Welcome to Two Moose Home Inspections. Shea Lydon and Kyle McElhattan are certified home inspectors who live and work in Silverthorne Colorado. We are really glad that you found us and I hope to work with you soon!

What Can We Help You Do?

Hay muchas ventajas en trabajar con un inspector de viviendas bilingüe que habla español en Two Moose Home Inspections. Kyle McElhattan habla tanto español como inglés y puede ayudar a superar las barreras lingüísticas y proporcionar una comunicación clara durante todo el proceso de inspección de viviendas.

Nuestros informes se publican en inglés, pero Kyle puede revisar el informe de inspección contigo en español. Hablar en español contigo por teléfono o en la casa durante la inspección de viviendas te ayudará a obtener información valiosa sobre tu futura vivienda o inversión.

There are many advantages to working with a Spanish speaking bilingual home inspector from Two Moose Home Inspections. Kyle McElhattan speaks both Spanish and English and he can help bridge language barriers and provide clear communication throughout the home inspection process.

Our reports are published in English, but Kyle can review the inspection report with you in Spanish. Speaking Spanish with you over the phone or at the house during the home inspection will help you gain valuable insights about your future home or investment.

A flashlight lets us see things that we otherwise would not have been able to see, and the thermal camera works in the same way to allow us to see things we otherwise wouldn’t be able to see. Charging for the use of a flashlight would be crazy and we feel the same about charging for thermal imagery.

360 photos allow you to to look left, right, up, down and zoom into every picture we take. This will allow you to have a complete record of the condition of the house on the day of the inspection, and you can tour parts of your house that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to get to such as a tight attic space.

Grounds

The grounds around the house are inspected for surface drainage, retaining wall condition and general grading. We also inspect the driveway, walkways, and stairs around the house. Overgrowth of vegetation and trash on the property are noted in the inspection report.

Exterior

Our home inspectors inspect the exterior walls, eaves, soffits, and facia of the house. The doors and windows are inspected from the exterior and interior. Flashing and trim accents around the house are inspected. The condition, quality of build, and installed safety devices such as railings and handrails are inspected on decks, porches, patios, and other structures at the house.

Roof

9 months out of the year the roofs that we inspect are covered with snow. Inspecting roofs can be very challenging in the winter, but we use our 360° cameras to inspect sections of the roof that wouldn’t be safe to walk on during the winter. Our thermal cameras help us check for leaks, and our attic inspections are the primary source of determining the water tightness of the roof.

Foundation

Foundations are inspected from the exterior of the home and the crawlspace or basement depending on the construction of the home. We look for water intrusion, damage from hydrostatic pressure, and signs of foundation movement. Checking for foundation movement is a process that continues into the living space looking for cracks in walls, uneven floors, binding doors, and windows.

Attic Spaces

Accessible attic spaces are inspected, and attic inspections are sometimes the only method that can be used to check a roof for leaks when the roof is covered in snow. We check for signs of poor ventilation and document the amount of insulation found in the attic space. If there are any leaks, structural issues, or fire risks in the attic they are documented in the inspection report.

Garage

We inspect garages to make sure that the garage door is working as intended and all the safety mechanisms are properly calibrated to keep your family safe. We double check that the outlets in the garage are GFCI protected and that the house is isolated from the garage to prevent any toxic gasses from entering the home and to prevent fire from spreading from one location to another.

Plumbing

We inspect the plumbing systems of the house. We test all sinks, toilets, bathtubs, and showers. We fill the sinks with water and release the water all at once to check the water tightness of the drainpipes and verify the proper operation of the vent pipes. We locate filters and filtration systems and document them in the inspection report.

Electrical

We inspect how the electrical lines are coming into the house and how the electricity is being distributed throughout the house. We open service panels when safe to do so and identify issues with the electrical system. We check light switches and outlets. We test GFCI outlets to verify that they are operating as intended.

HVAC

Using normal operating controls, we check the heating and cooling systems in your house. Our thermal imaging cameras allow us to document the function of the HVAC system. We can see in-floor radiant heat pipe and identify zones that are inoperable. We also provide guidance on risks associated with older HVAC systems.

