Professional Home Inspection with a Common Sense Approach / Inspecting in Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando, and West Hillsborough Counties.

  • HOME INSPECTION

ALL Required Insurance Forms NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE.

Warranty Package worth up to $25,000.00.

FOUR-POINT FORM & WIND MITIGATION (INSURANCE FORMS)

FOUR-POINT INSPECTION

What is a 4-Point Form?

4-Point Forms are specific and are designed to obtain information about the home usually at the request of insurance companies. When you buy a home, a 4-Point Form may be required to get insurance on the property. If you already own a home, you may hear about a 4-Point Form for the first time when you receive a cancellation notice on your insurance.

What are the 4 points?

A 4-Point Form consists of the following:

  • Verifying age and condition of Roof
  • Verifying age and condition of Electrical Panel
  • Verifying age and condition of HVAC (Heat, Ventilation & A/C)
  • Verifying age and condition of water heater and plumbing connections.

I am buying a home. Can I use this as a less expensive full home inspection?

No. This type of inspection is not intended for use as a full home inspection. It is geared for your insurance needs and will not contain the type of information you may need to make an informed decision for purchase.  A 4-Point Form will tell you the age and condition of the roof but will not tell you the condition of the attic or any other structural components of the home.

WIND MITIGATION

Several components of the roof system can help you save money on your home owner insurance.

Age of Roof

  • All roof coverings that meet the FBC with an FBC or Miami-Dade Product Approval listing current at time of installation OR have a roofing permit application date on or after 3/1/02 OR the roof is original and built in 2004 or later.

Shape of the Roof

  • Hip (Shaped like a pyramid)
  • Gable (Shaped like a triangle)
  • Flat

Hip is the winner when it comes to earning a credit on your insurance. In case of Gable ends on your roof, or if a flat roof is attached to the main structure, both would need to be under 10% of the entire roof perimeter to be considered a Hip Style Roof.

Tie Down Straps

  • Wraps
  • Clips
  • Toe-Nailed

In this case, the Wraps would be the winner with Clips coming in a close second. A Wrap is a metal strap that wraps around the foot of a truss securing it to the structure. The wrap is required to have at least three nails holding it in place, two nails on one side and one nail on the other.

 A Clip is a smaller piece of metal that does not go over the truss. It also is required to have at least three nails holding it in place.

Nail Pattern

  • Plywood/Oriented strand board roof sheathing attached to the roof truss/rafter by staples or 6d nails spaced at 6” along the edge and 12” in the field.
  • Plywood/OSB roof sheathing attached to the roof truss/rafter by 8d common nails spaced a maximum of 12” inches in the field.
  • Plywood/OSB roof sheathing attached to the roof truss/rafter by 8d common nails spaced a maximum of 6” inches in the field.

The winner here would be the Plywood/OSB roof sheathing attached to the roof truss/rafter by 8d common nails spaced a maximum of 6” inches in the field. This gives your roof a mean uplift resistance of at least 182 psf.

Opening Protection

  • Exterior Openings Cyclic Pressure and 9-lb Large Missile All Glazed openings are protected at a minimum, with impact-resistant coverings or products listed as wind-borne debris protection devices in the product approval system of the State of Florida or Miami-Dade County and meet the requirements of one of the following for “Cyclic Pressure and Large Missile Impact.”
  • Exterior Opening Protection- Cyclic Pressure and 4 to 8-lb Large Missile All Glazed openings are protected, at a minimum, with impact-resistant coverings or products listed as windborne debris protection devices in the product approval system of the State of Florida or Miami-Dade County and meet the requirements of one of the following for “Cyclic Pressure and LargeMissile Impact.”
  • Exterior Opening Protection-Wood Structural Panels meeting FBC 2007.  All Glazed openings are covered with plywood/OSB meeting the requirements of Table 1609.1.2 of the FBC 2007
  • Exterior Opening Protection (unverified shutter systems with no documentation). All Glazed openings are protected with protective coverings not meeting the requirements of Answer “A,” “B,” or C” or systems that appear to meet Answer “A” or “B” with no documentation of compliance (Level N in the table above).

The winner here is the first one. It is the best protection for your home. What a lot of people miss out on this is because they do not understand that EVERY Glazed Opening needs to be protected. Think of it like this; if it has a window in it, it needs to be protected.

Even if you have only one of the winners above, you can still save money on your homeowner’s insurance. I highly recommend every homeowner have their roof checked to see if it qualifies for discounts on wind mitigation.

STRUCTURE

STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR STRUCTURE

What We Do:

  • the foundation;
  • the crawlspace; and structural components;
  • the exterior wall-covering materials;
  • the eaves, soffits and fascia;
  • a representative number of windows;
  • all exterior doors;
  • flashing and trim;
  • adjacent walkways and driveways;
  • stairs, steps, stoops, stairways and ramps;
  • porches, patios, decks, balconies and carports;
  • railings, guards and handrails; and
  • vegetation, surface drainage, retaining walls and grading of the property, where they may adversely affect the structure due to moisture intrusion.
  • the type of exterior wall-covering materials.
  • the type of foundation; and the location of the access to the under-floor space.

ROOF

STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR RESIDENTIAL ROOFS

What We Do:

  • the roof-covering materials;
  • the gutters;
  • the downspouts;
  • the vents, flashing, skylights, chimney, and other roof penetrations; and
  • the general structure of the roof from the readily accessible panels, doors or stairs.
  • the type of roof-covering materials.

