Russ did a wonderful job inspecting our house. He was very flexible with his scheduling and made time for us on a Sunday morning. His inspection was very thorough and detailed. I appreciated that he took extra time to walk us through everything and answer any questions that we had. He made several great suggestions to us for repairs/improvements. I have been through a couple of different inspections over the years and Russ' was the absolute best. I highly recommend him if you are a buyer and looking for a very detailed home inspector.
Five Corners, Washington Home Inspection: Find the Gray Pipe Before It Finds You
Five Corners fills the square between I-205 and SR-503 with houses built from the 1970s through the 1990s, most of them on lots under a quarter acre. A good share of the 80s and early-90s stock was plumbed with polybutylene, and every one of those homes runs on chlorinated city water, which is exactly what eats it. Russ Motyko is a Certified Master Inspector® holding Washington DOL license #1856, with 10+ years of inspection experience and a licensed general contractor's eye for what a builder skipped.
Five Corners Know-How
These Homes Have History. So Do I.
Five Corners, Washington
Five Corners takes its name from an old five-pointed road junction, and the 5.9 square miles around it filled in fast: about 21,000 people now, all of them living inside census-defined urban area. I-205 pins the southwest side, SR-503 runs the east edge, and between those two lines you get street after street of 1970s ranches, 1980s tract houses, and 1990s cul-de-sacs on lots that rarely reach a quarter acre. Most of it feeds Evergreen Public Schools, with a slice at the north end zoned to Battle Ground. Five Corners sits inside Clark County, tucked between Vancouver to the south, Orchards to the east, Hazel Dell and Salmon Creek to the west, and Brush Prairie up toward Battle Ground. Buyers here often add radon testing to the inspection.
I have 10 years of inspector experience, and I am also a licensed general contractor. My specialty was difficult and high-end framing, but I've replaced roofs, ran wiring, poured concrete, waterproofed showers, set tile, replaced siding and windows, installed drywall, and set doors. That background is what lets me read a home the way a builder does, and spot what they got wrong, or what looks like it was done without a permit.
When I walk a 1988 Five Corners tract house, the first stop is the water heater closet. I want to see what color the supply stubs are. Gray flexible pipe with crimp rings means polybutylene, and then I trace it: the main shutoff, the hose bib penetrations, the manifold if there is one, and the ceiling below any second-floor bath. I also press on the bottom edge of the hardboard siding near the downspouts, because on these small lots the roof water lands within a few feet of the wall.
I hold Certified Master Inspector® certification, Washington DOL license #1856, and Oregon OCHI license #1898. Every inspection includes free infrared thermal imaging. On a house with plastic supply fittings hidden in the walls, that camera can be the difference between finding a leak now and finding it next spring.
Five Corners (Clark County) Housing Market
Showing Clark County, WA data
(Redfin does not publish city-level stats for this area).
$548,767
Median sale price
41 days
Median days on market
536
Homes sold per month
2,121
Homes for sale now
Before You Buy
Five Corners Homes by Construction Era
Almost every house in Five Corners went up in a thirty-year stretch, so the build year alone will not tell you much. What changes is the plumbing that came with each decade, and how hard the last three owners worked at keeping the place up.
Pre-1965 Homes
This is the thinnest slice of the Five Corners market. A scattering of houses stood along the county roads that met at the five-pointed junction before any of the subdivisions arrived, and the grid grew around them. You can spot them by the setback: they sit farther back from the street than the tract houses on either side.
Every one of these has been remodeled at least twice. That is the whole inspection problem. Original framing, a partial electrical upgrade from one decade, a kitchen redone in another, and a bathroom addition that may or may not appear in county permit records. The systems rarely match each other, and the joints between them are where things go wrong.
When these homes hooked up to public sewer, the old side sewer line often stayed in place under the yard. Age and root intrusion in that buried line are worth asking about, and a sewer scope is a separate service that answers the question directly.
