What's Inspected?

What's inspected in a Standard Home Inspection?

Spotlight Home Inspections follows the Standards of Practice set forth by the North Carolina Home Inspector Licensure Board. Below is a general overview of the components included in a home inspection. Items not listed are not required by the standards of practice, the inspector may add additional items to each personalized report as a courtesy to the client.

Structural Components

Foundation
Floors
Walls
Columns or Piers
Ceilings
Roof Structure

Exterior

Wall cladding, flashing, and trim
Entryway doors and a representative number of windows
Garage door operators
Decks, balconies, stoops, steps, areaways, porches, and appurtenant railings
Eaves, soffits, and fascias
Driveways, patios, walkways, and retaining walls
Vegetation, grading, and drainage with respect only to their effect on the condition of the building

Roofing

Roof coverings
Roof drainage systems
Flashings
Skylights, chimneys, and roof penetrations
Signs of leaks or abnormal condensation on the building components

Plumbing

Interior water supply and distribution system, including: piping materials, supports, and insulation; fixtures and faucets; functional flow; leaks; and cross connections
Interior drain, waste and vent system, including: traps; drain, waste, and vent piping; piping supports and pipe insulation; leaks; and functional drainage
Hot water systems including: water heating equipment; normal operating controls; automatic safety controls; and chimneys, flues, and vents
Fuel storage and distribution systems including: interior fuel storage equipment, supply piping, venting, and supports; leaks
Sump pumps

Electrical

Electrical service entrance conductors
Electrical service equipment, grounding equipment, main overcurrent device, and interiors of panelboard enclosures unless unsafe conditions are present
Amperage and voltage ratings of the electrical service
Branch circuit conductors, their overcurrent devices, and the compatibility of their ampacities at the interiors of panelboard enclosures unless unsafe conditions are present
The operation of a representative number of installed ceiling fans, lighting fixtures, switches, and receptacles located inside the house, garage, and on the dwelling's exterior walls
The polarity and grounding of all receptacles within six feet of interior plumbing fixtures, and all receptacles in the garage or carport, and on the exterior of inspected structures
The operation of ground fault circuit interrupters
Smoke detectors and installed carbon monoxide alarms

Heating

Heating equipment
Normal operating controls
Automatic safety controls
Chimneys, flues, and vents, where readily visible
Solid fuel heating devices
Heat distribution systems including fans, pumps, ducts and piping, with supports, insulation, air filters, registers, radiators, fan coil units, convectors
The presence or absence of an installed heat source for each habitable space

Air Conditioning

Central air conditioning and through-the-wall ductless installed cooling systems including: cooling and air handling equipment; normal operating controls
Cooling distribution systems including: fans, pumps, ducts and piping, with associated supports, dampers, insulation, air filters, registers, and fan-coil units
The presence or absence of an installed cooling source for each habitable space

Interiors

Walls, ceiling, and floors
Steps, stairways, balconies, and railings
Counters and a representative number of built-in cabinets
A representative number of doors and windows

Insulation and Ventilation

Insulation and vapor retarders in unfished spaces
Ventilation of attics and foundation areas
Kitchen, bathroom, and laundry venting systems
The operation of any readily accessible attic ventilation fan, and, when the temperature permits, the operation of the readily accessible thermostatic control

To view the Standards of Practice the inspector abides by please visit the Standards of Practice tab at the top of the page.