PILLAR TO POST

unknown

unknown

I am not surprised that they already have a rating of C here. Should have paid attention to this before hiring them.
During inspection they missed a couple of big items in the report and I had to ask them to include these items. We bought the premium package. I didn't see any value in it and in hindsight should have used the regular package and saved money.
Later when the repairs were performed and I asked Amy to schedule an appointment for inspcetion of the repair, she made me run around to give an appointment. It was very frustrating because as a buyer you feel stuck when your inspector is not giving you appointment for inspection of repairs. I even wrote to Brian Finn whose name in on their website (owner?)  but he never responded either. Finally I got fed up and gave up on inspection of the repairs.
I will never recommend them to anyone.

Doug arrived on time. Explained checks he would . He explained things as we went along. He took spictures and presented a reported the same day with colored pictures.

unknown

unknown

.

The person was punctual and courteous, however, he wasn't thorough. After I bought my home, there were 2 major items that should've been brought to my attention. 1) The furnace. Took him a while to get it going and then when it did, it was just mediocre. After I moved in, the furnace didn't turn on. He should've told me about this and I should've had the seller replace the furnace before I moved in. Instead I had to spend $5k to get it replaced. 2) The attic. He never checked the entire attic. Just climbed up at the opening took some pictures and that was it. Even though he advised about getting extra insulation, he made it sound like it wasn't a big deal. Now, it's extremely hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Also, after walking around, I see that my attic has giant openings above my bathroom and that some of the wooden beams aren't flushed up against my chimney and not supported. Just hanging there. I feel bad that the guy was overweight with some knee issues but because of it, I am now almost $10,000 out of money within a 4 month timeframe. I'm extremely upset by this.

Doug, the inspector, was a really nice guy and very thorough. As with all home inspections, he didn't get every single thing right, but he did tell me it was a good house and I'm glad he did as I bought it and am happy with it.

READ ABOVE DONand quot;T USE THIS JERK! PLEASE

When we got there, Brian Finn was already there early and started checking the roof. When we got there, he was detailed and professional. He explained a lot of home maintenance and details of what he was doing. The biggest issue is getting a hold of him. I would recommend calling the office and talking to Amy. She was able to explain the process.

I'm not sure where to begin. Our Weichert Realtor referred us to Brian from Pillar To Post. Upon meeting him he seemed very straightforward and we felt like we would be given an honest and fair home inspection. We were first time home buyers (previously owned a condo, but there isn't much to know with a condo).
Brian did spend a lot of time inspecting the home we were buying and educated me along the way. However, apparently a home inspection isn't all it is chalked up to be.
Roughly three weeks ago I came home early from work and saw what I thought to be ants all over our living room floor. I called our exterminator and to my surprise they were termites.
I was told by three different termite companies that we had visible mud tunnels in our basement and that the colony was roughly 3 to 5 years old. They have swarmed three times since in our living room and basement. Let me tell you, termites and cleaning them up is no fun. Especially when you haven't finished unpacking from your move.
I contacted Brian via email. His first few responses seemed to come across as he cared and to keep him posted. However, he did stress his termite inspection is only visible. My last two emails have gone ignored. Those were the emails which explained the cost involved in fixing the issue, the fact that termite companies documented the mud tunnels were visible and that if Brian would have simply looked between the sheet rock and masonary wall he would have seen the mud tunnels. Apparently if a termite didn't walk over his foot he is covered by his agreement we signed.
I gave him a fair chance to man up and at least refund our inspection. In reality he should be paying for the termite treatment and or making a claim through his insurance company since ours won't cover it.
We now have to get a $1500 termidor treatment. That involves drilling in our living room floor, all along the garage floors (we have to empty the entire garage out - remember we are still moving in), drilling and trenching along the outside of the house (that is hassle free for us). In addition, you are forced to pay a $160 renewal fee if you want the Termidor warranty to stay current.
This doesn't even cover the cost of the damage. I'm still waiting to hear back from an engineer and contractor in regards to that. So far all I know is I have to cut a few more holes in the living room and basement sheet rock.I probably have to sister up the support beams and I also have to remove part of our deck and siding off the back of our house. That is to simply look at the damage, not fix it.
I'm utterly disgusted and shocked that Brian has ignored our emails.
To make matters worst I just had our chimney cleaned. It was pointed out to me that the crown on the chimeny is cracked and technically should be replaced and or waterproofed. I was also told the galvenized cap on the chimney should never be used when you have oil heat and needs to be replaced. One more thing Brian missed which has cost us money.
I was going to leave it at the termites but as I was typing this the chimney company was looking at the chimney.

