One of the challenges our building inspectors face is that some folks confuse our building inspectors with home inspectors. What's the difference? A home inspector is usually involved at the onset of a real estate transaction. They are usually hired by a potential purchaser to…

Earlier this year one of our inspectors was on site with a client to discuss a fairly simple project, but the visit identified a problem with the plan to shingle the roof. The roof, a simple single-plane sloping structure (“barn dormer” in building lingo) had…

Every now and then, we field a question from a builder that requires a little more digging before we can give an answer. Earlier this year, one of our inspectors fielded such a question about a common practice: building a cantilever on a deck, such…

The holes in this load-bearing stud are a violation of building code. This image shows one of the things our building inspectors are trained to spot. This pipe is a vent pipe – known to some as a “stink pipe,” in a renovation.And it also…

We know – judging from the number of new permit applications received over the last few weeks – that there are a lot folks in the process of trying to build a garage or shed before the winter hits. While some of these projects are…