STAFFORD INSPECTIONS

The inspector Don Stafford arrived on schedule. He immediately commenced the work. I followed him throughout the inspection and asked questions. Stafford did not go into much detail on his answers to me. My wife mentioned to him areas of concern in the house such as several cracks on the ceiling. Stafford did not show much concern. We received the inspection report later that evening. In the report, Don Stafford wrote "The Foundation is in generally Good condition". This statement turned out to be completely false. We learned shortly after moving in that the house foundation was in poor condition and we had to have it repaired immediately. His report also stated the doors needed trimming. We found out later from the structural engineer and foundation company the reason is because of the foundation condition. Stafford's wrote in his report, "There is some termite damaged drywall noted master bathroom closet". This statement turned out to be false. We had master carpenters come and inspect and they determined that the drywall actually had water damage as a result of a previous leak from the shower's plumbing behind the wall. I would strongly not recommend Don Stafford Inspections for home inspections. For the price of $546.00 and with hindsight I could have hired a competent plumber, electrician, HVAC technician and lawn sprinkler and landscape expert all for the same amount of money. I concluded there was absolutely no value in Stafford Inspections work.

Don met me at my prospective new home and told me I was free to accompany him and ask questions during the inspection. He pointed out various pros and cons of items he found during the inspection. This is the second home that Don has inspected for me. I went back to him because of his in-depth knowledge of the area and the homes there (Oak Cliff). In addition to the official inspection report, Don gave me some personal tips about repairs/modifications I intended to make to the house. He was able to steer me in the right direction on some painting/plaster work that was really better off being handled by a professional v. a DIY job. I really appreciated his experience and expertise.

Don did note several minor and couple of potentially costly issues. His work was fairly thorough. As a result of his inspection over half of the storm windows and a sliding glass door were replaced by the seller. A clogged toilet drain was resolved. Several <$50 repairs and code compliance changes were made like caulking, hot water heater drip pan, hot & cold water lines were swapped on a faucet, drain clean-out cap was missing. There were some issues that he warned us about like some uneven (eyeballed) areas of the slab which is very common in this area. We recently installed 17 piers to level out the front room and a back corner. There are a couple of issues that I wish he would have caught like the amount of attic insulation. He claimed there were 6 inches blown-in. When I added insulation during the spring, the installer said there were about 2 inches in most areas and there was almost none directly around the access hole. We also had a clogged drain in the kitchen 3 months after purchasing due to a cast iron line that had corroded through the bottom and was clogged with sand and grease. If he had tried to flush a lot of water down the drains, he would probably have discovered it. He did not notice a water spigot in the back yard, nor a drain clean-out behind the kitchen. The breakers for the heat pump were old and stopped working during the summer. When you switched the breakers, they would flop around without the normal satisfying thunk. It took an HVAC repairman to notice that. Most bizarrely though, was the fireplace. Don was convinced that somebody had sealed the chimney up with bricks and cement. Most modern chimneys have what's called a smoke shelf which are bricks that jut out into the vertical path of the chimney to prevent down-drafts. Smoke just floats around this obstruction. You shouldn't see daylight looking up the chimney from the fireplace with a smoke shelf. So the seller paid for a chimney guy to examine the fireplace. The invoice for that said it was fine. We have built fires just fine without suffocating too.

This is the second time I have used Don to inspect a home. Price was quoted before inspection. He arranged the time with the seller and informed me. I was equally impressed both times I have used him. Very professional. He is prompt and accurate in how long this would take, when I should arrive to discuss results, etc.. He did an excellent job on the inspection. Additionally he gave me some idea of how long till major appliances would need replacement and an overall idea about how this home had been maintained. An electronic report was sent to myself and my realtor the same day as the inspection.