ELECTRICAL

STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR RESIDENTIAL ELECTRICAL

What We Do:

  • the service drop;
  • the overhead service conductors and attachment point;
  • the service head, gooseneck and drip loops;
  • the service mast, service conduit and raceway;
  • the electric meter and base;
  • service-entrance conductors;
  • the main service disconnect;
  • panelboards and over-current protection devices (circuit breakers and fuses);
  • service grounding and bonding;
  • a representative number of switches, lighting fixtures and receptacles,
  • including receptacles observed and deemed to be arc-fault circuit interrupter
  • (AFCI)-protected using the AFCI test button, where possible;
  • all ground-fault circuit interrupter receptacles and circuit breakers observed
  • and deemed to be GFCIs using a GFCI tester, where possible; and
  • for the presence of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
  • the main service disconnect’s amperage rating, if labeled; and
  • the type of wiring observed.

ATTICS

STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR ATTICS AND CRAWLSPACES

What We Do:

  • insulation in unfinished spaces, including attics, crawlspaces and foundation areas;
  • ventilation of unfinished spaces, including attics, crawlspaces and foundation areas; and
  • mechanical exhaust systems in the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry area.
  • the foundation;
  • the basement;
  • the crawlspace; and
  • structural components of the attic.
  • the type of insulation observed; and
  • the approximate average depth of insulation observed at the unfinished attic floor area or roof structure.
  • the type of foundation; and
  • the location of the access to the under-floor space.

GHOSTS IN THE ATTIC

We cannot tell if there are ghosts in the attic!

HVAC

STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR RESIDENTIAL HEATING AND COOLING

What We Do:

  • the heating system and cooling system, using normal operating controls.
  • the location of the thermostat for the heating system;
  • the energy source;
  • and the heating and cooling method.
  • condition of visible ducting.

PLUMBING

STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR RESIDENTIAL PLUMBING

What We Do:

  • the main water supply shut-off valve;
  • the main fuel supply shut-off valve;
  • the water heating equipment, including the energy source, venting connections, temperature/pressure-relief (TPR) valves,
  • interior water supply, including all fixtures and faucets, by running the water;
  • all toilets for proper operation by flushing;
  • all sinks, tubs, and showers for functional drainage;
  • the drain, waste, and vent system; and
  • drainage sump pumps with accessible floats.
  • whether the water supply is public or private based upon observed evidence;
  • the location of the main water supply shut-off valve;
  • the location of the main fuel supply shut-off valve;
  • the location of any observed fuel-storage system; and
  • the capacity of the water heating equipment, if labeled.

INTERIORS

STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR INTERIORS

What We Do:

  • a representative number of doors and windows by opening and closing them;
    floors, walls and ceilings;
  • stairs, steps, landings, stairways and ramps;
  • railings, guards and handrails; and
  • garage vehicle doors and the operation of garage vehicle door openers, using normal operating controls.
  • a garage vehicle door as manually-operated or installed with a garage door opener.

The inspector shall report as in need of correction:

  • improper spacing between intermediate balusters, spindles and rails for steps, stairways, guards and railings;
  • any window that was obviously fogged or displayed other evidence of broken seals.

INFRARED TECHNOLOGY

Thermal imaging, also known as thermography, is the technique for producing an image of invisible (to our eyes) infrared light emitted by objects with the use of a thermal imaging camera. Thermal imaging finds surface temperatures and can show thermal anomalies. It can also show a surface temperature that differs from what is expected. It’s upon further investigation with other tools that indicate leaks, and electrical issues.

A thermal imaging inspection involves using a FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared)camera to check the outside or inside of a building or home. It looks for water and moisture that may be inside the walls. This is an area an inspector cannot see without opening up the walls or without using this type of technology.

This also makes a home inspection even better because an inspector will notice that something is happening in the home, be able to report it appropriately, and investigate more.

What infrared imaging reveals during inspections

Moisture is a big issue that gets revealed during these inspections which includes hidden sources of possible microbial growth and possible roof leaks. Electrical problems are also revealed as well as heat and energy loss, foundation cracks, structural concerns, missing insulation and ventilation glitches. Let’s go through a couple of typical problems we find with the camera, which can save you a bundle of money.

Roofing leaks

Water will typically give up its heat at a slower rate than its surrounding roofing materials because of its high thermal capacity, so we can see with just one image if any areas have accumulated moisture. The roofing materials will have released their heat showing up one color on the image, while the moisturized materials will be cooler and will show up another color on the image.

Electrical faults

Identifying the source of electrical problems quickly and accurately will add huge value to a home, while preventing injury and property damage. The image will have color marks wherever there is damage to electrical systems, making it easy to spot and put on the list of repairs to be done.

DISCLAIMER

Although Infrared Thermal Imaging is a far better diagnostic tool than the naked eye, it does not guarantee 100% accuracy, unless removal or destruction of components can be achieved to validate findings. When possible, other tools are used to verify Thermal Images, but even with these considerations we do not claim to have x-ray vision. Conditions may change and cause the apparent temperature readings revealed in Thermal Images to be different at any given time.

Schedule a Home Inspection

CONTACT US

Call Us at 727-845-7015

Email us at Office@allcornershi.com

Office hours are between 8:00 AM-6:00 PM Monday thru Friday and 9:00 AM-12:00 PM on Saturday.

Inspections are scheduled Monday-Friday at either 9 AM, Noon, or 3 PM.

CONNECT WITH US

The inspector that performs the inspection is independently-owned and operated and is the sole responsible party for that inspection.