Services

Mark Cramer is a FL licensed home inspector and contractor who operates a building and home inspection firm serving the Tampa Bay area. His primary business is building and home inspection for individuals purchasing existing homes and commercial buildings. He also performs progress inspections for new construction and serves as an expert witness in legal cases involving construction and standard of care in home inspection.

Mark has thousands of hours experience training home inspectors in formal classroom and seminar settings.

Mark has appeared in numerous interviews on TV, radio and in print media.

A long time ASHI member, he’s held numerous positions within ASHI, serving as chair of several national committees and National Secretary, Vice President, and National President. He’s received ASHI’s Monohan Award, Iron Man Award and the President’s Award.

My 30 years of inspection experience will save you money and bring you peace of mind.

Tampa Bay Area Home Inspections

The home buying process can be confusing and stressful. Not only do you need to consider things such as price and location, you also have to worry about whether your new home in Tampa has any hidden problems that could become costly surprises down the road.

As professional Tampa Home Inspectors, its our job to look for those hidden problems for you. The Tampa Home Inspection is an unbiased, professional assessment of the condition of the house. It provides you an expert opinion and professional report on the condition of the physical structure and various systems within a house, giving you peace of mind on what is likely the largest purchase youll ever make.

Your Tampa Home Inspection starts with a visual inspection of the house. The inspection process typically takes about 3 hours to complete. This, of course may vary, according to the size and condition of the home. We strongly encourage you to accompany the inspector during the inspection. This will give you a chance to ask questions and become familiar with the systems of the Tampa home.

We will inspect all of the readily visible structural elements and major systems of the typical home in Tampa. Items that will typically be included in an inspection are:

• Visible Framing (structure)
• Roof and attic
• Visible Foundation
• Grading of soil
• Doors & windows
• Garage & garage doors
• Electrical system
• Plumbing system
• Heating and air conditioning systems
• Insulation &Ventilation
• Kitchen
• Bathrooms
• Appliances
• Swimming pools

Additional items and systems unique to a particular Tampa home can also be inspected.

When the inspection is complete, well tell you of any problems that were discovered and discuss them with you. We’ll tell you whether these are major issues or minor concerns. We’ll point out any safety concerns we notice. We’ll tell you how old things are where that’s relevant, like your water heater and roof. We’ll identify anything that’s near the end of its typical lifespan. We will also tell you about any routine maintenance that should be performed, as well as answer any questions you may have. Youll also receive a full written report of the Tampa Home inspection.

Our goal is to discover and inform you of anything we find that might affect your purchase decision. Well tell you about any problems we find, and make repair recommendations. Well also inform you of what maintenance tasks are required to keep the home and its systems in top condition.

Wind Mitigation Inspections

We perform wind mitigation inspections that enable you to obtain discounts on wind insurance. These discounts are mandatory, your insurance company has to offer them by law. The standard wind mitigation form is required to obtain the discounts. If you have any of the items listed on the form, such as hurricane clips, you are eligible for discounts. The more features you have, the greater the discount.

Condominium Unit Inspections

Condominium Unit Inspections are similar to a home inspection. but limited in scope. In the typical condominium, you are buying the space starting from the paint on the drywall inward and any HVAC equipment that may be located outside the unit. Roof, structure, etc. belong to the Association. Many Associations make owners responsible for replacement of doors and windows. It’s important that you read the Condo documents that outline what you are responsible for.

Condo unit inspections include:

• Doors & windows
• Garage & garage doors
• Electrical system
• Plumbing system
• Heating and air conditioning systems
• Insulation &Ventilation
• Kitchen
• Bathrooms, tile etc.
• Interior surface
• Appliances

As with a home inspection, we’ll write a report and tell you what needs to be repaired and what you might expect to replace in the future.

New Construction Inspection

Many people think that because they are buying a new home in the Tampa Bay area, they don’t need a new construction inspection. This is a major mistake. While many people purchase a new home and live happily ever after, many more suffer from problems that could have been prevented by hiring their own Tampa new home construction inspector.  Many of our customers wish they had hired a new construction inspector after discovering major problems with their new Tampa Bay area home.

Building a new home is a tremendously complex endeavor. It involves many people, usually split up into sub-contractor groups, each working on different parts and systems of the house. Many of today’s construction workers have little training. They work with little supervision. Even for the best builders, its nearly impossible to complete this process without missing something. Maybe its a plumbing fixture that didnt get tested for leaks, maybe its an electrical box that isnt working, or any one of dozens of minor problems that can easily be overlooked in such a major undertaking. We will find such problems while it is still early enough for you to bring them up with the builder and have them corrected before you sign-off and start moving in. In some cases, we discover major problems with new home. Problems you just wouldn’t believe!

Many people think that the local municipal inspector will protect their interests, but these fellows are terribly overworked and underpaid. I’ve talked to several municipal inspectors who have to perform 25-30 inspection a day, every day of the week! If you do the math, you will realize that they can’t spend a lot of time on any one job. And I’ve personally seen a county inspector get out of his car, sign the permit OK on the way into the house, walk by a code violation, take a quick glance around and get back in the car. Unfortunately, it’s often standard operating procedure. Just ask the tens of thousands of people whose homes were destroyed during Hurricane Andrew. Every single one of those homes didn’t meet building code requirements. Every single home was inspected by a municipal inspector.

Buying a new house is likely one of, if not the largest purchase decision youll ever make. The whole process is fraught with emotion and stress. A professional home inspection will substantially reduce the risk for your large investment in a new home. It just makes sense to learn as much as you can about the quality of your new home, before signing off on everything.

For the relatively small cost, a professional inspection of your new dream home can pay big dividends in peace of mind and getting problems identified and corrected before they can become an unpleasant surprise.

We offer a range of services during the construction process. We often do a series of inspections starting from the foundation up, or sometimes beginning at the framing stage, just prior to the installation of drywall. We can also perform an inspection if the house is completed. Call or e-mail for more information.

DBPR HR-7020 Balcony Inspections

We provide DBPR HR-7020 Balcony Inspections. This is a required inspection of all balconies, platforms, stairways, railings and railways.

If a hotel or rented condo unit or apartment building has 3 or more stories, the Florida Administrative Code for lodging establishments requires the operator to submit a Certificate of Balcony Inspection every 3 years.

The DBPR mandates the use of form HR-7020, filled out by the property operator. We provide the inspection, report and photographs of the subject balconies, stairways and railings.

Call today if you need a DBPR HR-7020 Division of Hotels and Restaurants Certificate of Balcony Inspection.

Contact Number: (727) 595-4211

Commercial Building Inspections

We perform commercial building inspections for all types of commercial buildings ranging from small office buildings, apartment buildings and warehouses to multi-story buildings. Inspections are performed in compliance with ASTM E-1018, Standard Guide for Property Condition Assessments. Call for a quote: (727) 595-4211

Stucco Inspection

We perform invasive and non-invasive inspections of stucco and EIFS. We’ve performed hundreds of destructive inspections of defective stucco. We’re very familiar with current and past building codes and industry standards related to stucco.

Water Intrusion

Water intrusion is the number one cause of damage to buildings. We use thermal imaging and moisture meters to locate the source of water intrusion and write a report documenting the source and remedy. My years of experience enable me to quickly locate the source of water intrusion.

Litigation Consulting

Mark Cramer provides expert consulting services for construction defects, trip and fall, water intrusion, window installation and home inspector standard of care.