Condon Engineering, P.C. has 12 years of experience inspecting both residential and commercial buildings, primarily on the eastern end of Long Island. Mr. Condon Sr. is a member of the National Academy of Building Inspection Engineers (NABIE) and the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). He has extensive experience and knowledge of building structure and systems.
Our inspections are very thorough and our reports are written in a narrative format, not a standardized checklist, with easy to understand descriptions of observations made during the inspection.
An inspection can take anywhere from 3 to 8 hours depending upon the size and complexity of the building(s) on the property. Buildings less than 5,000 square feet typically take 4 hours to complete. The inspection is based on commonly accepted standards used in the residential building inspection profession. These standards evolve through professional organizations such as the NABIE and ASHI as well as the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and can be viewed on their respective web sites. We encourage all of our clients to be at the site during the inspection. This will give you a better understanding of the building and its inner workings and pecticularities.
The inspection includes an inspection for wood destroying insects and preparation of a NPMA-33 report, which is normally accepted by various lending institutions. In addition to being licensed professional engineers, we are licensed under the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to conduct wood destroying insect inspections.
We also encourage you to visit the National Academy of Building Inspection Engineers (NABIE) website and review the advantages of using a Professional Engineer for building inspections.
Call our office at 631-298-1986 for our rates and scheduling.
The following is a table of contents of our inspection report and a brief description of what is included in the inspection:
A. Exterior Findings
1. Roof:
The roofing system will be identified as to type of system and its current condition. If possible and safe, the roof will be inspected by access to the surface by ladder or other measures. Otherwise, the roof’s condition will be assessed by visual examination through windows and from the ground using binoculars.
2. Roof Appurtenances:
The condition of the following roof appurtenances will be determined as part of the inspection:
a) Waste Vent Stacks
Type and condition
b) Chimneys
Condition such as cracks, distortion in the structure, missing bricks or mortar, absence of flue caps, etc.
c) Flashing
Condition of the flashing details at roofs, walls, windows, doors, chimneys, etc.
d) Drainage
The presence and condition of roof drainage systems such as gutters and leaders.
3. Walls, Windows, and Doors:
The type and condition of the exterior walls, trim details, windows, and doors will be determined. This section usually covers things like peeling paint, broken shingles, cracked glazing, windows painted shut, the condition of weather stripping at doors, etc.
4. Lot, Landscaping, Drives, Walks, Entrances, Patio, Deck, Garage, Storage Building, and Pool Features:
a) Lot
Description of the site and identification of any obvious drainage or erosion conditions if such conditions exist.
b) Landscaping
Description of the landscaping on the site and identifies conditions that could adversely affect the building such as overgrown shrubs or trees in contact with the building walls and roof. This section of the report will also address the type and condition of any retaining walls or other landscape structures such as fences and gazebos.
c) Driveway, Parking Areas, Walks, Entrances, Patios, and Decks
Description and condition assessment of the driveway and parking areas, walk and steps, patios, and decks
d) Garage and Storage Building and Greenhouse
The inspection also includes inspection of the garage and any outbuildings including storage buildings, pool houses, guest houses, greenhouses, etc. The descriptions of defects found at these structures will include all of the items covered in this outline. If the building is large enough, such as a guest or pool house, a separate detailed report using the overall report format will be used.
e) Bulkhead
The inspection also includes a general evaluation of any bulkheads that may be on the property. It does not include diving below the water surface.
f) Tennis Court
The inspection also includes a general evaluation of any tennis court that may be on the property such as identification of cracks or other surface defects that may exist in a concrete or asphalt type court.
g) Pool and Spa Features
The inspection includes a general evaluation of the condition of any pool/spa that may be on the property such as identification of the type and general condition of the pool/spa walls, and type and condition of pool/spa equipment.
The effectiveness of filtration, detection of underground piping leaks, pool leaks, correct design and sizing of equipment, etc., cannot be determined in the course of a routine pre-purchase property inspection.
B. Interior Findings
1. Structural:
a) Foundation
The inspection includes an evaluation of the condition of the visible areas of the building foundation. The report will identify serious defects such as large cracks, excessive tilting or settlement and recommend appropriate action.
b) Framing
The inspection includes an evaluation of the condition of the visible areas of the buildings floor, walls and roof framing. The report will identify serious defects such as wall cracks, large areas of deflection, excessive tilting of walls. In some cases it may not be possible to identify the cause of some structural deficiencies without removal of finishes. Investigations of this type are beyond the scope of this type of inspection and report.
c) Attic
The attic space, if accessible and safe, the attic will be entered and inspected.
d) Cellar and Crawl Space
The inspection includes examination of the cellar and accessible crawl spaces.