Common findings in pre-1965 Five Corners homes
Mismatched system updates
Three decades of partial work stacked on original construction. The failures show up where one era's work meets another's.
Original fuse panels or early breaker boxes
Service capacity built for a 1950s household. Insurance carriers ask about panel type before they write the policy.
Aging side sewer line to the street
Buried since the home was connected. Root intrusion and settled joints are answered by a sewer scope, which is a separate service.
No vapor barrier under the house
Bare soil in the crawlspace pushes moisture into joists and subfloor year after year. Rot and pest damage follow.
Additions with no permit record
Unincorporated Clark County paperwork from this period is thin. I document what I see and note what the file does not cover.
1965 - 1985 Homes
The first real subdivisions. Single-story ranches and split-entries, three bedrooms, an attached two-car garage, and a flat rectangular lot. These are the houses that gave Five Corners its shape, and there are a lot of them.
Electrical is the standing question in this era. Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panels were still going into new construction here into the early 1980s, and 100-amp service was normal at the time. Add a heat pump, a hot tub, and a garage full of tools, and that panel is doing more work than it was sized for. I check breaker fit, double-taps, and the condition of the bus.
The tail end of this era is where polybutylene starts. It entered the market around 1978, so a 1980 through 1985 Five Corners house sits right in the window. If I find gray pipe, everything else on the report takes a back seat until we've traced it.
Common findings in 1965 - 1985 Five Corners homes
Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panels
Installed in Five Corners construction into the early 1980s. Documented breaker failure rate. Carriers flag them and often require replacement.
Earliest polybutylene supply lines
Gray flexible pipe shows up in Five Corners builds from about 1978 on. Traced from the meter to every accessible fixture.
100-amp service under a modern load
Sized for a 1975 house. Heat pumps, EV chargers, and shop tools push it past what it was built to carry.
Retrofit vinyl windows over rotted sills
New sash dropped into an old aluminum frame without addressing what was wrong underneath. The rot keeps going behind the trim.
Crawlspace vapor barrier pushed aside
Torn, bunched, or peeled back by whoever ran the last duct. I enter the crawlspace and photograph the actual coverage.
1985 - 2005 Homes
This is the era that defines Five Corners, and it is the one I spend the most time on. Polybutylene was the standard supply pipe in a lot of these builds through the mid-1990s. The pipe fails from the inside out, because chlorine and chloramine in treated water attack the plastic. Every home in Five Corners is on city water. That is not a coincidence in the failure rate.
Watch the fittings more than the pipe. Original installations used acetal plastic inserts with metal crimp rings, and those fittings crack and weep long before the tubing splits. A whole-house repipe generally runs $10,000 to $20,000, and some carriers will not write a policy until it is done. A buyer who learns this at the inspection has options. A buyer who learns it in month four does not.
The siding on these houses deserves its own look. Hardboard lap siding made between 1985 and 1996 was used widely in Clark County tract construction, and it swells and crumbles where water hits it repeatedly. On lots this small, the downspout discharge is usually two feet from the wall.
Common findings in 1985 - 2005 Five Corners homes
Polybutylene pipe and crimped plastic fittings
The signature Five Corners finding. Gray pipe, PB2110 stamp, acetal inserts that weep at the crimp. Repipe typically runs $10,000 to $20,000.
Hardboard lap siding, 1985 to 1996
Swelling and crumbling along bottom edges, worst at downspouts and splash zones. Common on Clark County tract construction.
Composition roofs past their rated life
A 25-year shingle laid in 1995 is 30 years old now. Moss at the north slope holds water against the deck.
Failed seals in builder-grade vinyl windows
Fog between the panes means the insulated glass unit is done. Usually several units, rarely all of them, priced per window.
Garage conversions without a permit
Added bedrooms and offices with no record in the county file. Wiring, egress, and heat are the three things I check first.
New Construction
Five Corners is built out. There is no open ground left to plat, so anything new here is infill: a house squeezed onto a split parcel, a tear-down replaced with something twice the size, or a big addition on a 1980s footprint. That changes what goes wrong compared to a fresh subdivision.
