I saw you responded to a bathroom vent issue.  Could you please answer my simple question.  I am having a new home built in Southeast Missouri.  It will be 1,500 sf.  It will have 2 bathrooms. I say the bathrooms exhaust need to be vented to the outside. The local builder, says it is fine to vent it to the attic and it will rise through the ridge vent.

Do I need to insist on the venting to outside?

Thanks.

Well,

According to national standards it should be vented to the exterior. Local municipalities often “allow” what your builder has suggested. My personal preference on the issue would be to have them vented through the attic via ductwork, and vent at the gables. That way the bathroom humidity goes directly outside, but doesn’t create another roof penetration that could possibly leak. But that is a personal preference. Like I said, National Building Standards call for venting to the exterior. Your local municipality may have a different minimum standards.
I hope that helps.

Mark Nahrgang is the owner of Kingdom Inspection Network Group – St. Louis and is a professional InterNACHI certified building inspector in the St. Louis metro area. Mark is based in St. Peters, performs home inspections as well as commercial inspections throughout St. Louis and St. Charles County. If you are looking for a thorough and qualified St. Louis area home inspector, use the contact information on this site to contact Mark regarding available services.

by Nick Gromicko and Rob London (used by permission)

An FHA loan is a federal-assistance mortgage loan offered by qualified lenders and backed by the Federal Housing Administration.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, soaring foreclosure and default rates led lenders to tighten their loan requirements to the detriment of the prospective homeowner. The FHA was created during this time to provide lending institutions (such as banks, savings and loan associations, and mortgage companies) with sufficient insurance to allow them to ease up on eligibility requirements for borrowers so that they could be approved for loans that they could not otherwise afford. If a borrower defaults on an FHA loan, the FHA pays off the mortgage from a reservoir of collected fees. The FHA funds this reservoir with fees charged to the borrower, such as an upfront mortgage insurance premium, and small, ongoing monthly fees.

FHA loans offer the following benefits over conventional loans:

• low down payments. In general, the cost to the home buyer is approximately 0.75% to 1% less than conventional financing, meaning that they will need $1,500 to $2,000 less upfront to purchase a $200,000 home;
• low closing costs. Closing costs are miscellaneous fees charged by those involved with the home sale, such as the surveyor, home inspector, the lender (for processing the loan), and the title company (for handling the paperwork). To get the most value for their dollar during closing, homeowners should make sure to hire only InterNACHI inspectors;
• an easier time qualifying for credit, which is especially important for borrowers with no credit (although someone with poor credit will probably be ineligible for an FHA loan);
• a greater ability to use “gifts” for the down payment. Most conventional lenders require the home buyer to pay a percentage of the loan’s cost from their own personal funds, while FHA loans may be gifted from family or friends;
• no pre-payment penalty, which is a big plus for subprime borrowers;
• a loan which may be assumable. Assumable loan obligations may be transferred to a qualified purchaser without the lender’s permission. Ideally, such loans are purchased during a period of low interest rates and sold later when these rates are higher. Veterans Administration loans also may be assumable, but conventional loans generally are not;
• possible leniency or loan deferment during financial hard times; and
• funding for home improvement through FHA 203k Programs.

How does a home buyer get an FHA loan?

Home buyers who wish to obtain FHA loans need to contact several lenders and ask them if they make FHA-backed loans. Bear in mind that each lender sets its own terms and rates, so comparison-shopping is critical. Next, the lender assesses the borrower for risk by examining their income level, debt-to-income ratio, credit repayment history, and expenses. Certain other factors are also considered, such as how the property will be used, how many units are on the property, and whether the borrower will actually live in the home. Note that prospective homeowners may be denied an FHA loan if they plan to rent the property out to others and not live in it themselves.

What are the limitations and disadvantages of an FHA loan?

• lower loan amounts. FHA home loans have lower limits than what may be needed to buy the home of one’s dreams. Loans borrowed under Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, for instance, have much higher limits than FHA loans;
• limited options. FHA loans were constructed to serve a particular segment of buyers, so the loans come with few variations. These more conservative loans are designed to limit lender losses; and
• an upfront mortgage insurance premium (UFMIP) equal to 1.5% of the base mortgage amount.

In summary, prospective homeowners considering FHA loans should weigh their individual finances, needs and credit history, along with the pros and cons unique to this type of mortgage.

