Sherlock Homes Inspections

He was just arrested for fraud.

Did not disclose to us that we had knob and tube wiring. He works for the realtor, not the consumer paying for the home inspection. Does not return phone calls or emails once you have discovered everything he did not disclose. This was a home purchased in Glenside, PA.

I was really impressed by Joe and Sherlock Homes. I have purchased a couple of homes now, and this was the best home inspection. We spent a lot of time, and the explanations were clear and thorough. I would highly recommend Sherlock Homes and use them again in the future. The bonus is Joe was VERY responsive to questions after the inspection, once again, spending time to give detailed answers by email in a very timely manner.

They did a cursory inspection of the home I purchased. Many expensive issues were not identified. Namely knob & tube wiring throughout the house. And water infiltration into the main electrical service panel that is very dangerous. In addition, the ground wire from the panel is hot!
When I asked why these things were not made known to me, he just said this exceeded the scope of his investigation.
This guy works for the realtors. Not the homeowner. Be smart, don’t get the recommendation from your realtor.

This is my first review to post onto Unilocal,and it is in contrast to what the previous post claims. However, I was so impressed by Joe’s work that I feel compelled to let others know about my experience.
I’m currently waiting for the title search to clear on a property in Grey’s Ferry, which (hopefully) will become my first home. I myself, have worked in construction trades for over 20 years and have experience in all but masonry work. Thankfully, Joe’s advice and knowledge on this row home’s foundation, helped with my decision to purchase this property.
I received an email from Joe after two days of inspection, which directed me to the Sherlock Homes website where a detailed report of the property was available to view. Everything mentioned in the report is exactly what Joe and I discovered at the house.
This home has a number of problems and Joe made a point of each and every detail, along with pictures and descriptive review.
I recommend that you hire Joe to inspect a property, he knows what he’s talking about.

«Meticulous, detailed inspections»? «Happiness Guaranteed»? Not.
I find it distressing when a home inspector resorts to sarcasm about fire safety and claims that a metallic foil hose sold for the purpose of connecting to a dryer is a fire code violation when it isn’t, all because he missed a true and obvious violation during an inspection and refused to attempt to rectify his oversight. But that’s just me. You can be the judge. As for me I won’t be using or recommending Joe M. or Sherlock Homes again.
—– Message #4 —–
From: ME
To:

Subject: Re: Dryer Exhaust Duct Problem
I do not want to be cited for owning a brand new home that has a code violation, knowingly, when the house is still under warranty. Would you? And it was the dryer repairman who was alarmed and being overdramatic about burning down the whole block (please reread my email) which is why I did *much* checking before emailing the builder as a last resort. That included trying to check with you on this first and foremost but I did not receive a response from you. My foil vent is not a violation (foil and wire are made of metal and extremely hard to ignite) but if I found out it was a violation of the International Fire Code I would certainly replace it immediately rather than risking the life of my family and my neighbors over something so easy to fix, but I appreciate your over-​dramatic (and highly unprofessional) flair. The plastic vent is sticking out of the ceiling in the [laundry] room and quite visible. I am not an expert at the fire code – that’s why we paid a home inspector.
—– Message #3 —–
From:
To: ME
Subject: Re: Dryer Exhaust Duct Problem
Might as well have them take it down to the back of the dryer because your foil vent is also a code violation (not smooth, not metal, and also flammable). Firewalls would prevent it from burning down the block, but I appreciate the over dramatic flair. Sprinklers would also prevent major concerns inside the home.
I didn’t see the plastic vent and there was no attic access to view the connection. It is capped at the roof.
Joe M.
Sherlock Homes Inspections
—– Message #2 —–
From: ME
To: MY BUILDER
bcc:
Subject: Dryer Exhaust Duct Problem
Hi,
Please add to our punchlist that we need to get the plastic exhaust duct leading from the laundry room ceiling up to (presumably) the roof replaced with a metal duct because it’s a fire code violation.
Recently our new dryer stopped working and while the Whirlpool repairman was here he noticed that our foil dryer vent hose goes up to what appears to be a *plastic* duct coming out of the ceiling. I installed the foil hose myself but hadn’t noticed or thought about the duct. It looks like the white, flexible plastic kind of hose with ribbed sides. He was alarmed and said this is a fire code violation because if the lint builds up in it and catches fire it’ll also ignite the plastic duct and could burn down the whole block, and that this is supposed to be a metal duct in all new construction in Philadelphia, because also the accordion sides collect extra lint. He also said that every 8 – 10 years we should hire a company to come vacuum out the duct and that their vacuum will get hung up on the ribbed sides – another reason it should be smooth metal.
So I anonymously called the Philly fire dept’s Fire Code Unit and asked about this. A lieutenant I spoke with agreed with the repairman and said that chapter 5 of the International Mechanical Code, updated in 2009, states that «the exhaust duct shall have a smooth interior finish and shall be constructed of metal.» looked this up myself and yep here it is in a guide for home inspectors, which makes me wonder why our own inspector didn’t catch it but he didn’t —
International Residential Code (IRC) SECTION M1502 CLOTHES DRYER EXHAUST guidelines:
M1502.5 Duct construction.
Exhaust ducts shall be constructed of… rigid metal ducts, having smooth interior surfaces… flexible, ribbed vents used in the past should no longer be used. They should be noted as a potential fire hazard if observed during an inspection.
So please add to the punchlist that we need to get the plastic exhaust duct leading from the laundry room ceiling up to the roof replaced with a metal duct because it’s a fire code violation.
Thanks,
ME
—– Message #1 —–
From: ME
To:

Hi Joe,
I hope you’re well. Pardon the intrusion but we’re hoping you can give us some info. Recently our new dryer stopped working and while the Whirlpool repairman was here he noticed that…[see above].
Is he right about the fire code or just being an overzealous repairman? Before calling the Philly fire marshal’s Fire Code Unit or leaning on the builder to replace the duct we figured we’d start with you.
Thanks very much,
ME