Here are some of the resources available:
1. Home Inspection Video - See a home inspection!
2. Read an actual home inspection report.
3. Read/search Barry Stone's column, Inspector's In the House (below).
4. Send a question using the form to the right. ===>
5. If you are a Seller, get your own inspection before you put your home on the market.

California does not require any license to be a home inspector, so it is important for both home buyers and sellers to make sure that they hire an inspector who is a certified residential inspector and who carries errors and omissions insurance. To help you think through the selection of your home inspector, click here for our 10 Tips.

QUESTIONS/ANSWERS Click on any of these topics to read questions and answers by syndicated columnist Barry Stone.
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As a buyer, you can be present on the home inspection (and we really recommend it). Being there gives you a chance to ask questions, to see and discuss what Mark has found, and to ask other questions about your new home. Some of the areas inspected include: structure, heating and cooling, roof, electrical system, plumbing and fixtures, attic, basement and/or crawl space, foundation, gutters, insulation, interior and exterior walls, porches and decks, and the water heater and appliances.

A good inspector helps both buyers and sellers become aware of any defects that weren't already known. (If they had been known, they would have been disclosed.) Please note: Sellers have no obligation to repair any defects. Repair requests are just that--requests. However, if an unknown defect is a safety issue, violates the then-current building code, or affects functionality, many sellers will accommodate the request in one way or another. A good inspection helps to put all those issues on the table so that everyone is satisfied with the transaction.

For information about various topics, just click on any of the links to the left or run your own search! One of our 600+ articles is posted below.

Code Provides for Porch Step Rise and Run
Inspector's in the House by Barry Stone, Certified Building Inspector

Dear Barry,
The people who are buying our home hired a home inspector. According to the inspection report, the front porch steps have improper rise and run. What does this mean?
Jan B.

Dear Jan,
The building code is very specific about the dimensional requirements for a staircase. The purpose for these standards is to minimize potential trip hazards; the general premise being that stairs of unequal or unusual sizes may cause a pedestrian to miss a step and stumble.

The terms "rise" and "run" refer respectively to the vertical and horizontal dimensions of each step. Specific requirements governing rise and run are as follows:

A step shall be no less than 4 inches and no more than 7 inches in height. In a residence, however, an 8 inch high step is allowed.

A tread (the surface on which you place your foot) shall have a heal to toe dimension of at least 11 inches. Once again, residential steps are the exception, with 9inches treads being permitted.

The height of the largest step in a staircase shall not exceed the height of the smallest step by more than 3/8 of an inch.

The same rule applies to tread sizes -- 3/8inch maximum variance.

If these regulations seem confusing, try adding the numerous variables that pertain to circular stairs, spiral stairs, landings, handrails, etc. These rules will fill your head with an alphabet soup of dimensional requirements, guaranteed to cure insomnia.

If you need further details regarding the inspection report for your home, the home inspector should be willing to answer your questions.

Distributed by Access Media Group. To write to Barry Stone, please visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com.