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Put your mind at ease and have confidence in joining our team of expert home inspectors who will assist you every step of the way!  Learn from the very best in the industry.  Start making money today in your exclusive, protected territory.

Carson Dunlop is a registered private career college under the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005 and recognized across North America as the premier training provider of home inspection education. The Carson Dunlop Home Inspection Training Program is the product of 43 years of experience in the home inspection industry combined with leading educational design experts and an industry-leading online learning system.

The curriculum has been organized into courses that describe the materials used in the construction of each house system and how they are assembled. The program discusses what may go wrong as well as the causes and the implications of problems that are typically found as part of the inspection process. The program gives you clear direction concerning what to look for during an inspection: for example, signs of non-performance due to old age, deferred maintenance, weather damage, and poor workmanship. Further, the program discusses ways to address these issues and how to report your findings to your clients.

Program Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this program, you will be able to:

• Describe the leading systems and components of a house or housing unit, including roofing, structure, electrical, heating, air conditioning/heat pumps, plumbing, interiors and exteriors.
• Understand the function and operational principles of the systems and components in a residential housing unit.
• Identify common problems, failure modes and the life expectancies of various systems.
• Understand why problems occur, and the implications when system malfunctions or breaks down.
• Perform requisite home inspection activities and operational tests to meet industry standards of practice.
• Describe the home inspection process, communicate inspection findings to the client, and prepare a written report.

Roofing Course Outline

The Roofing Course covers both sloped and flat roof coverings. Detailed descriptions and illustrations help to explain problems, causes and implications for common roofing materials. It also goes into detail on how to inspect roofs and what to watch for.

• Steep Roofing
  • Asphalt, wood, slate, clay, concrete, fiber cement, metal
• Steep Roof Flashings
  • Valley, chimney, pipe or stack, roof/wall, hip and ridge, skylight and solarium, drip edge, dormer
• Flat Roofing
  • Built-up/tar and gravel, modified bitumen, synthetic rubber, plastic, metal, polyurethane foam
  • Flashings — perimeter, wall, parapet, chimney, skylight, stack or pipe, roof drain

Structure Course Outline

In the Structure Course, all of the structural elements of a building from the footings and foundations to the floor, wall and roof assemblies are addressed in detail. Elements of good construction are illustrated, along with common failure modes and how to identify them.

• Footings and Foundations
  • Functions
  • Basements, crawlspaces, slab on grade
  • Footing and foundation types and problems
• Floors
  • Sills, columns, beams, joists, engineered wood, subflooring, concrete
• Wall Systems
  • Solid masonry, wood frame, masonry veneer, arches and lintels
• Roof Framing
  • Rafters, roof joists, ceiling joists
  • Collar ties, knee walls, purlins
  • Trusses, engineered wood, roof sheathing
  • Seismic and wind resistance

Electrical Course Outline

This Electrical Course starts with a description of house electricity and develops an understanding of the basics. The Course moves on to address getting electricity into the house and distributing it safely to its end-use points including switches, lights and receptacles.

• Service Drop
  • Service entrance wires, service size
• Service Box
  • Service equipment or service panel
  • System grounding
• Distribution System
  • Distribution panel, branch circuit wiring, lights, outlets, switches, junction boxes

Heating I Course Outline

The Heating I Course provides an introduction to residential heating systems, starting with a description of various fuels. The Course then focuses on the different types of furnaces and boilers. Students will get detailed instructions on operational tests, common failure modes and life expectancies of various systems are covered.

• Furnaces — Gas, Oil
  • Meter, piping, tank, combustion air, burner, heat exchanger, controls, thermostat, venting system
  • Distribution systems — ductwork, registers, grills, filter, air cleaner, humidifier, radiant heating system
  • Furnaces — conventional, mid-efficiency, high efficiency/condensing
  • Combination heating systems
• Hot Water Boilers
  • Heat exchangers, controls, distribution systems, combination systems, mid- and high-efficiency boilers

Heating II Course Outline

Heating II Course continues with a focus on chimneys, wood heating, fireplaces, steam heating, electric heating systems and space heaters.

Each topic starts with a description of how the system works. Heating Course II concentrates on inspection strategies, test procedures and problem identification.

