Home Inspection Services

45th Parallel is an inspection company that offers a variety of inspection services including full home inspections. In addition to home inspections, we offer partial home inspections of specific portions of homes such as the roof, attic, crawlspace, and decks. Specialty inspections are also available for EIFS, Stucco, Adhered Stone Veneer (ASV), Moisture testing, and commercial inspections. The majority of what we do, however, consists of home inspections if you’re a buyer or a seller of residential properties.

Home Inspection Services in Vancouver, WA & Portland, OR

Home inspections serve as a vital tool for both homebuyers and homeowners alike. If you’re a home buyer, it’s crucial to uncover any larger hidden issues or potential hazards before purchasing the home. The main goal is to uncover any larger material defects or hidden issues such as structural problems, damaged or end-of-life roofing, electrical issues, or water issues such as flooded crawl spaces.

This knowledge helps you negotiate a fair price and make an informed decision. When purchasing a home, there is a lot happening in a very short amount of time, so let us help take the stress out of the home inspection portion. Our licensed and insured inspectors will provide a top-to-bottom inspection and a well-written report with plenty of photos that help illustrate any issues discovered.

For existing homeowners, periodic inspections are a proactive measure to help maintain the safety and integrity of your home. Inspections can help identify developing problems, maintenance needs, or safety risks early on, preventing minor issues from becoming major expenses later. Regular inspections help ensure a safe and well-maintained home, protecting both the property's value and the occupants' well-being.

45th Parallel is an inspection company that offers a variety of home inspection services to help you protect the biggest investment you’re likely to make in your lifetime. From the foundation to the roof, and everywhere in between, if we can get to it, we’ll inspect it. As we like to say, we inspect your home as if it were our own.

A home inspection goes deeper than just a cursory visual inspection of a home. We go beyond the surface, looking at structural elements, electrical systems, plumbing, and other areas of the home that we’re able to access. We give you a comprehensive evaluation of the property's overall health.

We follow state and trade organization standards of practice which involve inspecting the following areas or systems during a typical home inspection:

• Roof
• Exterior of the home
• Decks
• Site / Grounds (if it affects the home’s structure)
• Attached garage
• Electrical system
• Plumbing system
• HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) systems
• Crawlspace or Basement
• Attic
• Structural (roof, walls, floors, foundation)
• Built-in kitchen appliances

This thorough examination provides invaluable insights into the property's present condition and future maintenance requirements. It’s a prudent investment to safeguard against unwelcome surprises, giving you a clearer understanding of your prospective investment. As the home seller, you’ll have an idea of what needs to be done to get top dollar.

Partial Home Inspection Services

In addition to full home inspection reports for new home buyers, sellers, or existing homeowners, we also offer spot inspections on specific areas of your home. If you don’t need an entire home inspection, but just a specific area, we can help. We often perform partial inspections on those areas of the home that are hidden such as the crawlspace, roof, or attic, or to do a safety inspection on a deck for example. Some of the partial inspections we routinely perform for customers are:

• Roof inspections
• Crawl space inspections
• Attic inspections
• Deck inspections

Specialty or Ancillary Service Inspections

In addition to full home inspections and partial home inspections, we offer specialty inspection services as well. Some of them go hand in hand with a home inspection, and some are a different type of inspection to do a deeper dive into specialty wall cladding for example. Our specialty inspection services include:

• EIFS Inspections
• Adhered Stone Veneer Inspections
• Radon Testing
• Sewer Line Inspections - Often called a Sewer Scope
• Re-inspections for repaired items
• Whole Home Health Checkups

EIFS Inspections

45th Parallel is one of the few companies in this region that is trained and certified to perform EIFS inspection. Specialty training and certification, along with experience performing EIFS inspections make us a sound choice for evaluating the EIFS installation on your home or business.

EIFS, or Exterior Insulation and Finish System inspections involve performing a full visual inspection of the EIFS exterior wall cladding, and then performing an invasive moisture probing at select locations based on the prior visual inspection. EIFS systems that have not been installed well and that allow water entry into the system are at risk for water damage, mold, rot, and insect infestation.

EIFS systems with moisture issues often provide no outward visual clue that there is a problem beneath the surface. The only way to know the condition of the wall behind the EIFS wall cladding is to perform invasive moisture probing that can document the moisture level of the wall sheathing behind the EIFS covering and to feel for decay of the wall sheathing while performing the moisture probing. All EIFS inspections (unless prohibited by you) will perform some moisture probing at select areas such as under the lower corners of windows and at roof/wall intersections that handle a lot of water runoff from the roof.

Following the visual inspection and moisture testing, you will receive a detailed written report that includes any visual defects noted, along with the details of the moisture probe test findings that will identify any areas of moisture damage found.

Stucco Inspections

Hard coat stucco is typically 2 or 3 coats of mortar depending on the style and applied over a wood substrate such as plywood. We inspect stucco installations in the same way as EIFS and Adhered Stone in that we are looking for signs of moisture intrusion, and any visible defects, and performing moisture testing at selected locations. As with EIFS and Adhered Stone, it is usually impossible to determine by looking at hard coat stucco whether there is a damaged or decayed wall structure below the stucco.

