A qualified home inspector can conduct pre and post-renovation inspections to ensure all projects are completed from a visual home inspection standpoint.
As more people think about staying in their current homes longer, choosing to maintain and upgrade the current property rather than investing in a new one, home renovations are becoming increasingly frequent. While many renovations can leave a homeowner with all of the functionality they dreamt of, improper preparation can lead to serious, long-term troubles within the home.
“Many home inspectors are able to perform home inspections before or after a home renovation,” explained Adam Long, president of HomeTeam Inspection Service. “These inspections can identify existing issues within the home that should be addressed prior to the renovation or evaluate the overall state of the home once the renovation is complete.”
With this information in hand, homeowners can prepare their contractors accordingly with notes of things to fix as they work and circle back once the project is completed to request any changes that the home inspector notices during a visual inspection.
Finding and Working With the Right Contractor
“It’s important to consider what kind of renovation is going to be happening. Am I taking this house down to the studs, or am I just doing a bathroom remodel?” Dale Lockamy, owner of HomeTeam Inspection Service of Dallas Fort-Worth said. “Once you develop your ideas, find the right partners for the project. I’ve been involved with some of these projects recently where they go bad and the homeowner is stuck with the aftermath. Do your due diligence with the contractors, especially with bigger jobs.”
Lockamy went on to add that it’s important to look deeper than an online search or quick browse of reviews. Homeowners should dig into the types of projects contractors have completed, how long they have been in business and whether they are known for completing a project to standard.
Once a contractor is secured, homeowners should be sure to pay in installments, never paying the full project fee before all work is completed satisfactorily.
“If the contractor has made a certain commitment for you, do not settle until they have fulfilled that promise. Make sure the end result meets the expectation,” he said. “People get worn out trying to work with their contractors to make sure everything is as it should be, and they give up. This is your project, your money and your home. It’s worth the time and effort to make sure the project is completed in a way you’re happy with.”
The Value of Inspections
Depending on the starting state of the home, a pre-renovation inspection can reveal existing problems within the home that should be addressed prior to moving forward with more aesthetics-based changes.
“It’s easy to make things look good, but behind the scenes, they’re not so good,” Lockamy explained. “Some people won’t take care of things in the crawl space, for example, because no one ever sees it, but things still need to be done to the standards of today.”
When the contractor starts to wrap up the project, a home inspector can return to evaluate the overall, visual quality of the work. That way, the homeowner is able to ask for any necessary changes prior to all work being finalized.
Lockamy shared that some of the most common issues he sees in post-renovation inspections are outdated plumbing and electrical practices. Improper installations can pose a risk for the health and safety of the home itself in the coming years.
“When I go into an inspection like this, I’m in consultant mode,” he said. “A lot of people just don’t know. I try to look at things and think, ‘Would I accept this quality of work in my own home or not?’ There’s power in the knowledge of a home inspector, and there’s certainly value in having that inspection done.”
