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www.ACSBuildingInspections.com ACSHomeInspectionServices.com sully3425@cfl.rr.com
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Inspector Qualifications |
| The hiring of a home inspection company is an important decision that should be carefully evaluated to determine why a home inspection or consultation is needed. |
| ACS Home Inspection Services / ACS Building Inspections is a Certified Real Estate Inspection Company with more than 30 years of commercial and residential construction experience. |
| My educational background encompasses : |
| ~ | More than 15,000 classroom hours including : |
| ~ | Business Marketing, Management, and Economics |
| ~ | Principles and Practices of Commercial and Residential construction |
| ~ | Building loads and load paths including live and dead loads and load transfers under various stresses |
| ~ | Wind loads in relation to the building envelope |
| ~ | Commercial and Residential Roofing systems. |
| ~ | Commercial and Residential Electrical systems and installation |
| ~ | Commercial and Residential Plumbing systems and installation, |
| ~ | More than 60 classroom hours of continuing education annually. |
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| My personal hands-on involvement and construction experience background includes: |
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| ~ Setting footing form boards, reinforcing steel rebar, wire mesh, pouring and finishing the concrete footings, floor, and or concrete slab. |
| ~ Laying blocks for the foundation walls and structure walls. |
| ~ Setting trusses and roof decking, installing roof surface materials. |
| ~ Construction of wood frame walls and related bracing and sub-structure. |
| ~ Construction and installation of conventional roofing systems including rafters, ceiling joists and dimension lumber involving gable, hip, mansard and |
| flat roof systems. |
| ~ Construction and installation of conventional floor joists as well as installing manufactured wood floor trusses and wood I-beam floor systems. |
| ~ Applying stucco or brick veneer, aluminum, steel, wood, vinyl, or Hardiboard type siding and trim. |
| ~ Installing windows - from single hung to 16' wide bay windows. |
| ~ Installing electrical systems - from the temporary service pole, to the permanent service entrance / meter box including the interior circuit breaker |
| distribution panel and the interior electrical distribution system. |
| ~ Installation of ceiling and wall materials including drywall, 3-part plaster, thin-coat plaster, wood veneers including Oak, Cypress, Maple and other |
| wood materials. |
| ~ Design, construction, and installation of custom cabinetry for Kitchens, Bathrooms, Offices, and other areas of the home or office. |
| ~ Installing domestic water systems including deep well pumps, shallow well pumps, new piping in the dwelling or building using galvanized, copper, |
| PVC, and PEX piping. |
| ~ Installation of irrigation systems. |
| ~ Installation of sanitary waste piping including septic and drainfield systems, |
| ~ Setting roof bar joists and other steel for commercial buildings. |
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| I have personally renovated more than 400 commercial and residential structures that involved everything from shoring up shifted foundations, basements, floors and walls, raising walls and ceilings, rebuilding or replacing rotted roof components, complete additions including realignment and modifications to original structures, and 100's more projects that were less involved such as kitchens, bathrooms and office cabinetry. |
| I have been called in to inspect structures that had been previously inspected by a "professional home inspector who claims to have inspected thousands of homes", only to find they neglected to detect rotted porch columns or defective water heaters or rotted rubber boots around the sewer vent stacks or many other various issues. |
| Now, defective water heaters in themselves may not seem like an issue, however if the homeowner turned up the thermostat to compensate for a burned out heating element - well that's a different story which can cause scalding hot water and severe burns - the point being, if the water is no longer getting hot and the thermostat needs to be turned up, then there is an issue with the one or more of the water heater's components. |
| Regarding the rotted porch columns or other building components, they sometimes are difficult to detect unless the inspector is knowledgeable in what to look for, and when they are not detected, can lead to very expensive repairs including raising the porch roof back to its original position which in turn may lead to roof repairs to both the porch roof and the primary structure roof and many other structural issues. . |
| Defective or rotted rubber boots around the sewer vent stacks are components that are quite often missed. A glaring hole or crack is most obvious to the visual inspection and will most likely be noticed first because in a heavy rain the water will penetrate the attic and flow to the ceiling where it will either drip into the room below or at the least, leave a stain. However, it's the small dryrot cracks that usually cause the greatest damage because the water penetrating into the attic doesn't come through the ceiling, but will continue to create a wet condition that is conducive to wood rot and an invitation to termites and other water seeking vermin. These conditions may linger for several years before being detected. |
| And there are many other obvious and not so obvious issues that most inexperienced inspectors will neglect to discover. |
| With all that having been said, it is imperative to select an inspection company that is qualified to perform an inspection that can produce an evaluation of the components of a dwelling or structure showing their current condition, how they perform in relation to other components and the approximate cost to perform maintenance, repair, or replacement. |
| 'Food for Thought - when a new vehicle is purchased, there is an immediate loss of more than 20% of the purchase price when the title is issued, and you have to live with your purchase and the payments for the oncoming months or years. |
| When you purchase a Home, you may not experience the same immediate loss, however, the unexpected costs of correcting unforeseen or latent damages may very well exceed what you are prepared to spend or are able to spend and very well could result in your not being able to maintain your home, compelling you to liquidate your investment. |
| A prospective client will give considerable thought to items or issues that they may be aware of, however, a Professional Home Inspector will have the knowledge and experience to detect many minor and major issues that very well can and does affect the final purchase price. The Client will know that in order to reach a conclusion regarding the purchase, they must have an in-depth written report to support that conclusion. |
| The Professional Home Inspector must have the education, training, and actual experience in the functions and operation of the respective components to be qualified to issue the required report. |
| One would not expect to seek out an inexperienced or unqualified inspector - one who has taken a week-end short course in "How to be a Home Inspector" and / or purchased a "Certified Home Inspector Certificate" with no independent testing procedures or verification of experience. |
| Consider very carefully the qualifications of a home inspector and the price they are quoting you. |
| Remember, a low price is a direct reflection of the inspectors education, knowledge, experience and quality. |
| To most people, the purchase of a home is the most important and expensive purchase they will make in their lifetime, don't be the one to risk this investment based on the lowest cost or price of something as important as a home inspection. |
| Call ACS Home Inspection Services or ACS Building Inspections today @ 407 862 8063 and let's review your specific situation and discover the financial benefits of a professional inspection. |
| Sincerely, |
| Brian M. Sullivan - Certified Real Estate Inspector |
| National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI) – Certified Real Estate Inspector # 2007134 |
| Florida Chapter of NAHI – Registered Professional Inspector # RPI 0101 |
| Florida Association of Building Inspectors - Registered Professional Inspector # RPI 0615 |
| Allergen s and Asthma Triggers & ERMI/ARMI screening - EMSL Certificate # NJ-207-1020 |
| Certified Hurricane and Wind Mitigation Inspector - University of Florida – My Safe Florida Home |
| Certified Mobile Home and Modular Home Inspector |
| SSI – Short Sale Inspection Professional - for the real estate investor |
| Building Inspection Consultant ~ Litigation Consultant |
| National Association Against Consumer Fraud - NAACF ~ as seen on WESH Ch 2 / Consumer Link |
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