An infill build sits between two established houses with mature fences, settled yards, and drainage patterns that were set forty years ago. New grading routes water somewhere, and on a lot this narrow, somewhere often means the neighbor. I check where the downspouts terminate and where the finished grade sends runoff before I look at anything cosmetic.
The other thing worth confirming on an infill build is what the new house connected to. Sometimes the side sewer serving the original home was reused. Ask, and get it in writing. The 11-month warranty inspection is how you document builder defects before the one-year coverage runs out. The clock starts at closing, so book it around month ten.
Common findings in new Five Corners construction
Grading that dumps onto the neighbor
Infill lots leave five to ten feet of side yard. New finish grade and old fence lines rarely agree about where water goes.
Reused side sewer connections
A new house tied into the old buried line. Worth confirming in writing before closing on an infill build.
HVAC installation defects
Unsealed duct joints, disconnected exhaust vents, and systems never balanced after startup. Found regularly on new work.
Flashing errors at windows and doors
Wrong lap order or missing head flashing lets water into a wall that looks perfect from outside. Clark County rain finds it quickly.
Radon, even in a brand new house
Soil gas does not care about the build date. A passive stack only works if someone tests to confirm it.
Home Risk Quiz
Is Your Dream Home Hiding Significant Issues?
See Your Potential Home Through an Inspector's Eyes.
Transform your observations into a clear risk profile. In just two minutes, you will receive a breakdown of what a professional inspector would be concerned about based on what you saw.
2 minutes
Based on what you saw at the showing
No technical knowledge needed
Free Assessment
Begin
Assessment
8 quick questions. No contact info required.
1 of 8
01
How old is the home?
You'll have the year built from the listing or the seller. Home age is the single biggest driver of inspection risk.
02
What did the roof look like from the street?
Look for curling shingles, dark patches, missing granules, or visible moss. A good look at the roof from the ground can tell you more than you'd think.
03
Did you notice any musty smell inside the home?
A musty or earthy odor is the most reliable clue buyers can detect about crawlspace moisture or mold, even without going under the house.
04
Did you see the electrical panel? What did it look like?
It's usually in a utility room, garage, or hallway. Federal Pacific (orange breakers) and Zinsco panels are known fire risks and still common in Portland-area homes from the 1960s to 1980s.
05
Did you notice any water stains on ceilings or walls?
Look near the corners of ceilings, under windows, and in bathrooms. Even old-looking stains matter, they show water has been in places it shouldn't be.
06
How did the overall condition of the home feel?
Trust your gut. A home that feels well-loved and maintained usually is. One that feels neglected almost always has deferred items hiding out of sight.
07
Did the home have a finished basement, addition, or garage conversion?
These are some of the most common places to find unpermitted work. A finished space isn't automatically a problem, but without permits, there's no record of whether it was done safely.
08
Where are you in your homeownership journey?
This helps us tailor your results to your situation.
Know Your Neighborhood
Five Corners Area by Area
Five Corners reads as one continuous suburb, but the pockets inside it were platted in different decades and plumbed with different materials. Here is what changes as you move across those 5.9 square miles.
The Junction
Mixed eras
The streets closest to the five-pointed intersection the area is named for. Housing here fronts arterial traffic, so window glazing, exterior door seals, and wall insulation all matter more than they do three blocks in. A few of the oldest houses in Five Corners sit along these roads, set back farther than their neighbors. Expect layered remodels and permit files that do not tell the whole story.
1970s Ranch and Split-Entry Streets
1970s
The first wave of platting. Long straight blocks of single-story ranches and split-entries with attached garages and crawlspace foundations. Federal Pacific panels and 100-amp service are the two things I check first. Original aluminum-frame windows have mostly been replaced by now, and how carefully that was done varies house to house. The last of these builds reach into the start of the polybutylene window.
