My name is Thomas Herbst I am a Home inspector in Sherborn Ma area. I started Clayton Home Inspections in 1994 with the purpose of providing a thorough home inspection in Sherborn Ma also, homebuyers can feel good about moving into their new home. Prior to that, I was in construction since 1979. I started from the ground up and have a Pest Certification License over many years, and Certified Wood destroying certification for many years now and retained my pest license and Home inspector License ever since. Ma
This knowledge and Experience is useful when inspecting the structure also electrical system, plumbing system, heating system and looking for signs of active insect or damage, as insects can cause significant damage to a house. It is highly unlikely that you will find another home inspector with that much experience in House construction and pest damage Identification, along with that much experience in home inspections. Now, I’m not just talking about having a Home Inspection license. I’m speaking about having the genuine experience as a Contractor who has overseen multi-million dollar house constructions. Anybody can get a Home improvement license.
If you want to find the best home inspector near me in Sherborn Ma, you certainly need to do some research. There’s nothing worse than moving into a house and then recognizing that you need to drop $10,000-50K into it immediately, all because of an unskilled home inspector.
First, go to the State’s Board of Home Inspectors’ website and make certain the inspector’s license is still effective. Next, check the inspector out at the Better Business Bureau. Check for complaints and read any reviews that may be posted.
Don’t go for the inexpensive home inspector. In this industry, oftentimes you usually get what you pay for. Whatever you’re spending for that house, it’s a lot of money, and searching for a home inspector with a “bargain-basement hunter’s” mentality is certainly not the right method. Hope to hear from you soon.
Water is a significant part of a home inspection, as water is a home’s “worst adversary”. I am additionally inspecting the gutters and downspouts to safeguard they are taking the water far enough away from the structure.
I’m also examining the walls/siding, fascia’s, rake boards, soffits, and windows and I’m also checking the structural integrity of the building. Inspecting for structural integrity and safety. Also Inspecting underside, as well (if possible)and Examining the condition of the roofing material (ie: shingles, etc.). Also inspecting vent pipes, exhaust vents, and skylights.
In addition Confirming fundamental reliability of the roofing and Making sure the attic is appropriately vented and insulted. Also Examination support system and for signs of water infiltration and Inspecting chimney (if present) and making sure there is a sufficient amount of insulation.
In addition Walls, Floors, Ceilings, Doors & Windows Inspection. Although The Home Inspection State regulations only require that we operate one door and window per room. I go well beyond that.
In addition Home inspection State regulations do not require us to inspect appliances. Although I do not inspect and operate dishwashers, ranges, microwaves and trash compactors.
Inspect plus operate all toilets, sinks, tubs, and showers, checking for leaks and proper functionality. Also, inspect any exhaust fans.
Ensuring structural integrity, looking for signs of water penetration and also inspecting bulkheads.
Also Inspect and operate all boilers, furnaces and air handlers. Making sure each room has a heat source. Although Inspection of oil tanks is not mandated by the Home Inspection State but they are included in my home inspection.
In addition Inspect and operate all cooling systems in-season (ie: condensers, compressors, evaporator coils, heat pumps, etc.).
Inspect plus operate all plumbing fixtures. Also Observing for leaks in supply and drainage pipes everywhere and Inspecting there are no clogged pipes (backups). Water heaters are inspected.
Extremely important part of a home inspection from a cost standpoint, as well as safety. In addition Inspecting all electrical panels ensuring proper grounding of an electrical system. Also Inspecting all visible wiring throughout the building for loose and/or exposed wires. Although The State regulations only require us to check one outlet per room. I go way beyond that.
I am also looking for any kind of insect damage (ie: carpenter ant, termite, etc.) and My 15 years (previous) experience as a contractor along with my 24 years experience as a home inspector simply cannot be matched. If you or someone you know has more experience than me in each of these two fields (and can prove it) then I will gladly remove this claim.
This test is highly recommended for any house with Well water. I can test for up to 26 items in the water (ie: bacteria, lead, iron, VOC’s etc.).
Radon
If there is a finished basement or if you plan on finishing it, then this test is highly recommended. There are also other situations that would constitute performing a radon test.
Any Questions?
Call Today (978) 793-1346
Introduction to Sherborn, Massachusetts
Sherborn is a small, semi-rural town (pop. 4,500) located about 18 miles west of Boston. Primarily a farming community until the early part of this century, it now is a bedroom town for Boston and the surrounding hi-tech area.
