Do I need an Engineer or a Home Inspector?
You need a home inspector. When you hire a home
inspector, you are hiring an experienced professional who has training and
experience in the building industry. It is the job of the home inspector to not
only evaluate the condition of the house's major systems and structural
integrity, but also to evaluate how these systems are working together and
identify areas that need to be watched, repaired or replaced.
Your home inspector gives you the Big Picture analysis of
the house you are purchasing. If the home inspector identifies the need for a
costly, detailed analysis of any of the houses' systems or structures, the
inspector will recommend the appropriate professional, which may be an
experienced engineer or professional with expertise analyzing that particular system or
structure.
Hiring a Professional Engineer on your own does not mean you are receiving a structural evaluation, unless you pay an additional fee. Normally, the professional engineer's inspection does not include roofs, mechanical systems, doors, windows, and numerous other items included in an ASHI / Stoffer Inspections LC home inspection.
