Darren St.Jacques

About your Nook 'n' Cranny Home Inspector:

"Building lifelong clients through education, customer service and exceeding expectations"
My main objective is to give my clients an understanding of the issues that may be present in the house, that could affect their health, their comfort or their safety, as well as issues that are considered regular maintenance items.

These are a few more reasons you can feel secure in referring or using my services:

• I try to make my clients' experience positive and informative!
• I enjoy meeting new people and getting to know their needs and expectations of the property inspection.
• I have over 22 years experience as a building maintenance engineer. This means that I have dealt with projects costing from a couple of thousand Dollars to millions of dollars. The type of projects include esthetics, as well as the replacement and repairs of all major systems in a house or building, which include; plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning systems- both furnaces and boilers, brick & cement exteriors, roof systems and windows.
• I successfully completed the Certified Home Inspection program through Mohawk College.
• I understand BIG problems and how to solve them with little budgets. I understand people and their individual needs, budgets and what is really required to keep them safe, warm and dry.
• My experience included overseeing the Risk management and Fire and Life safety systems for high-rise buildings. This brings to the inspection a professional awareness of safety issues and the solutions for the clients.
• I carry Errors & Omissions as well as General Liability insurances.
• I am a Certified Member in good standing with the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors, (NACHI) that requires annual testing, continuing education requirements, and adherence to the Standards of practice and Ethics.
• I am IAC2 certified: Mold inspection. (International Association of Certified Indoor Air Consultants)
• I am Available for inspections 7 days per week, even on major holidays, at no extra charge.
• I am available for inspections evenings and weekends. At no extra charge!
• I offer a lucrative Referral Rewards Program to all my clients.
• I am available to my clients to answer any questions or offer advice, well after the inspection is completed and the report delivered.
• I am a proud member of the BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
• You can read this months newsletter found here: Nook ‘n' Cranny Insider
• Real Life TV appearance with Remax sales agent- Ronn James: http://www.youtube.com/nookncranny1

My Services:

I perform inspections for the home buyer, the home seller and the home owner. Along with inspections of commercial properties for investors, agencies and insurers. My inspections are all conducted with the client's best interest in mind and providing them with the knowledge and information they expect. Each computer generated report is presented usually within 24 hours in an easy to read and understand binder, complete with digital photos, recommendations for repairs and loaded with relevant information for the client.

My fees are competitive and listed on my website, but a typical pre-purchase inspection for a home under 2,000 sq ft. is priced at $325.00. I also offer special rates for combined inspections such as; Pre-Sale and a Pre-Purchase Inspection, 30 day and 1 yr New Home Warranty Inspections, Maintenance and Energy Inspections and so forth. Contact me for additional information.

Serving clients in all these great areas: Ancaster, Binbrook, Brantford, Burlington, Caledonia, Dundas, Flamborough, Freelton, Glanbrook, Grimsby, Guelph, Hamilton, Lyndon, Milton, Mount Hope, Oakville, Smithville, Stoney Creek, Waterdown, West Lincoln and Winona.
(If you don't see your area listed, contact me to inquire)

