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Home Inspection Directory, Education, Articles InspectAPedia® How to Find a Qualified Home Inspector Advanced Home Inspection Education Articles, Classes, Standards, Ethics

This document discusses how to find a qualified home inspector, home inspection standards and ethics, and home inspection methodology. Advice for home buyers includes how to choose a home inspector and how to get the most from a home inspection.

Advanced home inspection methods are presented stressing methods for increasing the detection of significant or safety defects at properties, technical expertise, and ethical conduct. Advice is provided for people interested in becoming a home inspector as well as for home buyers or owners who need to hire a home inspector. © Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Online Directory of ASHI/CAHI/OAHI or Licensed Home Inspectors available on Internet U.S. - Canada

Environmental, IAQ, Mold, & Sick Building Investigations, for owners, occupants & buyers. Mold detection, causation, remediation, clearance testing and mold prevention by Daniel Friedman - we do not work through remediation contractors, nor any other sources of potential conflicts of interest

Home Inspections - American Home Service Company, home & commercial building inspections, failure causation, repair advice, failure prevention by Daniel Friedman - we do not work through real estate agents, repair contractors, nor any other sources of potential conflicts of interest

Basic & Advanced Home & Building Inspection Methods Courses & Papers

• Courses, Papers, Online Educational Materials for home inspectors
• AFCIs ARC FAULT CIRCUIT INTERRUPTERS 2008 National Electrical Code Update on AFCIs and GFCIs in homes
• ALUMINUM WIRING HAZARDS how to identify and repair the fire hazard of aluminum electrical wiring in homes
• AMPS & VOLTS DETERMINATION how to figure out Amps and Volts at a property
• Can X-Ray Vision Warn of Sink Holes? in Florida or elsewhere
• CRAWL SPACE SAFETY ADVICE - when should you stay out of a crawl space; how do you enter one safely.
• DECK & PORCH CONSTRUCTION - Deck & Porch construction details for safe, durable structures. Also see DECK COLLAPSE Case Study
• Developing your X-Ray Vision - 6th Ed. The Science of Building Inspections - advanced home inspection techniques including "The Limits of Vision," "Inattentional Blindness," "Invasive Inspection Methods," "Missed Defects," & "Contextual Inspection," "Termite Inspections," "Moisture & Building Water Entry," © Daniel Friedman 2006-1987
• Developing your X-Ray Vision - 5th Ed.- ppt slides Presentation slides © 2005 Daniel Friedman
• ELECTRICAL GROUND SYSTEM INSPECTION
• ELECTRICAL INSPECTION, DIAGNOSIS, REPAIR
• ELECTRIC METERS & METER BASES
• ELECTRIC PANEL INSPECTION
• Electrical System Inspection Safety Procedures for home inspectors & electrical inspectors
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TERMS & DEFINITIONS
• FEDERAL PACIFIC FPE HAZARDS
• The Nature of Vision, Inspecting Complex Systems, why inspectors don't see certain defects and miss important omissions
• Home Inspection Report Writing Guide & Suggestions from Carson Dunlop
• Home Inspection Report Language Library: Gas Fuel Piping or Tank Faults Basic advice - home inspection report language suggestions
• Home Inspection Report Language Library: Buried Oil Tanks, Basic home buyer advice - home inspection report language suggestions
• Home Inspection Report Language Library: Defects in Oil Tank Installations, Tanks, and Heating Oil Piping
• Home Inspection Report Language Library: Oil Tanks text file list © Oil and Other Storage Tank Leaks, Testing, Abandonment, Inspection - UST home inspection report language files - Reference List
• How to identify a Sears Catalog Kit house
• Log Home Inspection & Repair Guide - how to inspect, diagnose, and repair problems on log houses; how to identify and determine the age of different types of log homes: traditional log homes, manufactured log homes, slab-sided log homes, and alternative log homes using concrete logs and fiberglass logs.
• Mobile Home Inspection Guide - a mobile home, manufactured home, and trailer inspection guide
• Safety Procedures for Building Inspectors & Home Inspectors
• Safety Procedures for Electrical System Inspectors
• Safety Procedures for Septic System Inspectiors
• STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDING INSPECTIONS, CODES - safety hazards at steps and railings, checklist
• VOLTAGE MEASUREMENT EQUIPMENT
• Web-Based Inspection Reporting: Horizon: Web-Based Home Inspection & Commercial Inspection Writing & Business Management Software from Carson Dunlop
• Horizon Laptop Web-Based Reporting System - demonstration video from Carson Dunlop. Work in the field with no internet connection. 800-268-7070. (Carson Dunlop assists with technical review and content at this website, InspectAPedia.com)
• ZINSCO / SYLVANIA HAZARDS
  
  
• See also Website Contents for topical research papers, on defect recognition, reporting, repair on individual Building topics or components
• See also Daniel Friedman's CV-list of technical papers and presentations - © cc's available.