After a full visual inspection of the stucco, moisture testing is performed at selected sites as determined by the inspector, followed by a detailed written report outlining any visible exterior deficiencies and any invisible damaged areas below the stucco that were discovered. Using our report, an EIFS or stucco repair contractor is able to determine the cost and scope of repairs.

Adhered Stone Veneer Inspections

Adhered Stone Veneer has exploded in popularity in the last 20 years as a favored building material that elevates a home’s curb appeal and provides a nice touch of sophistication. Its pleasing appearance, lightweight nature, and cost-effectiveness compared to genuine stone make it an appealing choice that was once only accessible to higher-end homes.

It’s been our experience, unfortunately, that best practices for installation are often disregarded or overlooked, even in new construction today. Adhered Stone Veneer Inspections help identify improper installation, such as missing flashings, incorrect or lacking clearance, and missing sealant beads that are meant to seal where stone meets other materials such as windows or trim. 45th Parallel has specialty training and certification to perform Adhered Stone Veneer inspections.

Just like EIFS or Stucco installation issues, improper or deficient Adhered Stone Veneer installation can lead to moisture issues behind the stone, rot, mold, and even structural issues. There is often no outward visual indication of an issue, so the only way to know is with a full stone inspection that includes moisture probing of the structure behind the stone.

Radon Testing

Radon testing involves testing a property for the presence of Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas. Radon gas is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, making it imperceptible without specific testing. It seeps into homes through the ground and can accumulate indoors, posing a risk of developing lung cancer when inhaled over extended periods. Roughly 25,000 people per year die from radon-related lung cancer, only second to smoking.

Radon is easy to test for using commercial-grade continuous Radon monitor testing equipment. Radon mitigation is also quite easy and relatively inexpensive compared to many home repairs. The average cost for Radon mitigation is approximately between $1,400 and $2,500. The EPA recommends Radon testing be performed on all homes including when any home is sold.

For homeowners, Radon testing is crucial in ensuring the air quality in the home and the safety of the occupants. It offers insights into potential health hazards and allows for preventive measures to minimize exposure. Since radon-related health risks are often overlooked due to their invisibility, routine testing is vital for maintaining a healthy indoor environment and safeguarding against long-term health concerns. All homes should be tested when involved in a real estate transaction, and periodic follow-up testing is recommended every two or three years.

Sewer Line Inspections

Sewer line inspections, or sewer scopes, involve a thorough examination of the main sewer line that carries wastewater from the property to the city sewer system or septic tank. These inspections utilize specialized cameras and equipment to assess the condition of the sewer line and help to identify any blockages, pipe damage, root intrusion, low points or bellies in the line, and old piping that is ready for replacement.

The importance of sewer line inspections cannot be overstated. Over time, pipes can deteriorate due to factors like age, tree root intrusion, corrosion, or ground shifting, leading to potential problems such as backups, clogs, or even sewage leaks. Detecting potential problems early allows for timely repairs or preventive maintenance, preventing costly damages and disruptions in the sewage system. Sewer line repairs, if necessary, can be very costly. A repair that is your responsibility and involves digging up the concrete driveway or city street can start at $10,000 and go way higher depending on location and depth

Periodic sewer line inspections on older properties or properties with known sewer line issues can help pinpoint issues that need attention currently or verify the line as functioning normally. Sewer line inspections on home purchases are highly recommended to help avoid potentially costly sewer line repairs after moving in.

Re-Inspections For Repaired Items

Home re-inspections refer to follow-up inspections or repeat visits carried out on a property after an initial home inspection has identified issues that need repair. The buyer and seller agree to a list of repairs, and the re-inspection is meant to review or verify that the agreed-upon repairs have actually been performed, and performed in what appears to be a professional and workmanlike manner.

The reasons for re-inspections vary, but most commonly, they might occur to verify the resolution of issues flagged during the initial inspection, especially if repairs or improvements were requested as part of a sale agreement. Home re-inspections serve to ensure that the stipulated concerns have been adequately addressed or resolved. They provide assurance to buyers, sellers, or homeowners that the necessary actions have been taken to rectify identified issues.

Disappointingly, sometimes, we find that repairs that sellers indicate have been done are in fact not done. Also, in defense of home sellers, sometimes they have receipts from contractors indicating repairs have been performed, when in fact, they have not been performed.

Home Health Checkup

Home Health Checkups are meant to serve as an annual assessment of often overlooked areas of your home, aiming to detect emerging issues. The examination covers the roof, attic, and crawlspace, and delivers a detailed report highlighting maintenance or corrective measures required in these often never-seen spaces. It's not a comprehensive home inspection but a focused examination performed periodically to check on these critical areas.

Regular checkups also help maintain your home’s condition for potential future sale. Addressing issues before selling avoids last-minute fixes requested by buyers, ensuring a smoother transaction. It's proactive maintenance that streamlines the home-selling process, minimizing unexpected concerns and enhancing the overall selling experience. Well-maintained homes sell faster, for more money, and with less stress during the very busy contingency period.