The Complete Book of Home Inspection (3rd Edition)

Probably the best source available for prospective homebuyer’s to use for evaluating property, inside and out. Originally intended to be for buyers and owners, it has sufficient detail that professional home inspectors use it throughout the country. Loaded with charts, checklists, and photographs, this is a must have for anyone considering a new or used home purchase.

Is that home or condominium apartment you plan on buying a true bargain or an overpriced “handyman’s special”? Here’s how to find out!

No other book on the market increases your chances more of getting your money’s worth when buying a home than The Complete Book of Home Inspection. If you want to find out exactly what’s behind, beneath, above and around the home you’re thinking of making an offer on, this is just what the inspector ordered. And if you’re thinking of selling your home, here’s the perfect way to accurately evaluate its condition prior to setting a price.

This comprehensive instruction manual covers every aspect of exterior, interior and electromechanical home inspection and is basic enough for a layperson and detailed enough to be a working on-site tool for professional home inspectors. Revealing techniques and methods used by experienced home inspectors, this heavily illustrated reference details how to evaluate the condition of a home or condominium apartment – inside and out. Precise step-by-step procedures enable you to inspect a home as though accompanied by an inspector with many years’ experience.

Written by a professional home inspector, The Complete Book of Home Inspection is packed with photos, graphs, dozens of checklists and worksheets and valuable chapter summaries.If you want to avoid costly mistakes and headaches down the road, don’t even think of making an offer on a house without reading this book first!

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

• A new chapter on swimming pools
• An added section on exterior walls discussing problems with synthetic stucco (EIFS)
• New material added to the environmental concerns chapter on molds and associated problems
• Most chapters and sections have been extensively updated and expanded

The Complete Book of Home Inspection includes professional inspection worksheets with checklists in every chapter

• Fully illustrated with more than 150 photos and drawings
• All the information homeowner's need to maintain their house
• Content based on the author's 30 years' experience as a home inspector
• New material that updates chapters, including synthetic stucco (EIFS), mold, termite bait systems, sagging plaster ceilings, truss uplift cracks, and much more, plus a new chapter on swimming pools.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Norman Becker PE is a nationally known authority on the subject of home inspection, has more than 30 years’ experience in home and building inspection, and is one of the founders of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). He has been qualified in court as an expert witness on the subject of home inspection. He also writes the widely read “Homeowners Clinic” column for Popular Mechanics magazine. Mr. Becker holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and is a licensed professional engineer in New York, New Jersey and Florida.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction
Chapter 1: Tools and Procedure
Part One: Exterior Inspection
Chapter 2: Roofs
Chapter 3: Roof-Mounted Structures and Projections
Chapter 4: Paved Areas Around the Structure
Chapter 5: Walls, Windows and Doors
Chapter 6: Lot and Landscaping Chapter 7: Garage
Chapter 8: Wood-Destroying Insects and Rot
Part Two: Interior Inspection
Chapter 9: Attic
Chapter 10: Interior Rooms
Chapter 11: Basement and Crawl Space
Part Three: Electromechanicals
Chapter 12: Electrical System
Chapter 13: Plumbing
Chapter 14: Heating Systems I
Chapter 15: Heating Systems II
Chapter 16: Domestic Water Heaters
Chapter 17: Air-Conditioning
Chapter 18: Swimming Pools
Chapter 19: Energy Considerations
Chapter 20: Environmental Concerns
Chapter 21: Conclusion
Glossary
Inspection Worksheets
Index