Spring Arbor, Michigan
Looking for a Spring Arbor home inspector? We do certified home, commercial, mold and radon inspections in Spring Arbor, seven days a week. Home inspection reports come back in 24 hours.
Schedule your inspectionCall 734-331-3269
Services
For buyers, sellers, and homeowners keeping an eye on the place they already own. On new construction we also do pre-drywall inspections and 11-month builder’s warranty inspections. Our certified inspectors walk every major system in your Spring Arbor home and tell you plainly what they found — then put it in a photo-rich digital report within 24 hours.
Following the InterNACHI Standards of Practice:
Included free with every home buyer inspection— and none of them require us to sell your information.
SatisfactionIf you are unhappy with your inspector on the day of the inspection, before you have seen your report, tell us and we will make it right — or you owe us nothing.
30-Day WarrantyA free 30-day Guard home warranty trial, negotiated for you with no obligation. Activate it whenever you are ready.
$100 OffThe buyer’s protection guarantee: if the first home we inspect for you does not make it to the closing table, for any reason, we take $100 off any further home buyer inspection within 30 days of the original.
Optional services at an additional cost — not part of a standard inspection. Tap one to see what it covers.
A camera down the main sewer line, watching its condition from the inside — roots, breaks, bellies and blockages no visual inspection can find. More about sewer scope inspections
The wood-destroying organism report VA buyers are typically asked to provide, on the federal NPMA-33 form. Carried out during the same visit. More about Veterans WDO inspections
Up to five air samples sent to an accredited laboratory, added to the same appointment rather than booked as a second visit. More about mold inspection and testing
View a sample report
Offices, retail, multifamily and warehouses in Spring Arbor and across Jackson County. Know what condition a building is in before you sign — or stay ahead of problems in the one you already own. Reports in 24 to 72 hours depending on size.
Following the CCPIA commercial standards:
Commonly added to a commercial inspection at additional cost.
Commercial laterals are longer, older and carry more. A camera is the only way to see the condition of the one you are buying. More about sewer scope inspections
Air samples to an accredited laboratory, which matters most in buildings that have sat empty or had a roof or plumbing leak. More about mold inspection and testing
View a sample report
Add either to a Spring Arbor home or commercial inspection, or book it on its own. We test and we never remediate, so there is nothing to sell you on the back of a result — the number you get is just the number.
Radon measured in house on a professional continuous monitor; mold samples to an accredited laboratory:
The other things worth testing while somebody is already there.
Carried out after remediation on the treated area and the areas next to it, to confirm what was found. More about mold inspection and testing
A damp basement can have several causes, and the buried sewer line is the one a visual inspection cannot check. A scope rules it in or out. More about sewer scope inspections
View a sample reportSpring Arbor housing stock
Spring Arbor has roughly 626 housing units and about 57% of them are single-family detached. Age is the most useful single fact about a house before anyone has seen it. It narrows down what is worth checking first, and it is why two places of much the same size can need quite different inspections.
If the town has a defining decade it is the 2000s, which accounts for 133 homes, around 21% of the housing stock. It is also less detached-house territory than most of the area at 57%, so condominiums, duplexes and small multi-family buildings are a bigger share of what we inspect here — and those bring their own questions about what is yours to maintain and what belongs to the association.
The median owner-occupied home here is valued at $217,000.
Treat this as a starting list, not a diagnosis. A Spring Arbor home inspector checks these things early in a home of this age and then records what is genuinely there, which is often not what the era would suggest.
Housing figures: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2022 five-year estimates.
When Spring Arbor was built
79% of homes here run on utility gas. Another 9 use bottled or LP gas.
Local knowledge
Spring Arbor Township publishes the clearest list we have found anywhere of what does and does not need a building permit — and one pair on that list changes how you should read a roof.
Removing and replacing shingles on a residence requires a building permit. Adding a second layer of shingles over the existing ones does not.
That is the township’s published position, and it is perfectly legitimate. But follow it through and you get something a buyer needs to understand: a layered roof here will have no permit behind it, because none was required. So the absence of a roofing permit on an address does not mean the roof was never redone. It may mean it was redone the way that needed no paperwork.
That matters because a layered roof is a real finding rather than a technicality. A second layer adds weight to the structure, it hides the condition of the deck and the first layer completely, and it generally gives a shorter service life than a tear-off would have. We report layering wherever we can see evidence of it.
The same logic runs on a smaller scale elsewhere in the township’s list: installing a water softener needs a plumbing permit, but replacing an existing one does not.
The housing is modern by the standards of this area. About 233 of roughly 626 units were built in the 1990s and 2000s, and only around 38 predate 1940. Around 43% of the stock is not a detached house.