Brian came in with an apprentice and seemed very professional, knowledgeable, and experienced. He took his time -- we must have spent an hour in the basement alone -- which is why we trusted him. At one point, he asked his apprentice to run all the faucets, showers, toilets in the house while we stayed in the basement.
Brian gave the home a pretty positive assessment, and we only had a few minor and quot;asksand quot; for the owners.
So we were very surprised when RIGHT AWAY a leak occurred in the basement as the direct result of a pipe leading from one of the toilets. We saw it after moving in -- flush the toilet, see the leak. How the inspector missed it is beyond us, but we suspect the apprentice did NOT flush that particular toilet. Otherwise, we would have seen the water leaking from the pipe.
We had plumbers come in later and they actually pointed out water damage/corrosion on the pipe as they replaced it with PVC to the tune of about $2200.
We were told that the basement seemed dry by all accounts, but at the very first major rainstorm, water started streaming in from the base of the house, as it does with every major rain now. There was even a little broom in the basement, clearly there to sweep water into the sump pump; also, it was very recently and suspiciously painted. Surely, something in that basement must have provided an indication that it was a wet basement, and/or that a cosmetic paint job was done to cover it up. We're told that getting that fixed could run us closer to $20,000 (French drains).
We also discovered later that a few of the windows didn't close properly and can't be locked, and that a front house light is broken. We only visited the house during the day.
But our major dissatisfaction stems from the obvious water leak, and the obvious wet basement -- neither of which were disclosed by the previous owners.

The overall experience was great. Doug Sward was our inspector and he was both personable and knowledgeable. He took me around the house and actually explained things to me about the construction of the house, rather than just making notes and telling me if something was good or bad. He pointed out how the elements of the house compared against standard construction, and gave me advice on how to make sure the house maintained its excellent condition. I feel like the home inspection was as much a learning experience as it was a necessary function of purchasing a home. I feel like I learned a lot about being a responsible homeowner, and I couldn't imagine how an inspection could go better. I would highly recommend using Pillar to Post out of Morris Plains, and highly recommend asking for Doug Sward as the inspector.

Brian was a pleasure to work with. He arrived on time and started his work outside despite my late arrival (due to nasty traffic after an accident). He spent time discussing his findings - whether good or concerning. He involved me and the realtor when necessary to point out certain things. He also explained how things could be upgraded for safety or modern convenience. In addition, he even explained what things could be done as part of good, routine maintenance. A binder of information was provided to me. He emailed his report to me and my lawyer w/out delay. When there seemed to be a major problem w/ the heating system, it was only that we were adjusting the incorrect thermostat. Brian was able to later confirm that the furnace was indeed working and he later emailed that important fact to me.

I couldnt be happier with this company. They were on time (in fact early). Thoroughly inspected house. Explained everything to me as they were inspecting. Included in their report the frequency in which things should be inspected and maintained. In fact, I called the inspector personally 2-3 times after the inspection to ask questions that I forgot to ask in person and the inspector called me back with in a few hours and answered all my questions. Emailed the results to me, my agent and my lawyer. I didnt have to do anything except show up and ask questions. It was a pleasure (and the only pleasure I had) in the whole house buying experience.

The inspector showed up on time and did a fine job pointing out the obvious. He was recommended by our Realtor and I got the feeling he was working for the agent and not me. There was obvious rot around some windows which he pointed out. What he failed to mention was that the rot was creating water damage inside the home around said windows. The reason he didn't see this? He never moved the curtains. Also, there was an exposed wire running through a hole in the floor and then through the wall to the outside against electric code which should have been obvious during the inspection. This he also didn't notice, but it was quite obvious once we moved in to the empty house. Also, there was an item in his report which he backpedaled on once he was contacted by the seller. I think he was much more interested in helping our agent get the deal done than giving us a quality report. He may have a good price, but you do get what you pay for.

The company promptly called me back and we set up an appointment right away. The inspector arrived early and did a very thorough evaluation of the house. And I mean thorough! He searched the house for 3.5 hours and at the end, he printed out the report in a binder, explained all his findings and recommendations, and also e-mailed the report to us, our attorney and agent. I contacted several home inspection companies and Pillar to Post was the most reasonably priced for the services they provided. I recommend them highly.