Property Guidance Inspection

08/16/2025

Yesterday morning's inspection was for the seller, who is selling to the tenant. The tenant is a family friend and grew up across the street. The tenant and seller's son were/are best friends. Both parties want to do right by the other, without saying "take all my money". The primary concern was squirrel entry into the 2nd floor eave. It is a known issue but they wanted a better scope of the problem. The challenge is that it is right by the overhead electrical wires. I got the job because I have a camera drone, although any inspector that is comfortable on a sloped roof could have gotten some good photos by going out a 3rd floor window.

04/05/2025

This type of roof is why I have a camera drone. Three story building with shed roofs and very little clearance between buildings. No way to see the roof from the ground or with a ladder.

03/08/2025

For my Illinois realtor and home inspector friends, a heads-up that radon mitigation systems will be getting more expensive and in some cases by a lot. A couple of reasons: the number of licensed mitigators went down from 151 to 139 (-19), and a new law will take effect soon that changes the requirements for mitigation systems. All foundations must be included and there are requirements for crawlspaces. A new law will likely take effect in late 2025 or early 2026.

12/11/2024

I did my first commercial radon test. It was for a non-profit that serves adults with disabilities. They were having it done as part of an overall environmental assessment. In the past I’ve gotten 1-2 calls a year for commercial jobs and I’ve referred them to full-time radon testers. But since home inspection work is slow, I asked a few questions to see if it would work for me to do it. This facility was one level on a slab foundation and just under 4,000 square feet. It is not used on weekends, so we set the test at the end of the day Friday and I picked it up Monday morning before clients arrived. There was a programmable thermostat, so I asked that the temperature stay consistent for the test. The level was just over the action level. They’ll need to do mitigation.

02/16/2024

I received a request for an inspection from one of two daughters that are inheriting their mom’s house. The client is considering buying her sister’s half of the house and wants to get an idea of condition. This is only the third inspection I’ve done for heirs or family. This client is also having me inspect the home that she lives in now, to be able to compare both reports as part of the decision. This is a first. At the risk of sounding self-serving, that is pretty smart.

02/06/2024

Sometimes on a home inspection, there is something so wrong that it takes a minute or two to try to think of any way that it could be correct. This home had open box vents at the attic, and a thin layer of spray foam insulation on the underside of the sheathing. There was no insulation between the attic and living space. There were copper water supply pipes through this uninsulated attic. It will be only a matter of time before pipes freeze. Home was rehabbed and is not occupied. It was being sold without real estate agents. Any reasonably competent inspector would have found this, I'm not bragging here. A good example of why to not skip the home inspection. And also to work with an agent.

01/01/2024

Happy New Year! If you’re looking for a fast and easy house project for today, you could pour water down unused drains. Traps dry out and let sewer gas into the house, especially in the winter. We have a drain in the attic for the air conditioner fan unit. Water drains into it only during the summer. Sure enough, it had dried out and was just starting to smell.

11/08/2023

This is why dryer vent caps shouldn't have screens.

06/28/2023

I’m in Occupational Torture (Therapy) for my finger. For the last few weeks, the homework was bending the finger while isolating each joint. Now I have a splint that I wear for 20 minutes several times a day. This is as much as I can bend it.

03/06/2023

These pipes are (or were) for a fuel oil tank, which may still be in the basement, crawlspace, or underground. Any tank still in use in the Chicago area is past its useful life and is a hazard. The larger one is the fill pipe and the smaller gooseneck is the vent pipe.

02/27/2023

The Vintage Home Show is coming up on Saturday, March 4!🏡 Liz and I will be there with a booth.

Attend seminars, visit vendor booths, and ask experts about home renovation questions all within Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

For tickets and more information visit

VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE 2022 EVENT HERE! ***** Saturday, March 4, 2023, 1-5pm Welcome to our second annual Vintage Home Show! Famous for its architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright and the birthplace of Ernest Hemingway, Oak Park is the perfect location for designers, contractors and artisans to

02/13/2023

Companies that make radon testing equipment for professionals are starting to sell monitors for home use. Here are a couple of them. AirThings Corentium Home is compact, uses batteries, and can hang on a wall. Cost is $150 on their website. RadonEye from Ecosense can connect via bluetooth to a smartphone app. It doesn’t use batteries and sits on surface so there are fewer options for placement. Cost is $174 on their website. Both of these show radon levels in my basement that are consistent with my professional equipment. They are easy to reset, so they could be loaned out to family and friends.