Resources
Everything we know, written down.
16 guides and three tools for Ottawa homeowners and buyers. Written for people who will not hire us today — which is exactly why they are worth reading. Several of them will save you the cost of an inspection without booking one.
Tools
Free tools
The inspection
The inspection
What does a home inspector actually check?
System by system, everything inside the scope of a home inspection — and an honest list of everything outside it.
Read the guide 7 min readWhat does thermal imaging actually show in a home inspection?
What infrared genuinely finds, what it cannot do, and why an Ottawa winter is the best working condition in Canada for it.
Read the guideOttawa homes
Ottawa homes
The eleven problems we find most often in Ottawa homes
The defects that recur across Ottawa housing, organised by era and neighbourhood, with honest severity and cost ranges.
Read the guide 10 min readBuying a century home in Ottawa: what to check before you commit
What genuinely matters in a pre-1940 Ottawa house, what is cosmetic, and the four questions your insurer will ask before writing a policy.
Read the guideBuying
Buying
Should you waive the home inspection in Ottawa?
The real risk math on waiving the condition, and four middle-ground options between "full condition" and "no inspection at all".
Read the guide 8 min readWhat happens after a home inspection?
How to read the report, sort findings into the four categories that matter, and negotiate without killing the deal.
Read the guide 5 min readHome inspection vs appraisal: what is the difference?
Different purpose, different client, different document. Who each one protects, and why you generally need both.
Read the guideBasements & foundations
Basements & foundations
Why your Ottawa basement is damp — and what actually fixes it
How to tell condensation from seepage from a leak, and the fixes in the order of cost — starting with the $300 one most people skip.
Read the guide 8 min readLeda clay and Ottawa foundations: what every buyer should understand
The geology under most of Ottawa, why it moves houses, and how to tell seasonal clay movement from a real structural problem.
Read the guideBook an inspection
Your home deserves a check-up.
Same-week appointments across Ottawa, evenings and weekends included. Thermal imaging on every inspection, report within 24 hours, and a real person on the phone when you call.