Rod Inspects · TREC License #6291 PI · Serving Alamo Heights
Home Inspection in Alamo Heights, TX
Rod Inspects provides home inspections in Alamo Heights, TX, the small city just north of downtown San Antonio known for its older homes. Its three licensed inspectors evaluate the roof, foundation, structure, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, attic and the interior and exterior to the TREC Standards of Practice, with particular care for pier-and-beam foundations, aging wiring and plumbing, and past renovations. Rod Inspects has inspected homes in the San Antonio area since 2002.
What Should You Know About Pier-and-Beam Homes in Alamo Heights?
Alamo Heights has the oldest homes in our service area. Census estimates put the median home here at about 1950: roughly a third of homes were built before 1940, more than half before 1960, and about three in four before 1980. Houses of that age were often built on pier-and-beam foundations, with a crawl space under the floor instead of a slab on the ground. Where the crawl space is accessible, the inspector can look at the structure itself instead of reading it only from cracks in the rooms above.
The ground is different here, too. Federal soil maps show most of the city on very shallow, stony soil over hard limestone, not the deep expansive clay found across much of Bexar County. There are clay pockets, and the creek-bottom soils near Olmos Creek behave differently again. A pier-and-beam inspection in Alamo Heights covers:
- Piers, beams and shims. Settled or leaning piers, cracked beams, and stacks of shims added over the decades to level a floor.
- Moisture and ventilation. Standing water, damp soil, wood decay and blocked vents under the house. On rocky ground, rain that cannot soak in runs along the surface, so grading and gutters decide whether it ends up in the crawl space.
- Floor framing. Sagging, notched or cut joists, often from plumbing or ductwork run through them during later updates.
- Signs inside the house. Sloping floors, doors that will not latch, and cracks at window and door corners.
Some movement in a house this old is normal. The inspection helps you tell routine leveling and drainage work from something that needs a structural engineer's opinion.
Are the Wiring and Plumbing in an Older Alamo Heights Home Original?
Sometimes, and often only partly. With so many homes here built before 1960, a home inspector in Alamo Heights, TX, expects to find several eras of work in one house:
- Electrical. Older homes can still have original wiring in walls and attics, including ungrounded two-prong outlets or, in the oldest houses, knob-and-tube wiring. The inspector looks at the panel, visible wiring, grounding, GFCI and AFCI protection, and signs of overloaded or amateur circuits.
- Plumbing. Galvanized steel supply lines and cast iron or clay drain lines may remain, even after a kitchen or bath remodel. The inspector checks water pressure, drainage, the water heater and visible leaks. A standard inspection cannot see inside buried pipe.
- Heating and cooling. Central air was often added to these homes long after they were built. Ductwork may run through the attic or the crawl space, and the inspector checks the visible parts, the condensate drain and the emergency pan.
- Windows and attics. Original windows, thin attic insulation and older roof framing are common in houses of this age.
Federal law requires sellers to disclose known lead-based paint in homes built before 1978, which covers most homes in Alamo Heights. A standard home inspection does not test for lead or asbestos, but the inspector can point out materials worth testing by a specialist.
How Do You Inspect a Renovated or Rebuilt Home in Alamo Heights?
By looking at how the new work connects to the old. Only a small share of Alamo Heights homes were built since 2010, so most change here comes as remodels, second-story additions and rebuilds on older lots. When an older house is torn down, the city reviews the demolition and the design of the new home before work starts.
A beautiful remodel can still hide a roof valley that leaks where the addition meets the original house, a bathroom fan that vents into the attic, or new tile laid over an old floor that still moves. The inspector reports what is visible. A home inspection does not verify permits, so if a renovation matters to your decision, ask the seller for permit records or check with the city. Rod Inspects uses infrared thermal technology, which identifies surface temperature patterns that may indicate hidden moisture around a new addition, missing insulation or overheating electrical components. For a brand-new rebuild, see our new construction inspection.
