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Horizon Point Inspection Services



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A Horizon Point inspection tells a home’s full story. That takes time, professional training, experience, and the willingness to climb and crawl where most people don’t want to go. You get it all with a Horizon Point inspection, and then some. We’ll walk and talk you through the home, explaining what we see along the way. We’ll make recommendations and answer all your questions, even long after the inspection.

Whether you’re a home buyer who wants to confirm that a home is the right choice for you, or a home seller who wants to make sure your home is listing- and quick-to-sell ready, our whole-house inspection covers the details you need.

A Horizon Point inspection includes:

Buyer Pre-Purchase & Pre-Listing Inspections

A thorough inspection of the entire structure inside and out, from roof to basement or crawlspace, including electrical, structural, plumbing, heating and cooling systems.

  • Detailed report with full-color photos, within 24 hours of your inspection

  • RecallChek© that searches for recalls on all major appliances

  • Each inspection adheres to the ASHI Standards of Practice….the industry’s oldest and most respected home inspection standards.

First-Year Warranty Inspections

We will catch and fix problems with systems and appliances before your warranty ends.

Additional Services

We offer specialty testing and inspections in addition to our whole-house inspection. They include:

  • Radon Testing

  • Termite Inspections

  • Infrared Inspections

  • Sewer Scope Inspections

  • Mold Sampling

  • Appliance Recall Check Inspections

Radon

48-hour monitoring of your home for radon gas by an Ohio licensed radon tester

Radon is a cancer-causing radioactive gas. You cannot see, smell or taste radon, depending on where you live, it may be a problem in your home. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, you’re at high risk for developing lung cancer.

Testing is the only way to know your home’s radon levels. There are no immediate symptoms that will alert you to the presence of radon. It typically takes years of exposure before any problems surface. The US EPA, Surgeon General, American Lung Association, American Medical Association, and National Safety Council recommend testing your home for radon because testing is the only way to know your home’s radon levels.

Radon is a national environmental health problem. Elevated radon levels have been discovered in every state. The US EPA estimates that as many as 8 million homes throughout the country have elevated levels of radon. Current state surveys show that 1 home in 5 has elevated radon levels.

Radon Mitigation Systems

A radon mitigation system is any system or steps designed to reduce radon concentrations in the indoor air of a building. The EPA recommends that you take action to reduce your home’s indoor radon levels if your radon test result is 4 pCi/L or higher.

There are several methods that a contractor can use to lower radon levels in your home. Some techniques prevent radon from entering your home while others reduce radon levels after it has entered. the EPA generally recommends methods that prevent the entry of radon.

In many cases, simple systems using underground pipes and an exhaust fan may be used to reduce radon. Such systems are called “sub-slab depressurization,” and do not require major changes to your home. These systems remove radon gas from below the concrete floor and the foundation before it can enter the home. Similar systems can also be installed in houses with crawl spaces. Radon contractors use other methods that may also work in your home. The right system depends on the design of your home and other factors.

Sealing cracks and other openings in the floors and walls is a basic part of most approaches to radon reduction. Sealing does two things, it limits the flow of radon into your home and it reduces the loss of conditioned air, thereby making other radon reduction techniques more effective and cost-efficient. The EPA does not recommend the use of sealing alone to reduce radon because, by itself, sealing has not been shown to lower radon levels significantly or consistently. It is difficult to identify and permanently seal the places where radon is entering because normal settling of your house opens new entry routes and reopens old ones.

Radon Mitigation Cost

The cost of making repairs to reduce radon is influenced by the size and design of your home and other factors. Most homes can be fixed for about the same cost as other common home repairs, like painting or having a new hot water heater installed. The average cost for a contractor to lower radon levels in a home is about $1,200, although this can range from $800 to about $2,000. Your costs may vary depending on the size and design of your home and which radon reduction methods are needed.

Termites

Inspects for signs of infestation of termites and other wood-destroying insects, like carpenter ants and carpenter bees.

What is a termite?  A termite is best described as a wood destroying insect. They are sometimes are mistakenly referred to as white ants, but they are far from it. There are three different types of termites which are damp wood, dry wood, and subterranean. Damp wood termites generally tend to live in areas that are heavily forested, where as dry wood termites live in really dry wood and are much more rare in the United States. Subterranean are the most destructive of termites and they require a moist environment and are usually found living in the soil. Termites do an estimated five billion dollars in damage each year, but termites can be controlled.

Termites usually come out in early spring and can sometimes be seen as a swarm of what looks like flying ants. If you think your home may have become victim to a nest of termites here are some tell tale signs of an infestation. Soft wood is a good indication that you may have a termite problem. Another indication of a termite infestation is the presence of mud tubes around the exterior or interior of your house, most likely near the foundation. Dark or blistered wood structures may also be an indication of a termite problem. If you have any of these tell tale signs, you may want to call an exterminator to come check things out.

