Hardwood Inspections

DO NOT HIRE! Working with Cort Dunlap was an awful experience. He was quick to come out to our home on a Saturday for an inspection of concrete slab preparation for a previously installed wood floor. He was very nice and knowledgeable in person, but do not be fooled. He wanted his full fee up front and he had no business cards--two big red flags. His communication was terrible, often taking 2-3 days to respond to us. It took 6 weeks to get our report. He missed two deadlines that he set for himself at the 2 and 4 week points after the inspection. When we finally got a report, the first version was 4 pages long, including cover and signature pages, with no pictures. It took 2 more versions before we had a proper, professional report containing photos and their explanations. We had to remind him to put specific items in the report that he stated in person would be included (e.g. call records to our previous contractor). If you must hire him, only pay half of his fee up front, and do not compromise on this. Set an agreed upon deadline for his inspection report and make sure you have specifics of its contents in writing (e.g., embedded photos, measurements, etc). If he fails to deliver, you can file complaints with the NWFA (organization which holds his certifications), BBB, FTC, and Washington Attorney General's office.

Cort Dunlap is a fraud. Our experience was just as another reviewer. We hired Cort to inspect our flooring that wasn't installed correctly by our builder. He was to provide us a report within two weeks after the inspection, which he didn't do. He was very adamant about getting payment in full before he left. He is no longer responding to any communications.

I would give this dirtbag a 0 if possible. He is the reason people distrust contractors. Cali bamboo required a NWFA certified inspector to follow up on our issues. Cort was one of two people still doing it in the area. I went with him because he seemed nice enough. Was great and kind when here, but required payment after the inspection while he wrote the report. He seemed professional and since he was certified with an association we figured it was fine. He said two weeks. We are at over 3 months of not responding to calls, and sending the occasional text response, “oh I’ll get it out tonight.” He has now fully ghosted me. Trying to figure out what to do because NWFA requires a $50 fee to even file a complaint, Better Business Bureau can’t help because he isn’t a business, and I can’t find him as a licensed tradesman. NEVER use this man.

Newly installed wood floors had gaps and boards were coming loose. Cort said he could put a report together in 1-2 weeks with pictures, determination of the cause of the gaps, loose flooring, etc. He required payment up front, which he claims is to make the report more legitimate if it were to be used in a court proceeding. The real reason he requires money upfront is because his report is almost entirely boilerplate and essentially ghosts you after he shows up and takes your money. He didn't respond to any emails after the deadline passed and no report was delivered. We had to reach out to the National Hardwood Flooring Association, whose credentials Cort claims to have, in order to get Cort to deliver what ultimately was an incomplete, very amateur "report." Do not use this individual - he will essentially steal your money. You will get more out of burning your money (i.e. you will feel warmth for a short period of time) versus spending it on hiring Cort.

The site visit appeared to go fine, though he took minimal notes and no photographs. A written report was to follow. Full payment for the site visit and report was required at the time of the visit. We have been waiting for a written report for more than two months. Cort does not answer his phone and has not returned any of the numerous phone messages left on his answering machine. He does not, in general respond to emails. About a month ago he did say that he was working on the report but clearly it has not been received by us. He has our money, we have no product, and no reasonable expectation of receiving it.

I wish we had known about the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) certified wood flooring inspectors in general, and Cort Dunlap in particular before starting our flooring project. It would have saved us a lot of headaches. We thought that we did all of the right things when we hired a company to install 1600 sf of prefinished 3/4" select white oak in our house. We interviewed several contractors through Angie's List and through recommendations from wood flooring suppliers. Even with all of what we felt was proper due diligence, we managed to hire one of the worst flooring installers possible. The flooring bowed from one of the house to the other on both floors. You could look down 60 ft. of flooring and get seasick. They cut doorjambs off too high and did not install the heat vent covers flush to the floor. There were numerous gaps in the floors, putty was used to hide major installation flaws, etc (the list is VERY long). Basically, the manufacturer?s warranty was nullified by the poor work of the incompetent installer and the floors looked awful. We found Cort after having several flooring contractors come to the house to evaluate our options to fix the multiple problems. At first, we thought maybe we could just fix the most egregious problems. As each contractor identified more and more problems, and independently stated the only way to fix it was to rip out the floors and replace them. When wood floors are installed incorrectly, each mistake has a domino effect on other areas and you can?t just fix one thing. Replacing the floors would cost us more than half again as much as the original installation since pulling up carpet is a lot easier than pulling up wood floors. At this point, we felt it was time to investigate filing a lawsuit and getting an independent inspector. Cort is a true professional. He was able to come out the same day I called as he had another client nearby. (He?s based in Everett and charges travel time.) I was very impressed by his attention to detail and the time he took to review all of the problems. I felt I was spending my money wisely. His written report was very comprehensive. He took over 100 photos and put them on a CD that accompanied his report. Becoming certified by the NWFA is a rigorous process. One really has to do their homework and Cort certainly has done his and beyond (I think he?s gone on to obtain an even higher level of certification since we used him). He is very knowledgeable and definitely knows what he?s talking about. His reputation is spreading and he is often consulted before people have floors installed, travels the country to give classes, do inspections, provide depositions, arbitrations and mediation consulting for those of us unfortunate to need legal remedy for poor workmanship. Cort was instrumental in helping us obtain an out-of-court settlement against the flooring contractor. The settlement didn?t cover the cost of replacing the floors, our attorney fees and court costs but he definitively helped us get more than we might have without his involvement. We highly recommend him and his services.