Then check the water. Parts of Alamo Heights along Olmos Creek and the Olmos Basin are mapped in FEMA flood zones. Look up the specific address on the FEMA flood map and ask the seller about past water. In the crawl space and the rooms above, the inspector watches for signs of earlier moisture such as staining low on walls, damp soil and rusted equipment bases. Hail and high winds are part of every Alamo Heights roof's life too, so roof coverings, flashing and storm repairs get a close look.
Which Inspections Can You Book in Alamo Heights?
- Buyer's home inspection: a TREC inspection that takes the age of the house into account.
- Seller (pre-listing) inspection: learn what an older home needs before buyers do.
- Infrared thermal inspection: temperature patterns that may indicate hidden moisture or insulation gaps in older walls.
- Pool and irrigation inspection: pools, spas and sprinkler systems, including older equipment.
- New construction inspection: for a rebuild on an older lot.
- Builder's warranty inspection: for a rebuilt home before its builder warranty expires.
See all services.
Why Do Alamo Heights Buyers Trust Rod Inspects?
- Client reviews you can read (read them)
- Three inspectors licensed through TREC, led by Rod Stewardson, TREC License #6291 PI (meet them)
- Infrared thermal technology
An older home has a lot to say, and we make sure you hear it. We work for you, the buyer, and we explain which findings are the normal character of an older house and which need attention. Your report is written with photographs. See our sample reports.
“Derek was wonderful. He was super meticulous and walked with me after the inspection... I felt like I was in great hands.”
Diana Harps
Which Nearby Areas Does Rod Inspects Serve?
Who Is Rod Inspects?
Rod Inspects is a San Antonio, Texas, home inspection company serving Alamo Heights and eight nearby communities: San Antonio, Hollywood Park, San Marcos, Schertz, Cibolo, New Braunfels, Seguin and McQueeney. Rod Stewardson, TREC License #6291 PI, has led the company since 2002, and its three licensed inspectors are Rod Stewardson, Derek Saari and Tyler Stewardson. Rod Inspects offers buyer's, seller's, new construction, builder's warranty, infrared thermal, and pool and irrigation inspections.
What Do Alamo Heights Buyers Ask About Home Inspections?
Does Rod Inspects do home inspections in Alamo Heights, TX?
Yes. Rod Inspects serves Alamo Heights and the surrounding San Antonio area with three inspectors licensed through TREC, led by Rod Stewardson (License #6291 PI).
What is a pier-and-beam foundation?
It is a foundation where the house rests on beams supported by piers, with a crawl space underneath instead of a slab on the ground. It is common in older homes and lets the inspector see more of the structure directly.
Is Alamo Heights built on expansive clay?
Mostly not. Federal soil maps show most of the city on very shallow, stony soil over limestone, with clay pockets and creek-bottom soils in places. Houses still move, often because of drainage, so the inspector reads each house on its own.
Is it normal for floors to slope in an older Alamo Heights home?
Some movement is common in a house built before 1960, and many here were. The inspection helps you tell routine leveling and drainage work from movement that needs a structural engineer's opinion.
Is my Alamo Heights home in a flood zone?
A home inspection cannot tell you that. Parts of the city along Olmos Creek and the Olmos Basin are mapped flood zones, so check the specific address on the FEMA flood map and ask the seller about any past water.
Does a home inspection test for lead paint or asbestos?
No. A standard home inspection does not test for lead or asbestos. If a home was built before 1978, ask the seller for the lead-based paint disclosure and consider testing by a specialist.
Does a home inspector check whether renovations were permitted?
No. A home inspection reports the visible condition of the work, not its permit history. Ask the seller for permit records or check with the city if a renovation matters to your decision.
Ready to Schedule Your Alamo Heights Home Inspection?
Need a "pier and beam inspection Alamo Heights" or a full buyer's inspection on an older home? Book today so there is time for an engineer's visit inside your option period.