• Pre-purchase Inspection: This covers every visible area of the property. If I can see it, I can inspect it. Items covered include roof surface material, chimneys, exterior surfaces, windows, doors, vents, meters, outlets, electrical panels, pipes, wiring, foundation, stairs, attic, basement and crawlspaces, counters, cupboards, floors, railings, steps and on and on... Roughly 400 separate items get looked at during a home inspection.
• Pre-sale Inspection: This inspection covers all the same items as a Pre-Purchase inspection, EXCEPT the home owner receives a report now and has the opportunity to make repairs or price adjustment, before the person buying the home gets their own inspector to tell them what could be wrong and what is needed. My report will give the home owner the ability to make any necessary repairs before the sale, usually saving a lot of money. Having a report at the time of the sale, may even convince the buyer to waive their inspection clause. A Seller's Inspection will also show due-diligence on the part of the seller, which goes a long way to offering full disclosure at the time of the sale.
• New Home Warranty/11 month Inspection: This inspection is just as thorough as my regular inspections, with the added component of inspecting the finish details such as paint, trim, cabinetry, flooring, drywall joint and nail finish, quality of workmanship and materials for the new home owner to generate their Tarion report. The issues found can range from incomplete framing to incorrect installation of plumbing fixtures, Safety issues or simply unacceptable finishes on walls and trim. A copy of my report summary is submitted with the warranty deficiency report to the warranty company and is a useful back-up to the home owner, when dealing with the builder.
• Maintenance/Safety Inspection: This inspection is recommended for present home owners and should be done every two to three years. What I will do is go over and through the home looking for items that may have impact on the home from a safety standpoint or from a maintenance point of view. I will report on items that appear likely to fail soon or stop operating properly; such as gutters, chimneys, furnace, plumbing, structure, roofing and so on. My inspection and report also allows home owners to keep repair costs to a minimum, by catching deficiencies before they get too expensive and necessitate replacement of an entire unit, instead of a less expensive replacement of one part.
• Energy savings audit: Quite simply, it pays for itself! This inspection will look at all the energy using appliances in a home and offer ways to operate them better, replace them or change something on them. This could be lighting upgrades, water saving measures or heating/cooling recommendations. The typical savings in the first year almost cover the cost of my audit and the report I generate for a homeowner.
• Mold Inspections: More and more people are learning about mold and its' effects on our health. Nothing new, we have been aware of it for centuries. It is a natural occuring organism and part of our daily lives. However, just like everything else, too much is often harmfull. My mold inspections include a basic inspection and an intermediate inspection, but like all of my inspections, they can be tailored to fit your individual needs. For more information on mold and my services, visit my website to learn more. www.nookncranny.ca

• Commercial Inspection: This is an involved and intensive evaluation of many different styles and types of commercial buildings. It is NOT like inspecting a house, only bigger. Commercial buildings often use recirculation pumps, heat exchangers, air handlers, potable and HVAC loop water piping and pumps, fire suppression and monitoring systems, main panels and smaller distribution panels, larger industrial boilers or furnaces, bigger hot water storage tanks and PRV's, elevators, "IRMA" or "BUR" roofing systems and the list continues on considerably. A commercial inspection is not a larger version of a home inspection because Commercial buildings are unique and have distinct issues related to their method of construction and mechanical systems installed. Not for a novice or untrained professional, as oversight on any of the systems could have immense and possibly lethal consequences. My previous experience as a building maintenance engineer and training to evaluate and understand these various systems and how they interconnect and synergize with each other are why I am comfortable and confident to offer this service.

Testimonials

"Dear Darren,

Your service was excellent and was much more than we expected. We loved the way you initially listened to our concerns and took some time to explain the home inspection process to us. We were especially impressed by the thorough report you delivered in a nicely set up binder and how you explained it all to us after the inspection. Your service was truly impeccable and valuable and we will absolutely recommend you to anyone we know.

Thank you so much! We look forward to contacting you in a couple of years for our next home!"

Louie and Monica L.

Hamilton

"Dear Darren,

Wow, I didn't realize there was so much to look at in a home. You are professional, knowledgeable and very thorough. You did such a good job when you inspected the home I was selling. I felt confident in your reporting when I had you inspect my new one.

I will highly recommend you to anyone I hear is looking for an inspector. Many thanks"

Brenda B.

Guelph

"Darren,

Awesome report! I love the clarity of the report and the explanations of issues. Thank you for your suggestions on the recommended repairs and cost saving ideas. The digital pictures add a visual aid to the report that just brings it all home."

Doug S.

Hamilton

Darren St. Jacques cares about his business, his profession and most importantly his clients and their clients.

I interviewed at length 7 local inspectors and was disappointed at the caliber of service I was going to have to refer to my clients. Then I was introduced to Darren.

He invested 2 hours of his time listening to my concerns and hearing about how I care for my clients and if the house is dire need of extensive repairs, then advise us and we will decide to proceed or not.

I am not afraid to advise my clients to move onto the next property if the home is structurally or engineering-wise, going to be a financial challenge.

Darren has been thorough, professional and caring with all of my clients. Even when a challenge has been presented, Darren has taken the initiative to call in a specialist to advise my clients on their course of action.

I regularly receive great praise on Darren's attitude and ability to educate my clients on house maintenance and engineering issues, in common language. This fact alone is a strong reason why I recommend Darren.

In summary, Darren is a valued member of my customer service team. I would and do, recommend Darren to all of my clients.

Darren is a pleasure to work with.

It's a great life

Ronn James
Sales Representative
Remax Escarpment Realty Inc.' Brokerage