New Construction Warranty Management - Kevin Pierce

I generally write blogs on inspection related topics. However, I also run another business that I'd like to introduce, Cascade Builder Services. You may have never heard of this type business. As far as I know, there is only one, maybe two, businesses in Washington state that provide the same service. What service is that you ask? Third-party warranty management for builders.

How many times have you heard someone complain about their builder ignoring, not following through with fixing warranty claims? It happens often and negatively affects the builder's reputation. We solve this and many more problems by giving homeowners many benefits:

• We provide a 3^rd party perspective giving the homeowner a sense of fairness and reason

• Innovative procedures and technology in the field of warranty management

• We provide homeowners with a sense of trust that their builder is motivated to respond to warranty needs

• The builder's budget for warranty administration is specifically defined

• 24-hour hotline for emergency calls

• Homebuyer's experience is enhanced resulting in more referrals

• Single source of contact for trades and homeowners reduces confusion

• Frivolous warranty claims are reduced

• We educate homeowners about warranty vs. maintenance

• We clearly and precisely explain the warranty process to homeowners
  

We also provide homeowners with 24/7/365 access to their current/past warranty claims through a personal online account. Homeowners will never be “in the dark” again about the status of their warranty claims. Furthermore, it’s virtually unheard of in our area giving builders the opportunity to aggressively market this beneficial, unique feature setting them apart from their competition resulting in more home sales.

Tacoma Home Inspector

A very common problem I find in my area of the rainy state is excessive moisture in the crawl space. More specifically, standing water. Standing water can lead to problems from the "M" word to structural damage caused by wood destroying organisms. The usual suspect is a negative grade towards the home that simply allows runoff to accumulate in the crawl space. Given the scenario, one could either re-grade or install a sump system.

I recently inspected a home that indeed had a sump system installed, which wasn't working.

Like a thourough inspector should, I proceeded to investigate where the water was coming from and followed the wet vapor barrier to a corner of the foundation wall that was wet and showed signs of an active moisture intrusion. Well, what did I find directly above the the wet area? A leaking P.R.V. from the hot water tank. Apparently, whoever noticed the accumulation of water in the crawl space installed a sump system without verifying the source of the problem.

Tacoma Home Inspector

As you've probably read countless times on various inspector's blogs, we don't inspect for code violations. My clients consistently ask if I'm going to find code violations in their future home. While I know many of the codes in the counties that I inspect in and have many code books and resources, the answer is no. The follow up question is usually, "then what are you looking for". Quite simply, older homes are not required to meet the current codes. The most important knowledge to be gained from an inspection, in my opinion, are:

1. Safety hazards. The home may have code violations but the question remains "is it safe?".

2. Situations that will cost a significant amount of money to repair. The home may meet all code requirements but the question remains "is this a money pit?".

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Tacoma Home Inspector

I've been writing a series of blogs about how to take care of all those seemingly minor items that always seem to pop up on inspection reports. They've been spread out over the last couple months so I wanted to re-cap them here:

Tip #1-Vegetation

Tip #2-Light Bulbs

Tip #3-Caulk and Grout

Tip #4-Smoke Alarms

Tip #5-Cellulose Debris

Tip #6-Wallplates