AEI

Paid to have the cause of a specific problem identified only to get the same “I don’t know but maybe” answer the the initial home inspector gave. I just wasted my money on a second home inspection instead of an engineer’s professional opinion.

Last year I bought a home built in 1998 and it was only my second home purchase. Because of these factors I wanted a very extensive home inspection before purchase and was recommended AEI. Their website states “assurance you need to make confident, well-informed decisions.” The inspection was over 20 pages of small issues like washer cap missing or light won’t turn on. Overall the cost of inspection was 1200 dollars. My wife specifically asked about windows and a backyard door that seemed to have been repaired and wasn’t closing easily. The report had zero mention of water issues or possible warped wood/water stains or anything like that. No mention of the door/flashing. 3 weeks later my wife noticed the door was harder to close and the wood floors were buckling. It didn’t take the restoration company or insurance adjuster long to spot water coming through holes outside the backyard door, flashing missing, and windows without good seals. Over 50 thousand dollars in damages and repairs. All wood floors in the home had to be replaced. The backyard door took 2 months to come in so we lived on concrete floors. I would have never bought the home if AEI would have pointed out these issues. I wrote multiple emails and AEI finally responded that it was not their fault and if I wanted a more extensive inspection I should have paid for one! I paid 1200 dollars and would have paid more if they advised! I wanted my money back because their contract protects them from any liability. They refused and would not call or meet with me. Very disappointing experience with AEI and a waste of 1200 dollars!

Very helpful solving the problems with the insurance co.

Went as stated and expected.

Excellent professional service followed by a detailed report on his findings.

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It went well. The owner came and told me exactly what he would do. He took plenty of time, made pictures inside and out. He made a report and gave the repairs that I needed.

Engineer was about 15 minutes early.
He described what he was going to, and what he was not going to do.
I read over some papers, signed the agreement while he did his thorough walk-around.
We sat down and he described what he found.
He wrote down possible next steps.

The engineer actually got on the roof to look for problems. He took me around showing me all structural 'issues' even if they were very minor. Spent extra time explaining why things should be looked at, and when they are looked at what should be fixed. He also brought out a team- including a termite inspector, plumber and electrician. They were all just as helpful and spent as much time as I needed going over the details about what they had found. I received a copy of the inspection report within the week, complete with pictures, and again explanations! I have found only a couple very small minor, minor things that they missed and may have occured after the inspection! Very happy with them and I would use them again!

Engineer was very punctual and friendly.  Explained things is good detail so that a non-engineer could understand.  Took pictures under the house and showed them to us.  Gave us a preliminary report right away, followed by a formal report to give to the crawl-space repair contractor within 48 hours.  I would definitely use AEI again

He missed SO many problems! We purchased the home and found numerous problems that should not have been missed. For example, one toilet had a large crack in the base & had to be replaced. Under the sinks in the vanity of the master bath there was wallpaper with holes punched through for the plumbing - NO sheetrock. There was an old counter-top microwave in the kitchen (we didn't understand why the seller had in the contract that it stayed with the house). As soon as I moved it to unplug it I found out why: the tile backsplash was not finished behind the micro. It was bare sheetrock. There was a HOLE punched thru the wall where the electrical wire from the micro went through & it was PLUGGED INTO the recepticle box HANGING from the attic inside the closet IN THE NEXT ROOM!!! He did say that he detected alittle rust inside a floor vent with meant there could be moisture in the ducts. I think he should've inspected further or at least check more than one vent. It rained a week after we moved in and it sounded like we had a rushing river under our house! The vents were full of water! And if we turned on the air conditioner, it caused the water in the ducts to churn & was as loud as a train! If the engineer (the owner) had done a complete inspection, there's NO WAY we would've bought this house. (We've since found major plumbing and electrical problems too.) Have you ever seen the Tom Hanks movie "The Money Pit"? Well, we are living it thanks to this guy.

I hired AEI to do a structural inspection of my home. We moved in 3 years ago and got concerned when we started getting cracks in the ceiling. Unfortunately when we purchased the home we got a general "home inspector" and did not get a structural engineer. ( A mistake I will never repeat!) Our biggest concern when the cracks started popping up was structural damage. The inspector came out and did a thorough inspection of my home. He was very polite and courteous. He was also very knowledgeable & informative. I appreciate that he walked me inside & out of the home and was careful to explain in detail everything he found. I highly recommend this company! They have gained a customer for life & we will be sure to call them before we even consider purchasing our next home.

The engineer, Chad, did an exceptional job. He was on time (actually, early), knowledgeable, and personable. He looked at everything I wanted looked at, did a comprehensive "standard" inspection, and verbally gave me his results and recommendations on the spot. I received his written report by email in less than 24 hours. It was far better than the report I received when I bought the home, and included several diagrams. It did take a month of lead time to schedule the inspection, however there were others who wanted even more.