We provide consulting services, counsel, and advice by the hour. Residential construction sometimes goes south, but we can help get your project back on track!

Our expertise comes from decades in the business, $50 million of remodeling experience, and making - and fixing - countless mistakes, all the while learning along the way. This helps inform us as we navigate your unique situation from an unbiased perspective. 

John Skolfield and Anthony Rizzo see and understand a great deal in this field, and we're happy to help in a variety of ways. For general consulting our fee is $255 per hour with our focus on rapid and successful resolution. 

Conflict resolution

Let us help achieve an agreeable solution between you and your contractor. We will listen to both parties' positions and review everything, contract included, to arrive at a roadmap that brings everyone together on the same page if possible. In most cases there’s no charge for an initial meeting with you, the client.  If we’re engaged we’ll start with a comprehensive analysis of the site conditions, contract, and any change orders, communications, etc. When appropriate a one on one meeting with your contractor  can help to start charting a path to get your home or project properly finished, or it can lead to a recommendation from us to sever the relationship.  Either way, a third part expert opinion is very often what is needed.

Pre-purchase review

Our pre-purchase review does not replace a home inspection, but it does offer you an in-depth look at the total cost of projects needed to get your potential new home into great shape.  We often share that the likely cost exceeds what you hope it will be.  Unwelcome news perhaps if you love the home but critical data nonetheless to help you make the best decisions.  Often a small price to pay. Generally, the charge for this is $250.00.

Expert witness work

Our expertise is focused exclusively on single-family residential construction.   We can provide support in conflicts reaching litigation that demand expert witness assistance in any capacity from discovery through deposition into a trial as necessary.

Home addition feasibility analysis

Is an addition to your home a practical next step? Let us help you find out! We'll consider building department questions like FAR, or floor-area ration, impervious surface allowances, height limitations, front, side and rear setbacks, rainwater retention and much more. We will also help outline probable costs so that you can make an informed decision. Generally, the charge for this is $250.00.

Water intrusion assessment

Old siding, uninsulated stud walls, paired with maximum ventilation, in the past, these characteristics caused homes to leak like a sieve. Over time, homes have been re-designed to be tight as a drum. Thus issues arose relating to construction technology and systems maintenance, causing homes to be more demanding in terms of upkeep, than the homes of yesteryear related to elevated humidity levels and microbial growth. Ideally. Under 50% humidity issues of mold, dust mites and general discomfort rarely exist. The temperature does not always determine the comfort in your home. You can be equally comfortable in a seventy-six degree house with seventy percent humidity as in a seventy-eight degree house with forty-five percent humidity.

Moisture typically enters the home via:

A roof leak: Roof leaks usually occur at the point where roofing connects with a wall or valley, or seeps through an air/exhaust vent. Roof cement or caulking is the go-to for a quick solution but rarely the proper way to correct the problem long term. line leaks can occur. A trim nail unintentionally compromising the pipe due to poor molding installation is one cause. Interestingly a squirrel or rodent will often eat the lead around a pipe that goes to the roof, altering the integrity of the pipe

A water supply line leak: A leak in your water supply can be easily determined by inspecting the leak detector attached to your water meter, typically under a panel near the curb. If a leak is detected a small red triangle will indicate a low flow, or the movement of a digital meter. To test one has to be sure all water outlets are turned off and no toilets are running. Also, keep in mind some homes have two meters, one for the irrigation and one for your homes water supply

A waste line leak: Although rare, waste line leaks are harder to detect and to diagnose although the intermittent nature of failures here offer clues.

Supply line between tub spout to shower head: This is another rare, yet detrimental, occurrence in terms of leakages. If there is a leak inside of your shower wall, each time the shower is used water may be spraying the wall cavity. Although it is difficult to detect initially, as little as ten minutes a day could cause the wall cavity to be consistently soaked and to grow mold.

Window leaks: Our team extensive experience in determining window leaks. A water intrusion test is required to determine a window leak, this test is outlined below. There are many less expensive shortcuts builders use when installing windows. This can save a builder $100 per opening and perform fine for several years before a very expensive repair or replacement is needed. In years past most homes had deep overhangs. This protective architectural element has been receding, literally and figuratively, to the detriment of the homeowner.

Air conditioner condensation: A properly installed air conditioning system in the attic includes a pan built into the unit and a secondary pan underneath to catch any failure or overflow from the primary pan. Ideally both plans have have sensors that can shut off the system if if full and not draining as designed. A leak can occur when one or both of these condensation pans fail and overflow.

Bulk rain water: During times of heavy rainfall, a poor gutter system and/or incorrect grading can could cause water damage to the home.

Skolfield Services provides a multi-step system to detect and diagnose water leakages in most residential buildings. We use the following tools:

Over thirty combined years of experience chasing water in older homes.

An advanced Flier Infrared thermal detection tool giving us general readings of moisture

A surface moisture detector that can detect surface and near surface moisture

A pin type moisture detector for wood flooring. This device can be pined into a wood floor and provide moisture reading as well as driven into the cracks between boards to get a reading on the sub-floor.

While testing for a roof leak the most effective approach is to spray the roof with water at the lowest possible level for ten to fifteen minutes while simultaneously monitoring the interior with one or more of the tools listed above. If a moisture or a thermal anomaly does not occur, we usually begin to respray the roof at a slightly higher level and repeat the testing on the interior. Once the leak can be clearly isolated dyes can be injected into different areas suspect areas with more water. This helps us pinpoint the exact location of the leak.