Historic Homes, Home Improvement Costs, Home Research

• Amazon Books on Sears and other Kit or Catalog Houses - you can buy these great reference books on Kit Homes online
• Historic Homes, Home Improvement Costs, Research
• Amazon.com Old House Bookstore Sears Catalog Homes, books we recommend
• Find the Age of a House How to Determine the Age of a Building from Visual Clues, Architectural Style, Building Materials, Construction Details, or Documentary Clues
• Brick Lined Wall Cavities - determining the age of older homes by bricks in wall cavities
• Historic Buildings Links to other articles: Sears Houses, How old is a House, Old House Materials & Repairs
• Sears Houses: How to identify Sears catalog kit houses photos and tips for identifying these interesting homes.

Home Inspection Business Offerings, Franchises, Start-ups, or Inspection Companies for Sale

• Inspection Company Franchises - fraud warning in Massachusetts
• Advice for Entering the Home Inspection Profession How to become a home inspector, background, training, business opportunities, how to survive first and succeed second

Home Inspection Standards, Ethics, American Society of Home Inspectors-ASHI and Other Home Inspection Standards, Ethics, and Home Inspector Certification Procedures

• Canadian Home Inspector Certifications - RHI the Registered Home Inspector designation in Canada
• Canadian Home Inspection Association - Quebec certification and professional education for Canadian Home Inspectors
• Canadian Association of Home Inspectors CAHPI, includes the National Certification Program for Home Inspectors, and CAHPI, the professional association and provider of education for Canadian Home Inspectors - in English ou en Francais
• What a Home Inspection Includes - list of house parts and components - also see ASHI Standards of Practice
• How to Get the Most Benefit from a Home Inspection - who attends, who gets the report, ethical issues and tricks, respecting the seller, digesting the volume of information
• How Much Should You Pay for a Home Inspection? - getting the right value for your money - you can spend too much, or too little. This is what Ruskin had to say.
• Home Inspection Terms & Definitions
• How to Enter the Home Inspection Profession - how to qualify, obtain experience, develop competence, & reduce risk for the inspector and the client
• ASHI Certification Links
• Home Inspection Reports - a Critique narrative vs. checklist type home inspection reports
• ASHI Standards of Practice for Home Inspections - Jan 2002 and ASHI Standards History - links to older and alternative versions of Home Inspection Standards
• ASHI Standards of Practice for Home Inspections - Jan 2001 and ASHI Standards History - links to older and alternative versions of Home Inspection Standards
• ASHI Standards of Practice for Home Inspections - 1997 and ASHI Standards History - links to older and alternative versions of Home Inspection Standards
• ASHI Standards of Practice for Home Inspections - 1996 and ASHI Home Inspection Standards History
• ASHI Standards of Practice for Home Inspections - 1995 and ASHI Home Inspection Standards History
• ASHI Code of Ethics for Home Inspectors 1993, and ASHI Ethics History - links to older versions; Note: newer may be found at ASHI
• ASHI in 1996 ASHI History - association description from 1996
• ASHI Home Inspector's Certification Exam guide

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Technical Reviewers & References

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• Daniel Friedman - principal author/editor of the InspectAPedia^® Website
• Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.
• Throughout the InspectAPedia website at the bottom of each article or web page we cite technical reviewers and sources for the material we present. No safety or diagnostic information is ever complete nor perfectly accurate. We invite content critique, corrections, suggestions, or questions about material which may be unclear.

Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• ASHI Certification Links
• Home Inspection Reports - a Critique narrative vs. checklist type home inspection reports
• ASHI Standards of Practice - Jan 2002 and ASHI Standards History - links to older and alternative versions of Home Inspection Standards
• ASHI Code of Ethics 1993, and ASHI Ethics History - links to older versions; Note: newer may be found at ASHI
• ASHI in 1996 ASHI History - association description from 1996
• American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) Official Website
• Links to our list of additional resources and references on home inspection

InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice: In-depth research & advice on diagnosing, testing, correcting, & preventing building defects & indoor environmental hazards. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.

The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems

Use this simple, economical mold test kit by following our instructions on how to collect and mail mold samples to our lab

Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.

Building Inspection, Problem Diagnosis, Forensic Investigation & Testing, Repair Consulting

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