Here we answer questions about getting a home or commercial inspection, give tips on home maintenance, and share our knowledge about common home and commercial property issues. We are here to help you. If you can’t find an answer to your questions here, you can always contact us via our contact page.
Step-Downs Aren’t a Defect — Until They Are A step-down foundation isn’t unusual. Anytime a house is built on a slope, you’re going to see changes in elevation. The foundation follows the grade, stepping down in sections instead of cutting and filling the entire lot flat. On paper, that’s efficient
Decks don’t usually fail because the wood gets old. They fail because the deck was never properly tied to the house in the first place. And almost every time I see a serious deck problem, it leads back to one piece: the ledger board. What the Ledger Board Does (And
Storm Cycles Shape Wear Patterns When I review reports from our Centerview, Missouri inspector across Western Missouri, storm-related damage shows up in very consistent ways. This region sits squarely in a corridor that sees frequent hail, straight-line winds, and fast-moving thunderstorms. Homes don’t just age here—they get tested. Understanding what
East Tennessee Water Doesn’t Sit Still When I review reports from our inspector in Knoxville, one issue consistently stands out above the rest: uncontrolled water movement around the home. In this part of East Tennessee, gravity and rainfall do most of the talking. Water doesn’t pool quietly here—it moves, accelerates,
You Can’t Understand East Tennessee Homes Without Understanding the Ground When I review reports from our inspector working in East Tennessee, foundation performance almost always traces back to one thing: geology. In this part of the state, houses don’t just sit on the ground—they respond to it, shift with it,
Maryville Homes Don’t Sit Flat—and That Changes Everything When I review reports from our East Tennessee inspector, properties in Maryville consistently highlight one defining factor: elevation change. Maryville sits at the transition between the Tennessee Valley and the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. That geography shapes everything about how
There’s a moment that happens a lot when I’m reviewing reports from our Knoxville inspector. I’ll be halfway through the photos, scrolling past brick walls that look solid, and then I’ll stop and think, Yeah… that mortar’s lying to you. Brick bungalows all over Knoxville have that classic look—low rooflines,
A Common Complaint With a Hidden Cause When I review reports from our Centerview, Missouri inspector, one issue shows up again and again in Warrensburg homes: movement tied to expansive clay soils. Homeowners usually notice it first in small, irritating ways—doors that won’t latch, windows that bind, or cracks that
Cape Girardeau’s historic brick homes weren’t built to fail — but they were built for a soil and climate that behave very differently than most buyers expect today. When I inspect 1920s-era masonry homes in the Haute Mode neighborhoods, I’m not just looking for cracks. I’m looking for movement patterns
Mountain cabins in East Tennessee sell a promise. Views. Quiet. Space between neighbors. A big deck hanging out over a slope that makes you feel like you’re floating in the trees. Buyers step out onto that deck and immediately picture coffee, sunsets, maybe a hot tub if the structure looks
Most of Shelby County is relatively flat. That’s why buyers are often caught off guard when drainage problems show up in Arlington and Lakeland. These areas don’t behave like the rest of Memphis. Here, elevation changes matter. Water moves faster, cuts deeper, and does more damage—especially when development outpaces proper
Most homeowners in Memphis are told the same thing when cracks show up: “It’s just settling.”That explanation might fly in other parts of the country. In Memphis, it’s often wrong. This city sits on a bluff of wind-blown silt called Loess, and when it fails, it doesn’t fail gently. What
