NEGLIGENCE. That is the word the newspaper advice lawyer used when I wrote to him about our situation. We hired Joel based on a recommendation from our realtor. That may have been our first mistake. However, we have worked with our realtor for years and trusted him. I called Joel on a Saturday. He was friendly & sounded confident, letting me know that he had been in the home building field for decades, but was now an inspector with a standalone business, so there would be no suspicious crossover. He told me about his infrared camera that could detect moisture behind walls and in ceilings. My realtor had already praised this, so we were familiar and of course, it sounded good to us. Joel promised he'd email me more information about his services and he did, right away. We agreed upon a time for the home inspection. His fee was $500-no small amount for my husband and me. When we arrived the day of the inspection, Joel was sitting in his truck. He was again very friendly & talkative. He let us know that he had arrived about an hour early, and used his time to visually inspect and take photos of the outside of the house. We went inside and he talked with us about what seemed like every inch of the house. Many times he assured us that his report would seem 'scary' to a layman, but he would let us know what was crucial and what was a technical detail. We really felt like he did a thorough job. He did mention that his son had been playing with the infrared camera recently, but he brushed it off like everything was fine. He noted a couple leaky sinks, some outlets that needed to be brought up to code. We walked away from the inspection feeling good about the 50-some-year-old house we were buying. A few days later, we received the official report via email. It was detailed, included photos, & was color-coded based on the urgency of each issue. Our lawyer used that to negotiate repairs, which the seller agreed to. We received a receipt detailing the work that was done prior to closing. Fast forward to move-in. My husband painted the living room. When he pulled away the painter's tape from the ceiling, we found black mold. I ran the dishwasher; it leaked all over the floor. How could that be? Joel had run the dishwasher the day of inspection, but not the full cycle. Then my husband and I took our first showers in the master bathroom. Later we noticed the ceiling under the bathroom seem to be sagging and stained. Funny, we hadn't noticed that before. The next day, my husband took a shower. When he came downstairs, he looked up. The ceiling seemed worse. He touched the ceiling, and water dripped from it. We were horrified. Besides that, other areas of the house had discrepancies. We turned on the fan in the second full bath - it didn't work. I checked the inspection report - the fan was noted as working. The downstairs bathroom was noted as having a fan - it doesn't. The doorbell didn't work. None of the outlets in the living room corresponded to the light switches. And so on. When we got a plumber in to take a look at the leaky ceiling, he showed us how the ceiling had been patched - badly. When he cut into it, the pipe from the shower was corroded and had been taped over with clear packing tape. The plumber and the mold mitigator we hired both said an inspector should have noticed the badly patched ceiling, if anything. Plus, the whole house was damp - so much for the infrared camera! During the plumber's numerous visits to repair the shower leak (which was leaking from 2 places), we found we had leaks elsewhere-on every floor, including the basement. We had the plumber take a look at the rest of the house. He showed us corroded pipes underneath the sinks that Joel had not noted. He did note one, and that had been repaired by the sellers. Why not any of the others? We found inconsistencies in the inspection at every turn. This all ended up costing us thousands of dollars. There are still many more repairs that need to be done. ***This is the thing: We paid Dunwell Home Inspections to do their best, and we don't believe we got it. Some of these things should have been caught. Some others were flat out wrong on the inspection report. Here's the kicker: Joel was employed by us to do a job. When we confronted him about about the issues via an informal email, he brushed us off with an 'I don't know how that could've happened!'-type response. When we sent him a formal letter of complaint, asking for our money back, he never responded. When we emailed him again calling out his unprofessionalism in not responding, he still didn't respond. That is absolutely unforgivable business practice, in my opinion. And if you read that other poor Yelp review, you'll see we're not the only ones this happened to. I hope you learn from our situation. Do your research. Ask your friends who they trust. Read reviews. Save yourself some-or a lot-of trouble. That way you won't be sitting around your house, wondering what else is wrong with it. read more

Dunwell Home Inspections - See my review for more details. - Home Inspectors Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

Initially, I was skeptical of paying the money for an inspection. However, Mike did a great job. He found things that I never would have found. The Inspection Report he wrote is guiding me in getting things done now that I'm in the home. The service was worth every penney, imo. read more

