspection was great, and I was really happy with them. Kevin, the inspector, was helpful, friendly and courteous. He was very responsive. I could call his cell phone 10 days later and ask him a question, and he would answer it; it was just amazing. I had a pretty good experience with them, and I would use them again in the future if necessary.

He advised me that there was water behind my shower and other plumbing issues. He also gave me a $50 discount, which I appreciated.

Flexible about scheduling the work, provided price over the phone. Got verbal summary at completion of inspection, written report with color photos the next day. Radon gas level test results available the same day the monitoring device was picked up. Jim Sabey detected several substantial defects and was able to explain them so a lay person could understand the severity of the defects. In the case of a defect in the electrical panel, the defect was corroborated by an electrician.