When arranging for an inspection, simply include in your purchase offer the following wording: "Purchase subject to a professional building inspection satisfactory to the buyer".

Next schedule an appointment with Step By Step® Home Inspections.
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WE'RE GOING THE EXTRA MILE
"Our company dispatched a licensed electrician to the above address to repair an unconnected neutral conductor, that was discovered by you when you removed the cover to the main circuit breaker....The occupants of the above residense were very fortunate that no one had gotten hurt and/or that a fire occured because of that extremely hazardous situation.

I commend you for conducting a thorough electrical inspection."

Carl Tirone - President
TIRONE ELECTRIC. INC.

Are you planing to buy a home?

A Step By Step® Certified Indoor Air Inspection is intended to provide you with an unbiased review of the indoor environmental air quality condition of the home.

Purchasing a home in many cases is likely to be the single biggest investment you will make. And as such, entering into this decision without sufficient professional information can lead to not only expensive surprises down the road, but unhealthy consequences as well.

Hiring Certified Indoor Professionals to properly assess the Indoor Air Quality of the home is the surest and safest way to know what you are buying before it’s too late.

Step By Step industry certified inspectors go above and beyond a that of a typical home inspection. In fact, most all inspections our inspectors perform uncover a serious IAQ problems that the regular home inspector has overlooked.

Our specialized IAQ equipment allows us to investigate hidden areas, searching for water damage, saturated materials and mold growth.

There’s nothing quite like the peace of mind of knowing the home you’re considering for purchase, or have bought, is examined to ensure it is environmentally safe. After all, your family’s safety and happiness are priceless.

The Step By Step Inspection Process...

PHASE I. The INTERVIEW
Knowing the history of the structure and how the environment has participated in its current state is very important.

Step By Step Inspectors are trained in asking the important, often over looked, questions that "tell the story".

PHASE II. The SEARCH
Leave no stone unturned...
Step By Step Inspectors visually examine both the exterior and interior of the structure to pinpoint problem areas in your building.

Where is there visible mold growth? Crawlspace, attic, or hidden in a bathroom wall? All of these are common locations for mold growth. Throughout the visual mold inspection sophisticated sensory equipment is used to locate probable areas of growth.

PHASE III. The CAUSE
Step By Step Inspectors will determine the cause which supplies the moisture for of the mold growth. Why? Mold requires many things to grow...but the one it cannot grow without is water, therefore we look for sources of excessive moisture. Common sources may include: Cracks in exterior cladding, roof leaks, plumbing leaks, high humidity due to poor air conditioning systems.

After the Step By Step Inspector identifies the where and why, the next part will be to outline our recommendations. We provide expert advice and consultation specifically tailored to your unique situation.

The Step By Step inspectors measurements are used to formulate an evironmental impact hypothesis of the indoor environmental conditions. Once we finish formulating a hypothesis, it is time to test it.

Our sampling may involve mold sampling, bacteria sampling, VOC testing, particle counts, and allergen screening. This allows us to determine specific types and levels of contaminants that may be affecting your indoor environment.

PHASE IV. The TESTING
Is it MOLD, ALLERGENS, VOC's? The Indoor Environment can be a source of one or multiple pollutants.

Once identified, our inspectors will proceed at your request and approval to test. This testing may take many forms.

MOLD TESTING
If a Step By Step inspection has revealed the need for further testing, our comprehensive mold testing will serve to provide you with three important pieces of information:

1. Presence of mold.
   We will use any of several types of sampling to determine if a suspected area contains mold growth
   
   
2. Type of mold.
   Is the mold growth Stachybotrys, Aspergillus, or Cladosporium? Distinguishing between different types of mold growth is impossible without laboratory sampling. As such Step By Step Inspections only uses Accredited and Certified Laboratories. As such, our mold testing:
   • Accurately determines the species of mold growth in your building.
   • Quantity of mold.

   Mold spores can be found in the cleanest of buildings, therefore we measure the quantity of mold to determine if a mold problem is present.
   
   

3. Types of mold testing:
   • Airborne
   • Surface
   • Bulk
   • Dust
   • PCR
   • mVOC
     

BACTERIA TESTING
A Step By Step inspection may reveal the need for Bacteria Testing is dangerous bacteria growth is suspected?

An example of bacteria is E. Coli. E. Coli can lurk in sewage contaminated water which may be present indoors if a toilet has recently backed up into the home. Our swab sampling analysis can detect E. Coli and other types of Coliforms.

Bacteria sampling is useful to in:

1. Determining inhalation exposure.
2. Identifying the presence of hidden sources of bacterial growth.

VOLITILE ORGANIC COMPOUND (VOC) TESTING
A Step By Step inspection is not limited and as such this line of testing can prove fruitful when the cause of an indoor odor can not be identified since t a VOC test id used to identify thousands of different types of organic gases.

Studies conducted by the EPA have found that VOC levels of common pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher inside the home than outside.

VOC’s come from a wide variety of outgassing sources including: Paints and lacquers, ceaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, ofice equipment such as copiers and printers, and even some cosmetics.

ALLERGEN TRIGGERS SCREENING
Many times a concern by a client of mold, will turn out instead to be a ALLERGENS issue.

People with allergies and asthma think of their home as a safe haven. Unfortunately, houses carry their own unique allergens such as dust mites, animal dander and cockroaches.

Doctors have determined that these indoor triggers are a major source of asthma and allergy symptoms.

A Step By Step Allergens Assessment is useful in revealing the presence and exposure to pollen, grass, ragweed, algae, diatoms, fern, moss, spores, fungus, Cat and Dog dander, insect parts, skin cell fragments, dust mites, fiberglass, soot, rusts, carbon, and Mold spores.

And now....The REPORTING
Unlike our competitors, a Step By Step report is not only Confidential, but it is also custom written to the environment of the property inspected and tested. This custom digital report will contain as a minimum:

• Introduction.
  This section describes who did what where.
• Background.
  This section describes the history and the nature of the problem/inspection. Notes taken from conversations or interviews are be placed in this section. All information collected from Phase I of the is listed here.
• Scope of Work.
  Description of work performed as per the contract including a description of the physical areas of focus and limitations of assessment.
• Site Visit Findings.
  Information gathered from the walk through inspection will be summarized here. Any stains, growth, odors or problems are listed in this section as well as all information collected from Phase II of the Step BY Step Inspection Process is listed here.
• Measurements.
  Indicator measurements including temperature, relative humidity and moisture meter readings are listed in this section as will be the table created from Phase III.
• Sampling.
  Any samples taken in accordance with Phase IV on the are described in this section. Also included is the justification of why the sampling was performed and the laboratory performing the analysis. Lab reports will be an appendix.
• Conclusions.
  Here we will summarize the problems identified in the assessment and the suspected concerns.
• Recommendations.
  Here our inspector will describe specific implementation steps for the client to follow to resolve issue. The inspector will site any standards or guidelines in the justification of our recommendations.
  If required and recommended, the inspector will advise if there are to be Remedial Steps to be followed and if such will provide a cost of supplying, if requested, a Recommended Guidelines For Abatement (Protocol).
  
• Appendix A
  On Site Photographs
• Appendix B
  Lab Report, if any

... and much, much more!