Ed Lampl - Environmental & Home Inspections

Description of Work: I was lost. I didn't know the first thing about Radon Mitigation. Ed took 45 min out of his day to explain EVERYTHING I needed to know so that I could make an informed decision about what to do next. He also recommended a well qualified team that could mitigate since he doesn't perform that service. I would certainly use Mr Lampl in the future if I needed him!

Description of Work: Full home, insect, radon inspection....very large home

Description of Work: Very good

Description of Work: Ed Lampl performed a Radon test on my home. Mr. Lampl was professional and I was happy with his service.

Description of Work: HomePlusIsUs.com was by FAR the most professional and informative company we have had the pleasure to work with. After dealing with several companies such as Bactronix, Mold Men of Pittsburgh, and Metro Mold Removal Pittsburgh, Mr Lampl was the true pro, making everyone else appear as con men and/or rank amateurs. I will quickly summarize our experience with the other companies as to provide insight as to why we rate HomePlusIsUs.com & Ed Lampl so high. Bactronix talked a good game on the phone but never showed up even after several calls to their office and to their field representative. Metro Mold Removal Pittsburgh - We could not reach a live person but instead had to leave a phone message. (not reassuring or professional). Dont be fooled by a pretty face OR WEBSITE. Mold Men of Pittsburgh did have a live person and their man showed up. However they could not provide documentation as to the chemicals they would be using and the estimate was rather high. We did receive some promo equipment documents only after we made inquiries. They offered an air sample test for $175 which seemed primitive after seeing Mr Lampl's numerous pieces of equipment in action. Now back to HomePlusIsUs.com and Ed Lampl. First Ed took our call immediately and asked us some detailed questions, getting to the heart of our problem even before he asked us if we wanted an appointment. He was VERY knowledgeable and provided facts related to our issues. To be blunt he was more scientific and did not give us a "sales pitch" which is what we received from the other companies I mentioned above. (BTW we will never call them back to our home because the difference between them and HomePlusIsUs was that stark.). When you find a winner you stay with a winner and that is just old fashioned common sense. After the call ended within minutes he emailed us numerous documents detailing the type of mold problem we may be experiencing, the testing equipment he would be using, and medical information from the New England Journal of Medicine in regards to mold and its effects on our family. He also sent us a copy of "Mold Scams 101" which was an indication of his honesty. In comparison we did not receive any initial documents from Bactronix, Mold Men of Pittsburgh, or Metro Mold Removal Pittsburgh. We did get the sales pitch however and "how soon can we schedule you line"... After seeing the difference between HomePlusIsUs.com and the other mold companies in Pittsburgh, we scheduled an appointment. At the designated time (his professionalism even extended to being prompt) Ed arrived in his newer company vehicle and gave us an overview of what he was going to do and showed us the equipment he was using. Since I am curious in nature (and I have my family's health to consider) I asked Mr. Lampl many, many questions while he was working. Some of these questions I gathered from doing my own internet investigation and others from the "sales pitches" from the other companies we called. In every instance Mr. Lampl gave us the science behind which are the facts. He did not "BS" us or treat us as dumb sheeple with home owners insurance. During the testing process Ed was more than happy to show what he was doing AND WHY. This is important. First because it showed the level of experience and second, his knowledge based in facts. During the time Mr Lampl was in our home I felt that I had received a mini "hands on" education that far exceeded anything I could have learned from doing Google searches and by talking to the other company representatives who mostly wanted to "up sell" while quoting the basic dumbed down answers. After the testing was done Ed Lampl (who is also a CERTIFIED Home Inspector) took the time to inform us of the next steps in regards to when the lab results would be expected and the strict standards of the 3rd party lab he was using. He also provided A CHAIN OF CUSTODY DOCUMENT! Ed also holds numerous certification in environmental areas which is another plus. I want to offer some advice here, if your mold removal company does "in house" testing then you are about to be scammed. They care about the "income" and not your OUTCOME. With HomePlusIsUs it was more about the OUTCOME and not the income. You and your family's health should be that important to you to discern the difference. When I mentioned the comparison was stark, I was not lying. Also while Ed was here we were treated as if we were his family which was greatly reassuring as we are not experts (but we had one working for us). In essence he "has our backs". Afterwards Mr. Lampl did not rush out when the testing was completed and in fact I thought "Ed was losing his butt on all the time he spent with us". In addition, Ed Lampl always kept his word on numerous things he promised and in fact over delivered which is unheard of today. Being "old school" this meant something to me as I was raised that a "man's word is his bond". Ed also is old school which is rare in today's "come on quick buck" society. At the risk of sounding cliché' "if you experience the best there is no need to try the rest..." Like your family HomePlusIsUs IS THE BEST.

Description of Work: They were excellent.

Description of Work: Very thorough, and I felt like he had my best interest in mind. Additionally, there was a mold issue and with one phone call he was able to bring in specialists to check out the problem. Most inspectors would not do that, most would just point it out. Additionally, he was great with follow up and had suggested I be there for the home inspection so he could explain things to me. This isn't my first home purchase (3rd actually) and he was awesome, very thorough, and I learned a lot. He was there for 6 hours combing over the property.

