THREE RIVERS INSPECTION & ENGINEERING INC

I am glad I was able to find Russ and Three Rivers Machinery. During this time of year it is not uncommon for offices of this type to be difficult to get a hold of, but I eventually got to talk to Natalie (Trick, use emails ;-) ) and Russ was able to come out that day to look at a property I am in the process of buying. Russ was knowledgeable, efficient, and just plain fun to talk to. He explained things that others had no idea about (like noting a fungus on a 100+ year old floor joist), as well as catching things that 2 appraisers, and a home inspector missed (Missing Support in basement). I would hands down recommend Russ and honestly wished he had done our home inspection too (Was done before we called them).

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Russ and his scheduler, Natalie, were great to work with. We had a ridiculously tight timeline because our inspection period was ending, so Natalie arranged for Russ to inspect the property on the same day I called. Within two days, Russ produced a thorough report on the problem with clear instructions for resolving it. He also recommended a contractor, who promptly provided an estimate. I high recommend this company. Note: From what I gather, Russ' services are in very high demand, so you should not necessarily expect the same-day service that I got by sheer luck. My prediction is that if you give them a reasonable amount of time to return your call and get on their schedule, you'll be quite pleased with their work.

This company is supposed to be one of the best, but since I have reached out to them, I have had nothing but problems with communication. I have sent correspondence, pictures as requested, and have not heard anything back from them. I have been dealing with this since before June. It's very disappointing to feel as though I am being ignored by a company with such good reviews. This service is something that is very important and because of the lackadaisical manner in which they respond, they are making the problem I am dealing with even worse.

Russ did a great job identifying issues and recommending the best approach for resolving them.

We asked Russell to assess whether a beam that was installed in our home was sufficient.  Russell was prompt, professional, and knowledgeable.  He provided a report that questioned whether the beam was sufficient.  However, the specifications on the report were incorrect.  He indicated that 2x10's were used, when in fact they were 2x12's.  We contacted him numerous times to ask if this changed his conclusion about whether the beam is sufficient.  If so, we would need revised documentation for our records.  If not, we needed to know if we needed to add additional support to the house.  We left at least a dozen messages by phone and email and he never got back to us - not once.  
Recently, significant cracks began to appear on multiple walls around where the beam was installed.  Now working to schedule with another structural engineer to come out to give us another assessment of the beam and of any related structural issues.

I am buying a home & had some concerns about a hill on the side of the house. So, instead of a 'regular' home inspector, my realtor found Russ, who is a Stuctural Engineer. I couldn't be happier with the time, attention & professionalism of both Russ & Natalie at Three Rivers Inspection & Engineering, Inc. All of my concerns were addressed & a full, comprehensive written report was given. I don't usually do "reviews" because I am picky & lazy about writing. But, I was so impressed with the service given, I will be sure to tell everyone I know. My realtor was also impressed & said she will use them in future.

The Tech showed up and was a really nice guy and genuinely a very likable guy. However and unfortunately thats where the good part ends. They tech did not take more than 2 prictures. Thats a big one for reports especially when negotiating a faulty ..... whatever. We had a big miss in that the eavestrough/gutters were not attached to the roofline and not mentioned anywhere in the report. I was worried about things he wasn't writing down (some people can remember all of this stuff and he did, at least I hope).
The first time we tried using them this year they were booked three weeks out, well most home inspections are two weeks. The second home we put an offer in on we were able to get them. I was very excited as we have now had three inspections done this year, so were getting good at these. I assumed the engineering portion of his background would be useful. (while it maybe in other instances this wasn't useful as there were no structural issues. (We needed him the fist time) This time there was no real evidence of structural issues with the house. 
The Support afterwards was not very helpful. The company took 4 days to get us the report. They will say 3 but 8 pm the third night is not three days. COB Close of Business should be a term used and learned here. I contacted them each day with no real answer as to when it would be provided. They didn't seem to be in contact with their inspector and had no idea when a report would be turned in. I was told by the inspector the next day. When you have to wait a week to have an inspection done, then wait an additional 4 days thats pushing negotiations to the limits, when its a 15 day window as all of our inspections have been at this point. I asked for some sort of discount and not even a blink of well lets discuss it. Our realtor won't use them again because of the length of time. I wouldn't use them again because of a very large miss, missing information images of trouble spots. The terms used were misleading as well, technical in nature, but not common terms. Hose bib = spicket/faucet/tap. Hot water control valve = bathroom faucet. I appreciate the knowledge but put it in terms that most people use to communicate daily and in home depot. If I walked in there I would be curious to see what their reaction would actually be? Is that a common term for industry pros? I don't know nor should I. I should be able to undertstand my report. I asked for a water pressure test to be conducted which was never done. 
They did catch a few items I would hope all inspectors would catch, a crack in the heat exchanger and a minor moisture problem in the house. So they did some good work. But those wouldn't be enough to call them or recommend them to others. 
I was really disappointed with this company, I expected so much more and for the price being more than all of them and based on what we had used and seen used on our house when it was inspected. 

