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Stay Educated

While the bulk of construction standards are pretty well established, things do change rapidly because the materials and methods used in the field are ever evolving. Here are some snippets of things we see and just some good ole tips and oddities we’ve encountered in the field.

Rooftop Decks

Inspector Insights
11.22.2020

Hi Ken, I have a question: would you happen to have a picture of what a good roof deck looks like? One that you can properly assess?We really want a place with a rooftop deck, but we can't tell a make-shift bad one, ...

Poured Concrete Foundation Wall Cracks – What You Should Know (Simplified)

Inspector Insights
05.01.2020

Reinforced poured concrete foundations fundamentally changed the way humanity builds. Today, slab-on-grade, basement, and crawlspace foundations are most common. Chances are, your home has a poured concrete ...

Buying your First Condo? Read this Blog!

Inspector Insights
12.16.2019

Buying a condo is insane. Buying a condo in Chicago is even crazier because (a) there are thousands of them. And (b), there's a lot of merde.There're the hoops one must jump through. ...the time-suck, the money, the ...

Damn Ice Dams

Inspector Insights
11.06.2019

It's wintertime in Chicago! Yay! The annual test of our mettle is at hand. All the fun in the snow we have to look forward to. ... unplowed side streets and alleys, shoveling buried cars, shoveling walks, sub-zero ...

Something Old/Something New: Residential Forced Air Ducted Heating and Cooling: Part One

Inspector Insights
07.17.2019

I've been doing some research about Indoor Environment Comfort (IEC) and HVAC systems. For those that don't know, the acronym stands for Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning. Bear with me as this will be a ...

The Unseen Benefits of Thermal Imaging Inspections

Inspector Insights
08.08.2018

Infrared Thermal Imaging (or just thermal imaging) is an advanced, non-invasive technique that many home and building inspectors, including our team, use to deliver more detailed reports. With thermal imaging, we can ...

What Is an Expert Witness in an Inspection?

Inspector Insights
06.27.2018

An expert witness is a person perceived by the courts to have expertise in a particular area and therefore qualified to testify during litigation. Some examples of litigation that may require the testimony of an ...

Why Should I Get a PCA?

Inspector Insights
06.06.2018

Many people don’t realize that home inspections are very different from commercial property inspections. Therefore, to differentiate the two, the term Property Condition Assessment, or simply known as PCA, was ...

The Ins and Outs of an Energy Audit

Inspector Insights
03.07.2018

What is a home energy audit? We at CBI like to call it an energy survey. An energy survey is an assessment of how much energy your home consumes. It can give you the answers you need to evaluate how to make your home ...

Benefits of Commercial Building Inspections

Inspector Insights
02.28.2018

There is so much to do if you are considering purchasing a commercial structure. But there is one step you don’t want to skip. Whether it’s a warehouse, office block, an apartment building, retail shop, childcare ...

Homeowner's Guide to Radon Testing

Inspector Insights
02.21.2018

We go to great lengths to ensure our home is a safe and comfortable environment for our loved ones. Even after all the precautions we take, there still may be a hidden danger lurking in our homes.

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