Trusted & On Your Side. Affordable Rates & Excellent Customer Service.
Fully Insured & Licensed. Proudly serving all of Metro Vancouver, the North Shore and Fraser Valley.
Call: 778-881-3993
Email: [email protected]
Buying or Selling your next home? Moved in but looking for a second opinion?
In a competitive market, a home inspection will offer you important insight into a property’s condition by identifying safety hazards and big ticket repairs with a home’s various systems and components which ultimately impact a property’s value:
Real estate transactions are high value and time sensitive matters, where a professional report should concise and easy to read.
Our detailed reports preface high-cost issues with their recommendations upfront, followed by fully photo-documenting various repair and maintenance issues throughout the home that impact the bottom line.
Attention to detail is key, but communicating those details to our clients is equally important. We offer a complimentary in-person walk-though of property post-inspection to present issues uncovered.
Included with every inspection.
Thermal imaging gives our inspectors visibility into issues difficult to see with the naked eye:
Water intrusion from roof damage, plumbing leaks, damaged window seals, condensation, etc.
Overheating electrical breakers and wiring
Missing insulation in ceilings and walls
Damaged in-floor radiant water lines
Disconnected AC and heating air ducts
And more!
Thermal imaging is a safe, non-destructive diagnostic tool!
Homes may look appealing at an Open House - but major issues may not be apparent, and can become serious and expensive safety concerns after taking possession
Put our expertise to work for you!
According to a survey of recent home buyers, a typical home inspection uncovers an average of $14,000 worth of repairs! (themortgagereports.com), a substantial amount compared to the nominal fee of a home inspection. Our home inspections provide a valuable return on investment!
Over 29% of Canadian homeowners have renovated their home for aesthetic, recreation or “lifestyle” reasons, while another 16% did so to improve the market value of their home, according to a recent RE/MAX Canada report. Homebuyers should always consider if these alterations were completed without municipal building permits and safety inspections. We take the time to identify modifications to electrical, plumbing and structural components, as they can all become serious safety, home insurance and by-law issues down the road.
Resale homes can suffer from poor upkeep. Leaks from worn-out roofs and damaged plumbing lead to expensive water damage and mold buildup. Foundation and structural damage are often difficult to detect without going through attics and crawlspaces.
While older, vintage homes have their charm and architectural appeal, common building practices and building materials from that era such as asbestos, aluminum electrical wiring and cast iron pipes phased out due to safety and reliability concerns may still exist in these homes today. Accurately identifying these building materials, along with mold growth, and pests, are the first step in keeping you and your family safe and happy.
Multiple flood risks and the resulting damages that they cause have lead to a dramatic increase in insurance claims and property repair costs. In fact, the average basement flood event in Canada costs $43,000 to repair (according to Intact Insurance – Centre for Climate Adaptation). Increased frequency of flood events driven by climate change, plumbing damage & sewage backup, or simply poor maintenance of flood and water proofing systems, have further exacerbated reconstruction costs due to inflation and supply chain disruptions. Identifying these risks before they pose a hazard to your new home is key to preventing lost money, lost time, and disruption to your life.
Let us help simplify this important part of the homebuying process. Our mission is to look for these problems, so you can make an informed decision.
All Home Inspectors operating in BC must be licensed with Consumer Protection BC.
Our quality inspections are completed in accordance to the Home Inspectors Association BC – Scope of Inspection (https://hiabc.ca/about-us/scope-of-inspection/)
Spectra Home Inspection Inc is fully licensed with CPBC, and is a member of the Home Inspectors Association BC, a professional association of inspectors delivering high value services and protecting the end consumer by setting a much higher bar for inspections, oversight, continuing education and ethics than required by Provincial regulations.
We are on your side, protecting the consumer.
Power for Everyday Life
Electricity powers our modern lives, from televisions, computers, heaters, stoves, hot-tubs, and even electric vehicle chargers.
All too common, dangerous modifications and additions ranging from DIY installed subpanels and outlets, to non-standard wiring splices and terminations, can cause dangerous electrical hazards and start fires. Older properties often see a mix of old & obsolete wiring, components subject to safety recalls, and overlooked charring and overheating!
Water, Water, Everywhere
The goal of any modern plumbing systems is to deliver clean hot & cold water to the various fixtures around the house, and drain it out quickly and safely.
Leaks resulting from poorly installed fixtures, and defective, obsolete, damaged or recalled water pipes can cause serious water damage and costly repairs to homes.
Climate control for a comfortable home
Maintaining adequate heating is essential for ensuring a comfortable environment.
Furnaces and boilers require regular servicing and can be time consuming and expensive to fix should problems occur and impact efficiency. Electric baseboard heaters can also pose a fire hazard if inappropriately installed.
All good things start with a strong foundation
They say all good things are built on a strong foundation, and your home is no different. Foundations provide the necessary footings on which the rest of the home is built, taking the cumulative weight of the building and seating it properly on the ground.
Damage due to ground movement undermines a foundation’s integrity, allows for water infiltration which affects the rest of the structure, and can be difficult, time consuming and costly to repair.
Protection from the Elements
Aside from being the major architectural component of a home, a good roof is the first line of defense from the elements, protecting the rest of the building below from rain, snow and hail. Many major structural and mechanical components are also contained in the attic space.
By assessing both the exterior of the roof and interior attic space, our inspectors look for signs of structural damage and modifications, water leaks, insulation deficiencies, fire risks, signs of pests, and assess installed mechanical equipment.
Proper framing provides the “skeleton” on which floors, walls and ceilings are built on. It serves as the base for exterior wall cladding and a surface for roof shingles.
All too often however, homeowner modification or non-permitted renovations modify the original framing of a home, presenting safety risks, insurance issues and become expensive to repair.
By accessing areas such as basements, crawlspaces, attics, and other unfinished spaces, our inspectors gain valuable insight into the home’s framing.
The spaces that we call home
The walls, ceilings, floors and finishes make up the inside of our homes – and if they can talk, they will tell a story. Thankfully our inspectors listen, figuratively that is.
Our inspectors look for issues ranging from ceiling stains indicating leaks, mould & mildew pointing to humidity and ventilation issues, signs of water ingress in shower stalls, window frames and door frames, structural issues indicated in the walls & flooring, and more.
We also assess the major appliances installed in the home, and cross-check their serial numbers via RecallChek to determine whether manufacturer recalls exist for the appliance.
Home heating and cooling efficiency
The importance of insulation cannot be understated in home energy efficiency. Proper insulation helps homes retain heat during the colder seasons, and also keeps the home cool in the summer by adding to the efficiency of air conditioners and heat pumps.
Loose blown-in insulation especially in attics can be easily disturbed. Mold and moisture damage to insulation can affect its performance and cause water damage, and become a health hazard. Older buildings often lack adequate insulation or insulation containing hazardous content such as asbestos, and basement and crawlspaces with gaps in insulating materials can create considerable comfort issues in the home above.
We access crawlspaces, basements and attics when possible to find these issues.
Keeping things cold and warm
Once a product of higher-end and luxury homes, air conditioners and heat pumps are becoming ever popular. Whether to keep cool in the summer, or warm in the winter, these appliances are an efficient way to maintain a comfortable environment in the home.
We perform a functional test of the AC / Heat Pump system and a visual inspection for deficiencies of the system and components.