Fireplace

We inspect readily accessible and visible sections of fireplaces and chimneys. Including doors, dampers, spark arrestors and the general condition of the system as whole. The hearth is checked to make sure it is large enough and that there are no cracks for hot embers to cause a fire. Fireplaces should be inspected and cleaned by a chimney sweep annually.

Interior

We inspect the doors, windows, stairs, walls, floors, and ceilings of the house. Document issues from furniture being too close to a balcony to the risk of hitting your head while walking down the stairs. If the floor is in disrepair or if the carpet smells like pet urine, then we document that in the inspection report

Appliances

We inspect appliances to make sure that they work the way you would expect when you move in. We use our thermal camera to verify the refrigerator is working properly, the dishwasher isn’t leaking, and the clothes dryer is producing heat. We inspect garbage disposals, microwaves, and so much more.

Home Safety

We check for smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors to keep your family safe. We also make sure that there is proper egress from bedrooms and that garages are separated from living spaces. We test handrails and guardrails and do our best to call out potentially dangerous issues that we find.

Final Checklist

In addition to our 360° photos documenting the condition of the house at the time that we arrived, we also use a final checklist to ensure that appliances are shut off, lights are off, doors are locked, and the sellers are notified if there are any items that need to be immediately addressed such as leaks.

Radon Gas Testing

Radon gas is everywhere and normally the levels of radon are so low that it isn’t anything to worry about, but once we build a house and close the doors radon levels can skyrocket. We live in a Zone 1 area which means that we have the highest levels of radon in the country, and radon is the number one cause of lung cancer for non-smokers. Our children are most at risk from the radioactive effects of radon, which means that testing your house for radon is imperative if you have kids.

Sewer Scope Inspections

Thousands of dollars of repairs could be hiding under the surface of the ground. During a home inspection we can offer Sewer Scope Inspections in house. This means that you can easily schedule an inspection and sewer scope inspection at the same time. We can remove toilets, open clean outs, and inspect your drainage pipe all the way to the main sewer line assuming there isn’t anything blocking our camera in the pipe.

Well Recovery Testing

When buying a house, it is important to know if the well can produce enough water for you and your family. Testing the flow rate of a well is one part of the well stress test but verifying that the well can produce a consistent amount of water throughout the entire test is critical. A good well recovery rate depends on your area, but anything above three gallons per minute is often considered good. If the well fails, the well test there are steps that can be taken to reduce the production rate of the well and allow you to slowly refill your water storage tanks throughout the day and night.

Drinking Water Testing

The water that you and your family drinks must be safe. The only way to know if you r water is safe to drink is by performing a drinking water test. Two Moose Home Inspections will collect a water sample from your home and hand deliver it to a laboratory to ensure that we get fast and accurate results. The testing process takes approximately four days to complete as our testing procedure is significantly more advanced than anything that can be done in the field. Your family’s safety is our top priority.

Roof Inspections

9 Months out of the year most houses in this area have a significant amount of snow on their roofs, so inspecting the roof can be next to impossible. We use our 360° Cameras to safely inspect the roof from the ground and we inspect attic spaces to find roof deficiencies year-round, but during the summer months we offer walking on the roof as an add-on service. We can use ropes and harness to inspect your roof. Not all roofs can be walked on without causing damage, so some roofs we won’t walk on.

Shea and Kyle are the two members of the Summit County Home Inspection Team. Our team lives in Silverthorne Colorado and that gives them a unique perspective on the challenges facing the maintenance and construction of houses in a high alpine environment.

We have many unique challenges that houses in the High Rockies face. Our inspectors know how to identify issues that are specific to our area. Understanding thermal bridging, ice accumulation, and the stress and strain that snow loading can put on your house are the foundations of our expertise as home inspectors.

Shea Lydon, Kyle McElhattan, and Jon Diurba are Certified Professional Inspectors and follow the InterNACHI Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. We are certified to perform home inspections, radon gas testing, sewer scope inspections, well recovery testing, drinking water testing, and walking on roofs.

Since our team lives in the center of Summit County, we can perform inspections in Summit County, Park County, Lake County, Eagle County, Grand County, and Clear Creek County. Primarily we inspect homes in Silverthorne, Dillon, Keystone, Breckenridge, Frisco, Fairplay, and Leadville,