2. Finishes:
Examination of interior finishes is intended to focus on evidence of problems that require corrective efforts other than purely cosmetic work. The need for cosmetic work, in general, does not interfere with the functioning of a building component. The report will look at and identify such deficiencies and worn floor finishes, binding interior doors, broken cabinets, cracked or broken wall or floor tiles, worn or otherwise damaged kitchen countertops, water damage, mold, etc. The assessment of interior conditions does not include opening or removal of wall coverings and thus does not include areas behind walls and other finishes.
C. Wood Destroying Insect Inspection
The inspection includes an examined of all accessible areas for evidence of wood-destroying insect infestation using visual examination, sounding, and probing of wood members.
D. Electro - Mechanical Findings
1. Electrical Systems
The inspection includes identification of the size and condition of the electrical equipment and wiring in the building including service size, and any defects such as un-terminated electrical cables, corrosion of connections in the circuit breaker panel(s) etc.
2. Plumbing Systems:
a) Water Supply
The inspection includes identification as to the type of water service, well versus public, and examines the water supply plumbing for leaks and other defects.
The inspection does not include a water potability test. Call our office for the name and telephone number of reputable water testing companies.
b) Waste
The inspection includes identification as to the type of sanitary waste facilities servicing the building; septic versus public sewer, and examines the interior waste plumbing for leaks and the operation of the toilets and sinks.
The inspection also includes a septic system dye test, which entails introducing colored dye tablets into the septic system and running water in the building for approximately 2 hours. This test is considered an acceptable test for identification of systems in need of service and or other problems. If the system has problems the dye will appear as a puddle in the area of the yard where the system is located.
The inspection does not include visual examination of the septic system components if the access covers are not readily accessible. If the covers are accessible then they will be opened to enable a limited visual inspection of the components to be made. A full evaluation involving location of any buried components and/or pumping of components is beyond the scope of an inspection of this type. However, inspections of this type can be arranged through our office as a separate undertaking.
3. Heating and Air Conditioning and Domestic Hot Water Systems and Fuel Supply:
a) Heating and Air Conditioning Systems
The inspection includes identification as to the type and size of the equipment, its estimated age and condition, as well as its operation.
The air conditioning will not be tested when the outside air temperature is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The running of centralized air conditioning equipment when the outside air temperature is below 60 degrees can possibly damage compressor components and is not recommended.
Assessments of heating and air conditioning systems cover function only. They do not attempt to determine the correct sizing of the equipment to the anticipated heating or cooling loads. Should you require this information, we can be retained to perform a load study of the building’s environmental control needs.
b) Domestic Hot Water System
The inspection includes identification as to the type and size of the equipment, its estimated age and condition, as well as its operation.
c) Fuel Supply
The inspection includes identification as to the type and size of the fuel supply facilities; fuel oil or gas.
The integrity of any existing or abandoned underground fuel oil facilities is not examined as part of this inspection. We can provide you with names of companies that perform tests of buried oil tanks.
4. Solid Fuel Burning Installations:
The inspection includes an examination of fireplaces and wood burning stoves including a visual examination of the lower flue areas, the damper, and the firebox.
The fuel burning and space heating capabilities of such installations cannot be assessed during the course of a routine pre-purchase property inspection. If proper operation of the fireplace to your complete satisfaction is important, you should arrange for a demonstration-complete with wood burning fire - by the owner.
5. Appliances:
The inspection of the appliances includes their identification and their operational condition.
E. Environmental Issues
This part of the inspection report identifies several environment issues that all homeowners should be aware of. The inspection will include identification of any visually identified environmental issues such as asbestos and mold. In many cases however, conclusive identification of these conditions may require sampling and evaluation by a laboratory and is beyond the scope of this inspection. We can provide you with names of companies that perform environmental tests.
F. Conclusion
This part of the inspection report gives you an overall rating of the property as being excellent, good, fair, poor, and unacceptable. The scale by which the property is evaluated is an unofficial guideline for relative comparison; it is not intended for any other purpose.
An inspection performed by Condon Engineering, P.C. is a visual inspection and does not involve any disassembly of building components such as walls, floors, roofs, etc. and thus does not include identification of any latent defects that may be hidden from view. Inspection of HVAC equipment, appliances, etc. includes operation of the equipment using controls intended for the user. It does not include disassembly nor does it include operation of controls that are not intended to be operated by the user. The inspection also does not examine the building for code compliance or design adequacy unless specifically stated in the report.