Ed Lampl - Environmental & Home Inspections

Ed is a wonderful professional. He was prompt and went over every inch of the house. He spent a great deal of time going through his report with us and made sure all our questions were answered. He did it all - radon testing, mold, pests, complete inspections, etc. We have bought and sold houses in Canada, New York, and Tennessee, and Ed tops all the inspectors. He was also the most reasonable in price of all of them, and some of these inspections were done many years ago. We can't recommend him more highly!

Ed exceeded my expectations! Working with Ed was great, and I would hire him again in a heartbeat. He arrived early to start inspecting the roof. He is very thorough and spent about four hours doing my home inspection, and explaining to me what he was checking for and what he found. This is my first home, so I was nervous about the inspection findings, but Ed reassured me about everything. He definitely looked out for my best interest, even giving me maintenance and care tips for the house. He was very quick to answer my follow-up questions and concerns that I had. He went above and beyond to help me with an issue that the sellers did not properly take care of. I highly recommend Ed for your home inspection!

Ed was AMAZING. I am a first time home buyer and felt really at the mercy of my realtor, having no base of reference for how to approach the home inspection process. My selected realtor provides a concierge service to all clients, which I assumed, would include the best of the best in terms of home services from the Pittsburgh area. Boy, did they miss the mark in excluding Ed from their list! I was all ready to make the appointment with the recommended home inspector from my realtor, when my co-worker mentioned that he had hired a man named Ed Lampl. As he went on to describe Ed's thoroughness, attention to detail, and general approach, I decided to ask my realtor if he had ever heard of Ed. My realtor mentioned that he didn't have any direct experience with Ed and he may be ok, but also cautioned me that I make sure my home inspector was ASHI certified. I took that advice and proceeded to research both Ed and the realtor-recommended inspector - how ironic that Ed had information all over the place including a million raving reviews and listing on the ASHI website...and the home inspector that my realtor recommended? Not one review, and nowhere to be found on the ASHI website. Obviously I went with Ed! I called Ed to make the appointment and he visited the home to set up the radon box that very night! On inspection day, he came prepared and set up all of his equipment, and got to work. He was very personable and made me feel extremely comfortable. He took the time to point out items of interest, explain the details of what he was looking for, and provided all sorts of maintenance tips. He provided a detailed report at the end (which my realtor later acknowledged was different from anything he had ever seen), notes, and walked me through the items that he felt were crucial to address, and ones which are "good to knows". He also let me know that he was available if I needed anything else - and he meant it! I spoke to Ed several times during the week or so following the inspection as were going back and forth with the seller to negotiate the repairs that came out of the home inspection. He was always helpful, took the time to explain things (often the same thing repeatedly), and give his point of view. Overall, it has been a great experience working with Ed. I would make two recommendations to any home buyer out there - 1) Don't just take the word of your realtor. Take time to do your research yourself and get recommendations from friends, family, and Angie's list! 2) Hire Ed Lampl for your home inspection!

Ed was excellent. He guided me through the entire house inspection making sure I understood everything from the largest issue down to general maintenance he would recommend. He also suggested an additional drain inspection that uncovered a blocked main sewer pipe in the basement possibly saving me thousands of dollars in repairs. The plumber he referred me to was Matt Mertz who was equally excellent. Ed has continued to be available to answer questions that have come up as I reviewed his inspection report in more detail. I have rarely if ever dealt with any kind of contractor, home improvement professional, home inspector, etc. who exhibits the commitment level and focus on customer satisfaction that Ed has shown.

Overall great first home inspection experience! Ed was pleasant on the phone and while scheduling our appointment. We were able to set up an inspection within a few days of calling. Ed arrived at the house on time and ready to start the inspection. He even arrived a few minutes early to inspect the roof since the weather predicated snow later in the morning. He was very thorough with his inspection, and explained everything to me while he was doing it. He took plenty of pictures to back his statements, and he made me feel better about the home purchase knowing that he took a look at EVERYTHING, especially since it was an older house that was reconstructed on the inside. He used a voice to text program that sped up the inspection report process, and we received the report later on that same day. He even emailed me a truncated version of the report to relay to my husband who was out town during the inspection. If you purchased an older home, a home with new construction and appliances, or if you are just overall concerned about a home inspection, Ed is your guy! He will catch everything and make a note of it, as well as explain anything and everything to you as he goes through the inspection.