Mark Nahrgang is the owner of Kingdom Inspection Network Group – St. Louis and is a professional NACHI certified building inspector in the St. Louis metro area. Mark is based in St. Peters, performs home inspections as well as commercial inspections throughout St. Louis and St. Charles County. If you are looking for a thorough and qualified St. Louis area home inspector, use the contact information on this site to contact Mark regarding available services.

(by Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard, used by permission)

Influenced by the changes in the economic and legal environments over the past 30 years, home inspection reports have changed to accommodate increased consumer expectations, and to provide more extensive information and protection to both inspectors and their clients.

Development of Standards

Prior to the mid-1970s, inspection reports followed no standard guidelines and, for the most part, there was little or no oversight or licensure. As might be imagined, without minimum standards to follow, the quality of inspection reports varied widely, and the home inspection industry was viewed with some suspicion.

With the founding of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) in 1976, home inspection guidelines governing inspection report content became available in the form of a Standards of Practice. Over time, a second, larger trade association, the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI), came into existence, and developed its own standards.

InterNACHI has grown to dominate the inspection industry and, in addition to its Residential Standards of Practice, it has developed a comprehensive Standards of Practice for the Inspection of Commercial Properties.  Today, most types of inspections from mold to fire door inspections are performed in accordance with one of InterNACHI’s Standards of Practice.

As a consumer, you should take the time to examine the Standards of Practice followed by your inspector. If he is unaffiliated with any professional inspection organization, and his reports follow no particular standards, find another inspector.

Generally speaking, reports should describe the major home systems, their crucial components, and their operability, especially the ones in which failure can result in dangerous or expensive-to-correct conditions. Defects should be adequately described, and the report should include recommendations.

Reports should also disclaim portions of the home not inspected. Since home inspections are visual inspections, the parts of the home hidden behind floor, wall and ceiling coverings should be disclaimed.

Home inspectors are not experts in every system of the home, but are trained to recognize conditions that require a specialist inspection.

Home inspections are not technically exhaustive, so the inspector will not disassemble a furnace to examine the heat exchanger closely, for example.

Standards of Practice are designed to identify both the requirements of a home inspection and the limitations of an inspection.

Checklist and Narrative Reports

In the early years of the home inspection industry, home inspection reports consisted of a simple checklist, or a one- or two-page narrative report.

Checklist reports are just that; very little is actually written. The report is a series of boxes with short descriptions after them. Descriptions are often abbreviated, and might consist of only two or three words, such as “peeling paint.” The entire checklist might only be four or five pages long. Today, some inspection legal agreements are almost that long!

Because of the lack of detailed information, checklist reports leave a lot open to interpretation, so that buyers, sellers, agents, contractors, attorneys and judges may each interpret the information differently, depending on their motives.

In the inspection business, phrases that describe conditions found during an inspection are called “narratives.”  Narrative reports use reporting language that more completely describes each condition. Descriptions are not abbreviated.

Both checklist and narrative reports are still in use today, although many jurisdictions are now beginning to ban checklist reports because the limited information they offer has resulted in legal problems.

From the standpoint of liability, narrative reports are widely considered safer, since they provide more information and state it more clearly.

Many liability issues and problems with the inspection process are due to misunderstandings about what was to be included in the report, or about what the report says.

For example, in 2002, an investor bought a 14-unit hotel in California.  The six-page narrative report mentioned that flashing where the second-story concrete walkway met the building was improperly installed, and the condition could result in wood decay. Four years later, the investor paid out almost $100,000 to demolish and replace the entire upper walkway. In some places, it was possible to push a pencil through support beams.

Although the inspector’s report had mentioned the problem, it hadn’t made clear the seriousness of the condition, or the possible consequences of ignoring it. Today, a six-page report would be considered short for a small house.

Development of Reporting Software

Years ago, when computers were expensive to buy and difficult to operate, inspection reports were written by hand. As computers became simpler to operate and more affordable, inspection software began to appear on the market.

Today, using this software, an inspector can chose from a large number of organized boilerplate narratives that s/he can edit or add to in order to accommodate local conditions, since inspectors in a hot, humid city like Tampa Bay, Florida, are likely to find types of problems different from those found by inspectors in a cold, dry climate, like Salt Lake City, Utah.

