Malcolm Godwin | Chattanooga Home Inspector
Do you want to know about us? The real story about us is just that it is US THE CREW!
We are a group of highly motivated, educated, and experienced inspection team members.
Most of the team come from some sense of construction background and list of others to include:
- Installation and oversight of NCAA college hardwood floors
- House Framing
- Cabinet Building
- Deck Construction
- Handyman services
- Tons of general remodeling
- Roofing
- Plumbing
And some of us come from entirely different backgrounds like:
- Department of Defense Contracting
- Insurance sells
- Bartending
- Animal rescue staff
- College football player
Once we started inspections, we have become certified experts in so many fields, such as:
- Foundation
- Plumbing
- Electrical
- Housing envelopes
- Roof and roofing materials
- Removal of load-bearing walls
- Radon Gas
- Termite control
- Crawlspace encapsulation
- And plenty more
Over the years, we have found several things, and yes, there are several things! That is super crazy (visit our Youtube channel or social media pages to see what we are talking about).
- Raccoons living in a crawlspace and an attic
- Snakes joining us on inspections
- Every type of spider you can think of
- Car wheels and jacks holding up a house
- A broken septic tank underneath an addition of a house
Honestly, this list is way too long, and you’ll have to check out our other channels to see the rest.
Water coming out of a hole in the garage.
Some people wonder what it is that we do during our standard home inspection.
We are committed to providing the most thorough inspections in our industry to do, so here is an executive summary of what we do. Each inspector is equipped with all of the state of the art tools to help complete the inspection like infrared cameras (that we use on every job without up charging) high tech moisture meters, drones, and thousands of dollars of extra equipment. Our typical inspection takes about 4 hours to complete, and we encourage attendance from our clients so they can see what we see things through our eyes. If they are unable to attend, our policy is to call them before we leave the property so we can discuss what we found verbally. Rest assured that all of our inspectors are fully licensed, insured, and undergoes constant continuing education and quality assurance to provide our best product for our customers.
Starting at the roof, we are going to determine the roofing materials and the condition of the roof as well as the chimney, gutters, skylight, venting for attic, and venting for plumbing. In the attic, we will see and notate the framing materials, insulation materials, attic access, and any deficiencies with these items or improper venting exposed electrical wires or anything else. Inside each bedroom and interior areas, we will make sure all doors, windows, lights, fans, fireplaces, etc work correctly, while also testing every electrical outlet that we can access to ensure they are properly grounded. In bathrooms, we run every shower, toilet, and sink to make sure all these properly operate and drain properly. We ensure that the vent fan is working correctly and make sure that every electrical outlet is properly GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) protected. In the kitchen, we will make sure the same with the electrical outlets are installed as the bathrooms and ensure the sink functions properly also. We will turn on every appliance and prove that it is operating correctly with the use of infrared cameras (the dishwasher is turned on upon arrival and ran through a full cycle). We will also open all accessible cabinets in the kitchen to make sure they operate correctly. In the bedrooms, when we inspect, we are also going to make sure all the doors and windows are operating and the outlets are wired correctly.
If the house is on a slab, it’s pretty challenging to view said slab, but if the house is on a crawlspace or a basement, we will inspect all of the framing members, piers, columns, and such to make sure they are installed correctly and what types of material they are made of. While at the same time, we will be inspecting all the wooden subfloors, floor joists, main beams, load supports, and out-band joists for decay, termite damage, or any other damage. The crawlspace is where lots of problems typically show up, so here we will also be looking at all the plumbing delivery and waste lines to make sure those are working, and we’ll document what all these materials are made of. We also need to make sure that there are appropriate ventilation and insulation for the floors.
We always use Infrared cameras to prove the water heater is working and how old the water heater is if we can. We use the same technology to make sure that your heating and air systems work. Typically, we’ll be able to determine the age of the HVAC units as well and, of course, document if it uses gas, oil, electricity, or any other heat source. Speaking of heat source, don’t worry about the fireplace either, we will test that too along with the damper and any other components of the fireplace.
Our experience with Chattanooga Home Inspector was great. They were timely, very detailed, and friendly. We met our inspector for the last hour of our new home inspection and he was genuine and helpful! He pointed out small details that we may not have noticed! We are very satisfied and confident with our inspection. Will definitely use them again for any future homes!! Thank you!
Outside the house, we are going to be looking at EVERYTHING, the driveway, the lots grading, power lines, yard, trees, you name it. After looking over all the things that may affect your house that is not a part of it, we move on to the house itself. On the house itself, we will be looking at all siding, doors, windows, trim and all and note any deficiencies. While looking at any steps or decks, the safety concerns we will be looking at are not only the handrails, if there are more than three steps, we will make sure the stair stringers are properly spaced and the treads are in good condition. There are so many checkboxes when inspecting a deck like height, handrails, condition, proper footers, proper decking, the adequate spacing of joists, joist hangers, and more.
All of the noted items above and deficiencies will be documented in your report with recommendations of repair. Your report is guaranteed to be delivered to you on the same day of the inspection so you can move forward with negotiations of repairs or ask for a reduction in cost for the property. If you need us to inspect the house again after repairs are made, we can go back to the house and make sure they were done correctly for you. We will also make sure when we leave the property, that everything is cleaned up, locked up, and left just the way it was when we arrived, we even video this to prove it.
We also want all of our clients to know that we perform a multitude of additional inspection services. Services like Radon Gas Testing, Mold Testing, Pool Testing, Septic Dye Testing, Sewer Scope, etc that are not included in the standard inspection.
Check out some of our videos on Youtube for the best home maintenance tips and hacks!
Your Chattanooga TN Premier Home Inspection Company