We hired Dunewell for our home inspection in May of 2018 based on a recommendation from our realtor. I realize this is over a year ago but the issues started soon after. I was not going to write a review but more and more issue keep arising. The first thing that should have been a sign of things to come is they told me they were sending out Joel and Mike showed up. When I asked him about it he was kind of snide and said he could leave and Joel could come out another day. As you know when you are buying a house you ally do not have a lot of time to reschedule inspections. Garbage Disposal..... Started leaking after two weeks. It was very loose and just needed to be tightened. Not a huge deal but should have been on the report. Central air conditioning..... Mike said it was in great condition and should last a few more years. Two months later during a graduation party it stopped working. The gentleman who came out to look at it said there is no way it should have passed an inspection two months ago. Basement cracks..... Mike showed us a few cracks and told us they were not an issue because they were not structural. We asked about the appearance of water stains and he said it was so minimal if we are not finishing the basement not to worry about it. He said in his opinion it would be years before it would be a problem. Well turns out three of the cracks are leaking bad already and we have to have them repaid. Chimney.......We noticed some water on the "stoop" of our fireplace. We had a chimney expert come out to tell us where the water was coming from. Turns out the metal chimney cap had some creaking. He said based on his experience that would not happen from the time of the inspection and would have already showed signs than. I honestly do not think he even looked at it. The picture he provided was a perspective shot from another part of the roof. So all in all it looks like the items that were missed will now cost over $6,000 to repair. read more

As a Real Estate Broker, one of the many folks I recommend is Dunwell Home Inspections. When my clients choose to use them, they have always been very professional and thorough. You can expect your inspector to show up on-time and most of the time early. They will be very particular and walk you through everything they find. Afterwards, you will receive a VERY detailed report including photos of all of the homes issues, as well as some basic information such as age and serial numbers for the homes Equipment. DHI also has High-tech equipment available to further investigate things many others would not even find. Since it is always the purchasers choice as to who performs there inspections, I have come across many operations that do not even do half of what DHI does. As one of, if not the largest purchase you will make in life, always team up with quality folks that know what they are doing. With DHI you will not go wrong! read more

We thoroughly recommend Dunwell! We were fortunate enough to have Mike inspect a home we were preparing to purchase in January of 2015. He did an AMAZING job, and was very thorough to the last detail. We received the full inspection report (35+ pages) via email within the next 24 hours and were able to take his findings to the bargaining table when ready to negotiate with the seller. There were quite a few things that needed to be fixed and updated to be in line with the city code, and Mike did a great job explaining what those issues were and how they should be corrected. These guys are total professionals and had the proper equipment to check for moisture damage, gas leaks, etc. and were able to help us make sure our new place was safe and ready to go. Mike was also available for a follow-up inspection to ensure the seller followed through with items he promised to fix. Thank goodness for Mike and Dunwell! Don't even think twice, hire the right team right away and make sure your home is ready to go. We would give them 10 stars if possible! read more

I just completed my 3rd home inspection in my life, obviously for my 3rd home purchase. I flew up from Florida to Wheaton for the inspection. I arrived early as did Joel, the owner of Dunwell Home Inspections. Initial read on him was that he was professionally dressed, very engaging and very prescriptive about the process he was going to follow. We were after all, looking for major issues/problems. He started to do his thing and started with the roof. This was the one area I had concerns with and I actually pointed out my area of concern...thinking I, at my 3rd inspection, had learned a few things and knew what to look for. When I pointed out my area of concern, Joel looked at it and then went into great detail explaining why my concern was not a concern at all. After his explanation, it made sense. I "got it" Then he pointed out a concern he had...the front and rear gables on the second story roof. Although the workmanship was solid there was an additional step missed that had been completed on the sides of the house. I never saw it...even though I looked and looked when visiting the house on 4 separate occasions. When he pointed the problem out, I had a " oh no" moment...how did I not see that? Venting in the basement, sump pump issues...sump pump issues that as the son of a plumber I should have caught. He explained it great detail the why's of his concerns. Big issues...big issues that I missed. Not deal breakers, just important issues to point out to the seller and ask for remedies. Technology...he had a FLIR gun tool. Could see heat/cooling loss areas...could look through walls looking for plumbing leaks. He was so completely thorough that I felt I would need to be on my 100th home purchase inspection to even be remotely qualified for a home inspection. Major issues...yes. The less than major issues...those things that were not even issues but I should be aware of as the yeas progressed. The home was a flip...a rehab that was empty. He carefully and diligently showed me how the brand new Windows throughout the house were professional installed...not a DIY job by the owners. He showed me things that, in his experience, showed the rehab job was done professionally and not just a quick bare bones flip for a profit. Let's face it...we start out with a budget for a new home. After looking at the first 4 homes I knew I had to "up" my budget. I spent more than planned...had some "buyers remorse" thinking maybe I went too high. I left in inspection process knowing I had a solid house and a solid deal. Blown away by the experience. So grateful for the professionalism that seems to be lacking far too often in the service industry these days. If you are buying a house and want peace of mind...go Dunwell. read more

