Home Inspections

BY

Three Rivers Inspection & Engineering, Inc.

Engineering assessment - included with every home inspection

Russell Kowalik, PE, will evaluate the house structure during a thorough home inspection covering all aspects of the house.

Official Engineering Report included with each home inspection report

01

Experienced Inspector/Engineer

Russell Kowalik has inspected and assessed the structures of over 15,000 houses and buildings since 1993.

02

Best narrative report

We are proud of our report. We place a priority on providing a helpful report that maximizes the negotiating position of our client.

03

helpful Follow up

We stand by to guide our client through the process of purchasing, well after delivery of the home inspection report.

Who should hire Three Rivers?

1. Persons buying a house.

2. Persons who want more from their home inspection than checking the box "home inspection completed".

3. Persons who wish to determine the true condition of the house.

4. Persons who wish to have the "bones" of the house evaluated by an experienced Professional Engineer.

Three Rivers Inspection Process - It's Unique

The Three Rivers home inspection process is unique.

Most home inspectors check individual components (such as a furnace or shingles) so that a report of predetermined format can be filled out. The inspection process is guided by the necessity to “fill in the blanks” in that report format.

The Three Rivers home inspection process is not guided by the need to fill in the blanks.

The individual components are evaluated in relation to systems in which they play a role, and the individual systems are evaluated in terms of the global house environment.

Of course, the Three Rivers evaluation covers all aspects of the home, including:

  • Structure
  • Roofing
  • Electrical system
  • Plumbing
  • Heating and air conditioning
  • Windows and doors
  • Yard features (for example, retaining walls)

 

Our Unique Home Inspection Process – Starts and Ends with the Report

How can Three Rivers conduct inspections with a radically different and more effective/productive perspective?

The answer lies in our unique reporting method.

What are the problems with traditional home inspection reporting?

  • The traditional reporting method limits the process of inspecting to merely inspecting individual aspects of the house and dutifully inputting that data into a pre-formatted report. The traditional reporting method cannot accommodate a systemic or global evaluation of the house.
  • Traditional reporting methods cannot readily accommodate discussions of issues that cross system boundaries. For instance, an improperly vented furnace may deposit too much water in a chimney flue, which can lead to a structural problem with the chimney bricks, an interior plaster problem, and a prematurely defective furnace. The traditional checklist type report or checklist type report with short narratives doesn’t have a “blank” to discuss such complex issues. In addition, this type of report is typically filled out by the inspector as the inspection proceeds.
  • Multi-dimensional issues cannot be addressed in this manner, unless the inspector writing the report on site goes back and revises data already entered into the report format.

 

Traditional reporting methods limit the complexity of issues that can be reported in a home inspection report. Issues that cannot be reported might as well not have been identified during the inspection process.

What is the point of uncovering complex issues if these issues cannot be accommodated by the reporting methods?

The Three Rivers reporting method describes the results of the global-perspective evaluation of the home. The report is written after the inspection process is complete to describe the true overall condition of the house.

How the Inspection Process Works

The full-house assessment nature of the Three Rivers inspection requires the inspector to fully concentrate on the inspection process. 

The client is invited on-site to receive the results of the inspection after the inspection has been completed, at an agreed-upon time.  An unlimited amount of time is available for a walk-through of the house and for a review of the inspection results/conclusions. Conducting a review of the results and a tour of the house systems after the inspection has been completed works better for the client than the alternative.  In the alternative method, inspection information is provided as it is developed, sometimes to be contradicted later as new perspectives develop. 

The Three Rivers Home Inspection Report is delivered to the client, and to others, as directed, on an agreed-to schedule (usually within one to two days).

The Three Rivers process of conducting the inspection, reviewing the results with the client, and then writing a report is certainly not the quickest method available.  However, Three Rivers believes that this method produces the best possible result for the client.

Reviews

5/5
Thank you so much, Russ! This report is really great and exactly what we discussed when we were at the property. We are so glad you didn't find anything else of major concern! Emily M,
Emily M, Pittsburgh
Client
5/5
Russ was great....knowledgeable.
Robert, Pittsburgh
Client
5/5
Thoroughly and professionally done.
Dominick, Wheeling
Client