Before you buy
Roofs
The township’s building and zoning page answers the permit question directly. A permit is required for removing and replacing shingles on a residence, and for replacing roof trusses. A permit is not required for adding a second layer of shingles.
For anyone buying here, that turns a roof into a question worth asking properly rather than assuming.
On an inspection we look for the signs of layering: the depth of the covering at the rakes and eaves, how the flashings sit relative to the surface, the profile at valleys and penetrations, and any lipping or unevenness in the plane of the roof. Where we can see evidence of more than one layer we say so.
We also look at what layering tends to bring with it. The condition of the deck underneath is concealed, so any earlier damage or rot is not visible and was not necessarily dealt with. The extra weight sits on the same structure. And nail penetration through two layers is less reliable than through one, which shows up as loss in wind.
None of that makes a layered roof a fault in itself. It makes it a thing to know about, price in, and factor into how long you have before the next roof — because when a layered roof does come off, the tear-off is a bigger job than it would have been.
And if the seller tells you the roof was done ten years ago but the township has no permit on file, both statements can be perfectly true at once. That is the useful thing to understand here.
Permits
The township’s list is worth reading in full before you plan any work, because it is unusually specific and it does not always match intuition.
A building permit is required for a new home, garage, pole barn or storage shed larger than 200 square feet; for an addition to a home or garage; for building or replacing a porch or deck; for a swimming pool more than 24 inches deep; for enlarging window or door openings; for removing or relocating a load bearing wall; and for the roof items above.
No building permit is required for siding, painting, adding a second layer of shingles, installing a fence, or laying patio stones or pavers.
The trades are handled separately and the answers are equally specific. Replacing a furnace or installing air conditioning needs a mechanical permit. A generator needs a mechanical permit and an electrical permit. An outdoor wood-fired furnace needs both as well, plus compliance with the zoning ordinance. Installing a water softener needs a plumbing permit — but replacing an existing one does not.
Note how often the township adds that something needs no permit but must still follow the zoning ordinance. Fences, pools and outdoor furnaces all carry that qualifier. No permit is not the same as no rules, and the ordinance is published separately.
Applications can be delivered in person, posted to the township box, faxed or emailed, and residential permit fees are published. The township names a building and zoning administrator alongside separate contacts for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing.
A home inspection is not a permit search or a code inspection, and we do not present it as one. A buyer’s inspection establishes what is physically there and in what condition, and commercial building inspections to the CCPIA standard are available where a building is commercial.
What we check
It is worth walking the township’s permit list from the inspection side, because almost every item on it is something we report.
Decks and porches: we examine the ledger connection where the deck meets the house, its fasteners and flashing, the post bases and their footings, the guards and their spacing, and the stairs and handrail. Deck failures are among the few structural failures that injure people and they almost always begin at the ledger.
Load bearing walls: where a wall appears to have been removed or altered, we look at what is carrying the load now — the beam, its bearing at each end, and any deflection above it. An opening made without proper support shows up over time as sagging above the span and cracking at the corners.
Enlarged window and door openings: we look at the header arrangement and at how the opening was weathered afterwards, because that junction is where water most often gets behind a finish.
Furnaces, air conditioning and generators: we report age, condition, venting, combustion air and clearances as far as they are visible, and whether the installation looks like competent work.
Sheds and pole barns over 200 square feet: we inspect outbuildings as part of the property, including their own electrical supply where they have one.
What we find gives you the list of things to ask the township about — and, where a permit would have been required, whether one exists. Radon testing and mold inspection and testing can be added to any visit.
The housing
With around 133 units from the 2000s and 100 from the 1990s, the typical house here is twenty to thirty-five years old — first-replacement territory rather than antique repair. Only about 38 units predate 1940.
That means original roof coverings reaching the end of their service life, water heaters on their second or third, and furnaces and condensers at the point where the next failure means replacement. Windows are usually original, with failed double-glazing seals showing as clouding or deposits between the panes.
The roof point above applies with particular force to this stock: a house built in 1998 is now due or overdue for its first roof, and the decision the previous owner made — tear off or lay over — is exactly what we are looking for.
On drainage we record where the downspouts terminate and whether they carry water clear of the walls or drop it at the foundation, where any sump pump discharges and whether there is a backup arrangement, and how the ground falls away from the building on every elevation. Grading that was correct at handover has had two or three decades of landscaping and settlement since, and downspout extensions get removed for mowing and never replaced.