We discovered mold in our basement and after much research decided to call Ed. He was so knowledgeable and went above and beyond what he was contracted for. He has done 5 air quality tests throughout the past few months and swab samples. Every time he comes he is prompt, friendly, and willing to go the extra mile. When he was doing the air quality tests in my basement he discovered joists that had been cut short by the builder and needed to be addressed and then most alarming when going through the rest of the house (which he was not contracted to do, but did for us as a favor) he discovered 2 gas leaks. One in the furnace above my daughters room and one in the stove. We are forever grateful and would HIGHLY recommend Ed to anyone. His knowledge and experience continues to help us through this ordeal.

Ed inspected a large 20+ acre Gentleman's Farm with multiple outbuildings for me. Setting up the inspection was quick and easy. We agreed to meet at 10:00am and Ed pre-warned me to be prepared to spend a lot of time on this very large project. When I arrived at 9:30, Ed was already there and had started the process. I found Ed to be very thorough and detail oriented. We did not finish until approximately 7:00pm, but I walked away extremely satisfied and I feel I know as much as humanly possible about the property.

It went very well, and I was pleased with his services. Setting up the appointment was easy, and he was very accommodating. He was punctual, showing up before I got to the house. He took his time and was very thorough and answered all of my questions. He actually spent around 5 hours at the house. He uses a dictation device to type the report on the spot. It can have some incorrect words and/or misspellings, but he asked me to read over it before he wrapped up. He took a lot of pictures while he was there, which was very nice. It would be nice if some of them were embedded in the report, but I wasn't overly concerned with that. When he was done, he gave me a cd with the report and all of the pictures on it, along with some other reference material. He is also certified at mold detection and removal, so he pointed out some areas that were suspected to be potential mold, and I was able to get the seller's to have them tested and remediated, so that worked out great. Overall, I was pleased with his work and would use him again.

I called Ed because my wife and I were starting to work in the basement. We will be spending more time down there so I wanted to make sure the area was safe. I called Ed and he was helpful from the start. He came out very quickly and answered a myriad of my questions. He even dispelled some false notions I had about radon. He set up a testing unit and went on his way. We were instructed to let the unit sit in the basement for a week and we did just that. When the test was done, Ed came back out and had the results of the test back to us that night! We literally had the results that night! Excellent work. Ed is both professional and knowledgeable. His prices are fair and he loves what he does. There is no need to call anyone else. This is why I use Angie's List.

To start, Mr. Lampl is a very experienced resource for home health and inspection knowledge. He was extremely easy to work with and very prompt with his service. He performed mold testing for me in 3 locations of my house. He explained exactly what he was doing, from how he was testing to who would be doing to the analysis. His methods are by the book and scientific. That explains the mold testing, but it doesn't really tell you what a good experience it was to work with Ed. He gave me *many* great suggestions to correct various issues in my home. His time at my house was more like a home inspection. I can't tell you if that's his regular way of doing things, but his advice alone was worth the cost of having him out. He followed up with me on various issues after the testing was complete. The testing results themselves were very extensive and clearly presented (this does not occur the same day). The only thing I can say is that if I ever need mold related testing, or any home inspection services, I would not hesitate to hire Ed again.

Very flexible in helping you if you are in a time crunch. Was very efficient and thorough.

Ed was able to accommodate my short notice request, and was on site just 2 days after I contacted him to schedule the inspection. He was on time, and was kind enough to ask if I wanted him to bring coffee and/or breakfast. The inspection took about 5 hours to complete and was very thorough. During that time, he answered any questions that I asked him and was also very friendly.

