Do-it-Yourself Inspection Ill-Advised

By Barry Stone

Dear Barry,

We are buying a new home, and my husband plans to do our home inspection himself. He has been a general contractor for 20 years and does not see the need to hire someone else. But I'm concerned that his knowledge of carpentry and roofing may not be adequate for inspecting the plumbing and electrical portions of the home. What do you think? --Janice

Dear Janice,

Your concerns are well founded. The majority of home inspectors are, in fact, former general contractors. Without exception, these professionals will attest that most of what they know about inspecting homes was learned after they began their home inspection careers, not while they were engaged in building construction. This is not meant to demean the integrity or respectability of the contracting profession, but rather, to point out the essential differences between home construction and home inspection as distinct professional practices.

General building contractors deal primarily with constructing things that are new and applying standards that appertain to what is new. Their daily experience is with construction that is in accordance with accepted codes and established building practices and conducted under the authority and regulation of required building permits. In short, their experiences are with things that are standard, rather than substandard; out-of-the-box, rather than worn and weathered; built and assembled by professionals, rather than by amateurs.

Home inspectors, on the other hand, deal routinely with properties that are new, old, very old and with those that are combinations of all three. They deal with homes that are well maintained, poorly maintained, or totally deteriorated; with buildings that are original or have been altered; with homes that are altered with permits or without them; homes with defects that are readily apparent or cleverly concealed; homes with problems that are commonly recognizable or that require esoteric knowledge. They inspect quality craftsmanship, mediocre workmanship, and substandard handiwork. They inspect homes with major and minor defects; with minor problems that appear major and with major problems that seem minor.  In short, home inspectors must recognize and identify defects in every imaginable situation within the realm of modern and not-so-modern housing.

Aside from differing bodies of professional knowledge, contracting and inspecting are totally dissimilar practices, utilizing wholly divergent skills. General contracting involves the acquisition and assembly of a multitude of building components, the planning and coordination of time, materials, subcontractors, employees, and the unexpected eventualities of the daily workplace. It is a complex process of orchestrating and directing the innumerable procedures of transforming a vacant site into a usable, functional property.

Home inspection, on the other hand, is the process of investigative discovery. It involves the observation, recognition and conclusive evaluation of countless related and seemingly unrelated conditions. It requires numerous judgments and decisions as to degrees of severity, proposed means of correction, advisements for further evaluation when necessary, warnings of inherent risks to life and property and the likelihood of future problems. The skills of forensic evaluation are essentially unrelated to other professional practices, as can be attested by any police detective, fire investigator or research scientist. The ability to investigate cannot be learned by building houses, any more than by riding a bicycle or practicing the piano.

Each of these professions is specialized and has its place. When building a house, a general contractor is the appropriate choice. When buying one, it is best to engage the services of a qualified, experienced home inspector.

Copyright 2002-2006 Barry Stone. Distributed by Inman News Features