Blue Palmetto Home Inspection's Commitment

Our commitment here at Blue Palmetto Home Inspection is to do the best possible job for our clients. We don’t rush through the inspection process or the report. We take our time to investigate every nook and cranny and check all the systems. Our objective is your peace of mind, not our bottom line. Aferwards you’ll have a greater understanding of the home you’re about to buy.

My Qualifications

I am a licensed Residential Builder and a licensed Home Inspector. I have over 35 years of continuous construction experience. I started my construction experience in 1980 framing houses. In 1985 I started my own construction company framing homes for many Charleston lowcountry builders. I became a residential builder in 1987 and later became a licensed home inspector. I probably framed close to a thousand homes and have practical hands on experience in almost every building trade. From staking out the building, digging the foundation to putting shingles on the roof, and almost everything between; I’ve done it. I’ve also supervised whole subdivisions right here in the Charleston area. I am an Internachi Certified home inspector. I have inspected over a thousand homes. That’s a lot of actual experience. I offer my unique perspective and insight in the hopes that it’ll help you make the right decisions on buying your home.

Choose Experience

Internachi Certified Inspector– We inspect all our home to the internachi and South Carolina standards of practice.
Licensed Home Inspector
Licensed Residential Builder
Wrote The Roof Framers Field Manual – A field book for roof framers.
Trained in Hydro Stop Waterproofing systems.
Master Roof Framer
Real practical work experience in almost every home building trade.
If it can be done safely I’ll walk the roof and crawl the crawlspace.
I am a EPA registered Lead Based Paint Renovator under the RRP rule. Required for contractors who want to work on homes built before 1978.
My blogs on my old website ( www.summerville-home-inspector.com ) has been educating people on a wide variety of inspection topics for years. Last year (2022) it got 35,000 visitors looking for information. I believe in previous years the traffic was probably double that. Eventually I’ll have to retire that website which is why I’m working on replacing it with this one which is more mobile friendly and secure.
This website is created by me (Ray Thornburg) with all original material (except where noted) and I’m the author of all the blogs. Unlike many other outfits out there nothing on this website has been written by AI, plagiarized, scrapped off the internet or compiled by third parties. Believe it or not I’ve seen some other inspector’s websites where even the sample reports were written by someone else. Shameful. I hope you appreciate the fact that I don’t put any annoying banners, popups or brainwashing musical tones in the background.
Since I’ve been keeping records I’ve taken the following continuing education and certifications. Note* That all Internachi courses are accredited.

I have passed the Internachi Standards of Practice exam.

I have passed the Internachi Home Inspector Safety exam.

I have passed the internachi 25 Standards for Home Inspectors exam.

I have passed the internachi plumbing inspection course and final exam.

I have passed the internachi electrical inspection course and final exam.

I have passed the internachi roofing inspection course and final exam.

I have passed the internachi hvac inspection course and final exam.

I have passed the internachi structural issues inspector course and final exam.

I have passed the internachi exterior inspection course and final exam.

I have passed the internachi attic, insulation, ventilation, interior spaces inspector course and its final exam.

I have passed the internachi deck inspection course and its final exam.

I have passed the internachi customer service and communication course and its final exam.

I have completed the internachi moisture intrusion course for home inspectors and passed its final exam.

I have completed the internachi wood destroying organisms course and passed its final exam.

I have completed the internachi mold inspection course and passed its final exam.

I have completed the internachi inspecting foundation walls and piers course and passed its final exam.

I have completed the internachi pool and spa inspection course and passed its final exam.

I have completed the internachi “advanced stucco and EIFS training course” and passed its final exam.

I have completed the internachi “inspecting water heater tanks” course and passed its final exam.

I have completed the internachi “advanced HVAC training for inspectors” course and passed its final exam.

I have completed the internachi EPA approved “lead safety for repair,renovation and painting” course and passed its final exam.

I have completed and passed the seimens residential electrical “load center” course and final exam..

I have completed and passed the seimens electrical “panelboards” course and exam.

I have completed and passed the internachi “inspecting septic systems” course and exam.

