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I had a 9:30 am appointment with Northwest Inspection Engineers for an inspection on a relatively small 1 bedroom condo. By 9:35 there was no sign of any one from the company showing up, so I called and got the receptionist. It turned out that she didn't actually track anyone's whereabouts, but she was able to tell me that the inspector in question drove a red truck with a ladder in the back. I remembered that such a truck had passed by 10 minutes earlier. Did he drive by and get lost? He finally showed up close to 10 am. It turned out that the numerous parking lots around the condo were all reserved and closed to the public on weekdays. The inspector, who introduced himself as Jack, had parked 3 blocks away and walked over. Why couldn’t he use the 2 hr street parking in front of the building? I was mystified. "It’s a good thing that I’m not paying by the hour," I thought.
At this point, I was worried that I would get into work much later than I had anticipated. First, Jack decided that he wanted to see the parking spot. I said "sure" but wondered what good that would do. Then, I realized that what he really wanted to see was the building foundation, and I had mentioned earlier that the parking lot was under the building. I don't know much about buildings but as he pounded on the walls and stomped on the floors Jack gave me the impression that he knew what he was doing. Once inside the unit, he tested all the kitchen appliances. This was interesting, because I was under the impression that he would be inspecting the structural elements in the building/unit. The appliances all worked. I had assumed they did since the owner still lived there, and she seemed like the kind of gal who wouldn’t keep a fridge full of food if the fridge was in fact broken. He then told me the plumbing was copper. I don't know how he knew. I suppose he looked at some pipes. After unscrewing the circuit breaker cover, he told me that the wiring also looked fine and took out a tape recorder and dictated other observations. Jack went on to point out some interesting things in the bathroom. The toilet was very loose and possibly in need of reseating. Then, he said that there was a possibility of water damage if water ever collected on the sill of the small window in the shower. Those were not things that I would have noticed on my own. That marked the end of the unit inspection. Unfortunately, we were unable to access the roof because none of the keys I was given worked on the roof door. Jack commented that he would be unable to pick that kind of lock. He did open the elevator control room earlier with a screwdriver. The next day, he emailed me a detailed report. There was nothing new in it, but it seemed very comprehensive. When I got the final bill, I noticed that I was charged for parking. I wasn't told this would be an added cost and would not have thought to ask about it when I got the original quote. Although the cost of parking was only $3, I was irked that I should be charged. I did have to wait until 10 am for a 9:30 am appointment. This is Seattle, and the condo is downtown. Everyone knows parking is an issue, and it’s usually considered a business expense. Overall, I thought Jack did a very thorough inspection of the unit and the building. I thought however that the price was a little steep for such a small 1 bedroom unit. It would to be a great deal if Jack had inspected a small house. I would recommend Northwest Inspection Engineers for any structure with its own foundation and roof, possibly something very big, or something you feel might have problems (e.g. the place is on a hill and you don’t want it to end up at the bottom of the hill). I would not recommend Northwest Inspection Engineers for a small to medium sized unit inside a large, new building.
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