Carson Dunlop & Associates Home Inspection

I used this company for a pre-listing home inspection. This was a complete nightmare. Sheila was the inspector. She came on a weekend and before the inspection even started she was complaining about working on the weekend. She then said you might not like what she is going to write in the report and that she is currently being sued. This is before she even started the inspection. She also mentioned she would only be reporting major issues.

As we expected, the report came back with every little issue, many of which were under $100 to fix, some even no cost and took 1 minute to fix. She included pictures of all these minor issues as well. There was very little positive items in the report. The report was 39 pages long and didn't even include a summary. They wanted an additional $50 for a 1 page summary. Most of the report is unrelated to the actual inspection of your house. They argued that a pre-listing inspection report is a full list of issues wrong with the house. Several times I had to tell them that this report is about describing the current state of the house which includes both positives and negatives. They stated a few times in the report to replace items which they never even tested. They also had inaccurate items listed.

After several days of emails, the Director ended up making some changes to the report and providing the 1 page summary for free. We were happy with the 1 page summary report as it explained what the detailed report should have. I don't think they understand that a summary report is supposed to summarize the full report. You basically have to pay extra to get something positive written in the report. They were also supposed to provide what is called a Home Verified report but they never did.

I would avoid this company. Maybe they have better inspectors and I just got the worst one. Sheila was completely unprofessional and I don't think she is qualified. She was very quick to report anything negative and she didn't take the time to ask questions or understand what she was writing about. She mentioned that our basement reno was poorly done because there was no access to the main shutoff water valve. I had to speak to her on the phone that there was a main shutoff water valve in the basement in an access panel. Very easy to find. She clearly didn't look. She didn't even bring a pen and paper. She used her cellphone to take notes. She also never replied to my emails. The report is clearly a copy and pasting from other reports she has done. She also included pictures that wasn't even my house and wrongly identified parts of the house in her report.

I have seen several other companies that provide a much more reader-friendly report, that is less than 10 pages long.

I had a home inspection performed recently on a home we are in the process of purchasing. I read a number of great reviews online about Scott Thompson at Carson Dunlop, so I requested him when I called. Scott was fantastic and very thorough. He is a civil structural engineer and willing to share his knowledge. I had expected to do my work while he performed the inspection but was happily surprised to be fully included in the process. It turned out not only to be an end-to-end home inspection but also a training session for me to get to know the house. The report provided afterwards and with a quick turnaround was very detailed and caught so many things we never would have noticed. I also view this as my new home manual. I would definitely recommend Scott and use his services again in the future.

We just had our new condo inspected by Scott Thompson from Carson and Dunlop. He is a great home inspector; he is patient, thorough and very friendly. As first time buyers, we walked in to this as blank slates. Scott explained each aspect of the condo, how we should use each equipment, things to watch for and regular maintenance procedures. I am happy to recommend Scott.
The overall experience with Carson and Dunlop was equally great. The person who answered the phone (Sammy?) explained the options and made the purchase a easy experience.

This company was highly recommended by our Realtor for a home inspection on our 12 year old townhome. We requested Mr. Falcone. He showed up on time (early actually) and walked us through the home inspection and was extremely patient and helpful with our questions. He directly addressed our concerns and offered suggestions wherever he could. From my understanding home inspections on townhouses aren't very common, but Mr. Falcone really tailored his inspection to the special needs of a multi-level home, like heat/moisture issues on upper floors. He also caught several things I doubt the average home inspector would have.

The report we received after the inspection was very comprehensive and we've pretty much used it as a guide to address issues whenever we have any extra money. The only thing we've noticed wasn't in our report was that our kitchen countertop had mold, rot and water damage underneath the sink area and will eventually need to be replaced. However, it did mention that the faucet hadn't been installed properly and would need to be fixed (which is what caused the water damage) so it was not a big surprise to us.

In all, we really feel that Mr. Falcone went above and beyond during his inspection and I'd highly recommend him and Carson Dunlop as trustworthy and experienced home inspectors.

Hal Woolley from Carson Dunlop has done two home inspections for me. He has an incredible wealth of knowledge and a wonderfully personable demeanor. He's a true professional that offers tremendous value to anyone interested in keeping their home in tip-top condition without breaking the bank.

This review may seem long, but if you are purchasing a home, I strongly recommend that you read it because a home is an expensive investment.

Our real estate agent recommended this company to us and said that they only hire structural engineers. After purchasing and living in our house, we regret using this company for our home inspection.

The home inspector did not bring a ladder that was tall enough to get to the roof so it was never inspected properly. Also, knowing what I know now, he should have also brought a moisture meter or an infra-red camera to check for leaks and/or wiring problems .

He addressed and included items in the report that were cosmetic, such as the fact that there was poor workmanship for the tiles on the shower wall, which were slightly different lengths. However, he omitted and downplayed everything that I inquired about that posed more serious problems, such as a sunken patio stone at the corner of the house or some fairly long hairline cracks in the foundation. These items signified potential foundation movement and/or other problems, such as a break in a sewage pipe near the sunken patio stone that I later discovered. Repairing this cost $2500.

There are many other things that he missed or downplayed, which, when combined, indicated that there were problems with the house that were more than cosmetic. These included sloping in the floor at the main entrance, walls that had been removed, a beam that had been installed, a large sliding door that had been installed in the kitchen, another door that had been removed, sloping in the upstairs ceiling, doors that didn't sit in the frames properly or brushed against the floor, and other issues. While these might sound like obvious concerns, I didn't know much at the time, asked about these problems, and trusted the home inspector's responses. For example, he said that the sloping in the ceiling may be due to too much insulation above it, and the doors weren't hung properly because a new floor had been installed. He stated that the slope near the front door was due to bad flooring, however, he had previously discovered an area where there was a leak near the front door, which, most likely, would have been the cause of the sloping. I'd also asked if previous owners removed a supporting post in the basement a quarter of the way in, because there were posts half way in and three quarters of the way in. He stated that this wasn't the case. I later went to the city archives, found the blueprint for my house, and determined that there should have been a post there. Later, I found it behind my garden shed.

There is much more that I can write, however, I will end this review by stating that I've learned a lot since purchasing my house five years ago, and other people, including another structural engineer, have looked at my house, briefly, and noticed problems, as well as, potential problems that the inspector should have noticed or mentioned. I expected more from this company.

I had an inspection done by Carson Dunlop on a home I purchased in August. I found Hal to be professional and helpful in clarifying the points in the report. Recently, I had an issue where it was discovered that the hot water tank venting was too close to an exposed wall and this had to be corrected due to safety reasons. When I contacted Carson Dunlop to inquire why this had not been covered in the inspection report they were quick not to make excuses and promptly offered to pay to have the needed work done. in an age where customer service seems to have gone by the wayside, they went above my expectations to make things right,

I recently bought a house in Thornbury Ontario and contracted Carson Dunlop for the pre purchase inspection. The level of service, professionalism and detail of the survey was incredible. It gave me confidence to buy the house and know I would not have expensive repairs going forward.