The Poly-B Belt
Mid-1980s - early 1990s
The subdivisions that went up during the biggest build years, and the highest concentration of gray supply pipe in Five Corners. Two-story tract plans, hardboard lap siding, and a water heater in the garage where the pipe stubs are easy to read. If the house still has original plumbing, I trace it as far as it's visible and photograph every fitting I can reach. Nothing else on the report moves the number like this does.
Late-1990s Cul-de-Sac Pockets
1995 - 2002
The last buildable gaps between older plats, filled with short dead-end streets and pie-shaped lots. Plumbing here is usually copper rather than polybutylene, so the focus shifts. Roofs are past their rated life, furnaces and heat pumps are at replacement age, and fogged window units are near universal. The pie lots also concentrate roof runoff toward the narrow end of the yard.
The I-205 Edge
Mixed eras
The southwest boundary, where back fences face the freeway corridor. Sound is the first thing buyers notice, and it is usually a wall-insulation and glazing question rather than a structural one. Thermal imaging is genuinely useful along here, because it can show where the insulation actually is instead of where the listing says it is. Attic bypasses around can lights and bath fans show up the same way.
Quarter Acre and Under
Mixed eras
Most of Five Corners, honestly. Lots under a quarter acre mean five to ten feet of side yard, gas meters and condensers pressed against the wall, and crawlspace hatches you have to work at to reach. Downspouts discharge close to the foundation because there is nowhere else to send the water. Sheds and shop buildings often sit right on the property line with wiring nobody permitted.
Clark County Risk Factors
What Makes Five Corners Homes Different to Inspect
Three things set this area apart: the plumbing that came with its build years, lots too small to move water around, and thirty-year-old houses whose upkeep went in wildly different directions.
Polybutylene on City Water
Polybutylene went into homes built roughly between 1978 and 1995, and a real share of the Five Corners 1980s and early-1990s stock has it. The pipe degrades from the inside when chlorinated water runs through it, and every home here is on public water. The fittings usually go first, weeping at the crimp ring inside a wall where nobody sees it for months. Gray pipe at the water heater is the tell. A repipe can run $10,000 to $20,000, and some insurers will not write a policy until it is done.
Poly-B installed roughly 1978 to 1995
Small Lots, Nowhere for Water to Go
Lots here are typically under a quarter acre, which leaves a side yard you can cross in three steps. Roof water comes off a full-size house onto a small footprint, so downspouts discharge within a couple of feet of the wall, splash back onto the siding, and soak the soil right where the foundation is. That is how hardboard siding fails at the bottom course and how crawlspaces get wet in a neighborhood with no slope to blame. I follow every downspout to where it actually ends.
Most lots under a quarter acre
Same Street, Different Histories
Two houses on the same Five Corners block came out of the same plan set in the same year. Thirty-five years later one has a new roof, a repipe, and a serviced furnace, and the other has the original everything plus a garage conversion nobody pulled a permit for. Build year tells you almost nothing here. Maintenance history tells you everything, and most of it is not in the listing. That is what the report is for.
Most homes now 30 to 50 years old
Real Inspection Photos
Common Findings in Five Corners Homes
Real photos from Russ's inspection reports in Five Corners and greater Vancouver, showing issues common in local homes. Every report includes photos like these.
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Undersized kick-out flashing let water get behind the siding here. Correctly sized diverters help steer roof runoff into the gutter. Roof flashing problems buyers should know -
Wood rot at the base of corner trim. Replacement was recommended, with a check for hidden damage once the old trim is removed. Where dry rot hides on a house -
A crawlspace sump pump hung from a makeshift tether instead of sitting in a stable basin. Water was pooling under the vapor barrier nearby. What buyers should know about sump pumps -
Tape is only a temporary patch on a stove flue. As it breaks down, water can get past the flashing into the roof structure. What an inspector checks on chimneys and flues -
Efflorescence is mineral residue left as moisture moves through concrete. On tight lots it often traces back to gutters, downspouts, or grading. How grading sends water to a foundation -
An active leak at the bathtub drain was wetting the crawlspace. Leaks like this can rot floor joists and lead to mold if left alone. What to check at the plumbing before an offer
Inspection Scope
What We Check in a Five Corners Home
Every inspection covers all major systems and accessible areas, roof to crawlspace. We physically enter accessible attics and crawlspaces. We operate the systems we can safely access and test a representative sample of components. We do not check boxes. We evaluate the home.
