CEDAR HILL HOME INSPECTION

Excellent work performed. Cannot say enough about how complete and professional the job went. Bob was punctual, thorough and very patient in answering all of our questions. We received a detailed 50 page report with pictures and comments about the inspection.

Robert Kulakowski performed a home inspection on a 4 bedroom house that we were in the process of buying.  In the 9 months of owning the home since the inspection, I have uncovered approximately $25,000 in water damage, unserviceable split clapboard siding, and 6 rotten windows.  None of this was included in the home inspection report  .Of the 5 windows that were rotten, 4 of them had visible signs of rot on the sill and could have easily been exposed with a flat bladed screwdriver by gently poking at the suspect area. 

His exact wording from the report was:
"Exterior wall condition: Appear to be straight. Siding condition: Generally level, intact, and generally siding appears in good condition. The following siding deficiencies were noted: holes, spaces and/or missing siding can allow water to enter, some sagging and paint/finish worn, faded and/or peeling. The amount of siding deficiencies: Some, repair as necessary."

There was so much split siding that there should have been a more stern warning in the inspection report.

He also missed the fact that the roof did not have underlayment under the shingles.  It is interesting to note that a buyer before me walked away because of the inspection.  I since obtained a copy of that inspection and HIS inspector noted this deficiency as well as some of the exterior wood rot.  This may have tipped us off to the point that the clapboard siding did not have asphalt felt behind it ( a major cause of the water damage). The other buyer's inspection report also highlighted a "shearing/bowing" of the concrete foundation wall.  I SHOWED this condition to Robert and he said it was nothing to worry about.  I should have been referred to a structural engineer here.  He misdiagnosed that it was just stairstep cracking and missed the fact that the CMU block wall was bowed.

I expect that a professional home inspector could identify the primary failure mode of clapboard siding.  If a piece of clapboard is split, the potential for water to get behind the siding and damage the home is very high.   After identifying some split clapboard, I have thoroughly examined the property and have found more than 2500 linear feet of clapboard siding that needs to be replaced due to splitting, cupping, etc. 

All of this was visible, and should have been brought to my attention both verbally and in the report.  Because the siding was damaged, there obviously was sheathing damage underneath and carpenter ants were nesting in the rotten sill and surrounding sheathing. The bottom line is that Robert failed on this home inspection and cost my family $25,000.  I still need to fix the roof now too.  He loves to point out the small stuff..... i.e. the house doen't have a $15 Carbon monoxide detector, but failed big time on catching the big stuff.

He returns phone calls and is on time, thorough, and personable. He emailed the completed inspection report later that day. The report was about 35 pages of useful information and photographs. It provides me with a ready reference and starting point for several home improvement projects that will help make the home more energy efficient.