Description of Work: Ed did a great job of testing for mold at my new house and giving me piece of mind.

Description of Work: This company could provide the services that I needed, but was very helpful pointing me in the right direction.

Description of Work: Mr. Lampl was the first inspector to respond with my inquiries. He answered all of my questions prior to us hiring him. He was early for the appointment, very thorough with his inspection. Very acceptable price for the work performed. We call him the "house doctor" He definitely wants you to have the house of your dreams. I will recommend this company to anyone for all of his services.

Description of Work: Had this guy out to inspect for mold and he talked a good game. Unfortunately for me, he was the first person I called- I'll get to that in a minute. He took samples in the two rooms that I suspected of having mold due to an improper window installation. He then took one outside. He was here for about 45 minutes and said he needed $300 before he left. Should have known better right there, but he seemed trust worthy. When I got the results I wasn't sure what I was looking at and we spoke on the phone. On the report he only listed one inside air sample and one outside. I paid for two inside. When I looked further, I saw that every single different mold spore count was exactly the same for inside and outside- as in down to the single part per million. I immediately thought that he or the analyzing lab had simply repeated the findings accidentally for either the inside or outside sample as anyone could deduce that it was impossible for the readings to be exactly the same. Even air samples taken inside would be slightly different- ie 3456 vs 3480 or such. When I called him he said that this happens all the time. When I explained that that was statistically impossible, he held fast and insisted that it was possible. Whether this was one time with me or a pattern, I can't say, but when I told this story to the next two guys I needed to have out, they both laughed and were disappointed that Ed is certified to do mold testing at all. What a rip off and a waste of my time. His report was worthless and I had to have the same tests rerun for a lawsuit.

Description of Work: Ed was recommended to me by my real estate agent after our home inspection located mold in the basement. I was traveling and on a tight window with contract deadlines, but Ed worked quickly, communicating by phone and coordinating with my agents to get the job done. Within a few days, he had the samples collected and analyzed by a third party lab which identified the mold strain. Ed was friendly, quick, and extremely helpful. Highly recommended!

Description of Work: Mr Ed Lampl performed a home inspection for me. I let him know that I am considering selling my home in the next year and wanted to know the things that I might need to fix and the things that were in good shape. Mr. Lampl encouraged me to walk around the house with him and he described what he saw and whether or not it needed attention. He also provided recommendations on how to take care of the things that I might want to take care of this year, which was valuable information for me, since I wouldn"t have a clue where to start in home repairs. The only issue I had was that he received a fair amount of phone calls from customers while he was performing his job that day. He probably needs a secretary to field his calls! Overall I appreciated his expertise and recommendations.L. KOZAK

Description of Work: AWESOME. I would recommend Ed to anyone who needs a house inspected. I selected him based on his Angie list ratings for the first home I was interested in purchasing. The house was a 2000 sq ft. brick Victorian in Irwin. The house looked to be remodeled by a contractor and both myself and my realtor were very impressed. The house was occupied when we had Ed Lampl come in for the home inspection. I purchased a radon test as well. He has a great package deal for a lot of his services. Ed spent over 5 hours at the house and didn't mind that I stayed with him asking him questions the whole time. He gave me a very thorough report as well as about 100 digital photos of the problems he found. The contractors did a great job hiding the flaws. Of course, they were not expecting Ed to know all of their tricks or for Ed not to be discouraged by all the furniture and "horder" junk that filled all four floors of the house. He found a hidden crawl space, mold under the kitchen floor, a improper bathroom fan that ventilated into the attic (i.e. mold), two places where the roof leaked, and the wrong size cable running into the breaker box (i.e. shortages). All of this was missed/covered up to the naive buyer and the real estate broker. His $500 fee saved me $25,000 in repairs. The seller was selling it "as is" and the price was a firm offer without compensation. We obviously pulled out of the offer based on our contingency that it pass our guy's inspection (i.e. not just pest). We then brought Ed Lampl out for our second home. Again, he spent more than enough time documenting everything he could tofind wrong and problematic. This time, the report was a lot better. He found that the breaker box was in need of replacement and he found that the pressure relief valve on the water heater needed to be cut 6 inches from the floor for proper operation/safety. He even got the seller permission to cut the pcv pipe on the spot for us. I would not only use his services again, I would recommend him to my family members. His inspections are thorough. His reports detailed. His interest in your safety and headaches after the house is yours is amazing. I felt like I had an expert who was truly looking out for my interest. The house flippers will hate when Ed comes into their homes because he knows all the tricks and he is not shy about exposing their cheap and unprofessional tactics. He gets my highest recommendation. His company is stellar. BTW....I don't give out praise that often to most of the services I encounter. The second inspection cost $400. We did not include the radon test. One last thing, I talked with Ed and found out that he covers all of Allegheny County and most of Westmoreland County. I think if you contacted him, told him about this writeup, he may even travel out to other counties. I really respect his services that he provides and the character in which he provides it. Yes, I could have found cheaper inspectors (i.e. the realtor inspector) and I would have paid more in the long run. Thank you Ed....