Roof & Attic
Shingles, flashing, gutters, attic insulation, ventilation, and moisture.
Electrical
Panel, breakers, wiring type, outlets, GFCI and AFCI protection.
Plumbing
Supply pipe material, drain lines, water heater, pressure, and fixtures.
HVAC
Furnace, AC, heat pump, ductwork, and distribution.
Foundation & Structure
Cracks, settling, retaining walls, and visible structural framing.
Crawlspace
Full physical entry. Moisture, vapor barrier, insulation, and wood rot.
Interior
Walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, and built-in appliances.
Exterior & Grading
Siding, deck, driveway, grading, and drainage away from foundation.
Washington State DOH Guidance
Radon Testing in Five Corners
Clark County's radon potential varies by location and soil type. The Washington State Department of Health recommends testing every home in Washington, regardless of zone designation. Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that forms as uranium breaks down in soil and rock, and it enters through crawlspace soil, foundation cracks, and utility penetrations.
Five Corners is dense enough that buyers hear a lot of secondhand test results from neighbors. Those numbers are worth nothing to you. Two identical tract houses forty feet apart can read differently, because the path soil gas takes depends on the foundation, the penetrations, and how the house is ventilated. Your house is the only house your test describes.
Test on every Five Corners inspection. If the result comes back above 4 pCi/L, which is the EPA action level, a mitigation system generally costs $800 to $1,500 and works well. Handling it before closing is far simpler than handling it after.
Learn About Radon Testing →Radon facts for Five Corners buyers
#2
Second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S.
After smoking. Responsible for about 21,000 deaths per year nationally.
DOH
Washington recommends testing every home
State Department of Health guidance applies regardless of zone designation. Testing is the only way to know.
48h
Test takes 48 hours
Continuous electronic monitor placed at the start of the inspection. Digital results delivered promptly.
$150
Added to your inspection
Standalone testing is $225. Add it at booking and save $75.
Transparent Pricing
Simple, Flat-Rate Pricing
No hidden fees, no surprise add-ons. Thermal imaging is included on every inspection.
Starter
Standalone Inspection
$395up to 1,000 sq ft
- Full home inspection
- Free thermal imaging
- Roof & crawlspace
- Detailed digital report
Most Common
Inspection + Radon
$545up to 1,000 sq ft
- Full home inspection
- Free thermal imaging
- Detailed digital report
- 48-hour radon test
Best Value
Inspection + Radon + Mold
$790up to 1,000 sq ft
- Full home inspection
- Free thermal imaging
- Detailed digital report
- 48-hour radon test
- Mold air sampling & lab results
Starter
Standalone Inspection
$295up to 1,000 sq ft
- Interior-only inspection
- Free thermal imaging
- Electrical, plumbing, HVAC
- Detailed digital report
Most Common
Inspection + Radon
$445up to 1,000 sq ft
- Interior-only inspection
- Free thermal imaging
- Detailed digital report
- 48-hour radon test
Best Value
Inspection + Radon + Mold
$690up to 1,000 sq ft
- Interior-only inspection
- Free thermal imaging
- Detailed digital report
- 48-hour radon test
- Mold air sampling & lab results
48-Hour Monitor Test
$150with home inspection
Clark County, WA sits in EPA Radon Zone 1, and elevated readings turn up across the Portland metro. Testing is the only way to know. Standalone test: $225
With home inspection$150
Standalone radon test$225
Test duration48 hours
Air & Surface Sampling
$245with home inspection
Portland’s wet climate makes mold a real concern. Air samples are analyzed by Sporecyte, an accredited laboratory, which identifies mold types and spore concentrations. Standalone mold inspection: $445
Standard package (2 air + 1 control)$245
Additional air samples$75 each
Surface swab$70 each
Lab analysis & reportIncluded
Pool & Spa Evaluation
$295with home inspection
Save $100 vs. standalone. In-ground spas included at no extra charge. Free-standing hot tubs are not inspected. Accessible components inspected, including shell, pump, filter, heater, and safety systems.
