What Building Components and Systems Examined in a professional Home Inspection?

List of home inspection items that are examined or tested
List of building components operated, run, tested, inspected in a professional home inspection
References

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A Brief Inspection List of "All Significant Building Components and Systems" included in a professional home inspection is provided below.

The American Society of Home Inspectors - ASHI is the national testing, certification, and ethical standard professional association for home inspectors. The ASHI Standards of Practice define the minimum acceptable scope of a professional home inspection.

The intent of the inspection is that all substantive systems and components that make up the building shall be examined by the home inspector, and that significant defects and dangerous conditions shall be reported to the client orally and in writing. Some items which are numerous but of minor individual cost such as electrical outlets may be sampled using a strategy based on observation and experience.

Other numerous items, such as plumbing fixtures, must all be examined for proper operation and evidence of damage to the building. The ASHI Standard of Practice protects consumers from engaging an inspector who is unprofessional - someone who might be great at roofing but who makes no inspection of plumbing components, for example.

The ASHI Standards of Practice and similar standards of home inspection practice published by other home inspector associations or certifying agencies typically list these major systems:

Structural System such as foundations, wall and roof framing
Exterior building surfaces and components other than temporary or portable items
Roof System
Plumbing System
Electrical System
Heating System
Air Conditioning System
Interior building surfaces and components other than temporary or portable items
Insulation and Ventilation
Fireplaces and Solid Fuel Burning Appliances as well as chimneys and vents for these devices.

The intention is that all of the substantive physical components and systems that make up the structure, and certain other conditions (such as site drainage) which affect the structure, shall be examined.

For extensive inspection, diagnostic, and repair advice on virtually all building components and systems, readers should note the list of building topics across the top of each page at our online building diagnosis and repair encyclopedia provided at InspectAPedia.com

Home buyers and home inspectors who need to know the detailed standards to which a home inspection should be conducted should examine the ASHI Standard of Practice as well as their local or State versions of similar home inspection laws and guidelines if such are provided in their state.

Normally excluded from a pre purchase home inspection are environmental concerns such as mold, radon, lead, and also excluded are calculations or estimations of system capacities or adequacies, such as cooling or heating capacity.

However home inspectors are not prohibited from offering additional inspection and testing services, including but not limited to such items as mold testing, radon testing, water and septic testing, termite or wood destroying insect infestation inspections, energy audits, heating and air conditioning system inspections, other environmental tests, provided the home inspector is qualified and meets any state or local licensing requirements for those activities.

Home inspectors are (or should be) prohibited from offering to perform repair work on properties that they inspect as well as a general prohibition against any conflicts of interest among their client and other parties involved in owning, selling, or providing services to the property they inspect.

Appliances such as dishwashers, ranges, ovens, and clothes washers as well as portable or window air conditioners or air cleaners are not required to be inspected by most inspection standards, but these may be included in the practice of some home inspectors.

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Technical Reviewers & References

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Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. Mr. Cramer serves on the ASHI Home Inspection Standards. Contact Mark Cramer at: 727-595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com
John Cranor is an ASHI member and a home inspector (The House Whisperer) is located in Glen Allen, VA 23060. He is also a contributor to InspectApedia.com in several technical areas such as plumbing and appliances (dryer vents). Contact Mr. Cranor at 804-747-7747 or by Email: johncranor@verizon.net
Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. The firm provides professional home inspection services & home inspection education & publications. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The Home Reference Book & illustrations from The Illustrated Home. Carson Dunlop Associates' provides:
- Commercial Building Inspection Courses - protocol ASTM Standard E 2018-08 for Property Condition Assessments
- Home Inspection Education Courses including home study & live classes at eleven colleges & universities.
- Home Inspection Education Home Study Courses - ASHI@Home Training 10-course program.
  Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on these courses: Enter INSPECTAHITP in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
- The Home Reference Book, a reference & inspection report product for building owners & inspectors.
  Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
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  Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter inspectaehrb in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- The Illustrated Home illustrates construction details and building components, a reference for owners & inspectors.
  Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Illustrated Home purchased as a single order Enter INSPECTAILL in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- The Horizon Software System manages business operations,scheduling, & inspection report writing using Carson Dunlop's knowledge base & color images. The Horizon system runs on always-available cloud-based software for office computers, laptops, tablets, iPad, Android, & other smartphones.
Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. Contact Mark Cramer at: 727-595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com 11/06
Roger Hankey is principal of Hankey and Brown home inspectors, Eden Prairie, MN. Mr. Hankey is a past chairman of the ASHI Standards Committee. Mr. Hankey has served in other ASHI professional and leadership roles. Contact Roger Hankey at: 952 829-0044 - rhankey@hankeyandbrown.com. Mr. Hankey is a frequent contributor to InspectAPedia.com.

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.

The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

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[Information about ASHI]
[ASHI's Association Info]
[ASHI Headquarters Website]
Basement Moisture Control, U.S. Department of Energy
Building Pathology, Deterioration, Diagnostics, and Intervention, Samuel Y. Harris, P.E., AIA, Esq., ISBN 0-471-33172-4, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 [General building science-DF] ISBN-10: 0471331724 ISBN-13: 978-0471331728
Building Pathology: Principles and Practice, David Watt, Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (March 7, 2008) ISBN-10: 1405161035 ISBN-13: 978-1405161039

Building inspection education & report writing systems from Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd

Crawl Space Moisture Control, U.S. Department of Energy
Historic Preservation Technology: A Primer, Robert A. Young, Wiley (March 21, 2008) ISBN-10: 0471788368 ISBN-13: 978-0471788362
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Technical Reviewers & References

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair