The Initial Inspection

What’s Included

• The importance of the initial inspection cannot be understated as it is the first step to opening any case with a client as well as determining the conditions and steps of action to resolve. An average inspection with the consultant can run up to about two hours, resulting in a fee of $500 (or $260 per hour). This fee will cover the necessities in the inspection such as the specified areas of concern and surrounding areas.

• The client can expect a brief outline mere days after the inspection including but not limited to:

  • An overview of what damage was found 

  • Potential causes for said damage

  • What Building Code issues or Contractors License laws may be involved

  • A proposal for what services will be needed going forward

  • What research will be required (Permit Records, Google Satellite Photos, Contractor’s background, etc.)

• As all work is done on an hourly basis, the client can still negotiate a contract for a fee with parameters such as “fixed fee” or a “not to exceed” amount. All estimated costs will be included in the proposal, payable with credit cards, wire transfers, and sometimes checks.

• Steve Hill Construction Consulting, Inc. does not give legal advice, all legal decisions must be made by the Homeowner and their Attorney. For this reason, it is the goal of the inspection to provide the client with as much information to make their own confident decisions going forward. This means producing an investigation built from factual evidence that will stand up to the scrutiny of a deposition, Contractors License Board arbitration, Mediation and/or Superior Court trial, based on previous experience with all those courses of action.