Hello and welcome to TimberSill!
My name is Arie, and I am a licensed home inspector in Virginia and Maryland. (VA #3380001262 and MD #33489).
I created this website (formerly Home Inspector Secrets) to help homeowners understand how their homes work including maintenance, renovations, safety issues, inspection tips, and more.
Why Did I Create TimberSill?
After performing countless home inspections, I realized that providing an authoritative resource for homeowners would save a lot of headaches — especially for new owners.
Whether it is a guide on furnace maintenance, cleaning your gutters, or the best bathroom exhaust fan, this website will have you covered.
The Start of My Home Inspecting Journey…
I’ll never forget the first home inspections that I attended — as a lowly apprentice.
The veteran home inspector, my “mentor,” named Joe, was a licensed inspector and an ex-Marine.
Throughout these first inspections, he showed me how the viewpoint of an inspector differs from that of a contractor. With home inspections, he told me “we look at the home as a total system — how it all works together.”
Houses Are Complex Systems
Home inspectors look at houses differently than contractors. Contractors tend to specialize in certain areas such as carpentry, roofing or electrical work.
But as home inspectors, we need a general knowledge of every aspect of homes. We aren’t considered experts but are actually generalists who have a broad range of knowledge.
For example, poor exterior landscaping may be more than just an eyesore. Landscaping that is sloped incorrectly can channel water into a basement. And this water can cause foundation damage (structural), mold growth in a furnace (HVAC), and even start a fire (electrical).
While a landscaping contractor may focus just on the grading (the slope of the lot), a home inspector will look at all of the potential problems that may result.
With something as complicated as houses — everything is connected!
Here I am testing for gas leaks in a furnace.
Fast Forward To Today…
TimberSill is dedicated to providing quality education on home-maintenance, inspections, home-improvement, and building science.
Avoid Major Maintenance Mistakes
There are major mistakes that homeowners can make that may cost thousands of dollars, threaten the value of the home, place a family in danger, and maybe even jeopardize a home’s pending or future sale.
I have seen many real estate contracts fall apart because the homeowner didn’t maintain certain items—even small things that left a bad taste in the buyer’s mouths like a rotted window sill.
My goal is to help homeowners understand that good home maintenance involves viewing your house as a whole system and improving the quality of the home ownership experience.
So let’s get started!
Yours truly,
Arie Van Tuijl