With home inspection$295
Standalone inspection$395
In-ground spa includedYes
Most reportsSame day
See our full pricing page for all size ranges.
Client Stories
What people say about Russ
Real reviews from clients across Portland Metro & SW Washington.
Russ was very detail-oriented and thoroughly inspected every inch of the house. His report made it easy to identify and address necessary repairs. We were very happy with his work, professionalism, and communication throughout the process. We would absolutely use him again for our one-year warranty inspection and any future inspections. Highly recommend!
We had two home inspections completed with Russ. The inspections were exceptionally thorough offering detailed insight into the homes. He did a great job with inspecting the entire roof and crawlspace. If I need another inspection, he would be my first call.
Russ did our 1 year warranty inspection and was absolutely amazing. Very thorough and found stuff that was never initially caught during our purchasing inspection. Thank you Russ!
I am a real estate agent in the Portland area that loves when my clients pick Russ. He has a non-alarmist way of describing his findings that helps each person to learn and understand in a better way. I appreciate his expertise and also, his sense of humor!
Great inspector! Honest and trust worthy
Highly recommend! Professional, thorough, and trustworthy are the words I would use to describe this business!!!
My wife and I had an excellent experience. They were professional, punctual, and extremely thorough. The report was detailed, well-organized, and delivered promptly, with clear photos. This inspection gave me complete confidence in my home purchase.
Very professional and honest inspector. Will not sugar coat the details. Very thorough and rigorous!
I can't recommend Russ enough, hands down, the most thorough, professional, and knowledgeable inspector out there!
Russ from Trusted Home Inspections is the best inspector ever. His report was so thorough and detailed that it made post inspection repairs and negotiations easy, reasonable and fair!!
Russ was a pleasure to work with. He communicated clearly, arrived on time, and conducted a thorough and detailed inspection. His professionalism gave me confidence in my home purchase decision.
Russ is fair, honest, and to the point. His extensive expertise is evident in his detailed reports. Nothing is missed!
Russ is a great inspector, honest, trustworthy, cares about his work being better than 'good enough,' and his expertise will be used in upcoming projects for family, friends, and coworkers!
We couldn't be happier! Russ was absolutely outstanding from start to finish, from the roof and attic to the foundation, electrical, plumbing, and everything in between. He did a radon test for us as well and the whole process was smooth.
Excellent home inspection service! Thorough, professional, and easy to understand. The inspector was patient, detailed, and provided a clear, well-organized report quickly. Highly recommend!
If you want an honest truth about any dwelling, call Russ. He will do his due diligence and put it in writing. 10/10 recommended
We had an excellent experience working with Russ. Professional, punctual, and extremely thorough. His report was detailed, easy to follow, and delivered promptly. We felt confident moving forward thanks to his expertise.
Russ is extremely knowledgeable and personable. I have used his services several times. In addition to his extensive experience, he also has a solid construction background, so he really knows what's what. Highly recommend!
If you're looking for an inspector who will do an honest, thorough inspection, choose Russ @ Trusted Home Inspection. I don't know of another person I could recommend over him. 10/10!
Russ is an outstanding inspector. Extremely thorough and very knowledgeable. He will crawl where others won't, and will see what others are blind to. Would 100% recommend his company to EVERYONE.
Russ was very detailed and found out way more details that were missed by other inspectors. He is very knowledgeable and detail oriented! Will definitely go with him next time I need an inspection.
Russ came recommended by our agent, and it's easy to see why. Compared to friends who recently bought homes and used other inspection companies, the level of detail here was unmatched. We have no complaints and would absolutely work with them again.
