Chicago Home Inspectors

"In 2008, my wife and I purchased a top floor condo that was built in 2001. we've had nothing but problems with the building's poor construction ever since. It's a great-looking, well-designed unit, but we've had constant leaks in every room and have been consistently disappointed with the cheap building materials used by the building's developers. They ...more cut every corner imaginable. (We are similarly disappointed in our pre-sale home inspector.) What followed was three years of endless carpenters and roofers and masonry experts flowing in and out of our place. As a self-managed association, this has

to a crash course for this first-time home buyer in the evaluation of residential contractors. Some have been excellent, some have been expensive, some have been passable and some have been horrible. I add this because I feel it puts me into a good position to write this review. We contacted

at

after reading positive reviews in this forum and hoping to find someone that could solve a leaking problem that had already stumped a door guy, a roofer and a siding guy. We were tired of using people with limited areas of expertise and needed someone with a general contractor's background like

who could see a project through to completion no matter which specialty it touched.

met with us on a Friday(!) evening(!!), which was a pleasant experience for us -- normally one of us has to

home during the workday to meet with estimators. He brought his inspection equipment, including an infrared camera, to examine the problem area. He took the time to explain how he would address locating the source of the leak and fixing the problem, including a full remediation of any mold or mildew. His enthusiasm and competence was immediately apparent. We were so impressed with the initial consultation, that we also asked

to give us an estimate for a partial remodel of our second bathroom. He took a look, asked some very helpful questions and provided thoughtful advice concerning vanity and tile selection, including recommending a few places to source the materials. He provided his proposal the next Monday and we were pleasantly surprised (again) with his pricing. In fairness, we did receive a discount for doing both the leak fix and the bathroom work. Still, we were happy to sign the contract given the estimates I'd received from other firms to do similar work.

and his crew got to work immediately. They hauled a garden hose up to our roof and tested and re-tested until they'd found the source of the leak. They had to replace a poorly-installed door on the roof deck and custom engineer a new door stop to prevent additional leaks. More water testing. More tinkering with the sealants and structure of the door jam. More testing. Satisfied, they closed up the ceiling in the second bedroom, installed new drywall and expertly taped and painted it.

was up front and honest that though the new door would prevent 95% of Chicago weather from entering our home, there was no 100% foolproof solution given the way the roof deck door and doghouse were initially constructed. I appreciated his honesty and we agreed that should we see any further sign of water,

would come back and take further action. At this point, do I even need to mention the bathroom remodel? After my wife and I quickly selected a new vanity and marble tile,

installed them beautifully. The results are especially impressive given how little we spent. We're still enjoying guest's compliments on our design sensibilities. Finally, we asked

to take care of some mold we'd noticed in our basement storage unit. Here again, his price could not be topped and the work was completed quickly and professionally. After working with

and

for the last few weeks, my wife and I believe that we've found our go-to complete-solution home repair problem solver. It's been a great relief. We even contemplated having him keep the extra set of keys, knowing full well that the poor construction of our building would provide additional opportunities for us to work together. I highly recommend this company."

"The experience was great i worked with , and he showed me everything step by step. The problems that  did see he was told me what probably needed to be done to correct it. The process was painless i would suggest him to anyone.   "

" was very responsive and flexible in setting up an appointment time and replying when we had to change that time. We're first time homebuyers and did a great job explaining everything patiently and thoroughly. He has an incredible eye for detail. was highly professional--not just ...more with the property inspection but also in taking great care of the owner's property in the least invasive ways possible (e.g., took off his shoes, if he had to move a chair he was careful to return it to the same orientation). I shadowed

during the inspection and was not only very informative but also approachable and had a good sense of humor. Above all else, the property inspection report was excellent. He was very thorough and did a great job describing specific concerns, rationales, and remedies all accompanied by pictures. The value of what we paid for the level of service we received couldn't have been better. I will be highly recommending

to friends of ours who will be buying a home in the future, and wouldn't want to work with anyone but

should we happen to need a property inspection in the future."

" was wonderful! He not only emailed us a detailed review but also bound a packet and sent it to us via mail. He took the time to inform us of every part of the home, the function, and what could possibly go wrong. As first time home buyers this was a great help!"

"Great. We got the detailed report we wanted, quickly and at a reasonable price. It lead to my partner making a reasonable bid on the property she was interested in, which was accepted."

"He is extremely knowledgeable without being an alarmist. He noted several problems that significantly affected the value of the property. His possible suggestions and cost estimates helped my buyer make an informed buying decision. I would definitely refer him again."

"I was diagnosed with a severe mold allergy a few weeks ago. I had no idea where I could have been exposed to mold in my house. I had do a complete home inspection and they discovered a small amount of mold in my bathroom particularly around the bath tub. They were very prompt in conducting the inspection and fixing the problem. ...more They even offer enviromentally friendly alternatives for mold removal. The workmen were friendly, efficient and extremely neat and tidy. They checked in with me through out the process to gauge my satisfaction with their performance. All mold was removed and I no longer experience allergy symptoms. I am very happy with the quality of the work that they did as well as their service. I highly recommend them to anybody and they will tackle any job big or small. The price was a big hit too. They were considerably cheaper than any of the other companies that I consulted! I highly recommend their services to anybody!!"

"We have purchased a new construction condo and are set to close in the end of December, 2010. We were reluctant to have an inspection, being as it was a new construction, but are glad that we had one and thought it was well worth the money. This was our 3rd home inspection and 3rd inspector, but I don't think that we will ever use someone else. There ...more were no major issues found, but

did a very thorough job. It was a 3 bedroom hi-rise condo and

spent between 1.5 and 2 hours in the inspection. One of the benefits of having

was the the maintenance information that he provided. As he went through the condo, he had a camera that he used to document all blemishes and items for fixing. He also provided maintenance information about servicing various parts of the condo. Within 3 days of the inspection, we received a copy of the inspection report via the internet. The report was very thorough and contained a lot of detail. We used pieces of the report for our response to the developer."