Home Inspections Plus

🏠 LET'S TALK “GRANDFATHERED.”

It's a word that comes up all the time with older homes:

“But isn't that grandfathered?”

Sometimes, yes.

Sometimes, it's a little more complicated.

👇 Here are three real examples from home inspections.

These homes were built under different requirements than we have today.

So here's the question:

Which of these would you consider grandfathered — and which would you still recommend upgrading?

An older stairway with riser heights that don't meet today's standards?

Missing GFCI protection in a location where it would be required today?

Older plumbing that doesn't meet today's standards?

And here's the bigger question:

Are there certain safety improvements that should be recommended regardless of how old the house is?

Realtors, homeowners, contractors, electricians — I'm curious to hear everyone's take before I give mine. 👇

There aren't necessarily three identical answers here.

Let's see what everyone thinks.

Home Inspections Plus
Experience Matters!

Not because I have to. Because I want to.
When conditions allow, I make every effort to actually enter and inspect the attic.
Attics can be dark, cramped, dirty and difficult to navigate. But they can also contain some pretty important information about a home — moisture, roof leaks, ventilation problems, insulation concerns, electrical issues and more.
Sometimes those things simply aren't visible from the hatch.
That's also why I take my official “hatchback photo.” 😂 If you see one in your report, you know I wasn't standing at the opening with a flashlight.
I make the effort to get in there for one simple reason:
Buyers deserve to know what's in there.
Home Inspections Plus
Experience Matters!

Realtors — I have a question for you. 🏠
What's one thing you wish home inspectors did better?
Communication? Report wording? Explaining findings? Scheduling? Showing up on time? Knowing what really matters in a transaction?
I'm genuinely curious.
I'm always looking for ways to improve the experience for my clients and the Realtors I work with, so don't be afraid to give me an honest answer.
What would make your job easier?

A few little wins lately.

Got some new Home Inspections Plus gear, got to spend some time skating with my daughter at a real estate event the other night, and today I got to bring her along with me on an inspection.

I didn't manage to get a picture of us at the inspection today, but it was pretty cool having her there and getting to show her a little more of what I do.

Both of my kids have shown some interest in the trades, and one of the things I'd love is to build Home Inspections Plus into something they could be a part of someday if they choose to.

For now, I'm just enjoying getting to grow the business, meet more people in the real estate community, and occasionally bring one of my favorite people along for the ride.

The little wins add up.

Ever trip on a staircase and swear there was nothing there? There might actually be a reason.

Uneven stair riser heights are one of the most common stair issues I find during home inspections.

It doesn't take a huge difference, either. Your body gets into a rhythm going up or down stairs, and one step that's noticeably taller or shorter than the others can create a trip or fall hazard.

🏠 Interior stairs: Sometimes there isn't a simple fix. The stairs may have originally been built incorrectly, or a later renovation may have changed things. A common example is adding tile or another flooring material to a landing and unintentionally changing the height of the first or last step.

🔨 Exterior deck stairs: These are usually a different story. If the deck is older and the stairs are otherwise serviceable, rebuilding them immediately may not always make practical sense. I often tell clients that the ideal time to correct the stair geometry is when the deck or stairs are eventually rebuilt.

If it's a newer deck with newly constructed stairs, though, that's different. It may be worth having the original contractor correct the issue while the work is still new.

A good home inspection isn't just about finding something that's wrong. It's about understanding what it means, how significant it is, and what realistically makes sense to do about it.

Home Inspections Plus
Experience Matters!

I've learned from your favorite Home Inspector!

One of the cool things about being in this industry as long as I have is that I’ve had the opportunity to see a LOT of inspection reports from other inspectors.
And I pay attention.
I’ve also had opportunities to learn alongside some great inspectors in the field. I went on an inspection with Richard Renk, and I’ve been on inspections with Troy Bloxom. There’s something different about actually being there and seeing how another experienced inspector approaches a house.
Discovery Dave taught me to pay attention to the 15-amp furnace breaker. Quality Kevin taught me to look closely at heat shields in the attic. Other inspectors have had their own little things they were especially good at catching — and when I see something good, I learn from it.
I don’t think being a good inspector means pretending you’re the only guy who knows anything.
I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from some of Alaska’s OG inspectors (including a few who are retired now), while bringing my own background as a licensed electrician and years of hands-on construction experience to the table.
Every good inspector I’ve learned from has made me a better inspector.
And I’m still learning.

Home Inspections Plus
Experience Matters!

❄️ WINTER IS COMING.

The first frost showed up on the mountains yesterday, which means Alaska has officially given us our warning. 😂

Now is the time to start thinking about the little things around the house before they become big things at 10 below.

Disconnect the garden hoses. Check your heat tape. Make sure the furnace is ready. Take a look at weatherstripping, crawlspace conditions, rain gutter discharges and exterior penetrations. And if you rely on a generator, now is a much better time to find out something isn't working than during the first big outage.

Alaska winters have a way of finding the weak spots in a house.

Home Inspections Plus
Licensed Electrician • Professional Home Inspector
Experience Matters!

Ice Dams??
As winter approaches, attic ventilation becomes a big deal.
Soffit vents and ridge vents work as a team.
The soffit vents bring cold, outside air into the attic at the lower edge of the roof, and the ridge vent allows warmer air to escape at the top.
If the soffit vents are missing or blocked, the ridge vent can’t do its job properly. If the ridge vent is missing, blocked, or improperly installed, the soffit vents don’t have a proper exhaust path either.
They need each other.
Good attic ventilation helps keep the underside of the roof deck cold and temperatures more consistent during winter. That helps reduce snow melt at the upper portions of the roof and lowers the potential for ice damming at the eaves.
This is one of the reasons I pay close attention to soffit openings, ventilation baffles, ridge vents, and what things actually look like from inside the attic — not just whether a vent is visible from the ground.
A vent being installed doesn’t always mean it’s working.

Experience Matters!
Home Inspections Plus

Sometimes I can't turn the electrician part of my brain off. ⚡😂

Most home inspectors aren't opening up generator transfer switches during a standard home inspection.

As a licensed electrician, if I can safely access it, I'm probably going to take a look.

And sometimes I run across electrical issues that don't look like much at first glance—but tell a completely different story when you understand what you're looking at.

That's one of the things I enjoy about home inspections. Experience from the trades gives you a different set of eyes.

Home Inspections Plus
Licensed Electrician
Experience Matters.