Ed took the time to explain exactly what was going on, how to fix it, and how i needed to proceed. It was very professional.

Ed did a great job educating me initially on the mold removal process and what to watch out for. He sent me a wealth of information over email. He sent a video (Rossen report) which showed how people can get "taken" by mold remediators. That was very helpful in deciding who I would hire to do the job. He recommended a couple mold removal companies, one of which I ended up using. He explained the necessity of testing for mold before and after and having a third party (such as himself) testing. It was helpful to get his feedback during this entire process. He was accessible through email and on the phone. I had a breach in containment during the mold remediation process. Ed was helpful in not only doing the post testing for mold to see if any mold came through to the second floor via the breach, but also brought a luminometer to test immediately for presence of mold for my piece of mind. Also he went further and tested for any gas leaks in the house at no charge. I would recommend him in the future and in fact have already recommended him to another person seeking mold remediation.

Ed came the same day we called concerned about possible mold in our finished basement. He was punctual and efficient. He explained the process and we got our results when promised. We would highly recommend him.

Ed was very responsive to meeting our deadline to receive results as soon as possible.

I would highly recommend Ed to anyone needing mold testing. He kept me informed every step of the way and even provided numerous articles to educate me on mold and what it all meant. He was able to come to my residence very quickly and perform the work. He even provided me with a few home inspection tips while he was at my residence. I have recently purchased a new home and due to my satisfaction with Ed, I will be hiring him to do the home inspection. I highly recommend him.

Ed arrived on time. He was very friendly and told me to keep smiling and not to worry he was there for us. He began the inspection which I believe was through. There were a few things I needed to point out but overall he explained what he was looking for and what he had found. He took over 200 photos and even one of my father up on the ladder with him. At the conclusion of the inspection, he copied all the info onto a flash drive for me and we parted ways. The issues we had were not with his inspection but rather with his report. He has created his own format for inspection reports which I haven?t ever come across before. First he uses voice recognition software to type his report as he goes along. He inspects something, goes back to his computer and then uses his microphone to dictate info for the report, then off to inspect the next item. I didn't realize at the time he wasn't proof reading the report. There were a number of typos and confusing sentences to decipher what the report was saying. And I was there with him for the entire inspection. Here is one example... Example: From the inspection report, referring to a leaking gutter on the home where damage had been caused to fascia. "In right rear downspouts is disconnected to inground discharge - evidence of a daughter leaking front - (2) Recommend flashing / gutter (s) cleaning annually as preventative maintenance." When I brought up to Ed the report was difficult to follow and that his voice recognition software had many "typos" he said that's why he has me read the report. I didn't feel it was my responsibility to verify the accuracy of his report when I was paying him for a professional report. He responded by telling me to keep smiling. Items were left off the report entirely, such as a gas leak on the furnace. After I called to discuss with him he said he would include those, and then it took two more attempts of emailing me the report before it was included on the report. Most importantly, the report says a lot of things, but doesn't really say much of anything. Decoding the report and the definition of terms key on page two were extremely difficult to follow. The report frequently refers to maintenance of items which the home did not have, slab on grade, tile roof, concrete driveway. It?s as if he is using another report previously written and just editing it as he goes along. He offers no opinion and with every item listed suggest inspection by a qualified person. I?m confused by this because that was why we hired him. At no place within the report are the 200+ photos referenced. After many conversations with him and my agent to try and resolve this, he started texting me. He suggested that I put together a word document, list all the corrections for him to make. Or I could simply make the changes I wanted within the summary report word document version he had given me. At this point I decided to call another company, have the inspection done again and get a report both my agent and I could understand. He did offer to keep trying to make it right for me, but after a series of exchanges I just didn?t see the point. He simply didn?t understand what I was asking for. We needed an easy to understand, clearly written document which listed needed repairs in his professional opinion. I have called the inspector whom inspected the home we just sold to perform the inspection and provide us a new report. My suggestion?If you are looking for a home inspector, ask for a sample report from a few inspectors. (Most I?ve found out now have samples on their websites) This will allow you to compare what you are and are not getting. Sorry Ed, after nearly 8 hours of trying to decipher your report? I?m just not smiling.

