One last look

By Sam Harvey
Staff Reporter

	Coastal Point • SAM HARVEY Bob Volpe takes a look under Coastal Point headquarters.

Bob Volpe isn’t saying area builders, and town and county building inspectors, don’t know their jobs. He’s just saying there’s a lot going on around southeastern Sussex County right now, and sometimes things slip through the cracks.

That’s where Volpe’s Best Choice Home Inspections service steps in — to catch those little things before they land in the prospective homebuyer’s lap.

OK — commissioning a firm like Volpe’s might seem only prudent when purchasing an older home. Most sensible buyers want to know if there has been any deterioration over the years — and an inspection makes for valuable ammunition when negotiating over repairs and prices.

However, Volpe is just as strongly in support of an extra level of scrutiny during new construction. In fact, he said he conducts most of his inspections in new homes.

“I wouldn’t want to say that most contractors don’t do a good job,” he said. “But things are going at such a feverish pace right now. Sometimes their subcontractors will do something that’s less than perfect, and they’ll just move on.”

Town or county building inspectors do a good job on the structural and safety end, Volpe pointed out. “But nobody’s perfect,” he added. “I usually find something they missed.”

And, they probably find some things he misses, Volpe added. But either way, two sets of eyes are better than one.

“Most people depend on the county or town inspectors,” he said. “But most of the people who are really up to speed and know what’s happening want me in there.”

Buying an older home, one might almost expect a little unevenness, a few squeaky floorboards. But with a brand new home, there is a one-time opportunity to fix those problems while they are still relatively easy to get to, Volpe pointed out.

Take the floor squeaks, for instance. Sometimes, electrical or heating and air contractors cut through a floor joist while installing appliances or ductwork, he said.

Same thing with roof trusses — Volpe said subcontractors sometimes clip through them while installing attic access (pull-down stairs, for instance). It is a problem that needs to be addressed, he said, because there is a possibility that the weight of the roof might cause a cut truss to deform.

In both cases, there are ways to repair the damage without tearing everything apart (such as bracketing systems), but sometimes those repairs never happen, he pointed out. And even when contractors do attempt to address problems, they sometimes undersize the bracketing hardware, or don’t install it correctly, he said.

Volpe noted other problems, associated with modern lumbering operations. “These are force-grown trees, genetically altered to grow fast and straight,” he said. “And they’re not kiln-dried, either. They will bow.”

Better to simply discard wall studs that look like they might belong at the south end of a rocking chair, but Volpe said he’d seen some pretty outlandish examples of people building crooked walls and then trying to make them straight again.

Depending on the amount of double-checking his customers want, Volpe said, he might inspect a home four or five times — as often as the county or town inspectors do during construction.

But Best Choice Home Inspections really kicks into gear after a property’s had its final inspection. Other than the general interior and exterior checks, Volpe checks to make sure the windows are properly caulked, and open and close properly.

He checks wall switches, light fixtures and electrical outlets. He tests the circuit breakers. The water heater, and other heating and air systems. Faucets and shower fixtures. Kitchen appliances (dishwasher, trash disposal, oven, stove, fan/vent).

The list goes on, and is presented in its entirety at the Best Choice Home Inspections Web site, at www.bchillc.com. Or contact Volpe at (302) 537-7807 for more information.

Originally from the Philadelphia area, Volpe’s background dates from sweeping up the shop as a kid, through 40 years in the trades.

He’s a licensed master electrical contractor, but admitted with a rueful grin that he never wants to see another wire nut. Volpe also ran his own heating and air conditioning business for a time.
He said he and his wife, “Dodi,” had first discovered and fallen in love with lower Sussex after

visiting Rehoboth Beach for the annual jazz festivals. The Volpes “retired” to the Ocean View area and Volpe said he’d considered starting up another electrical/heating and air business, but decided he really didn’t want to gear up for such a major venture. So he started Best Choice Home Inspections as a one-man operation three years ago.