There are many items inspected during a home inspection. Because each house is different, what is inspected will vary from house to house. However, all our home inspections comply with the Standards of Practice specified by the Illinois home inspector licensing act, and the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics of the American Society of Home Inspectors. Briefly, these include inspection of the following areas: Exterior, siding, windows, doors, chimneys, roof and roof covering, roof drainage systems, decks, patios, balconies, driveway and walk way surfaces, porches and garage. We examine the lot to determine grade to ensure storm water drainage is away from the structure. On the interior, we examine visible and accessible structural elements such as the basement and crawl spaces, foundation, walls, floors and ceilings. We inspect the heating and cooling systems, plumbing and fixtures and water heating appliance, the electric system and electric panel, kitchen and laundry and appliances. We finish up inspecting all interior rooms checking a representative sample of the windows, doors, switches and receptacles, and finally we inspect the attic space including insulation, ventilation and moisture barriers. We report on all items inspected, and if not inspected, specify why not. We will provide you a written copy of the standards of practice upon request.

There are numerous questions that a client should ask of a prospective home inspector or a home inspection company. But first, make sure you are talking to the man or woman who will be doing the inspection and not just back office staff. We encourage you to call us directly and ask all the questions you want.

Here are a few that should be asked of any inspector:

1. Are you licensed? YES
   • The state of Illinois requires that all inspectors be licensed.
2. Are you insured? YES
   • State of Illinois licensing requires all inspectors to carry general liability insurance and you should also ask if the inspector carries Errors and Omission insurance in case they miss a large defect in the home.
3. How long have you been in business? 24 YEARS
   • It is our opinion that an inspector should have been in business at least five years and probably closer to 10 to have the experience necessary to do a thorough job.

The above questions are only a general screening. More specifically, the client should ask the following:

1. Do you walk the roof? YES
   • We walk every roof we can. Obviously, we are not going to risk our lives on a roof and we will not walk one made out of material that can be damaged but we probably get on close to 80% of the roofs on homes we inspect. Any inspector that says they only use binoculars on roofs is doing the client a disservice.
2. Do you check for Carbon Monoxide? YES
   • We check furnaces and hot water heaters for high CO levels at the vent. All inspectors should do this. Any inspector or inspection company that charges extra to do this basic test is doing the client a disservice (not to mention ripping them off).
3. How long does the inspection take?
   • This can vary somewhat. An average 3 bedroom 2.5 bath home will take us at least 3-4 hours.