What Does a Home Inspection Include at Inspections Plus?

A White-Glove Inspection Built for Confident Decisions

A home inspection shouldn’t feel like a checkbox service. At Inspections Plus, the inspection is a high-touch consultation focused on clear answers and practical priorities — especially around water, drainage, exterior conditions, and building performance.

Combining 17 years of industry experience with a Massachusetts Unrestricted Construction Supervisor license, Inspections Plus is frequently called on for complex properties and unique situations that require deeper construction knowledge. The goal is simple: identify material issues, explain what they mean, and help clients make smart decisions.

What we inspect:

EXTERIOR & ROOFING

New England homes live or die by water management. We evaluate the exterior with a sharp focus on where water goes and what it can damage.

Exterior components we evaluate:

• Roofing, flashing, chimneys (visible condition and risk points)

• Gutters/downspouts and discharge locations

• Siding, trim, windows, doors (damage and moisture-entry risk)

• Decks/porches/steps/railings (structure and safety)

• Garage exterior/overhead door (as applicable)

  
  

  

Site, grading, and drainage:

• Slope/grade near the foundation and drainage patterns

• Low spots/pooling, chronic wet indicators, erosion

• Visible drainage features (as present): swales, yard drains, catch basins, dry wells

• Sump discharge routing and foundation moisture clues (staining/efflorescence)

Retaining/landscape walls (as applicable):

• Leaning, cracking, bulging, displacement

• Weep holes/drainage relief and signs of water pressure buildup

INTERIOR

We inspect the visible interior and focus on ownership and safety.

Common interior coverage:

• General livability and condition review

• Walls, ceilings, floors, doors, trim

• Stairs and railings (safety)

• Built-in kitchen appliances (as applicable)

• Visible moisture and movement indicators

PLUMBING

We assess visible plumbing and functional performance to catch leaks and red flags early.

Plumbing coverage:

• Visible supply and drain components

• Fixture checks (flow, drainage, temperature, leaks)

• Water heater condition and safety/installation concerns

• Corrosion, active leaks, improper terminations

  
  

ELECTRICAL

We evaluate accessible electrical components with an emphasis on safety and obvious defects.

Electrical coverage:

• Service equipment/panels (as accessible)

• Representative outlet/switch/light checks

• Visible wiring, breakers, overcurrent protection

• GFCI/AFCI presence where applicable, visible hazards

• Smoke/CO alarm presence noted (testing varies)

  
  

  

HEATING/COOLING (HVAC)

We inspect HVAC equipment and distribution, operating systems when conditions allow.

HVAC coverage:

• Performance indicators

• Visible safety/installation concerns

• Venting/exhaust observations (as applicable)

ATTIC, BASEMENT & CRAWLSPACE

These areas often reveal moisture and ventilation issues first.

We check for:

• Insulation and ventilation

• Moisture staining or mold-like indicators

• Visible framing conditions and recurring leak patterns

• Vermin presence

STRUCTURE & FOUNDATION

We inspect visible structural components and explain what’s typical versus concerning.

Structure/foundation coverage:

• Foundation walls, supports, visible framing

• Movement indicators and cracking patterns

• Moisture impacts and signs of prior repair

• Premature failure patterns and/or inadequate repairs

FIREPLACES, HEARTHS & VISIBLE CHIMNEY COMPONENTS

When present, we evaluate what we can see safely and accessibly.

May include:

• Firebox/damper (visible condition/operation when possible)

• Hearth and surrounding finishes (clearances, cracking, deterioration)

• Mantel clearances/nearby combustibles (general safety)

• Visible chimney/flue areas (as accessible)

• Notes on when specialist evaluation is warranted (e.g., chimney sweep/Level 2)

WHAT MAKES INSPECTIONS PLUS DIFFERENT

Inspections Plus isn’t built around rushing a checklist. It’s built around consulting—clear explanation, real-world context, and a prioritized plan.

Findings are organized into:

• What’s urgent

• What’s important but not immediate

• What’s typical maintenance

• What should be further investigated

This is especially valuable for older homes, high-end properties, renovations/additions, and time-sensitive situations.

MORE SERVICE

Inspections Plus is a true one-stop shop. Clients can couple radon testing (air or water), water quality testing, private well evaluations (including well flow and system performance), moisture testing, and aerial drone inspections for roofs/high areas.

I arrive with professional-grade diagnostics — moisture meters, CO detectors, gas leak detectors, infrared thermometers, and more — so we verify concerns instead of guessing (including putting EMF worries in proper context). With strong industry connections, I’m friendly, accessible, and decisive—helping clients take action, not just handing over a report.

ABOVE-AND-BEYOND:

Modern Systems & Luxury-Home Insight

Most inspectors stop at the basics. I also bring deep familiarity with the high-end and modern systems that are increasingly tied into today’s homes — especially custom builds and luxury properties where everything is integrated.

That includes home automation and smart-home ecosystems (lighting controls, thermostats, motorized shades, whole-home networking and Wi-Fi layouts), security systems (cameras, sensors, access control, smart locks), and modern electrical loads that older houses weren’t designed for. I understand how solar, inverters, and whole-house battery systems work together — and how that ecosystem can be tied into EV charging, load management, and backup power strategies (including homes where solar charges batteries that support critical circuits or even whole-home operation).

I’m also comfortable around high-end audio/video setups — dedicated theaters, distributed audio, structured wiring, racks, and equipment rooms—where performance depends on good planning, ventilation, clean power, and solid cabling practices.

And because I’ve actually had a hand in building multi-million-dollar luxury homes on the building side of things, I don’t just recognize what’s “code-minimum” — I recognize what’s high quality, what’s overbuilt in the right way, and what’s expensive-but-wrong. That experience helps clients and buyers make smarter decisions about complex homes — where the biggest issues aren’t always obvious, and the most costly surprises often hide in the systems behind the walls.