Lake Oswego isn't one housing market. It's half a dozen, stacked on top of each other. The craftsman homes in First Addition date to the 1920s. Mid-century ranches in Lake Grove and Waluga were built in the 1950s and 1960s. Iron Mountain and Skylands have custom hillside builds from the 2000s that cost more to inspect than most inspectors know how to handle. And then there's the lakefront and canal-adjacent properties, where moisture exposure from Oswego Lake is a year-round fact of life, not a seasonal concern.
Not only do I have 10 years of inspector experience, I have also worked as a Contractor for 12. My specialty is difficult and high-end framing jobs, but I have replaced roofs, built, painted, and installed cabinets, ran wiring, poured concrete, waterproofed showers, set tile, replaced siding and windows, installed drywall, and set doors. When I walk a Lake Oswego custom home, I can read the work the way the builder did. I know what a good installation looks like. I know where the shortcuts are.
Moisture is the defining challenge here. The lake, the canal network, the dense tree canopy that makes the neighborhoods beautiful, and the Pacific Northwest climate combine to create ambient humidity that is higher than almost anywhere else in the metro. Crawlspace moisture intrusion is nearly universal in mid-century Lake Oswego homes. Roofs accumulate moss faster than in drier neighborhoods. Thermal imaging catches this before it becomes structural.
I hold Certified Master Inspector® certification (top 3% of the industry), Oregon OCHI license #1898, and Washington DOL license #1856. Free thermal imaging is included on every inspection.