Russ was fantastic. Very thorough, personably, and prompt. He even got up on a pretty steep roof in the rain, which I didn't expect. Would highly recommend him for your home inspection.
Russ was incredibly thorough, very friendly, and answered all of our questions. We are first-time buyers, and we felt very well taken care of by Russ. His report was super informative and detailed, and gave us great next steps. Thanks Russ!
Russ was incredibly thorough and detailed, and his inspection really made me feel more comfortable with my home purchase. Thank you, Russ!
Russ is very thorough and finds every little detail. Very honest inspector and I can rest assured knowing my home was inspected by him.
We had an excellent experience with our home inspector. He was professional, thorough, and took the time to explain everything clearly. The inspection was very detailed, and the report was easy to understand with helpful photos and recommendations. He identified issues that could have easily been missed and gave us confidence in our home purchase. I highly recommend his services to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and trustworthy home inspector. Thank you for the outstanding work!
Russ did a fabulous job inspecting our home. Not only was he thorough and professional, but he offered supportive follow-up via an in-depth 2-year maintenance calendar. He is a very clear communicator, very honest. Since living in the house, our experience noticing small quirks or repair items in the home matches Russ's inspection notes perfectly. Don't hesitate to work with him!
Russ did an 11 month warranty inspection for me and was incredibly thorough. He found over 50 items that needed to be addressed before the builder's warranty expired. What I appreciated most is that he actually listened to the concerns I raised and took the time to look into them. The report he gave was detailed and easy to follow, which made it simple to pass along to the builder. If you're looking for a home inspector who's meticulous and genuinely looks out for his clients, I would highly recommend Trusted Home Inspections.
Russ was AMAZING! Super thorough, responsive and gave us so much detail. The seller had done a pre-inspection and Russ did one for us as the seller. No comparison. We felt so confident going into negotiations and understanding everything. Hire Russ. You won't regret it.
Russ was great to work with! Timely, efficient and very easy to ask questions along the way. At the end of this inspection he answered all our questions without making us feel rushed! He made the whole process super easy and straightforward. Thank you!
A thorough and professional inspection. Russ answered all of my questions and made me feel confident about decisions that were required.
Super thorough and kind. Feel good with their assessment and feedback.
Russ is thorough, kind, and wants what is best for his customers. Highly recommend!
Excellent work, I am very pleased!!!
Thorough inspection and timely report
Common Questions
Five Corners Home Inspection FAQs
Questions Five Corners buyers ask most before booking an inspection.
Five Corners home inspections start at $395 for homes up to 1,000 sq ft and scale by square footage up to $845 for homes up to 5,000 sq ft. Free thermal imaging is included at every price point. Radon testing adds $150 when you book it with the inspection. See full pricing at trustedhome.org/pricing.
Look for gray, and sometimes blue or black, flexible plastic supply pipe about half an inch across. The easiest places to spot it are at the water heater, at the main shutoff, and where the water line enters the house. Much of it carries a PB2110 stamp. Polybutylene went into homes built roughly between 1978 and 1995, which covers a real share of Five Corners construction. Russ checks every accessible point and photographs what he finds. A whole-house repipe usually runs $10,000 to $20,000, so this is worth knowing before you close.
Polybutylene supply lines and their crimped plastic fittings top the list in homes from the 1980s and early 1990s. After that: hardboard lap siding from the 1985 to 1996 window swelling along its bottom edges, composition roofs sold as 25-year shingles that are now past 25, furnaces and heat pumps at replacement age, failed seals in builder-grade vinyl windows, and crawlspace vapor barriers that got pushed aside and never put back. Garage conversions and covered patios added without a permit show up often in unincorporated Clark County records.
Almost never. Five Corners is fully urban by census measure, and the homes here run on public sewer and city water. That matters for the plumbing, because chlorinated municipal water is what breaks polybutylene down from the inside. If a property you are looking at does have a well or a septic system, both need separate specialist evaluations under Washington rules. Russ documents what is visible and accessible and tells you who to call.
