Carnell Engineering

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We had a good experience for our Home Inspection in 2011.  Problems did pop up within the walls (mostly leaking pipes) but that couldn't be diagnosed by sight.  My phone call with Michael, or perhaps it was Mike, I forget who I ended up speaking with -- but he was fantastic!  I have so many more questions now after owning my house for a few years and he took the time to answer everything over the phone for me (a former client).  I was hugely impressed by such personal attention.  He was a big help and I really appreciated his time.  I wouldn't hesitate going back to use them again and to recommend them as well.  Great guy, very kind and knowledgeable. 

...

The heat pump was defective. It was improperly wired and in poor condition. The unit had an after market hard stock kit. The compressor had problems starting. The inspector told me they couldn't start the heat because it is summer time. Therefore, the issues with the heat pump were never found. The previous owners fixed the wiring issues temporarily until the unit could be replaced. I had to put a completely new unit in for $4,800. If Carnell Engineering had found this issue during the home inspection I wouldn't have had such high heat bills in the winter let alone n had to replace the entire unit. I would definitely warn anyone NOT to use them! Use a more thorough inspection company. I even called them eight times to confront this issue with them and they will not return my calls.

He signed a contract that he would remove and replace the roof and gutters for my rental property. He completed the work when I was on vacation and he received payment. 1 month later another contractor was on the roof and stated I needed trim. I explained I had just had a roof installed and he stated they had done a pretty crumby job considering there were now 3 layers of shingles and no trim around asphalt and that if not done the roof would leak. I now have to pay someone else $2500 to complete the work because he laughed and told me he would not do it and that is not what was agree upon.

It did not go well.. --- BEWARE!! DO NOT USE!!! ---
Extremely expensive. I was blatantly lied to by Donna in their scheduling department. We had a date scheduled. Two Days before the scheduled inspection, I received an email from Donna that was rude and unwarranted. They gave my scheduled inspection time to a different customer without ever having called, but rather sent a rude email filled with lies that ultimately told me they cancelled my service and good luck. Donna claimed to have repeatedly called and left voice messaages, which is an interesting claim in that I CANNOT EVER RECEIVE VOICE MAIL MESSAGES. ---BEWARE--- Known on the street as and quot;deal killersand quot; - as they purposefully find cause for lenders to refuse a deal. Maybe a way to drum up additional business for themselves.

Did a great job, was punctual, allowed me to tag along, answered my questions.

Sig saved us from buying a very expensive dump of a house (which we very much appreciated). The problems with the house were numerous and serve which needed a lot of work. Sig did an excellent job explaining things to us, and helping us understand what was going on, and what the problems were. The staff in the office were very quick to answer phones, and fairly helpful. I had a few messages which were not returned, some of the email addresses on their website may be out of date, and it is better to leave a message with the staff - a voice mail or two of mine got lost.
However, he only took 3 pictures - and two of those were at our explicit request, had we moved forward, I'm not sure that we could have documented clearly for our lawyer what the problems were (or to their lawyer) - a big problem in my book. He didn't do much testing of windows or electrical outlets, although he did test the plumbing and the structural integrity of the house to a good degree.
He was able to point out the major problems and the concerns which could come up in the future, but the writeup was a little lacking for my taste (it was a fine write-up - I just would have liked more).
Lastly, in terms of the cost, for what Carnell charges for a home inspection you can get an inspection and a radon test from other providers. I'm sure they are very good at many things, but I was not impressed with the home inspection (although again bear in mind that they did make it clear that this was not the house to buy . . . .)

I have used them twice. They are competent and efficient and communicate quickly. They write good reports and email them to you speedily.

Steven was great. Thorough, and friendly. He said and quot;no dumb questionsand quot; and believe me, I tested him on that. He explained everything: what he was looking at, what he was writing down, and why. The whole process took 4 hours. He was very methodical, and relaxed. A good pace. I learned a lot, and even got some great advice on (perhaps) what I might update/expand/remove in the future.

He emailed me his report the next day and I received a hardcopy report several days later. I felt very comfortable with the results.

I really liked that it was a very thorough and very comprehensive report done by an actual engineer. He was available to us for phone consultation after the fact. We did had some questions, and he was able to answer them.

The important thing to understand about Carnell is that their inspectors are also professional engineers.  Having once commissioned a prior inspection though a typical home inspector, I can tell you the difference is night and day.  In addition to the typical points of inspection, an engineer adds a special focus on structural and construction issues.  I learned much more from this inspection than I did the previous one.  If you get a home inspection, definitely try to get an inspector who is also an engineer.
Our inspector was Steve Boersma.  He was professional, courteous, knowledgeable, punctual, and he also has a great "dry" sense of humor that made the inspection entertaining at times.  He was extremely thorough, and the inspection took a few hours; I peppered Steve with questions the whole time, and he was patient and pleasant the whole time, always taking the time to explain issues and observations in layman's terms.   Steve had the inspection report to us within 24 hours.
I should also mention that the administrative staff at Carnell are professional and courteous.  They were prompt to respond to all telephone and e-mail inquiries.
I would recommend Carnell (and Steve) in a heartbeat to any potential home buyer looking for an inspection company with great service and high integrity.