It’s a common misconception that it’s better to have a crew of specialists versus a dedicated generalist. Although that might sound better, in reality it is not. We have great respect for our professional colleagues within specialist fields, however when it comes to inspections a specialist technician is not in the wisest interest of the buyer.

Buildings are a cohesive group of systems, not separate parts.

A building’s systems should all work together in a cohesive way. While a building is made up of separate parts, the individual systems interact with each other. The HVAC system cannot function properly without a well functioning electrical system. The roof relies on the structural integrity of the building. This is how a defect may manifest in one area of the building, and show symptoms in an entirely different system within the building. While it may seem important to have a specialist evaluate their area of expertise they may miss a vital defect along the way as they are not on site to evaluate the building as a cohesive group of systems.

Specialists have a dual profit business model.

Commercial building inspectors are on site to provide a professional analysis of a property with no biased opinions. Property inspectors have no vested interest in the outcome of the findings. In fact, it goes against the ethics and standards of practice we agree to when becoming licensed inspectors. Unfortunately, specialist inspectors, like roof, hvac, plumbing, and electrical all have a vested interest in the findings of defects because they will be positioning themselves to conduct the repairs.