|
|
GENERAL OVERVIEW
Military
I joined the US Navy in 1986 after high school and went to “A” school to be an Engineering Aide in the Naval Mobile Construction Battalions, otherwise known as the “Seabees”. (See “The Fighting Seabees” with John Wayne, 1944). I spent 8 years the reserves and received a Meritorious Service Award and was Honorably Discharged in 1994.
Education
I attended the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, School of Architecture and Urban Planning and graduated with a BSAS with Honors in 1991.
Experience
I have more than 25 years experience in the residential and commercial construction industry. After earning my degree in Architecture, I worked as a carpenter apprentice for about 2 years to get some “hands on” experience of building a home.
Then I designed remodels, additions, and custom homes for nearly 10 years for several remodeling companies. Later as a Project Manager and Site Superintendent for residential and commercial contractors, I worked closely with many contractors for issues such as electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems, gaining valuable knowledge along the way.
I also learned more about how a home is put together by selling windows, doors, cabinetry, and millwork to contractors and builders for several building material suppliers.
My time in the fire and water restoration industry provided me the best training to become a home inspector. For 8 years I worked as an Estimator, Project Manager, and Production Manager learning how to recognize damage to a home, determine it’s cause, and make the proper repairs.
For a short time just before I became a home inspector I worked as an independent sub-contractor for a large property management company where I rehabbed apartments after tenants moved out. I did everything from cleaning and painting to minor electrical and plumbing work, replacing flooring, cabinetry, and millwork.
Inspecting
I first met Tom Feiza in 2008 or 2009 while working for a restoration contractor. I kept in touch with Tom over the next few years, seeing him at home shows and other seminars where he was speaking. In late 2013, about 6 months after I had started my own home inspection business, I ran into Tom at a WAHI (Wisconsin Association of Home Inspectors) training seminar. He was happy to see that I had become a licensed inspector. Tom told me that he had been talking with a few inspectors in the area to see if he could form a business relationship with one of them as a mentor and eventually sell his business. In September 2014 Tom and I signed a professional agreement and I began working directly with Tom. I went on quite a few inspections with him and he went on inspections with me to train me to be a better inspector and to make sure he felt comfortable referring me to his past customers when he wasn't available. Tom has become a mentor to me and is a great resource if I have a question about anything that I haven't seen before, because he probably has. I'm looking forward to working with him and learning much more in the coming years.
Tom has also raised my interest in construction defect consulting by recommending me to several local prominent attorneys to do construction consulting work. In 2018 I earned my Certified EIFS Inspector designation from EDI (Exterior Design Institute). I look to continue my education in this field to offer more services to a wider range of customers.
When I’m not inspecting, I enjoy spending time with my family. My wife Connie and I and our two sons Will and Cal enjoy traveling (we have been to 49 of the 50 states - only Hawaii left), riding on our boat in lake country, and just hanging out at our home in Oconomowoc. I am also an avid sailor, having spent many weekends during college and my early 20’s racing on Lake Michigan.