Dunwell Home Inspections - The FLIR gun...awesome. - Home Inspectors Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

Horrible inspectors. My family bought new construction, apparently this inspector did a cursory job looking the home over. When we moved in it was very obvious there was a leak in the master bathroom that the inspector should have found. There were also four dead outlets in the home. There was an issue with the inspector not coordinating the radon inspection with the company he uses. I tried to follow up with him to get the results, and he informed me the meter was never dropped off. Two days later the meter was finally dropped off and results were returned the day of closing! I would never recommend this company! read more

I would strongly recommend this company! I had my home inspected by Mike in June 2010. The process was very thorough and he answered any questions that I had. The company also provides a CD with a detailed list and pictures of recommended repairs as well as urgent repairs. Everything was very well written and Mike was very professional and respectful during the inspection. I have been in the home now for 8 month and as a first time home owner i had some concerns about my home...noises, wall cracks, etc. I wanted to understand my home more so i called Dunwell again hoping they could answer some questions. A day after I called, Joel (the owner of dunwell/previous home builder) was at my door walking me through my home as if we were having another inspection. He answered all of my questions and gave me some helpful hints on home ownership and "do-it-yourself" tips. These are signs of a Great company. For them to take action to meet my concerns in as little as a day is remarkable. Thank you and i will definitely refer you guys! read more

Joel and Mike did a great job. The inspection was extremely thorough and worth the investment. Not only did they supply a full report they also supplied pictures and exact details in regards to severity of repairs needed on the home. Thank you. read more

Not even close to living up to their promise. I had a home inspection in April 2013 on a home in which I saw a number of issues that were pointed out to Joel, the owner of the company as the inspection was taking place. With exception to the most obvious water leak issue, he professed that all the other concerns were nothing to worry about. As I came to find out, the issues I had raised over a faulty toilet and multiple water leaks were not repaired as needed despite him coming out to re-review the 'repairs' that took place. Definately more supportive to the home seller than the buyer. When I tried to again express my concerns at the closing, he minimized the situation which did not help me in obtaining secured funds from the seller should the issue resurface. As predicted, the repair was not made and I continue to have problems. Dunwell claims to have a money back guarantee but don't bother trying to get it because they don't stand behind it. Oh, and they don't respond to BBB complaints either. It's a shame that someone who claims to have built houses cannot see construction issues that the general population can find. I would definately not recommend any company that puts out a money back guarantee and won't support it despite obvious flaws in an inspection. That's false advertising. read more

The Best Home Inspection Company around! I hired them and they really came through and found every imperfection which allowed me to strengthen my negotiation process. Saved me thousands of dollars! Highly recommended. Tim-Wheaton read more

I hate to have to do this because I love supporting small business in my area and I wish I could say the same thing as the precious reviewer but unfortunately cannot. We hired Dunwell Home Inspections to inspect the home we purchased back in March 2013. We noticed issues with almost all of our windows opening and closing right and did not know what we should do. I tried cleaning the panes, etc. but nothing seemed to work. The real-estate attorney we used recommended we review our home inspection report to see what issues where brought. I was surprised to find that the report stated that our "Vinyl Windows" appeared in good working order. Come to find out that they are not Vinyl windows but aluminum clad. I called Joel to discuss this and he said I must have read the report wrong and that it is also a common mistake to misrepresent the type of window on a home inspection as he has often done this in the past. It would have been nice to know the issues with the windows and the correct type of windows that we had before going to closing as I would have had these potential safety issues of non-opening and non-closing windows fixed before buying. Since the windows were incorrectly represented on the report I feel there needs to be some responsibility on the inspectors part. This was a major miss. It leads me to believe that the windows were never even checked (No pictures, incorrect type listed, etc.) Joel's response was not let me pop over and take a look... he actually was very combative on the phone, stating and told me to call his attorney. I know people make mistakes sometimes but when it comes to something like this the repercussions should not fall on the customer. I paid top dollar for this inspection that the report and service does not support. I asked for a refund and was hung up on. I would not recommend this company at all. read more