I called Ed, and he came out the same day--my house happened to be near one of this other jobs. When he arrived he remembered me from the home inspection. He had offered me and my husband some window units (for free) because he was having central AC installed in his own house. This is just one example of how generous and accomodating Ed is. He will spend time talking with you about your concerns, and he is happy to look at other parts of your house, too. Anyway, Ed arrived and listened to my window leaking saga. He used the moisture meter to check to moisture in the wall above and around the leaking window then he checked the wall above it on the third floor. No moisture was detected anywhere but around the frame of the leaking window, which gave me reason to call the window contractor again (who was also great) and ask him to reinstall the window, considering Ed's findings. I am still waiting for a heavy rain to determine if the window re-install worked, but after the last light rain it didn't leak, where it had on previous semi-light rains. To return to Ed, though. His information was very helpful in my making an informed call to the window contractor. I would recommend Ed's services to others and I will continue to keep him in mind when I am problem-solving around our very old house.

Ed is extremely thorough and provides a very detailed report along with certificates and pictures on the spot. This is our first home together and I wanted to make sure it was up to standard. Ed spent at least 5 hours at the house inspecting every square inch, inside and out. Our real estate agent said that she had never heard of an inspection that thorough. Ed definitely has integrity and wants what is best for the buyer and took time to answer all of our questions while at the inspection as well as after. Do not expect to get the answer that you want to hear but know that the answer you get is 99 times out of 100 the right one. He is very responsive and answers phone calls and emails regardless of the time. If you are unfamiliar with the inspection process or just want to have the peace of mind that a qualified inspector has turned over every rock to ensure that the home you are buying is serviceable Ed will not disappoint. *** This is an update based on the recent F rating posted The manner in which Ed completes the report IS unique in that he uses voice recognition to quickly write the report on the spot. Yes, some words were wrong, I.e. their instead of there, etc. Ed afforded me the ability to customize the report at the conclusion of the inspection. Ed provides very thorough, and in my opinion, superior service. If you want a pretty report with perfect grammar and embedded pictures a week after the inspection you can probably find it elsewhere - if you want a detailed report on the spot after a very thorough and professional inspection then I recommend you call Ed.

Great guy!! On time. Tellls it like it is. Thorough to point out all issues and also gave detailed maintenance advice. At the end you get a packet and plenty of photos to keep on file for future reference. Informed me of $1,500 in needed repairs I included in my mitigation prior to closing. Money well spent.

Two days before our closing, the bank underwriting our loan had some unfounded, last minute concerns about deferred maintenance on our home (for which we had already received concessions from the seller). As Ed had performed our home inspection, I asked him if he wouldn't mind writing a report to the bank addressing their specific concerns. Ed again went above and beyond, turned around this specialized report the same day, and not only didn't charge me for the service, but quite literally saved the deal. Excellent, excellent service.

Great! Ed went above and beyond expectations!

Mr Lampl was refered to me by a friend to perform my home inspection. I am a first time home buyer, and I have to say that Mr Lampl was an absolute breath of fresh air during an already extremely stressful process. He was extremely friendly and extremely thorough. After we made our introductions he promptly handed me a flashlight so that I could get the same view as him while he walked/talked me through the property. I received an extremely detailed report consisting of 24 pages on his evaluation of the different areas of the house, and he also included over 120 pictures of the various areas he addressed. He used a numeric rating system for which he provided a key at the beginning of the report so it was easy to focus on the areas he found which ranked from serviceable(OK) to being safety hazards. I absolutely cannot stress how thorough he was. It was easy to see that while working with Mr Lampl that he truly had my best interest in mind. I would recommend him to positively anybody looking for a similiar service.

They were excellent. It was well worth it. Very professional and extremely detailed. Excellent, excellent, excellent.