I guess being a home inspector is an appropriate career choice for someone like me. You see - I love tools. I admit it I’m a gadget guy. My appreciation for tools is like that of anyone who takes his pleasures seriously. Just as a golfer will have a substantial amount of money invested in his club, I too can pump money into my passion.
A big difference between myself and the golfer is that my passion is part of my profession. I buy the tools and use them, but you benefit because they make me a better inspector. Sure there is way more to inspecting than buying fancy tools, but the right tool in the right situation is indispensable.
Not too long ago, I inspected a home that had a suspected moisture problem. Fortunately, I have some pretty sophisticated moisture detection tools - I am the proud owner of a Protimeter Surveymaster (moisture meter) and a Novasina MIK300 (thermo-hygrometer). Chances are you’ve never heard of either of these (unless you are a home inspector, then you should own them or something similar), so I’ll explain. The Surveymaster is a dual mode (pin and pinless) moisture detector. It’s purpose is to find concealed moisture, or tell me if a stain is an active leak. It has enabled me to find moisture problems in places where they wouldn’t become apparent until plenty of damage had been done. Naturally being a precision instrument it takes a fair amount of knowledge to interpret it’s readings, but once you know what you’re doing it is a must-have tool for home inspectors. The thermo-hygrometer on the other hand, tells me what the temperature and humidity are. This comes in handy in determining if attics and crawlspaces are damp.
Is it possible to bee a good home inspector without these gadgets? Sure, I guess. Just like it is theoretically possible to be a good golfer without a sand wedge - life is just better if you have it. I could go on and on about the different tools and instruments I have in my go-go gadget inspector kit, but I’ll save it for a later time (so I don’t sound too nerdy).
Until then, thanks for reading!
-Brad (tool nerd) Manor, your Windsor Ontario Home Inspector.