Using narrative software and checking boxes in categories that represent the home systems, an inspector can produce a very detailed report in a relatively short time.

For example, using a checklist report, an inspector finding a number of inoperable lights in a home would check a box in the “INTERIOR” section labeled something like “some lights inoperable,” and that would be the limit of the information passed on to the client.

Using inspection software, in the “INTERIOR” section of the program, an inspector might check a box labeled “some lights inoperable.”  This would cause the following narrative to appear in the “INTERIOR” section of the inspection report:

“Some light fixtures in the home appeared to be inoperable. The bulbs may be burned out, or a problem may exist with the fixtures, wiring or switches.

If after the bulbs are replaced, these lights still fail to respond to the switch, this condition may represent a potential fire hazard, and the Inspector recommends that an evaluation and any necessary repairs be performed by a qualified electrical contractor.”

Standard disclaimers and other information can be pre-checked to automatically appear in each report.

Narrative Content

Narratives typically consists of three parts:

1. a description of a condition of concern;
2. a sentence or paragraph describing how serious the condition is, and the potential ramifications, answering questions such as, “Is it now stable, or will the problem continue?” or “Will it burn down the house?” and “When?”; and
3. a recommendation. Recommendations may be for specific actions to be taken, or for further evaluation, but they should address problems in such a way that the reader of the report will understand how to proceed.

“Typically” is a key word here. Some narratives may simply give the ampacity of the main electrical disconnect. There is no need for more than one sentence. Different inspectors would include what they think is necessary.

Report Content

Inspection reports often begin with an informational section which gives general information about the home, such as the client’s name, the square footage, and the year the home was built.

Other information often listed outside the main body of the report, either near the beginning or near the end, are disclaimers, and sometimes a copy of the inspection agreement, and sometimes a copy of the Standards of Practice.  A page showing the inspector’s professional credentials, designations, affiliations and memberships is also often included.  And it is a good idea to include InterNACHI’s Now That You’ve Had a Home Inspection book.

Inspection reports often include a summary report listing major problems to ensure that important issues are not missed by the reader. It’s important that the reader be aware of safety issues or conditions which will be expensive to correct. With this in mind, some inspectors color-code report narratives, although many feel that color-coding exposes them to increased liability and don’t do this.

Software often gives inspectors the choice of including photographs in the main body of the report, near the narrative that describes them, or photographs may be grouped together toward the beginning or end of the report.

A table of contents is usually provided.

The main body of the report may be broken down into sections according to home systems, such as ”ELECTRICAL,” “PLUMBING,” ”HEATING,” etc., or it may be broken down by area of the home:  “EXTERIOR,” “INTERIOR,” “KITCHEN,” “BEDROOMS,” etc.

It often depends on how the inspector likes to work.

Sample Reports

Many inspectors have websites which include sample inspection reports for prospective clients to view. Take the time to look at them. Also often included is a page explaining the scope of the inspection. The inspection contract is usually included on the website, and it should give you a good idea of what will be included in the report.

In conclusion, for consumers to have realistic expectations about what information will be included in the home inspection report, follow these tips:

• read the Standards of Practice;
• read the Contract;
• view a sample Inspection Report; and
• talk with the inspector.

Termite baits, also known as bait stations, are capsules that contain paper, cardboard or other acceptable termite food laced with a slow-acting poison that is lethal to termites. Baits are sometimes called “termite traps,” although they do not actually trap termites.

Baiting is an alternative to older “barrier” treatments in which large amounts of pesticide are applied to the soil underneath and surrounding a building in order to block all potential routes of termite entry. Termite baits employ small amounts of slow-acting poison that is gradually spread among worker termites when they return to the nest to feed one another.

Some baits are installed below ground and others are positioned above ground in the vicinity of known termite mud tubes and feeding sites. Below-ground stations typically contain untreated wood (as the poison rapidly decomposes underground) until termite activity is detected inside the stations, at which time the exterminator will deploy poisoned material. Poisons are designed to eliminate the colony either through sterilization or by stunting their growth.

