Home Inspection: Time Well Spent
 By Frank Ross
 
Dave and Stephanie were in love with the house.  Located in one of our area’s master planned communities, it was a nice step up from the small La Verkin home they were in at the time.  I met Dave and Stephanie at the house a few days after their offer was accepted.  We discussed their plans for the home, and I went to work inspecting.
 
Dave and Stephanie are like many of our customers who use the phrase "I don’t want any surprises" when asking us to do a complete home inspection.  Most consider the cost of the inspection minimal when compared to the savings that come from discovery of a serious flaw. In addition, they use the inspection report to plan —if they know a major expense is in the near future, they can budget and save up for it.  
 
The surprise was in the attic.  I was making my way to the home’s second air conditioner, walking along the joists and steadying myself by grabbing the web members (diagonal "brace") of the trusses.  Suddenly a board came loose in my hand.  I regained my balance and flashed my light on the rascal.
 
The 2 X 6-inch board had broken off below the top chord of the truss.  A full 18 inches of it was missing.  I looked for debris on the fiberglass insulation, but there was none.  After closer inspection, I could only conclude that the truss had been broken at the time of construction, nearly 5 years earlier.  
 
Roof trusses in today’s homes are engineered to support specific loads.  This particular home had a concrete tile roof, so there was a considerable amount of weight on the broken truss.  In this case, Dave and Stephanie chose to have a licensed General Contractor assess the damage and repair it.  The seller paid for the repair.  When I spoke with Stephanie the other day, she said that having the home inspection "gives us the comfort of knowing that the house is O.K."
 
A professional home inspection should always include inspection of the accessible areas of the attic.  In addition to the trusses or rafters, an inspector looks at the sheathing, insulation, visible wiring and plumbing, exhaust ducts, and any other components visible only in the attic. The attic is also the best place to look for signs of roof leaks.  Freshly painted ceilings can conceal a lot of damage, but the attic usually tells the truth.
 
Allow plenty of time for a home inspection
 
A recent customer is a Captain with the US Air Force.  Responsible for training jet fighter pilots, he is extremely detail oriented.  After the inspection, he told me how his Realtor had given him the names of several Home Inspectors.  He said, "Here’s information on several companies our clients have used.  Their prices are all about the same, these two will take about an hour, but a Pillar To Post inspection takes longer."  The detail-oriented Captain chose Pillar To Post.
 
A home inspection takes time.  Allow two to three hours for a quality home inspection.  A home in the 1200-square foot range will take almost as long to inspect as a 2000-square foot home—they have the same components.  Pillar To Post inspectors check up 1600 different items on the house and issue a written report on site.  We also answer your questions and educate you on routine maintenance your new home will need.  
 
Back to Dave and Stephanie.  After Pillar To Post inspected their new home, they were prepared for the buyer to have a thorough inspection of the home they were selling.  They were surprised when the other inspector took less than an hour.  "He hardly looked at anything!" Stephanie exclaimed.