The Detailed Art of Inspecting Homes

 

“A house is like a body,” says home inspector Dianne Guzik of The Art of Inspection. She compares herself to a ‘house doctor’, saying that over her experience inspecting homes she examines houses as if giving them a check up. She makes sure they breathe in terms of being well ventilated, their hearts beat soundly in terms of heating and electricity, and their plumbing works well and flushes properly even as they grow older – much like the average Joe. She’s even explained to her students they are general practitioners (GPs). They refer clients to specialists after their inspections like GPs do patients – curling shingles need a roofer; poor drainage needs a plumber; you get the idea.

Dianne Guzik inspects home for new Millbrookians Dianne and Richard Grieve.

Dianne Guzik inspects home for new Millbrookians Dianne and Richard Grieve.

Guzik became a home inspector while building her log home with her husband. In order to access the sizable building mortgage from the bank, she and her husband had to pay for the bank to hire an inspector to ensure their home met regulations during each stage of the building. It wasn’t until the sixth inspector, when Guzik and her husband had had just about enough of paying for inspections that never passed in Guzik’s view, because the hired inspectors didn’t specialize in the building type of their home, that they were finally able to continue with building. This sixth inspector not only understood about log homes, but was a woman, something Guzik had yet to run into. Less than 10 per cent of home inspectors are women, Guzik estimates. In her view, this is strange because women have traditionally been in the home more – who would pay better attention to the details of an inspection than someone who is constantly working in the same environment? Guzik also believes that woman have an advantage because they are generally smaller. Guzik herself is slight, making it easy to get into nooks, for example attic hatches of older homes, that someone more broad might not be able to get into.

After her home building experience, Guzik saw an opening for home inspection training in the paper. She phoned out of interest and the course was very excited to have a woman in the business – but breaking into the industry since her education, especially in a rural area, has been difficult.

“When I started I would get asked if I had a background in construction,” says Guzik of how clients and agents were skeptical of her ability upon meeting her. Not only did Guzik build her own home however, she worked with Habitat for Humanity in Peterborough to gather a better understanding of the foundation of homes. She is constantly updating her education and is currently enrolled to get her Wood Energy Technology Transfer (WETT) certification, and qualifications to inspect homes for radon circulation.

“There’s a rapport you have to build with either first timers or experienced home owners,” says Guzik in The Millbrook Times office Monday. She’s very careful to be fair in how she explains the business, saying that realtors, buyers and sellers can have good and bad experiences with home inspectors – a reason she makes sure to be very thorough while inspecting, taking between two and four hours for every inspection. She says most people are nervous about their investments, wanting to make sure they’re properly taken care of. Part of her job is reassuring them, even if all she can do is recommend repairs and hope for the best.

“I’ve been lucky enough to get to go back to some of the houses I’ve inspected,” says Guzik, explaining she has been called to inspect the same houses on separate occasions when they are sold or bought again. She is always curious to see if owners have taken her advice on fixing what was wrong with the house the first time around.

Dianne Guzik stands with soon to be Millbrook residents Dianne and Richard Grieve at her inspection of their house on Bank Street. Photo: Sarah Sobanski.

Dianne Guzik stands with soon to be Millbrook residents Dianne and Richard Grieve at her inspection of their house on Bank Street. Photo: Sarah Sobanski.

“The insurance for home inspectors is crazy,” says Guzik, but she enjoys what she does, meeting people from all over and getting to see all different kinds of living styles – from décor to DIY faux pas. She once inspected a deck that had been built with a hole cut out of it for the basement window to get light. She says much of the time it isn’t about how large a name is behind the inspector, but about the trust behind them. According to Guzik each inspector is held to the same standard of education, but it’s about trusting them to be thorough – a reason Bethany Real Estate’s Kathie Lycette calls Guzik for local inspections.

For more information on Millbrook’s local home inspector – or to book her – she can be reached at taohi@nexicom.net or at 705-741-8692.

By: Sarah Sobanski

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