Advantages of Termite Baiting

• Baiting requires fewer disruptions to the building’s occupants than does conventional barrier treatment, which often requires rolling back carpets, noisy drilling, concrete dust, removal of furnishings, and other disturbances.
• Baiting is environmentally friendly compared with soil treatment, which may require the use of hundreds of gallons of pesticide. Baiting will not endanger drinking water in houses that make use of wells and cisterns.
• Positioning of baits is not complicated by inaccessible crawlspaces or other areas that are difficult to treat with liquid barrier methods.
• Baiting can be used as a preventive measure in the early detection of termites, as the method requires extensive monitoring.
• Underground bait stations are unreachable by children and animals.

Disadvantages of Termite Baiting

• Baiting can take a long time — even months – to be effective. Termites must detect underground bait stations randomly as they wander through the soil because the insects cannot see or smell the bait. Whether the bait stations are found is completely up to the termites, unlike the more controllable barrier method. Some degree of termite damage may occur before the slow-acting bait is discovered and takes effect.
• Baiting is often more expensive than liquid barrier treatment because bait stations require ongoing inspection, monitoring and re-baiting. The exterminator will bill hourly, which can cost thousands of dollars over the course of many repeat visits.
• The success rate of baiting depends on the season, as termites may not find the bait stations during off-peak foraging periods. Baiting is best performed during warmer months.
• Baiting leaves no residual barrier to future infestations.
• The bait must be attractive enough to entice termites to return, even in the presence of competing stumps, tree roots, woodpiles and structural wood.
• Termites might be warded away from bait stations if dead termites begin to accumulate in the vicinity, a consequence of an overly-powerful poison.

Only licensed pest control operators should perform baiting, as they provide professional monitoring and strategic placement, although homeowners may purchase the baits from retailers and attempt extermination themselves. These bait systems are typically small and cannot be opened for monitoring.

Inspectors may want to document the presence of termite baits, as they indicate the past or present activity wood-destroying organisms. This information may be of interest to potential home buyers. Inspectors should not attempt to open or otherwise disturb termite baits.

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What they don’t understand is that the National Fire Protection Association does not distinguish between a gas fireplace or a wood burning fireplace when they recommend that Level II inspection. Below is a picture I took during an inspection this past week. As you can see, my chimney expert is in the process of cleaning the fireplace and flue of a gas setup. The bucket you see ended up containing approximately 20 pounds of debris that was clogging the flue. Fortunately, in this case, the gas log set was actually rated as being ventless. Had the gas logs been traditional gas logs, it is very likely that someone could have died while using that system because of the lack of ventilation.

All fireplaces/chimneys should be cleaned and inspected annually regardless of if they are gas or wood burning. Granted. wood burning fireplaces will typically be dirtier than gas burning. However, that does not mean that the gas fireplace and chimney doesn’t need the same regular maintenance.

Mark Nahrgang is the owner of Kingdom Inspection Network Group – St. Louis and is a professional NACHI certified building inspector in the St. Louis metro area. Mark is based in St. Peters, performs home inspections as well as commercial inspections throughout St. Louis and St. Charles County. If you are looking for a thorough and qualified St. Louis area home inspector, use the contact information on this site to contact Mark regarding available services.

Mold, mildew, and other toxic organisms commonly occur in areas that show evidence of, or have the potential for, moisture intrusion and/or inadequate ventilation. Any area or item exhibiting such conditions can be a health hazard to some people, particularly children; pregnant women; the elderly; those having asthma, allergies, or other breathing conditions; and those whose immune systems are compromised (HIV, cancer patients on chemotherapy, and people who have recently had surgery). People who are sensitive or allergic to mold may experience stuffy nose, watery eyes, wheezing, or skin irritation, and may have difficulty breathing. If you have any similar conditions that cannot be explained, first see your doctor or other health care provider as soon as possible.

Most of us know what mold looks and smells like. Thousands of different types of mold occur naturally throughout the world, but only a few of them cause health problems. Mold spores move naturally through the air and can be found in every area of the home; in fact, you are breathing mold spores as you are reading this. Mold grows on most building materials as long as the requisite moisture is present.

The key to controlling mold is controlling moisture: reduce moisture (keep the interior of your house dry and the humidity level below 45%), remove visible signs of mold, and disinfect surfaces. If a leak of any type occurs, eliminate the water source by fixing the leak, and dry, repair, and/or replace any wet areas and items as quickly as possible. Since mold requires a high moisture content in order to grow and thrive, it should not pose problems in desert environments nor in our homes. Unfortunately, it does because many people fail to do regular homeowner monitoring and maintenance to detect and catch small problems before they become big problems. You can prevent mold from growing in your home and affecting your health by inspecting your home on a regular basis (monthly at a minimum) for water and drainage leaks.

