SUMMER STREET INSPECTIONS

Paul Rude did a thorough and professional job inspecting our
newly acquired  condo.  His report was useful and detailed.  I recommend him highly

Paul Rude was recommended by my Real Estate Agent as one of the best for North Oakland Home Inspections. I needed someone that would be very thorough, since I had an inspection contingency in my offer. Paul arrived early to our scheduled appointment and was ready to jump in without delay. The inspection took several hours and when he was complete we sat down and Paul detailed all the major highlights I should be aware of before receiving my detailed inspection report. He explained everything in a clear way that someone unfamiliar with home construction could understand. He advised which other inspections may be needed in addition to his own, such as an electrical and seismic retro-fit quote. He offered some great ideas and options for some of the repairs needed and offered to refer me to reputable engineers for seismic retrofitting of the home. We were under a bit of a time crunch and Paul graciously completed the report over the weekend, delivering it to me on that Sunday following our Friday morning appointment. The report was incredibly detailed and comprehensive, which is a huge endorsement coming from someone as obsessive detail oriented as myself. It provided all the information I needed to move forward with escrow and price negotiations. I couldn't have been more pleased with the service I received from Paul and would recommend him to anyone in the market for a home inspection.

In 2011 we began noticing paint that was peeling on the interior wall of our dining room, which is on that south wall of our house. We initially attributed the peeling paint to possible settling of the house, old paint, etc. It turned out to be much worse, unfortunately. Upon further inspection, we found the following problems:
1. Water had been leaking in underneath the second story bedroom window (one of the windows that had been replaced by Summer Street). The moisture had been accumulating over the years, running down inside the wall, spreading outwards in a Christmas tree shape, such that at ground level the water damage  ran almost the entire length of the house (approx. 35 '). Many of the studs holding up the second story of the house were entirely rotted through, with gaps between the tops of the  rotted studs and the 2nd story floor joist. Approximately fifteen feet of the southern wall that abuts the southeast corner of the house was relatively undamaged. 
 
2. There was a variety of mold in the wall, some of it considered "toxic black mold" by the inspector and new contractor. The insulation was not reusable. 
3. Most of the south wall, from grade level all the way to the peaked roof of the attic had to be redone. The windows and frames were intact and we were able to reuse them, fortunately. The entire wall had to be re-stuccoed, including going a small way around the corners at the edges of the house.
  4. The water leakage was caused by an improper job of flashing the windows when Summer Street redid the south wall. There was a large gap between the second story window and the sill, such that water was able to leak in. The water was staying inside the wall, where it caused the wall to rot away from the inside; there was also some damage to the interior hardwood flooring.
The contractors we hired to redo the job (Sensible Builders) rebuilt the wall, reinstalled the windows, and saw the job through to the finish work, including the stucco, prepping and painting, both inside and out. They also did a very good job of dovetailing the new sections of the second story interior hardwood floor that were damaged. Additionally, they redid all the trim along the roof line, which, although it wasn't damaged by the water intrusion, also enhanced the waterproof integrity of the house. The total cost to perform all the damage repair, as well as the additional trim work along the roof, cost a total of $42,000. 
We contacted Mr. Rude and told him what was happening. He did not offer to redo and / or repair the faulty work,  nor did he offer to pay to have the work done by another contractor.
Unfortunately, the statute of limitations on construction work is 10 years. Thus, we had no legal recourse to have Summer Street redo their faulty work. We have now spent a total of $87,259; $45,259 for Summer Street's initial work, and $42,000 to have it redone. 
My feeling is that Summer Street, under the general contractor oversight of Paul Rude, did mostly good and proper work. However, in a case like this, it only takes one instance of faulty window flashing for water to intrude and completely undo all the work that was done properly. The only fault was in the window flashing - but that was enough to cause the entire wall to rot. The general contractor is in charge of all his sub-contractors, and he's responsible for their work and their contribution to the project. The General Contractor is where the buck stops....but after the 10 year statute of limitations the buck then stops at the homeowner. Water damage is a slow-moving form of decay, with no obvious symptoms until the damage becomes extensive ; the deterioration of the wall had been going on for years before the damage became apparent. 

Paul is fantastic! Professional, prompt and friendly. I can only hope we find someone like Paul to do our inspection when we find a home at new location.