While performing home inspections in New Jersey I do come across my fair share of slate roof coverings. Slate roofing is a highly specialized roofing system that dates back hundreds of years. A slate roof is rather simple in design. It consists of thin layers of slates overlapped so they create a water tight covering. The question that I always get while performing home inspections in New Jersey is how long does a slate roof last. Typically the slate roof will late around 80 years. It really depends on the type of slate used and the manner in which it is cared for. Slates are secured using two nails per slate. Each slate overlaps two courses of slates under it creating a water tight covering. I was recently inspecting a home in Bergen County New Jersey and it had a slate roof that was really in bad shape. Typically the flashing fail, and the fasteners fail before the slates themselves will fail. That is why it is imperative to give the slate roof regular maintenance. The experienced slate roofing contractor will look for areas of loose and damaged slates and repair them. You should have a Slate roofing contractor come in once per year an inspect the roof for damage and areas

While performing home inspections in NJ, I come across EIFS (Exterior Insulation Finish System) exterior siding quite often. usually this type of exterior siding is found on homes in more upscale areas however it can be found just about anywhere because the builders love it because it is easy to install (almost always installed incorrectly) and relatively inexpensive to apply. EIFS is basically a type of Styrofoam. The problem is that water or moisture can get behind the EIFS and once there it can not get out. The trapped water can cause wood rot, and is very conducive to mold growth. As a New Jersey home inspector it is imperative for me to identify this type of siding to my clients. When inspecting a home if I come across EIFS, I always recommend further testing by an EIFS specialist because if water is trapped behind the EIFS it is very expensive to remove all the exterior siding on the home. One of the very important things that we will be looking for as we perform your New Jersey home inspection is EIFS. In the future I plan to write an more in depth article about the use of EIFS and what defects are common. It is imperative that your New Jersey Home inspector is familiar

When you purchase your next home chose your home inspector wisely.

Hiring a professional NJ home inspector before purchasing a home is a smart thing to do, but how does one find a non-bias inspector? Some people may ask, “what’s wrong with the real estate agent recommending a New Jersey home inspector to you a prospective buyer?” The answer is: A selling real estate agent works for their client. A home inspector works for the person who hires him/her (the prospective homebuyer.) For many agents, the temptation to recommend a less-thorough inspector is too great to resist. There have been many cases of unhappy buyers when agents refer home inspectors. There is a potential conflict of interest when a real estate agent recommends a particular home inspector or provides a list of preferred home inspectors.

Unlike some Home Inspectors, Look Smart Home Inspections, LLC is not beholden to anyone but YOU. Not to realtors. Not to builders. Not to banks. We are one of the very few independent home inspectors in New Jersey. Our only allegiance is to you – and to our many other valued clients who turn to us for the straig