In response to customer requests, Brett Inspections is happy to announce the addition of a new Cursory Inspection service for prospective home buyers.The Cursory Inspection is intended as a service for home buyers who are thinking of making an offer on a property, but would like to have a knowledgeable building professional look at the home before taking that first step, without the commitment and expense of a full home inspection. Unlike a Standard Home Inspection, the Cursory Inspection DOES NOT include a full written report and DOES NOT involve a thorough inspection of all the home's systems. It DOES include a visual examination of the roof, siding, windows and doors, and building structure inside and out, from all easily-accessible locations. Attics and crawlspaces will ONLY be included at the inspector's discretion if it can be easily done in a timely manner.
The Cursory Inspection is not intended to replace a Standard Home Inspection, which is a more thorough examination of all the accessible systems in the home, including electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, and structural systems. The Standard Home Inspection also includes a detailed illustrated report to document the condition of the home for negotiation and financing purposes, which the Cursory Inspection does not.
Brett Inspections is pleased to offer the Cursory Inspection service for a flat fee of $100 (within a 50-mile radius of Middlebury, VT). In addition, customers who purchase a Cursory Inspection will receive a $50 discount on a full inspection of the same property at a later date (may not be combined with any other offer).

Many people love Vermont for its beautiful rural landscape. While it truly is a joy to be surrounded by nature's bounty, it is not always so nice to find nature invading our homes and making itself comfortable.Autumn is the time when mice and other rodents seek out protected spaces to shelter in over winter, and for many people, this means critters in the house. The sound of animals scurrying in the walls at night is bad enough, but these little invaders can also spread disease with their urine and dropping, so an infestation can be hazardous to human health in addition to being a nuisance. The best solution to this problem is to track down and seal all entry points for these animals using wire mesh or steel wool to close off holes and cracks. Once this is done, use traps to remove the animals already inside.
Bats tend to be a problem in the warmer months, and often migrate south to overwinter in caves, so late fall and winter are good times to close off their access points, while they are out, to prevent them from moving back in the following year. Consider installing bat houses around your property to take advantage of bats' mosquito-eating habits without hosting them in your home.
Spring is a time of reawakening for trees, flowers...and ants. It is at this time of year that Vermonters tend to find trails of ants marching across the kitchen floor. It is difficult to make a home so tight that even tiny ants can't find a way in, but you can bait them with a borax and sugar mixture that they will carry back to the nest and poison themselves with. This method can be very effective.
As the weather warms, paper wasps like to build nests under eaves and decks. These wasps are not as aggressive as yellow jackets or hornets, but will still attack if they feel the nest is threatened. This can be a problem if the nest is built near entrances to the house or frequently-trafficked areas. For the brave, one good way to deal with these problem nests is to wait until nightfall when temperatures are cooler and knock off the nest with a garden hose spray nozzle. The wasps that survive will abandon the nest and move on.