Pillar To Post

Don’t usually write reviews, much less 5 star ones but my experience with Pillar to Post was amazing. The inspector was extremely thorough, and took a lot of time explaining some normal tips and tricks on how to maintain the home. He also brought snacks and water for me due to the length of time it would take.

Pillar to Post is simply the BEST home inspection company! We worked with Scott, and his knowledge, expertise, professionalism and attention to detail were outstanding. Scott made it clear from the start that he was working for us, the buyer, not the realty agent or the seller. He found small items we would never have noticed. Scott produced a well organized binder on site with photos, printouts, suggestions and sections for the home buyer’s permanent record. The fee charged by Pillar to Post is in line with other inspection services. I would definitely recommend them.

Writing a bad review is tough as you don’t want to come off as jilted or overly negative but in our case we felt, that after working with PtoP on resolution, we needed to share our experience with everyone we can.
We used PtoP based on the recommendation of our agent. They liked that it was a «one stop shop» for all the inspections rather than having to schedule each one separately and also liked that the report is generated on site rather than having to wait. We felt the price of the inspection was a little high but did appreciate the convenience and turn around time so went forward with them.
On the day of inspection we met the inspector and another guy that I believe was in training. At the same time we had the other inspectors showing up as well. Overall, it was a typical inspection where they’d call out anything specific they wanted us to review. Overall they noted nothing major other than some water coming in around the existing roof penetrations. There were a handful of other cosmetic/​best practice recommendations. The report had a section at the front for the items that needed addressed and we reviewed those that morning after they were done. Overall, it was a smooth transaction and inspection (other than a snafu with the sewer inspection but that wasn’t PtoP’s issue). The guys were very friendly and it was a nice morning process.
After moving in though we started finding things they didn’t:
— The biggest item of concern is we found that significant wood rot was found on a sun-​room that we’ll either have to totally rip off or invest significantly to repair. Detailed below.
— We noticed that the showers weren’t inspected. One drain still had a layer of dirt/​dust so we know they didn’t run the shower to test it otherwise it’d have been rinsed. The drain in the master bath filled with water the first time we took a shower as it was nearly plugged so clearly they didn’t test that either otherwise we’d expect the report to suggest service on the drain.
— The exhaust fans in the same two bathrooms were unplugged in the ceiling. Not a big deal but clearly not tested so if they didn’t work we’d have not caught it before the purchase.
— The more detailed report (not reviewed on site) said the attic space wasn’t inspected b/​c it would be dangerous. The attic is fully lit and has plywood from wall to wall so you can walk through it.
— We have a full 4″ or bigger hole on the side of the house from an unused stove vent. Only thing on the report was a small note about filling hole penetrations around wires.
I spoke with the owner of the PtoP franchise and he was very very good to work with. I stress that — very professional and courteous. He asked that i let the previous inspector come back out to document the miss. Several weeks later I met him and he reviewed the rotted area (as that was the primary concern). Note we’ve since found another rotted section but at the time only one was being discussed. Again the inspector was nice but his position was that if the sellers were hiding it they can’t be expected to find it. I called out the other missed items that were basic drawing attention to the lack of detail and focus on our inspection. I also called out that I, a casual home owner and not a professional inspector, found the rotted section just by happenstance and noted the un-​hidden water damage signs around the problem. That generally ended the conversation and it was back to the franchise owner for next steps.
End result was a full refund of the inspection. But, and this is what bothers me, the criteria for a refund was that I waive ALL liability for future claims due to the missed inspection items. Repair of the single section is north of $ 5k without accounting for window replacement. Now we’re looking at the other section as well that’s rotted out on a different wall. So the Sunroom as a whole is facing $ 10k in repairs. Easily something that could have been negotiated out during the home purchase. I don’t expect PtoP to be accountable for the loss of value and cost of full repair, but I do think it’s bad business for them to hold a refund hostage pending a release of liability. It really looks like they too are worried they missed other major items on our house.
Very long story short — They don’t stand behind their inspection clearly by asking that we release them of liability to refund the purchase price.

I was so impressed by Richard Caby with The Chad Borah Team! He was so friendly and professional! We met right after work and he showed up with bottles of water, snacks and chairs because we were in a vacant house! He went through every inch of the house. Found a few pretty major things wrong but assured us they were all very fixable — and they are! He did a great job of not alarming us with small things, but pointing them out just to be sure we saw them. I highly recommend them.

Our realtor referred us to Pillar to Post for our home inspection. We are first time home owners, so we were a little lost during this process.
Pillar to Post is AWESOME. Rick did our inspection for us and I seriously don’t even have enough time to gush about him and the job he did. He spent over 4 hours going thru everything in our new 100 year old house, just making sure we understood everything. I am in awe of the effort that this man put in and the fact that he did it all so graciously, WELL into the evening.
He also referred us to an insurance company, because he said that most of the big ones won’t insure houses with knob and tube wiring. And he was right! Progressive turned us down straight away. The company he referred us to got our quote back quickly and it was very reasonably priced.
Seriously — use this company and Rick, specifically.

Buying a house is not designed to be an easy task, I think the process is just short of jumping through fire hoops. But Pillar To Post was great. The new house needed to be inspected and they were nice, detailed and very courteous. I walked through with my inspector who pointed out everything, explained them, went over what should be done to correct it and at the end of the inspection gave a very handy binder detailing month by month maintenance and all the paperwork pertaining to my inspection. Fantastic! Plus he also told me he liked that house, which put me at ease. Even if he does tell all the buyers that.