" Austin's Premier Code Inspector and Building Consultant "
Important considerations before hiring an inspector....
Are all inspector’s equally qualified ?
No.As no two doctors, lawyers, electricians etc. are equal in expertise.Although all licensed inspectors have undergone similar training and taken the very same state required examination, securing a license is only a benchmark an individual has reached a minimum threshold.The state has no requirement for an inspector to go beyond the minimum and undergo advanced training and certification.Those with higher license numbers will be the newer inspectors and any additional certifications they may claim to have can be checked through the organizations they hold certification with.
Engineer versus Real estate inspector
There is certainly a place for an engineer on any residential or commercial inspection if budget allows or there are specific structural concerns that are known prior to going into a transaction phase.However, bear in mind most qualified engineers will charge a premium to perform a basic real estate inspection.Also consider that a real estate inspection entails more than potential structural concern and an engineer does not necessarily have any more knowledge or expertise with other systems than the most qualified real estate inspector.Although the state allows any Professional Engineer ( P.E.) to undertake any type of inspection they feel qualified to undertake, they do not necessarily have the skill set and knowledge base to make important structural determinations.
Important Example :You have contacted a P.E. to evaluate structural concerns on your home or commercial building.You failed to ask the engineer what their branch of certification is.You have assumed the engineer you called is a structural engineer (STR) when they actually may be civil (CIV), mechanical (MEC), electrical (ELE) or even God forbid chemical (CHE).This would be akin to contacting an orthopaedic surgeon to perform your heart surgery.Technically, the orthopaedic is a doctor but you just failed to confirm their specialty and may not like the results.The moral of the story is to contact a structural engineer (STR) if you feel you have structural concerns.It is unlikely you will pay a higher fee to hire a STR vs. a MEC or CIV and you will undoubtedly receive a more qualified evaluation of your structural concern.
Real Estate Inspector vs. Code inspector for Phase Inspections
Due to the complexity of building phase inspection and its direct relationship to code compliance, this is not the place for a general real estate inspector.There are several real estate inspectors in the local area that promote and accept these inspections but do not have the proper credentials to perform them.Regardless of previous building or trade experience, code compliance inspection is very specific and should only be performed by certified individuals.If you are considering hiring a real estate inspector that offers to perform Phase Inspections, you are urged to contact the (ICC)International Code Council to verify their credentials prior to hiring them.The vast majority of builders will not recognize a real estate inspectors findings on a phase inspection and simply tell you their own private code certified inspectors and the city inspection department have approved the work.The net result is you will waste your money on the inspection.To gain any traction at all with the builder on phase inspections, it requires hiring a reputable and highly certified code inspector.
Engineer vs. Code inspector for Phase Inspections Unless the engineer has specific code credentials for all primary residential trades, you are far better off working directly with a residential code certified inspector during the Pre-Sheetrock Frame Group ( inspection of framing, electrical, air conditioning, plumbing ) and Final. You will receive more specific and relevant code guidance and at a more reasonable fee.
Hiring a Commercial Inspector
There are a small number of real estate inspectors in the area that advertise for commercial inspection.Commercial building inspection is undoubtedly the most complex type of inspection any inspector will perform.Licensure by the state of Texas does not certify a general real estate inspector to perform commercial inspection. Commercial inspections are completely outside the scope of residential inspection standards and the knowledge base of 95 to 98% of all licensed inspectors.It is critical you fully understand the commercial credentials of your inspector prior to hiring. Fees
Several factors including the age of home, size, number of stories, location, optional equipment and additional services required ( lawn irrigation, WDI - Wood Destroying Insect report ) etc. are all factored into the equation prior to quoting a firm fee.Typical fee ranges for many inspection firms start at .10 per square foot on average for newer inspectors and more experienced inspectors charging .12-.14 per foot.In comparison, my minimum per square foot fee starts at .16 per foot in addition to additional services that are needed.Many clients have found my fees are in some cases equal to or only a slight premium above the other top-level inspectors in the area for residential real estate and phase inspections.Compare the overall inspector credentials of my fellow inspectors against mine and my quoted fees before you decide.You have a choice to have a newer inspector, a highly experienced inspector or a certified Master.The choice is yours .....