Little is known about the local Indians. There appear to have been permanent settlements, for the earliest deed of one area refers to the “old fields”; and various implements have been both plowed up and found at Rocky Narrows and near Farm Pond. However, even the name of the tribe is uncertain, for Sherborn seems to have been at the interface between the Massachusetts and the Nipmuck tribes. Several Indians kept land in town after its incorporation (e.g. Peter Ephriam on Brush Hill and Thomas Awussamoag); they appear to have been connected with the Natick “Praying Indian” community.
The whole Charles River valley from South Natick to the falls at Medway kept its Indian name “Boggestow”; it was sought out by the English because of the abundant marsh grass growing on the wide flood plain. The earliest Sherborn land owned by the English took the form of large (200-1074 acres) grants called “farmes” made by the General Court beginning in the 1640’s to individuals for payment of services rendered to the colony. These owners later sold acreage to settlers, the first resale being to Thomas Holbrook, and Nicholas Wood in 1652. They and successive settlers bought those wilderness lands and lived there while retaining their citizenship in the nearest incorporated town: Medfield.
By 1674 Boggestow grew sufficiently to incorporate as a new town (i.e. the land had never part of another town) and arbitrarily named “Sherborne” by the General Court. The original area was of such an awkward shape that the General Court allowed an exchange of 4000 acres with the Natick Indians in 1679; and it was that new land which formed most of the present town.
In the decade after King Phillips War (1675-6) Sherborn settlers organized the local government and drew up a Social Covenant, paid the Indians for land title, attracted a saw miller, built a Meeting House and called the first minister, and granted home lots throughout most of the present town. In the second decade they formed a town militia company, hired a schoolmaster, and acquired a gristmill. Thus by 1700 they had become an “established” town.
Throughout the 1600’s, 1700’s, 1800’s Sherborn remained a small and relatively self-sufficient farming community. Little industry developed because of the lack of good water power, although there continued to be saw and gristmills on several of the small, intermittent streams. However, apples grew well, and there were always small cider mills. With the coming of both the railroad and steam power one mill developed further, until by the 1890’s advertised as the “largest refined cider mill in the world”. At that time it pressed over 1.25 million gallons of cider per season and exported “Champagne” cider as far west as Nebraska and Texas and as far East as England and Belgium.
In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s several small cottage industries developed, particularly along North Main Street. They produced guns, shoes, willow baskets, whips, pitchforks and edge tools. Cranberries became an important crop, as well as mixed farming and dairying. Crops and crafts were sold in the Boston markets via stagecoach and later railroad.
The early Twentieth Century saw several new trends. In the early 1900’s several wealthy families moved into different parts of town and built estates for either year-round or summer use. Those remaining today are located primarily along the Charles River – The area of first settlement. Dairy and poultry raising increased in importance, as did service related jobs.
Following World War II the town began to change rapidly from one with a relatively static population (c. 1500) to a growing and transient one. Developments built in 1-, 2-, and 3-acre zones. The disappearance of family farms accelerated as the town became increasingly suburban; today estate-farms form most of the few farms which remain. There is still considerable open space. The town is trying hard to retain its rural character; but that is increasingly difficult as land prices and taxes escalate.
Because the town was relatively poor in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s few people “modernized” their old houses by tearing them down and rebuilding. As a result many of the houses built in 1700’s and early 1800’s remain, as well as six or more with late 1600’s portions. Two National Register Historic Districts established to include the old Town Center and a two-mile strip along North Main Street; and scattered individual houses have also listed: a total of 77 old houses. A very small Town Historic District also exists in the old Town Center.
The town is governed by a combination of elected and appointed volunteers and a few key salaried officials. Since town government set up c. 1678 it has been run by the Selectmen (3 at present) and the traditional open Town Meeting, at which all citizens vote annually on major expenditures and policies. There is no industry zoned in the town.
Property taxes support town government and services. Public services are minimal and homeowners rely on individual wells and septic systems. There are a full full-time Police Force and Highway Dept. and both a volunteer “call” Fire Dept. and a rescue Squad, all highly trained. The town has three churches and a modern public library. The schools are small and excellent; the elementary school local, whereas the junior and senior high schools regionalized with Dover, a similar town across the Charles River. Town Boards and other organizations depend almost entirely upon volunteer participation, as they have for over three hundred years.
copywriter by Betsy Johnson, 1988. (permission given to reproduce)