Around 43% of the stock is not a detached house. Shared roofs, shared walls and shared services raise questions a single-family inspection does not, and access to units and common areas has to be arranged in advance rather than assumed. Tell us what the building actually is when you book.
On a shared roof the layering question above becomes a shared question too — whoever maintains it made that decision on everyone’s behalf.
The buried line
The line running out from the building belongs to the owner, and no visual inspection reaches inside it. On a house from the 1990s or 2000s it is twenty to thirty-five years old — young enough that everyone assumes it is fine, old enough that it often is not.
We will not name a material from a build year. Nothing published establishes what lines here are generally made of, and a guess in a report is worse than no statement at all.
A sewer camera inspection records what is actually inside: roots, cracks, displaced joints, bellies or blockages where they exist, and a clear run where they do not. On the newer stock the particular risk is different from the usual root story: a line laid during a 1990s or 2000s build can carry construction debris or settle unevenly in backfill, and nothing about the house above it would prompt anyone to check.
On a building with several units there is more reason to look, not less. Several households sharing one drain line put far more through it than a single family would.
We could find no published detail about water or sewer arrangements in the township, so we will not tell you what a particular address is connected to. That is a question for the township office.
A camera inspection is added to the same appointment rather than booked separately, and we deliver a full written report with photographs, generally the same day. You can read what our clients say, browse the township’s own resources, look through answers to common questions, or get in touch about a specific address in Spring Arbor.
Local information from Spring Arbor Township — Building and Zoning, and the permit threshold FAQ · Spring Arbor Township — departments · Spring Arbor Township — Zoning Ordinance · Spring Arbor Township — resources. Municipal requirements change — verify current details with the municipality.
Why choose us
Five reasons people here pick us as their Spring Arbor home inspector.
Family owned since 2009, more than 16,000 inspections completed and over 2,000 five-star reviews across Michigan. We also handle home buyer inspections, commercial building inspections, mold testing and radon testing.
We do not sell mold remediation or radon mitigation, so there is nothing to gain from a result that comes back bad. The number you get is just the number.
Radon, mold, sewer scope and wood-destroying organism inspections go on the same appointment as the home inspection rather than costing you a second morning.
Most people do, and it is the most useful hour of the whole purchase. Ask anything while we are standing in front of it.
InterNACHI and CCPIA certified, with four Certified Master Inspectors and National Home Inspector Examination passes on the team — none of which Michigan requires. The standards we inspect to are published and you can hold the work against them.
Including weekends, because inspection windows sit on closing dates and closing dates do not care what day it is.
Reviews
Justin Frey was my Inspector. He was very nice, very professional, and made sure I had all my questions answered. If I had a business, I definitely would hire him!
Tonya HConcord, MII recently hired Trademark for a full home inspection on a new purchase, including sewer scope and radon testing. It was a phenomenal experience from beginning to end. Our inspector, Mitch, did a fantastic job explaining all the findings, and the digital report with photos and videos was superb. Would definitely recommend without hesitation.
Salina HamiltonOak Park, MIWe had Mitch inspect our prospective house and he was amazing. He was thorough, patient to answer my questions and provide feedback on what areas he would recommend having a follow up expert and why. The office was responsive and I was able to book multiple services to be done in the same visit (inspection, radon test, sewer scope).
Chris PlaweckiOak Park, MIWhat happens
Questions
It depends how it is done. The township requires a building permit for removing and replacing shingles on a residence, but states that adding a second layer of shingles does not require one.
Less than you would think. A layered roof needs no permit here, so the absence of one does not mean the roof was never redone — it may mean it was redone the way that needed no paperwork.
A second layer adds weight, completely hides the condition of the deck and the first layer, and generally gives a shorter service life. It also makes the eventual tear-off a bigger job. We report layering wherever we can see evidence of it.
A new home, garage, pole barn or shed over 200 square feet; additions; building or replacing a porch or deck; a pool more than 24 inches deep; enlarging window or door openings; removing or relocating a load bearing wall; and replacing roof trusses.
Siding, painting, a second layer of shingles, installing a fence, and laying patio stones or pavers — though the township notes fences must still follow the zoning ordinance.
Yes. Replacing a furnace or installing air conditioning needs a mechanical permit, and a generator needs a mechanical permit and an electrical permit.
Installing one needs a plumbing permit. Replacing an existing one does not — the same evidential wrinkle as the roof, on a smaller scale.
Yes, and here it comes up often — around 43% of the housing stock is not a detached house. Tell us what the building actually is when you book so we can scope it and arrange access.
More on cost, timing and what is included on the FAQ page.
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Permits, assessing and property records for Spring Arbor are handled by Spring Arbor Township, not by us.
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