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Our realtor included extra time in our inspection period, because she really wanted to have Russ come and do the inspection, and it's a busy time of year, and he's a busy man. We are so happy that she did that, and that she suggested Three Rivers Inspection to us. Scheduling took a bit of back and forth and playing telephone tag, but Russ was there promptly, walked us through everything in minute detail, and took extra care with a couple of areas we were particularly concerned about. He's friendly, funny, extremely knowledgeable, and exceptionally thorough. He also provided many suggestions for ways to maintain and improve the property, both short-term, and as longer-term planned projects. The inspection lasted over four hours, and all of that time was used well. We feel very confident in our dealings with him, and very fortunate to have had him on our home-buying team. I cannot recommend this company highly enough.

He was late and was not responsive. He came out once and it took a long while for him to show up. He was very nice when he was here but then he would go for weeks and months before coming back. I did not get any satisfaction out of that whole thing. I gave up the repairs even though he said it was repairable. He sounded like he was very knowledgeable. I was present when he did the inspection. I have had comments from other people about the quality of his work. He said that the structural base was repairable but if I would ask him about some things, he would not be responsive. When other people came over and suggested things, it appeared that these things are news to him. The original report he sent me was not committed at all. He did not give a solution or a clean opinion. The price would have been alright if I had gotten the service. For what we got, the price was excessive.

It went well - he was very professional and clear in his explanations

I had really wanted him to inspect our house, but was unable to. If you are considering getting a home inspected, call them first to find out what their availabilities are before you make an offer! We only had ten days for inspection so I ended up getting another person. He was also good, but I think I would have preferred Russ. Russ is extremely nice to work with, very thorough, very reasonable. He is an expert with knowledge and experience. Amazing!

Russ knows houses better than anyone I've ever met, and was able to quickly assess any potential issues. He provided easy to understand information that made us a more informed buyer. I would highly recommend 3 Rivers and their services to any potential buyers, or anyone that is in need of expert advice during a remodel, build, etc.

Excellent. Russ was very professional and explained everything. He took his time and made sure I understood everything we were doing. He is a little pricier than other home inspectors but well worth it. I highly recommend him.

Very well. He was able to give substantial information about the structural problem and how it can be repaired.
Very happy about the professionalism and courtesy of Russ.
Knowledge information about engineering and home repair in general was a big plus.
Report was full and objective. And there wasn't a delay.
I would definitively recommend him for inspections

Russ did a tremendous job of inspecting my future home. He was on-time and prepared to perform a thorough inspection. He identified a number of things that I had not seen during my own inspection. He took the time to walk me through the entire house and described what he was looking for and what problems, if any, he found. He gave recommendations for repair/replacement and overall was teriffic to work with. I received the detailed inspection report within 3 days and was able to negotiate with the seller to have the repairs performed prior to closing. Teriffic experience overall.

We hired Russ to inspect the home we ultimately purchased based on the fact that he was a structural engineer. He inspected another home that we were considering buying (the purchase fell through on the owner's end) and were extremely impressed by how thorough his report appeared to be. The house that he inspected that we ended up buying is an old house, and we wanted to be sure it was structurally sound. Based on his report, there were no structural problems, and we closed with the owners without concern. Mistake. A few months after we moved in, I noticed a cracked support beam in the basement that Russ had completely missed. I'm not sure how -- it was not covered or hidden in any way. I called Three Rivers and he came over promptly. He gave no explanation about how he missed it, but his advice was install a jack and slowly jack up the beam to account for the settling that occurred as a result of the crack. We called a contractor to give us an estimate for this solution, but the contractor told us that was a terrible idea, as it would completely destroy our kitchen that was sitting above the beam. Thank goodness the contractor (Kevin Sarver) was quality and honest. We are now undertaking yet another fix to a structural problem in the house, this one as a result of other support beams in the basement having been notched out by the previous owners for wires and tubes. This, according to another engineer, has caused there to be not enough of a beam to support the weight of the house. Again, no mention of this problem by Russ, even though it was open and obvious to the engineer and contractors we have had come through to assess the job. I see that others have been very pleased with Russ and his work. Had I rated him immediately after he conducted the inspection, I too would have given him an A -- his report appeared to be thorough, and he's a very nice guy. However, after a few years of living in the house and finding out all of the structural problems Russ missed that others have told me should have been easily spotted, I cannot in good conscience say that anyone should hire him to inspect their home. Overall, the missed structural problems in this house have cost us thousands of dollars and many sleepless nights worrying about the safety of our home.

