They Say, ‘Do What You Love’ – I Love What I Do!

In 2001, my aunt was in the process of buying a house to rent as an income property. After the home inspection, she invited me to go with her to review the house. Once there, I said, “Did your home inspector mention this? Did your home inspector mention that?” My aunt replied sarcastically, “If you know so much, why don’t you become a home inspector?” Which got me thinking, “Why don’t I become a building inspector?” The next day, I called the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors (CAHPI[BC]), and they suggested I contact Rose Marie Moore, a home inspector in Vancouver, BC, and co-owner of an all-women inspection company. Rose Marie was passionate about the building inspection industry and, after a long discussion, she asked if I’d like to join her on an inspection. It was an easy “yes.”

I’ll never forget getting ready to attend my first inspection. I was staying at my sister’s home in Vancouver, and it was September 11, 2001. As I was lacing up my boots, I watched the shocking news of the day and I felt overwhelmed, confused and unsure if I should even attend the inspection. Fortunately, I pushed forward and that day led me to pursue a career in building inspections.

After attending a few more inspections with Rose Marie, she and her partner asked me to join the team! I worked with them for a few years and then started my own business, Avalanche Building Inspectors. I haven’t looked back.

Before this adventure, I’d worked as a Certified Architectural and Structural Draftsman. I found the transition to becoming a home inspector fairly easy. With support and encouragement from Rose Marie, I took all the exams for CAHPI in one day and passed. After many years in the field, I taught the home inspection pro- gram at Douglas College and, in addition to that, I also obtained my Wood Energy Technician Certification and Sustainable Energy Manager Advanced Certificate. 

 As they say, “do what you love,” and I love what I do. I’m interested in how structures are built and how to take care of them. No matter where I go, I’m always looking at buildings and studying them, and my travels have taken me across Canada and the world to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Tahiti. Along the way, my family and friends have enjoyed hearing about the challenging and interesting experiences I’ve had. Here are some examples: 

• Once, when entering the attic of a 100-year-old garage, I noticed some eyes coming at me. I slid down the ladder to escape when a large raccoon appeared, and then another, as they examined my abandoned tool bag I left at the bottom of the attic entrance. They were very interested in my expensive moisture meter, so I jumped at them and tried to shoo them away. They stared and hissed and chased me down the driveway to my car.

• When the captain of our local NHL team, the Canucks, hired me, my nephew asked if I got an autograph. I said, “Yes, he signed the contract!”

• One inspection involved a large building with 75 suites. Each tenant was told about the inspection, but some forgot I was coming and some units had “interesting” décor. One unit featured nude pictures of the tenant in every room (yes, every room), with a large display in the living room. Also, this building was having issues with the exposed walkways, so the management installed temporary timber shoring to help hold up parts of it. The managers asked me if I could find out why some of the shoring was missing. Well, it didn’t take long to find out why! One of the tenants had made a four-poster bed with the timbers and attached chains to the timber posts. Once I observed the whips and chains displayed on the walls in the bedroom, I was out of there pretty quickly! Needless to say, I was able to solve the mystery of the missing timbers.

Just by being a woman, I think I tend to pay more attention to details. But once, when inspecting a group of 100-year-old cabins, the owner and his dad attended the inspection. The older gentleman asked, very loudly, “When is the inspector showing up?” His adult son looked embarrassed and explained that I was the inspector. It took a while for that to sink in, but once he understood, I walked both of them through my findings.

What’s next for me? I’ll continue working, traveling, meeting new people and enjoying educating people about the wonderful world of building structures and the systems of the building.