Castlekeep was formed in 1995 by Lars Godwin to provide multiple inspection services to homebuyers and homeowners and has been in continuous operation since that time. He is the sole owner and operator of the company. At the time the company was formed, home inspections, well and septic inspections, and radon testing were often being scheduled through separate companies involving separate trips for homebuyers and realtors. Castlekeep allows all these inspections and services to be provided at the same time which shortens the inspection process. Further information about the company can be provided upon request.

Mr. Godwin has over thirty years of experience in helping homeowners and buyers with drainage complaints involving ponding water, offsite drainage from adjacent streams and other homeowners, and flooding. In working for City, County, and State Government, Mr. Godwin designed, inspected, or reviewed plans for government buildings, wastewater collection and treatment plans, water distribution systems, on-site wastewater disposal systems, solid waste container sites, retaining walls, streets, stormwater collection, retention and detention ponds, dams, reservoirs and erosion control devices. He also served as Co-supervisor of the Wake County Building Inspections Division for a short period of time. Mr. Godwin is one of only a handful of home inspectors in North Carolina who are Registered Professional Engineers. Mr. Godwin is licensed or certified in North Carolina to provide home inspections, Structural Engineering Evaluations, Septic Inspections, Well Inspections and Radon Testing.

Home inspections start at $ 275.00 and go up based on three factors: heated square footage, distance to the house from our home office, and the age of the home. We do not discount for slab foundations but we do not charge for detached garages or outbuildings that have plumbing or electrical connections. We quote a total price to perform the inspection that does not change unless additional heated space is encountered.

The typical home inspection takes from 2 hours to 4 hours based on the size of the house, the accessibility of the attic and crawl space, if the house is occupied, and the number of additional inspections. During this process the typical home inspector observes over 600 individual items in the house.

The normal turnaround time is 48 hrs. Occasionally the report can be prepared sooner if there are a low number of defects and deficiencies observed.

Castlekeep has always performed roof inspections from the ground or from a ladder to the 1st floor gutter or eave. The safety of the inspector is our first concern because if there is an injury the business could be dissolved. Also disability and health insurance premiums are excessive for the company. The North Carolina Home Inspection Board has stated in the Standards of Practice that home inspectors are not required to walk the roofs when performing home inspections. We view the roofs through binoculars.

Our company is not currently set up to accept credit cards for payment of inspection fees. We accept personal checks, money orders or cash.

The Home Inspection Board has indicated on many occasions that this is not the job of the home inspector. The homebuyers should consult with their realtor to determine if the buying process should continue after the home inspection is completed. We have recommended on two occasions that the homebuyers not purchase a house we have inspected based on our professional opinions and observations that fraud or misrepresentation has occurred on the part of the sellers.

The State of North Carolina has passed new regulations which took effect on January 1, 2008, that now require inspectors to have the septic tank pumped out to totally observe structural conditions of the tank walls and floor and to open up both ends of the septic tank and distribution box. This has caused the cost of the inspection to double the old fees. The buyers can opt to leave the tank un-pumped as long as they sign an affidavit allowing the inspector to conduct the inspection without observing all structural components. Obviously, the age of the septic tank makes a great deal of difference in this decision.

Most of the contaminants in groundwater wells are minerals which your body needs anyway. Unless there is an Industrial Facility nearby, a gas station next door, or a farm storage shed for pesticides adjacent to the house, we do not recommend that additional testing be conducted. We are happy to sample and take to the laboratory any number of samples. However, the cost to sample for every contaminant can cost thousands of dollars that are usually better spent somewhere else in the buying process.

In a perfect world this would be excellent advice. However, the City and County building inspectors are often overloaded and overbooked and can not always catch every item during their inspections. They also are not required to test each individual item in a house ( i.e. every electrical receptacle). We always recommend that a home inspection be conducted on new construction. Many times the inspection doubles as a punch list for the homebuilder and gives his/her subcontractors an opportunity to address many items at one visit.

Home Inspectors are required to report cracks in the body of the report. The decision to report cracks in the Summary Page is the opinion of the home inspector to protect you from unknown problems in the future that he/she is not qualified to determine at the time of the inspection. Most Home Inspectors have a good feel for normal settlement cracks and those that indicate above average movement. If the Home Inspector recommends that a Structural Engineer evaluate the cracks, you would be wise to follow the advice. If you do not, you may need to sell your house unexpectedly at a later date due to job transfer, etc. and you may be forced to pay for a subsequent structural evaluation and/or repairs in order to sell the house.