He was fantastic. We were buying the home from out of town and we called on a Tuesday and he was able to come out on Saturday which was crucial for us. He was very thorough and took a lot of time explaining the mechanical systems in the home. He answered all of our questions. He recommended minor reports and a few major repairs, giving us an idea of what projects he would expect to complete if he were to purchase the home. The home was built in 1917, he was very knowledgeable about the original details of the home. In passing, we mentioned a few things we were thinking of updating and he let us know where the updates would be valuable, and where keeping the originals would be of more value. The inspection report was written up in great detail. The level of detail in that report allowed us to present a different offer on the house, ultimately saving us money.

This was a fantastic experience. Natalie (the office manager) was very friendly and was able to set up an appointment quickly. I had them coordinate the pest and radon inspections as well (which they outsource to other providers), and all three inspections took place at the same time. Russ (the owner and inspector) was going to be about 5 minutes late due to traffic, but Natalie called me that morning ahead of time so it was well communicated. Russ is a structural engineer and is very friendly, knowledgable and helpful. He explained how the process would work and about how long it would take (about 3.5 hours). He asked us about any concerns we had going into the inspection or things we wanted to look at in particular. He had us accompany him throughout the house and explained what he was looking at and why. Whether something was good or bad he pointed it out and explained why it was good or bad. If there was something problematic, he explained why, how big of a problem it was, what would need to be done to correct it, etc. Any questions we had he answered and provided whatever degree of detail we desired. When the pest and radon inspectors showed up, Russ spoke with them and ensured all went well with those inspections. Russ was amazingly thorough. Every room, every appliance, every service was checked. He went into the attic and up onto the roof. We walked the property and looked over the exterior of the house. At the end of the inspection we felt very satisfied with the inspection and the knowledge we had gained about the house. Russ provided a written report the next business day (we had the inspection done on a Friday and received the report Monday evening). Like the inspection itself, the report was comprehensive and detailed the findings. Any issues were explained and ranked in importance and expense. All in all we felt we more than received our money's worth.

Scheduling with Natalie was a breeze - very helpful and informative. Russell, who owns the company, showed up right on time and did a very thorough and complete inspection from basement to roof, and areas surrounding the house. I was very comforted to know that he is also a professional engineer. He took the time to point out what he was finding, both good and bad, and provided additional information I found very helpful. He was onsite over 3 hours. The written report was thorough, complete, and concise. It was much better than the normal checklist-type report most inspectors provide. I would HIGHLY recommend this firm.

Both the scheduling and inspection personnel were very thorough, responsive, and courteous. The service was excellent from initial contact through the inspection, and the price was very reasonable. Highly recommended.

Russ was punctual, professional, very knowledgeable and offered answers to all our questions. He first spent 30 min outside on his own and assessed the foundation. Afterwards we met in the basement and he asked us about our concerns. He inspected room by room and explained any findings, and thereafter showed us the outside. The inspection took 3-4 hours and afterwards a detailed report was emailed to us within days. The roof could not be inspected at the time of the overall inspection due to the immense snowfall that occurred in February. Russ therefore came back when the snow had melted and assessed the roof and reported the findings promptly to us. It was a pleasure to have someone like Russ by our side.

The inspector was punctual, professional, inspected the house exhaustively, asked about my concerns, and provided a detailed report. This is a service I don't expect to need often, but I would recommend this company to any friends or family looking for an inspector.

My father recently decided to sell the family home and downsize into an apartment and asked me to help him get the house ready for sale. I haven't lived in the Pittsburgh area for over 30 years and needless to say, was not familiar with the current condition of the house; I needed to have a good idea if its basic structural soundness in order to have an informed basis for helping my father make decisions on preparing the property for sale and how to list it. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't get an appointment for three weeks but I don't think this was an excessive wait under the circumstances (I'm always a little suspicious of service providers who have immediate appointments -- a good contractor is a busy one in general!). Part of the delay was that the receptionist worked with me to secure a "first in the morning" Monday appointment so that I only needed to use one vacation day to oversee the inspection. The inspector was a little late in arriving due to traffic but he phoned me in advance to let me know this and was incredibly accurate with his estimated arrival time (this was essential to me as I had a number of other appointments scheduled for the same day). He did not ask if I wanted to "shadow" him on his tour through the house (this is sometimes helpful and saves time at the end, as you then don't have to go back to the 'trouble spots'), but given the number of tall ladders and tight spaces this was perfectly OK by me. He did give me a thorough de-briefing after the inspection and we did go back as needed to anything he wanted to show me first-hand. He also spent as much time as was needed answering my questions on the items that had been found, including very helpful advice on how best to deal with the items that he found (under the circumstances). I have not yet received a written report (and the inspection was four months ago) which is longer than it should take (but in fairness I haven't pursued requesting one, either). This is a minor omission. When the inspection was finished I had the information I needed and some additional good advice that I hadn't expected. The fact that the inspection was tailored to the unique circumstances speaks volumes about Three Rivers' high level of customer focus.