Clark County radon potential varies by location and soil type. The Washington State Department of Health recommends testing every home in Washington, regardless of zone designation. A test is the only way to know what one house reads, and a neighbor's number tells you nothing about yours. Radon testing is $150 added at booking and $225 as a standalone test, so booking it together saves $75.
Yes. Washington licenses home inspectors under WAC 308-408, and Russ holds Washington DOL license #1856 along with Oregon OCHI license #1898. Plenty of Oregon-based inspectors working the Vancouver market carry only the Oregon license. Ask any inspector you call for their Washington number before you book a Five Corners inspection.
You get a written report with photos, video where it helps, severity ratings, and plain-language explanations of what each finding means and what correcting it normally involves. Russ reports and explains. He does not tell you whether to buy, and he does not coach anyone through a negotiation. That part belongs to you and your agent. Call or text with questions once the report lands. Follow-up is unlimited.
Included at no extra charge on every inspection. On a Five Corners house it earns its keep fast. Polybutylene fittings usually fail as a slow drip inside a wall or behind a cabinet, and the infrared camera can pick up the cool wet patch before a stain reaches the drywall. It can also point to missing wall insulation in the homes that back the I-205 corridor. How infrared thermal imaging works in a home inspection →
Certified Master Inspector® (CMI®) is a board-certified designation from the Master Inspector Certification Board. To qualify, an inspector needs at least three years in the inspection business, 1,000 or more fee-paid inspections and hours of training and education combined, completed professional education, agreement to the board's code of ethics, and consent to periodic criminal background checks. Russ is a Certified Master Inspector® serving Five Corners and the rest of Clark County with 10+ years of inspection experience and 100+ inspectors trained. What the Certified Master Inspector® credential requires →
Yes. Trusted Home Inspections is veteran-owned and takes 10% off the inspection fee for veterans, active duty, reservists, National Guard members, and military families (code: MILITARY10). 10% off the inspection fee is also available for police, fire, EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers, active or retired (code: RESPOND10). See full details at trustedhome.org/military-discount.
Where We Inspect
Serving Portland Metro & Southwest Washington
Available 7 days a week. No travel fee within 40 miles of Oregon City, and $50 past that. Not sure if we cover your area? Just call.
Oregon Certified
OCHI Lic. #1898
Washington Licensed
DOL Lic. #1856
Multnomah County home inspections. Portland and the rest of Multnomah County are full of older housing stock, including 1920s craftsman bungalows in SE Portland, Pearl District lofts, and mid-century homes in NE Portland. Older homes mean knob-and-tube wiring, cast iron drains, and aging foundations. I’ve inspected hundreds of homes across Multnomah County and know what to look for in each neighborhood.
Clackamas County home inspections. Clackamas County is home base for me. Oregon City, Lake Oswego, West Linn, and Happy Valley are where I do most of my work. EPA rates Clackamas County as Radon Zone 3, but individual homes still test high, so radon testing belongs on every Clackamas County home inspection. I know the local builders, the common defects, and the soil conditions that drive moisture problems in this part of the metro.
Washington County home inspections. Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, and Tualatin are growing fast, with new construction next to homes from the 70s and 80s. Washington County home inspections often catch builder-grade shortcuts in newer subdivisions and aging mechanical systems in established neighborhoods. The wet Tualatin Valley climate also makes moisture intrusion and crawlspace issues more common than buyers expect.
Clark County home inspections in Southwest Washington. Vancouver, Camas, Washougal, and Battle Ground sit just across the Columbia River, and I’m licensed in Washington (DOL #1856) to inspect them. Clark County home inspections come with their own quirks: hillside foundations in Camas, manufactured homes in outlying areas, and the same wet Pacific Northwest climate that drives moisture and mold concerns. Same standards I apply on the Oregon side, no extra travel fee.
Don’t see your city? We likely cover it.
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Available 7 days a week. Online booking open 24/7.