I have completed the internachi “inspecting chinese drywall” course and exam.

I have completed internachi’s “performing energy audits” courses and final exams.

I have passed the “exteriors inspections II” internachi course and final exam.

I have taken the internachi “advanced mold inspection training” class and passed its final exam.

I have passed the “performing wind mitigation inspections” training from internachi.

I have passed the “advanced inspection of crawl spaces” class from internachi.

I completed the “manufactured home inspection” internachi training and passed it’s final exam.

I have passed the”inspecting tile roofs” internachi traing program.

I have completed and passed the “inspecting metal roofs” training by internachi.

I have passed internachi’s” thermal imaging inspection”class.

I have completed ITC’s “TH45 thermography for home inspectors” and four other classes for thermal imaging.

I have completed and passed the “inspecting slate roofs” training by internachi.

I have completed the 8 hour classroom training for the epa lead safe practices for renovation, repair, and painting. I am an epa certified renovator (section 402 of TSCA only). Only an epa certified renovator can work on homes built before 1978 that have lead paint.

We are a certified by the EPA to conduct lead based paint activities under the rrp rule commonly known as an EPA lead safe certified firm.

I have completed and passed internachi’s electrical training course.

I have completed and passed internachi’s “indoor air quality for inspectors” training.

I have completed internachi’s “inspecting wood shakes and shingles course” and passed its final exam.

I have completed and passed internachi’s “appliance inspection training.

I’ve taken and passed internachi’s “inspecting portable fire extinguishers” course.

I have completed and passed the “inspecting fireplaces, chimneys, and stoves” training from internachi.

I have completed and passed internachi’s deck inspection program. I have built many, many decks.

I have taken and passed internachi’s “blower door training” course.

I have passed internachi’s 10 steps to performing a roof inspection” course.

I have passed the internachi wind and hail damage training course.

I have completed and passed the internachi “inspecting means of egress” training.

I have passed internachi’s “inspecting asphalt roofs” training course.

I have completed internachi’s “Inspecting HVAC Energy Efficiency” course.

I have completed “residential electrical inspection” continuing education training from jade learning.

I have passed the “System Grounding and Bonding” course offered by jade learning.

I have passed the “Equipment Grounding and Bonding” course offered by Jade learning.

I have passed internachi’s “Meth House Hazards and Remediation” course of study.

I have completed the internachi “General Roof Inspection” course and passed its final exam.

I have passed the internachi “Residential Structural Design for Home Inspectors” course.

I have completed and passed the internachi “Comfort and Climate for Home Inspectors” course.

I have completed and passed the internachi “Wind and Hail Property Damage Inspection” course.

I have completed and passed the internachi “How to Inspect Private Drinking Water Wells” course.

I have passed internachi’s code of ethics course.

I have completed and passed internachi’s “Lead Safe Work Practices” course and passed its final exam.

I have completed and passed internachi’s “How to inspect lawn irrigation systems” course.

I have passed the internachi “How to Perform a Tree Inspection” course.

I have completed the internachi “How to Perform Garage Inspections” couse and passed its final exam.

I have taken and passed the internachi “Inspecting Residential Pools” course.

I have passed the “Professionalism; Sales, Customer Service and Commmunication” course offered by internachi.

I have completed and passed the “Florida Mold Assessor & Remediation Course” from internachi.

I have passed the internachi “House as a System” course by internachi.

I have passed the internachi “General Plumbing Overview” plumbing course.

I have completed and passed internachi’s Healthy Homes Electrical part 11 course.

I have taken and passed Heathy Homes Rural Water Supply and Water Quality Course part 8.

I have passed the Advanced Electrical Training Video Course provided by internachi.

I have passed the Healthy Homes HVAC class provided by internachi.

I have passed the Health Homes Plumbing course provided by internachi.

I have passed the “Corrosion of Fasteners in Coastal Buildings” course provided by internachi.

I have passed the Healthy Homes Onsite Wastewater Treatment course offered by internachi.

I have completed and passed the Health Homes Part 4 Disease Vectors and Pests Course offered by Internachi.