Recommendations for Home inspector and architect/designer?

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

Hi All,

I will search the archives/tags too, but i don't recall seeing anything go by recently. I find myself in the position of having placed an offer on a house and having it been accepted (yay! and scary!). Now I need to find an inspector. Any recommendations on someone who is thorough? What type of cost should I expect?

I also would like to contact an architect or designer about some remodeling work that will need to be done immediately after closing (if everything goes well, of course). I have no idea where to begin with finding someone who can help design a plan for knocking out several internal walls on the first floor. Any recommendations on people to contact? where to start? what to expect?

Thanks in advance, i'm a total newbie at this. Also, this is in North Cambridge, though I don't think that should effect recommendations...

Comments

[vibrantabyss.livejournal.com]

I'll give an anti-recommendation for Tiger Home Inspection.

And a ++for Architect to David Whitney (http://www.davidwhitney.com/) who came up with a nice plan for building my basement space out into legal dwelling space (had been a sketchy in-law when I bought my place)

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

can you tell me more about your experience with Tiger Home Inspection? that is one that was recommended by friends of ours, and who inspected our condo when we bought 12 years ago (but we were young and stupid then!).

[vibrantabyss.livejournal.com]

The failed to flag a number of items, which ran me between 5 and 8 grand. I also know someone who briefly worked for them, about five years after I bought my home, and he quit because he said there was pressure just to rush rush rush through each job, hence opening space for lots of errors.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

I had a good experience with Tiger. It might depend on which inspector they send.