If you do have a termite problem you should not try to fix it on your own. Most of the time home owners cannot get rid of termites without professional help. Pest control teams have the proper chemicals and equipment to destroy termite infestations as safely as possible. They can also ensure that the problem truly is gone and all the termites are dead.

You can, however, take certain steps to help prevent the infestation of termites in your own home. The most important thing you need to do is remove the good conditions that termites love to find themselves living. The subterranean termites love moisture so try and avoid moisture build up around your home. Make sure all outside faucets are shut off tightly and are not dripping. If you can prevent the dripping then you can prevent the moisture build up that termites love. You can also prevent termites by making sure that your rain run off is properly sealed. If the gutter is uncluttered it will divert the water to the ground below where you should have a cement spot for the water to stay while it evaporates. This will also prevent the moisture that can gather near the foundation of your house.

If you own an older home make sure that any wood near the foundation of your home is replaced. There may have been previous infestations before you moved in and if you have the most updated equipment the less likely termites are to come find it. Another way to prevent termites is to have all tree stubs removed and make sure your bushes and any shrubbery is a good few feet away from your house.

Termites may seem like a big scary thing to deal with, but really they are not. If you can prevent them before they come then great, if not then get someone out as soon as you see some of the warning signs.

What is Mold?

Molds are a form of fungus. There are many different molds and they can be found both indoors and outdoors. Molds spread through the production of spores, which are present in all indoor environments and cannot be removed from them – spores are capable of surviving in harsh conditions that otherwise prevent the normal mold growth. Molds grow best in moist, warm and humid environments – easily created in the home during the winter. When mold spores land on a damp spot they can begin to grow, digesting the material they are growing on as they do so. Molds are capable of growing on a variety of different surfaces, including fabric, paper and wood

Mold spores, invisible to the naked eye, can be found everywhere, both indoors and outdoors. Spores make their way into the home either through the air or after attaching to objects or people. Open windows, doorways and ventilation systems are all gateways through which spores can enter. Clothing, shoes and pets can all facilitate the arrival of mold within the home.

Mold will only grow if spores land somewhere that has the ideal conditions for growing – places with excessive moisture and a supply of suitable nutrients. If this does not happen, molds do not normally cause any problem at all.

Mold can often be found in areas where leakages and flooding have occurred and near windows where condensation builds up. Wet cellulose materials are most supportive of mold growth, including paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles and wood products. Wallpaper, insulation materials and upholstery are other typical launchpads for mold growth.

Mold growth is usually noticeable – it is usually visible and often produces a musty odor.

Preventing Mold

Despite the inconclusive nature of current research, the CDC and EPA recommend that any mold growth should be dealt with promptly.

Both organizations state that controlling moisture is most crucial to preventing mold from growing indoors. Acting quickly in the event of a leak or spillage is important, and drying areas within 48 hours of exposure to excess moisture should ensure that mold will not grow.

The level of humidity within the home is another important factor. Although it may not be immediately apparent, a high level of moisture in the air will promote mold growth. Condensation on the interior windows is often a sign that humidity is high within a room. If condensation is present, a qualified HVAC contractor should evaluate your heating system and humidifier. 

Increasing ventilation by opening windows or using an extractor fan reduces the level of moisture in the air. Humidity can also be reduced in specific rooms by avoiding moisture-producing activities in them, such as drying clothes or using kerosene heaters.

Be wary of porous materials that have been affected by molds, such as fabric or wood. Mold can infiltrate these materials, may be impossible to remove completely and could potentially grow back if the conditions are right. In many cases, it may be best to get rid of items such as these that have been affected for a long period.

Patches of mold that are larger than 3 ft by 3 ft may be best tackled by professional mold cleaning experts.

If you are worried by any potential exposure to mold or you believe that you are having associated health problems, it is recommended that you contact a health service provider and a qualified mold specialist for further evaluation and testing.

Sewer Scope

A sewer scope can be done during a home inspection. It’s where a camera is used on the end of a hose and ran all the way down the sewer line from the house out to the sewer main. It’s very important to do one because you obviously have no idea what is going on in that sewer line until there’s a problem. When buying a house it’s important to inspect that line in almost every scenario especially with older houses where you’re typically responsible for the sewer line out to the main. But even in newer construction homes, where we’ve encountered heavy equipment crushing sewer lines when they’re building the house or a joint connection might be just disconnected enough where it could cause a problem over a period of time. For that reason, it’s important to do one in almost every scenario.

The risk of not doing a sewer scope is that you could have a ticking time bomb of a problem that could end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars. We’ve seen instances where sewer lines are deep underneath the city streets and you’re responsible for that repair. And that could end up costing you a significant amount of money. Where you could’ve avoided that entire repair issue if you had just done a sewer scope upfront, which costs $350.