• Chimneys
  • Masonry chimneys, metal chimneys or vents
• Wood Heating
  • Furnaces, boilers, wood stoves, fireplaces
• Steam Heating
  • Basics, common system types, controls
• Electric Heating
  • Space heaters, furnaces, boilers, radiant heating
• Wall and Floor Furnaces
  • Wall furnaces, floor furnaces, room heaters, gas fireplaces, gas log

Air Conditioning & Heat Pumps Course Outline

In our Air Conditioning & Heat Pumps Course, complex mechanical systems are broken down into simple components. Starting with basic principles of operation and building on an understanding, considerable detail is provided on how these systems fail.

Air Conditioning Systems

• • Capacity, compressor, condenser, evaporator, condensate system, refrigerator lines, condenser fan, evaporator fan, distribution system, controls/thermostat, life expectancy
  • Evaporative coolers
• Heat Pump Systems
  • Concept, operation, coefficient of performance, sizing, defrost, backup, geothermal

Plumbing Course Outline

The Plumbing Course is broken into four parts — supply piping, water heaters, waste piping, and plumbing fixtures. The physics of water is covered at the beginning in a simple, common-sense way.

You will also learn how systems work and common failure modes.

Supply Plumbing

• • Private water sources, public water service, supply piping in-house — materials
• Water Heaters
  • Fuel supply, meter, gas piping, combustion air, burner, venting systems
  • Conventional, high-efficiency, combination, tankless
• Drain, Waste and Vent Plumbing
  • Public, private waste disposal
  • Piping, traps, floor drains, vents, sewage ejector pump, sump pump
• Fixtures and Faucets
  • Basins, sinks, laundry tub, faucets, toilets, bidets, bathtubs, tub and shower enclosures, shower stalls, whirlpool baths

Exterior Course Outline

The Exterior Course covers retaining walls, grounds, window wells, lot grading, driveways, patios, walkways, decks, balconies, stoops and steps, porches, railings, wall cladding, flashing trim, eaves, soffits, fascia, as well as exterior doors and windows.

You will learn to describe the exterior wall covering and inspect all aspects of the exterior named above.

• Architectural Styles
  • Building shapes and details, architectural categories, specific house styles
• Exterior Cladding
  • Basics, brick, stone, concrete, stucco, wood, wood-based materials, metal, vinyl, fiber cement, clay, slate, asphalt
  • Soffits and fascia, windows and doors, trim, flashings and caulking
• Exterior Structures
  • Porches, decks, balconies, garages, carports, basement walkouts
• Surface Water Control
  • Lot grading, gutters and downspouts, window wells, walkways, driveways and grounds, retaining walls

Insulation & Interiors Course Outline

In the Insulation & Interiors Course, you will learn to inspect thermal insulation, vapour barrier and ventilation systems. You will also learn how to inspect interior elements of homes such as walls, ceilings, floors, basements, doors, windows, interior stairs/railings, countertops and cabinets, and garage doors/door operators.

• Insulation and Ventilation
  • How heat moves, controlling heat flow, controlling moisture flow, building envelope issues
  • Insulation types, air/vapour barrier
  • Attics, flat and cathedral roofs, walls above grade, basements and crawlspaces, floors over unheated areas
  • Venting roof spaces, venting living spaces
• Interiors
  • Floors, walls, ceilings, trim, counters and cabinets, stairs, windows, skylights and solariums, doors
  • Wet basements and crawlspaces

Communication & Professional Practice Course Outline

Home Inspectors are required, both verbally and in writing, to describe the inspection process and communicate inspection findings to the client. It is important that home inspectors communicate clearly and effectively to ensure that clients understand the inspection results and the report.

In this Course, students develop their oral and written communication skills, and learn the reporting requirements and proper conduct for a professional home inspector.

• Communication
  • Verbal
  • Report writing
  • Risk management, resolving complaints
• Professional Practice
  • Standards
  • Best practices
  • Vehicles, clothes, tools, client types
  • Inspection process
  • Real estate transaction

With 25 years as a home inspector and 15 years as a Program Coordinator and instructor of the Carson Dunlop Training Program at Seneca College in Ontario Canada, Mr. Green brings invaluable first-hand in-field experience and teaching knowledge to the program. Throughout his years in the profession, he has accumulated an extensive resume of involvement with the industry’s leading groups including –

• Past President of the OAHI – 4 terms
• Vice President/Director of OAHI
• Board of Examiners – Committee Member
• Discipline & Professional Practices Committee
• National Conference Committee: Chairman and Member
• Recipient of President’s Award – OAHI
• Recipient of President’s Award CAHPI-National
• Recipient of Board of Directors Award – OAHI