OUR SERVICES
Single-family homes
Townhouse/Condos
Multi-family buildings
Light Commercial Buildings
Mold Sampling
Radon Testing
Termite Inspections
Home Inspections
What We Inspect
A home inspection will provide you with a clear overall picture of the condition of a home—whether you are buying or selling. Below is a partial list of the items that are inspected in every home. However, there may be additional items – the inspection is customized to your home!
Exterior
General Structural Condition
Roofing/Flashing
Gutters and Downspouts
Electrical
Plumbing
Heating/Air conditioning/Ventilation
Water Heater
Potential Moisture Intrusion
Soil Grade Conditions/Drainage
Windows and Doors
Attic/Attic Insulation
Garages/Garage Doors
Decks/Patios/Porches
Basement/Crawl Space
Fireplaces/Chimneys/Flues
Interior Walls/Ceilings/Floors
When You Are Purchasing a Home. . .
Richie Root, will provide you with a professional, objective visual examination of the home. He will check the entire house – from the roof to the basement, inside and out. Each item inspected is categorized as either ‘Satisfactory, Marginal, Repair/Replace, or Further Evaluation’ We encourage you to attend the inspection if possible, so that Richie can point out issues at the end of the inspection, and make suggestions for repairs and maintenance. Often our clients are relocating from another city or country and cannot attend the inspection. Rest assured, the report you receive will be very detailed, with photos of any issues of particular concern. And Richie will be happy to discuss his findings with you or answer any questions you may have after the inspection for as long as you live in the home.
Before You Put Your Home on the Market . . .
Your Realtor will guide you through the selling process. An important part of that process is to have your house ready to sell quickly when you put it on the market. We offer Pre-Listing inspections which are designed to present you with all of the issues that may come up during inspections when you already have a prospective buyer. In fact, a Pre-Listing inspection is no different than an inspection that is done for the prospective buyer. If you are aware of any issues before you put your home on the market, you have time to correct them without the additional stress of having to make decisions in a very short timeframe. Or you can decide what you are not willing to address and factor that into the purchase price. Either way, you are in control!
New Construction
So you are building a new home!
We can work with you and your builder to inspect your house as it is being built. The inspections are usually conducted in 4 phases:
Footer and Foundation: It is important that your house is plumb and square before the walls are built. This inspection is performed at a nominal hourly rate. You will receive a report, with photos, the same evening of the inspection, which you can share with your builder.
Framing: Once the house is under roof, and the framing is complete, we can inspect it to be certain that it has been properly framed. This is also a good time to consult with your builder about window installation. We can provide you with the proper manufacturer specs to avoid costly mistakes later. Again, this inspection is performed on an hourly basis, with results sent to you the same evening.
Pre-Drywall: The pre-drywall inspection is conducted when the framing is complete and the mechanicals are “roughed in” throughout the house. It needs to be completed before the insulation is up. The pre-drywall inspection is very much like an x-ray of your house. Pricing for this inspection is also based on an hourly basis.
‘Punch List’ Inspection: We try to time this so that it is approximately 3 days before our final walk-through with the builder. It is essentially a whole-house inspection. The roof, exterior, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical, and each room of the house is carefully inspected. The punch list is in the same format that builders use. We find that they usually work off of our list to complete all unfinished or defective items. Photos are included, and you will receive the report that evening. What makes it even easier for you is that you can simply hand or email the report to the builder. This final, Punch List, inspection is priced the same as a whole-house inspection.
Radon Testing
What is Radon?
Any home may have a radon problem.
Radon is a radioactive gas. It comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils. It typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up. Any home may have a radon problem. This means new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements.
Why should I be concerned about Radon?
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking
Radon is odorless and invisible so the only way to know if you have radon gas in your home is to test for it
In the Greater Cincinnati area, more than 25% of homes tested for radon have higher-than-acceptable levels
Any home may have a radon problem, regardless of age and construction.
What if the radon level is high?
The remedy for removing most of the radon in a home is to have a professionally installed mitigation system which should bring it to an acceptable level. This is very common in our area, and is a fairly easy problem to correct.
We will be happy to perform your radon test in conjunction with your whole-house inspection. Because it is a 48-hour test, we always try to begin the test at least 2 days prior to your whole-house inspection so that you will have all of your results on the same day.
If you are interested in reading more about radon, please visit the EPA website: www.epa.gov/radon.
Mold Sampling
Root Home Inspections contracts only the best, state licensed inspectors for your mold inspection. These are all water sources, of course, which is what mold needs to grow. If there is suspicion of mold, Richie will consult with you, our client, to see if you would like to have it tested. The samples will be taken to a local laboratory and each type of mold, if found, will be identified and quantified. If air samples are taken, they are compared against an outside sample, which serves as a baseline for the types of mold in the air at that particular time. Your report will be delivered to you, usually within 24 hours, and our contractor will explain the findings and what should be done to remediate the mold.
Termite Inspections
Termites and other Wood-Destroying Insects (WDIs) are not only pests, but they can cause structural damage to a home. The termite inspector will look for evidence of active or previous activity of termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and wood-boring beetles. He will also note any evidence of past treatment and make a recommendation on whether treatment is required.
Root Home Inspections contracts only the best, state-licensed inspectors for your termite inspection. We will take care of scheduling and billing for you, and coordinate with the termite inspector so that he will do his inspection at the same time or before your whole-house inspection. Your report will be emailed to you the same day as your whole-house inspection.