Compartmentalizing and Conducting Home Inspections

I thought of another word the other day that applies to how a home inspector conducts a home inspection.

The word I was thinking of was the word “Compartmentalize.” I found this definition on the Merriam-Webster website: “To separate into isolated compartments or categories.”

I think that word actually does a great job of describing what we (home inspectors) actually do.

When a home inspector enters a room, he or she must compartmentalize all the items in a given room.

I described to someone once all the items that we would inspect in a dining room. The person I was talking to was incredulous – how much could there possibly be to look at in a dining room?

So I work from the top down. So starting from the ceiling, this is what we have to look at:

On the ceiling:

• We are looking for water stains from plumbing fixtures or from roof leaks.
• We are checking for expansion / contractions cracks on the ceiling.
• We are looking for indications of poor workmanship – including sheetrock tape around the edges of the room.
• We are inspecting any hanging light fixture / chandelier.
• We are looking for any indications of structural failure in the ceiling structure.

On the walls:

• We are checking for expansion / contraction cracks in the walls.
• We are looking for water stains from plumbing fixtures or from roof leaks.
• We are looking for indications of poor workmanship – including sheetrock tape around the sheetrock seams on the walls.
• We look at any decorative molding installed around the room.
• We are inspecting any wall sconce light fixtures.
• We are looking for any indications of structural failure in the wall structure.
• We are checking windows for proper operation and functionality. We are checking the trim work around the windows as well.
• We are testing entry doors, and looking at the decorative trim work located around the door(s).
• We test the light switches and outlets in the room for proper operation; making sure the outlets are wired correctly.

On the floor:

• We inspect the floor for any deficiencies or indications of non-professional workmanship. We look at the floor molding as well.
• We look for any indications of structural failure in the floor structure.
• We check the heating / air conditioning delivery systems in the room.
  • For furnace registers, we inspect the interior of the register to see if the duct system needs to be professionally cleaned.
  • For baseboard heaters, we inspect the heaters for cleanliness and potential leaks.
  • For steam radiators, we look for potential leaks at the base of the delivery and return pipes.

So I wasn’t keeping track of how many items that was, but I know the “compartments” that the items fit into:

1. Electrical
2. Heating
3. Windows
4. Walls
5. Ceilings
6. Doors
7. Structure

I’m not an expert in mathematics, but that’s a lot of items to look at.

At First Choice Home Inspection, we provide our clients the MOST comprehensive inspections.

Michael McCarty
NH Licensed Home Inspector # 316
Vermont Property Inspector License # 143.0134099
HUD 203k Consultant # P-1939