If you see mold or smell musty odors, chances are great that you have mold growing in your home somewhere. First, seek out and correct the problems that are providing the mold with the moisture that it needs to grow. Inspect the water and drainage pipes, water valves, and water and waste connections under your sinks for leaks, and have any leaks repaired immediately by a qualified plumber. Inspect around sink basins, bathtubs, and shower stalls for deteriorated grouting or caulking where water can penetrate into the structure’s walls and framing, allowing mold to thrive in those spaces. After using your shower or bathtub, use your exhaust fans or open the windows located in the bathrooms to help prevent a build-up of moisture in those areas.

While you can clean up mold yourself, there is a significant difference in the approach used for small amounts of mold in a sink cabinet and a large, contaminated area, such as mold growing in walls or in a house that has been flooded during a natural disaster. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a homeowner wearing personal protective equipment can properly cleanup small areas. For larger areas, the EPA advises hiring an experienced, professional contractor. Any home that has sustained major water damage or flooding needs to be inspected by a qualified water loss specialist.

If you decide to take on any mold-cleaning tasks yourself, remember that you will be exposed to potentially toxic mold, as well as strong detergents and disinfectants. Before you decide to do it yourself, visit the web site for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency , and read their guide, “A Brief Guide to Mold and Moisture in Your Home” (www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/moldguide.html). Make use of the other resources at their web site, as well.

Mark Nahrgang is the owner of Kingdom Inspection Network Group – St. Louis and is a professional NACHI certified building inspector in the St. Louis metro area. Mark is based in St. Peters, performs home inspections as well as commercial inspections throughout St. Louis and St. Charles County. If you are looking for a thorough and qualified St. Louis area home inspector, use the contact information on this site to contact Mark regarding available services.

We are purchasing a home and had a radon test done.  The level was an average 4.3 over the test time.  Upon requesting the seller to mitigate, they refused citing their own test 18 mos ago when they purchased the home.  The level was 3.0 and therefore they refuse to do anything different.  They even mentioned that the home inspector placed the device in a poor position.

I am curious what a good mitigation solution costs as we would want it done anyway.  It is a two story house with basement here in St Charles county.  14 yrs old.

There are also some cracks in the basement walls that we requested to be epoxy injected, but they are refusing to have those taken care of either — again citing their own inspectors report of 18  mos ago where he only said keep an eye on them.

How should we proceed?

Ray

Hey Ray,

The last inspectors report was from 18 months ago. An inspection report is only good or valid on the day of the inspection. Conditions in a home can and do change over time. (Many times within days or even hours.) So what was reported 18 months ago, is really only relevant from a historical document perspective.

The need to epoxy a crack is dependent upon how much water is infiltrating it. If it is a dry crack then the recommendation to monitor it is appropriate. In my opinion, if there are no signs of leaking, then fixing it with epoxy would be more of a preventative action that one would take if they were considering finishing the basement. In other words, if it’s wet, fix it. If it is dry, fix it if you want to as an improvement.

In regards to the radon; radon levels can and do change over time and over seasons. The EPA recommends that if a short term real estate test indicates a level of 4.0 or greater, the home should be fixed. It is irrelevant that a past test (even one 18 months earlier) was less than that mitigation level. This is exactly why the EPA recommends that all homeowners re-test their home every two years.

As to the test being placed in a “bad location”, at this point is hearsay. It’s just as likely that the first test was taken inappropriately. It is always very important to use a certified radon testing professional who is trained in the proper placement of the monitors. The accuracy of the test is also dependent upon the cooperation of the homeowner in maintaining proper closed house conditions. We don’t know the specifics of either test.

As to the value, even if the test stated the level was 4.0, that doesn’t mean that the level is a safe level. It is expected that 7 people out of 1000 living in a home with a level of 4.0 can be expected to develop radon induced lung cancer in their lifetime. That being said, the EPA recommends that for levels between 2.0 and 4.0, the home owner should consider having the home fixed. A typical mitigation system can run from $700 – $1500 depending upon the individual home. There are also some higher cost solutions available that are aesthetically more pleasing than the lower cost PVC solutions typically installed.

