The Complete Book of Home Inspection
One of The Best Sources for Prospective Homebuyers to Use in Evaluating Property, Inside and Out

Is that home or condominium apartment you plan on buying a true bargain or an overpriced “handyman’s special”? Here’s how to find out!

No other book on the market increases your chances more of getting your money’s worth when buying a home than The Complete Book of Home Inspection. If you want to find out exactly what’s behind, beneath, above, and around the home you’re thinking of making an offer on, this is just what the inspector ordered. And if you’re thinking of selling your home, here’s the perfect way to accurately evaluate its condition prior to setting a price.

This comprehensive instruction manual covers every aspect of exterior, interior, and electromechanical home inspection and is basic enough for a layperson and detailed enough to be a working on-site tool for professional home inspectors.

Revealing techniques and methods used by experienced home inspectors, this heavily illustrated reference details how to evaluate the condition of a home or condominium apartment – inside and out. Precise step-by-step procedures enable you to inspect a home as though accompanied by an inspector with many years’ experience.

Written by a professional home inspector, The Complete Book of Home Inspection is packed with photos, graphs, dozens of checklists, and worksheets and valuable chapter summaries.

If you want to avoid costly mistakes and headaches down the road, don’t even think of making an offer on a house without reading this book first!

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

• A new chapter on swimming pools
• An added section on exterior walls discussing problems with synthetic stucco (EIFS)
• New material added to the environmental concerns chapter on molds and associated problems
• Most chapters and sections have been extensively updated and expanded

The Complete Book of Home Inspection, Third Edition:

   Introduction

• Chapter 1: Tools and Procedure

Part One: Exterior Inspection

• Chapter 2: Roofs
• Chapter 3: Roof-Mounted Structures and Projections
• Chapter 4: Paved Areas Around the Structure
• Chapter 5: Walls, Windows and Doors
• Chapter 6: Lot and Landscaping
• Chapter 7: Garage
• Chapter 8: Wood-Destroying Insects and Rot

Part Two: Interior Inspection

• Chapter 9: Attic
• Chapter 10: Interior Rooms
• Chapter 11: Basement and Crawl Space

Part Three: Electromechanicals

• Chapter 12: Electrical System
• Chapter 13: Plumbing
• Chapter 14: Heating Systems I
• Chapter 15: Heating Systems II
• Chapter 16: Domestic Water Heaters
• Chapter 17: Air-Conditioning
• Chapter 18: Swimming Pools
• Chapter 19: Energy Considerations
• Chapter 20: Environmental Concerns
• Chapter 21: Conclusion

Glossary
Inspection Worksheets
Index

Norman Becker, P.E., a nationally known authority on the subject of home inspection, has more than 30 years’ experience in home and building inspection, and is one of the founders of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). He has been qualified in court as an expert witness on the subject of home inspection. He also writes the widely read “Homeowners Clinic” column for Popular Mechanics magazine. Mr. Becker holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and is a licensed professional engineer in New York, New Jersey, and Florida.