Home Inspector in Sterling Heights, MI

Sterling Heights is one of Michigan's largest cities and one of its most consistent inspection markets, because so much of it was built in a compressed window. The postwar and 1960s–1970s boom produced block after block of brick ranches, tri-levels, and colonials on tight, uniform lots. That consistency is useful: I know what I'm walking into before I open the door, and I know exactly where these houses fail.

The dominant issue in this city is age of systems, not quality of construction. These were solidly built homes. But a 1968 ranch that has never had a panel upgrade is running a modern household's load through a service that was designed for far less. I find original 60- and 100-amp services, Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels that warrant replacement on sight, and two-prong ungrounded receptacles throughout entire homes.

Plumbing tells the same story. Galvanized supply lines from this era corrode from the inside out, and homeowners often blame the city for low pressure when the restriction is in their own walls. Original cast-iron drain stacks are reaching the end of their service life. And because the neighborhoods are mature with large trees, the underground sewer lateral is a real risk — which is exactly why I recommend a sewer scope on nearly every home in this city.

1960s ranches and tri-levels: Plumbrook, Little Nineveh, and the south end

About 1 house in 5 here dates to the 1960s, concentrated south of 16 Mile and around Plumbrook and the 15 Mile and Ryan area. Homes from this decade commonly have aluminum branch-circuit wiring if built after about 1965, original single-pane aluminum windows, a first-generation central air condenser long since swapped, and a tri-level layout that puts a crawlspace under the bedrooms and a slab under the family room. At the panel I look for the AL marking on the cable jacket and for CO/ALR devices or approved connectors at the terminations. In the crawlspace I check the vapor barrier, the ductwork, and the underside of the mid-level floor, and on the slab side the thermal camera finds the cold, damp corners that a rug is covering.

1970s colonials and quads: the largest single cohort

Nearly 3 homes in 10 in Sterling Heights were built in the 1970s, making it the biggest era in the city. Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels turn up in these houses more than in any other decade, and aluminum wiring persists in homes finished before roughly 1973. Homes from this era also commonly have original cast-iron drain stacks, a chimney that was built for a furnace and a water heater together and now vents only the water heater, which leaves an orphaned flue prone to condensation and liner damage, and a second roof approaching the end of its life. I check the flue sizing at the chimney, scale the drain stack at its base with a probe, and get the drone over the roof to read the granule loss and the flashing at the chimney and sidewalls.

1980s and 1990s colonials toward Hall Road and Lakeside

The north end of the city filled in after Lakeside Mall opened in 1976, and about 27 percent of the stock dates from 1980 to 1999. Homes from this window commonly carry polybutylene supply piping until 1995, hardboard siding that swells at the butt joints, builder-grade double-pane windows with failed seals, and a first-generation high-efficiency furnace that was a good idea in 1992 and is a liability now. I identify the supply piping at the water heater and under every sink, look at the siding bottom edges and the window sills for the soft spots, and pull the furnace cover to read the date and the heat exchanger condition. Roofs from the 1990s are due, and I document that with photos rather than guesses.

2000s infill, custom lots, and ranch condos

Only about 16 percent of the city has been built since 2000, and most of that is infill: Spring Meadows and other small luxury subdivisions, half-acre custom lots in Ryan Woods, and ranch-condo complexes throughout the city. Homes from this era commonly show high-efficiency furnace venting and condensate mistakes, complex roofs with kick-out flashing missing at the gutter terminations, and grading that settled toward the foundation after the builder left. On a condo, the inspection covers everything inside the unit boundary plus the visible common elements that will affect you; I ask for the master deed and the latest reserve study so the report separates your repairs from the association’s, and a condo inspection starts at $375.

Macomb County is in EPA Radon Zone 3, the lowest-potential category. The county health department estimates 5 to 10 percent of homes test above the EPA action level of 4.0 pCi/L, and EGLE’s map of actual test results puts Macomb at about 11 percent. In Sterling Heights the relevant fact is the finished basement: most of the 1960s and 1970s houses have one, and many families use it as living space, which is exactly where the EPA wants the test placed. A 48-hour continuous-monitor test on the lowest livable level costs $175, runs alongside the inspection, and gives you a number instead of a county average.