Hearthstone Home Inspections

Specialties

We specialize in residential home inspections, along with radon testing and infrared thermal imaging where appropriate. Our inspections are known to be thorough and informative, and many Realtors recommend us to first-​time homeowners, and their own friends and family, for those reasons. Your Hearthstone inspector will nearly always go up on the roof, go into the attic, operate appliances, and explain how components work — even though those critical actions are not required in a home inspection and some inspectors do not do them. Your inspector regularly employs moisture meters, a gas detector, and a carbon monoxide monitor, even though those instruments are not required and some inspectors do not bother. Radon monitoring is an ancillary service for those who want to know if excessive radon is present in the home they are about to buy. The infrared camera is not appropriate for all inspections, but is available for some situations that defy visual observations. We take pride in being competent and professional, and treating our customers as if they were family.

History

Established in 2004.

Roger Kautz started Hearthstone Home Inspections, LLC after successful professional careers in the US Army and State Government. The business model is based on a desire to remain small enough to provide personalized service but large enough to give you a complete and competent home inspection. Since inception, the business has grown steadily, even through the housing recession. In 2014, when all Wisconsin home inspection businesses were audited and about ²⁄₃ were found non-​compliant, Hearthstone was one of the minority that passed with flying colors.

Meet the Business Owner

Roger K.

Business Owner

Roger is a full-​time Home Inspector. He has also been an Army Officer, state agency manager, pilot, and tree farmer. He is a church officer and has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. He is a lifelong Wisconsin resident (except for duties in the military and post-​hurricane work in Louisiana), and his wife and he have lived in Menomonee Falls since 1987.

His training came at the American Home Inspectors Training Institute, and he is a member of the Wisconsin Association of Home Inspectors and the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI), which has awarded him its highest certification. He has served as a mentor for several new inspectors.

His philosophy towards inspection is based on education and service. The inspection is your opportunity to learn as much as you want about your new home. And while it is clearly about bricks and shingles, the focus is also on the family who will be living there; and giving them the peace of mind to feel confident in owning this home.