A local company by the name of Radon Solutions installed the system in my own home. It is my understanding that Jerry Kelly Heating and AC are just getting into the radon mitigation field and are offering the higher end solutions.

Since there is some controversy over the testing, perhaps a suggestion of splitting the cost of a system with the sellers would be appropriate. Another alternative would be to suggest that the cost of a re-test and a mitigation system be placed in escrow from the sellers proceeds. After you move in, a long term test (3 to 6 months) could be performed by an independent certified inspector approved by both of you. If the long term average was above 4.0, the escrow could be used for a system. If it is below that, then the remaining funds could be returned to the seller.

I hope that helps.

Mark

Mark Nahrgang is the owner of Kingdom Inspection Network Group – St. Louis and is a professional NACHI certified building inspector in the St. Louis metro area. Mark is based in St. Peters, performs home inspections as well as commercial inspections throughout St. Louis and St. Charles County. If you are looking for a thorough and qualified St. Louis area home inspector, use the contact information on this site to contact Mark regarding available services.

My wife and I recently had a home built for us in November of 2008.  We have noticed that our master bedroom is very cold in the winter and extremely hot in the summer even with the air conditioning turned down to 70 degrees.  The bedroom is right above the garage.  I guess my main question is…. Is it code for home builders to add insulation above the garage???  (The rest of the home is perfectly fine).  Or……Is this normal for rooms above the garage if the builders do not have to insulate the garage by code??

Thanks,

Ben

Ben,

I am not a code inspector, so I can’t directly answer your questions in regards to “code”.  However, there should be insulation over the garage in this instance. One way to tell if it is there, would be to remove a small portion of the drywall ceiling of the garage and actually look. (Make a nice, neat, square cut with a utility knife so you can replace the piece later.) Another more non-invasive method would be to have someone with a “thermal infra red” camera, examine the garage ceiling to look for temperature differences that would imply a lack of, or missing sections of, insulation.

All that being said, the problem may not have anything to do with insulation at all. If the bedroom door is closed, and you have the symptoms you described, but with the door open you don’t, there could be another cause. Typically there will be a small gap under the bedroom door. This gap actually allows air to exit the room as the new conditioned air enters it. Often times this gap is too small, or blocked by carpeting. If the air is restricted from leaving the room, then the new conditioned air has no place to go. You effectively shut the vent off.  So if there is no problem when your bedroom door is open, then I would suggest adding a return air vent either in the room, over the door, or at some other location based on the recommendations of your trusted HVAC technician.

I hope that helps!

Mark

Mark Nahrgang is the owner of Kingdom Inspection Network Group – St. Louis and is a professional NACHI certified building inspector in the St. Louis metro area. Mark performs home inspections as well as commercial inspections throughout St. Louis and St. Charles County. If you are looking for a thorough and qualified St. Louis area home inspector, use the contact information on this site to contact Mark regarding available services.

The house I am buying was listed as having vinyl siding. However my inspector says that there is Asbestos siding underneath. He said it was ok, but I am still concerned about it. What do you think?

Tammy

Hey Tammy,
I’ve inspected two houses in the last week with the exact same situation. Here’s exactly what I said to them in their report:

“The home is sided with vinyl siding over cement siding. While this is an appropriate method of encapsulating this siding it is important for the home owner to be aware of its presence. These shingles are known to have been manufactured with “asbestos”. If exposed the home owner should look for cracks, holes, or missing pieces. Note that most of the time asbestos cement shingles are installed they are over an existing wall covering. These shingles may or may not be made of asbestos fibers, and the only way to know for sure is to send a piece to a lab.  If you wish to take these down and put up siding, it would be easier to just leave them on the house and install new insulation and new siding over them.  Removing them could be very expensive because they will have to contact the EPA to deal with the proper disposal of these shingles.  “

Hope that helps.

Mark

Mark Nahrgang is the owner of Kingdom Inspection Network Group – St. Louis and is a professional NACHI certified building inspector in the St. Louis metro area. Mark performs home inspections as well as commercial inspections throughout St. Louis and St. Charles County. If you are looking for a thorough and qualified St. Louis area home inspector, use the contact information on this site to contact Mark regarding available services.