faq

faq

Frequently Asked Questions

How many physical visits or appearances do you make during the course of a 3 phase inspection?

Our visits can vary based on your needs, but the quotes we send will are for a single visit per phase (3 visits total). There are times when we document and report on major defects with the home, or when there are a large number of notable defects. In both of those scenarios, it can be difficult to determine if the builder has made any of the agreed upon repairs, in which case our services are requested for a re-inspection. There is a fee for any additional inspections, which is contingent upon our estimated time on-site.

During the final inspection, do you inspect all of the outlets?

I would never say that I inspect ALL the outlets, as I know for sure if you have outlets in the eaves/soffits and some other locations they won’t be checked…but it is our goal to check all the accessible outlets. As far as wiring, this is a visual only non-invasive inspection, like all home inspections, so we do not typically remove outlets from the walls, however; when an inspector “inspects” an outlet they do so with the use of a circuit analyzer which will help reveal improperly wired outlets.

What is a thermal infrared scan and why do I need one?
We have some information on our website about our Thermal infrared methods, which will help with your general question regarding “hot spots”. In general, yes, we will be looking for anomalies in the thermal envelope, both hot and cold. Our primary concern is water intrusion/leakage and electrical exceptions. Of course, if we detect issues with the thermal infrared scan, such as missing insulation/air infiltration we will document and report those for you using a thermal image and a visible light image to help with locating the exception.
I was talking with my builder and they mentioned that they follow a different code standard than what was referenced in the report. Is the builder required to follow your references, or are they just guidelines?
To answer your question regarding codes, and my referencing them in particular; there are no mandatory requirements that your builder make corrections once the City having jurisdiction has “inspected” the home. My reference to a code standard or to other reputable sources is only included as a way of leveraging or adding credibility to an opinion that I already formed regarding model building practices.
 
With that being said, it is true that the builder should be following whatever code requirements are accepted in the City that they are building in. I am not privy to that information over much and not every builder is building in an area that has code requirements. That is why I believe it to be important to work with the builder to determine which defects that I reported on that they do not agree or intend or correcting. Once you can isolate the defects that the builder is unwilling to correct you can work to figure out why they are not correcting them and then determine if the provided reasoning is sound.

 

Do you inspect the sprinkler system, and what is the additional fee if any?

The irrigation system (Sprinklers in the building world refer to water/fire sprinklers within the home) is inspected and the method and scope can be further defined when viewing the sample report on our website. We do not charge extra for home’s that have irrigation systems, but the inspection has some limitations, which you can read about on the TREC website.

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We truly appreciate you taking the time to consider CE Schultz Home Inspections as your Houston home inspector, and we look forward to assisting you with your new home inspection needs.
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