Looking for an experienced Queens home inspector with hands-on experience in the trades for your home inspection in Far Rockaway?
You have come to the right place.
Meticulous Home inspection has been in business since 2005 and is a full service inspection company for home inspections covering all of Far Rockaway, and the five boroughs, as well as all of Long Island.
A typical home inspection starts outside the house, and one of the first things we mention is grading and drainage around the house. Soil around the house, and all walks and driveways should be pitched away from the house so water does not pool against the foundation as this can cause water intrusion issues, and foundation cracks.
Foundation issues are photographed and also included in the report, and signs of water entry such as efflorescence (white chalky powder on concrete from water intrusion) and water stains are documented. Insufficient support is regularly found in old homes during an inspection.
We enter crawl spaces if it is safe to do so, and determine if enough air circulation is present. We often find crawl spaces are not insulated or have insulation installed upside down which is a common defect.
Everything from roofing/siding, to doors/windows, as well as attached decks, garages, landscaping and retaining walls are checked. We examine steps and railings and look for trip hazards, and railings that are loose or too low. Damaged walks and patios are also mentioned, as well as too much growth against the house which can foster termite activity.
Gutters and leaders are checked, as well as the chimney or exhaust piping for gas heating equipment. We have found damaged bricks, a lack of a concrete crown atop the chimney bricks, as well as rusted exhaust piping on the roof that is in need of replacement.
We examine the boiler and baseboards/radiators, or the furnace and its ductwork and registers, and generally recommended service to heating equipment by a licensed contractor.
Oil tanks are also part of the home inspection, and many are poorly supported, or not installed properly, or are too old and can rust from the inside due to condensation that forms within the tank.
We also regularly find oil tanks that are/were located underground and if so, we recommend the property be checked for underground oil leaks/contamination as this can be extremely expensive to remediate.
The service panel is always opened to see wiring inside the panel to determine if any issues exist such as vintage ungrounded wiring or double tapped circuit breakers. We explain and demonstrate GFI receptacles to you so you know how to test them, and if the home does not have these safety devices, it is logged into your report.
GFI receptacles (with the reset buttons) should exist in all 'wet' areas such as outdoor areas, kitchen counters/islands, bathrooms, laundry areas, and even in garages. Exterior receptacles should have modern in-use covers installed if not already in place.
Staircases and railings inside the home are also checked as we often find staircases with varying steps or railings that are too low. We determine if any trip hazards exist, as well as low headroom in stairwells that could cause injury. Older homes sometimes have railings that have too much space between balusters, and generally recommend updating if too antiquated.
Older homes from the 1960's and previous are known to have galvanized steel drain piping which rusts internally causing slow drainage, and we generally recommend updating of this original drain piping. Some houses also have a galvanized water main pipe which has the same problem - internal rust which can affect water pressure.
Houses from the 1920's-30's can also have a lead water main which we always recommend updating, but this can be a costly update. We check for leaks at valves and pipe connections, and check for proper operation of all plumbing fixtures like sinks, tubs and showers, as well as shower doors and bathroom exhaust fans - many of which we find are improperly installed.
Appliances are tested for basic function and we evaluate kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans to be sure they are properly vented to the exterior - not the attic or other areas where moisture can be trapped causing issues like mold.
Near the end of the inspection we operate the heating and cooling systems to determine their functionality, and log in any defects or deficiencies found.
When hands-on construction background is a necessity for your home inspector in Far Rockaway, Meticulous Home Inspection is available 7 days a week, so don't be ridiculous, call Meticulous at 631 902 6761.
The indigenous inhabitants of the Rockaways were the Canarsie Indians, a band of Mohegan, whose name was associated with the geography. By 1639, the Mohegan tribe sold most of the Rockaways to the Dutch West India Company. In 1664, the English defeated the Dutch colony and took over their lands in present-day New York.
In 1685, the band chief, Tackapoucha, and the English governor of the province agreed to sell the Rockaways to a Captain Palmer for 31 pounds sterling.
The Rockaway Peninsula was originally designated as part of the Town of Hempstead, then a part of Queens County. Palmer and the Town of Hempstead disputed over who owned Rockaway, so in 1687 he sold the land to Richard Cornell, an iron master from Flushing. Cornell and his family lived on a homestead on what is now Central Avenue, near the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. At his death, Cornell was buried in a small family cemetery, Cornell Cemetery.
In the late 19th century, the Rockaway Association wanted to build a hotel on the Rockaway Peninsula, as it was increasingly popular as a summer destination. The association, consisting of many wealthy members who had homes in the area, bought most of Cornell's old homestead property. They developed the Marine Pavilion on that site, which attracted such guests as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Washington Irving, and the Vanderbilt family.
The Rockaway Association also built the Rockaway Turnpike. The Marine Hotel burned to the ground in 1864, but more hotels and private residences were built in the area.
In the 19th century, people traveled to the Rockaways by horse-drawn carriages or on horseback. A ferry powered by steam sailed from Lower Manhattan to Brooklyn. By the 1880s, the Long Island Rail Road's Rockaway Beach Branch was built to serve Far Rockaway station.
The steam railroad went to Long Island City and Flatbush Terminal (now Atlantic Terminal). When it opened in the 1880s, this connection stimulated population growth on the Rockaway Peninsula.
Benjamin Mott gave the LIRR 7 acres (2.8 ha) of land for a railroad depot. Land values increased and businesses in the area grew, and by 1888, Far Rockaway was a relatively large village.
It incorporated as a village on September 19 of that year. By 1898, the area was incorporated into the Greater City of New York, which included Queens.
Far Rockaway, Hammels, and Arverne, all of Queens, tried to secede from the city several times. In 1915 and 1917, a bill approving the secession passed in the legislature but was vetoed by the New York City mayor John Purroy Mitchel.
Meticulous has the skills and background to properly inspect your prospective new home. Don't be ridiculous, call METICULOUS at 631 902 6761 - 7 days a week!