Inspect Before You Renovate

Look before you jump

A professional home inspection by a qualified and registered home inspector can help you separate the NEEDS from the WANTS.

If you are considering the prospects of undertaking a renovation project, you may wish to also consider having a professional home inspection conducted. It may seem a little strange or counter intuitive to have your home inspected before you do a renovation, but consider the following.  There may be hidden problems that you have not taken into account which will undoubtedly lead to cost overruns and longer durations to complete the tasks.  As qualified and registered professionals  we at ClearView home & property inspections are trained to treat the entire home as a system.  We are qualified to understand how systems interact and impact each other.
Here are a few examples of systems that may need to change as a result of your home improvement project:

Mechanical Systems
Upgrading the  electrical service, heating system, or plumbing  may be required to support the planned changes.  Your home inspector can provide guidance and suggestions on additional components that you may need to consider.

Structure
If you are considering removing or relocating interior walls you should definitely have this assessed by a qualified structural engineer and the change may compromise structural of the home. A home inspector can offer some assistance in determining if a wall is load bearing..

Roof
If, for instance you wish to add a few skylights to your home, have you considered that some roofing work will be required?  You may need to replace some or all the roofing material in those sections.  This is where a qualified home inspector can make meaningful suggestions and recommendations in this regard.

Basement
It is arguable said that the basement is the core of the home, and any renovation here should be carefully planned and executed.  Often times it is here where unforeseen issues arise, particularly around moisture and mold.  Home inspectors that you sophisticated tools such as infrared cameras, moisture meters can be a value asset before tackling this large project.

Whether  renovation project is big or small, having it inspected before you begin, could be a very useful and eye opening opportunity.  The work your inspector will conduct can feed directly into your renovation planning  and execution and reduce possible cost overruns and lengthy delays.