Pre-Purchase Home Inspection
A top-to-bottom look before you buy, so there are no surprises after closing. You get a clear, photo-backed report you can act on.
Protect your investment. Know what you're buying.
Know what you're buying — before you buy it.
Fast, clear property inspections for cottages, lake homes, and houses across Northwestern Ontario. Real trades expertise, modern documentation, and a report you can actually use — often same-day.
Often same-day reports
Serving Lake of the Woods & Northwestern Ontario
KenoraSioux LookoutFort FrancesRed LakeThunder Bay
What we do
Inspections built for cottage country
From pre-purchase peace of mind to boat-access properties most inspectors won't travel to — here's how we help you buy, sell, and maintain with confidence.
Cottage & Seasonal Property Inspection
Built for lake places: we check the things that actually fail up here — foundations, roofs, water systems, and winterization.
Remote & Island Property Inspection
Boat-access or off-grid? We're set up to get there and inspect properties most inspectors won't travel to.
Drone & 360° Documentation
Roofs, shorelines, and tall structures captured by drone, plus full 360° room-by-room photos so you can revisit every space later.
Pre-Listing / Seller's Inspection
Selling? Find the issues first, fix what matters, and walk into offers with a clean, documented report in hand.
Maintenance & Trades Walk-Through
A practical once-over of a place you already own, with a straight-talk list of what to fix now versus what can wait.
For executors, families & lawyers
Estate & Probate Property Reports
Settling an estate? We document a property's visible condition clearly and impartially — so executors, families, and their lawyers can make decisions about repair, sale, or probate with the facts in hand.
- A clear, photo-backed record of condition as of the inspection date
- Plain-English findings an executor or lawyer can actually use
- Repair priorities organized — what matters now versus later
- A tidy, shareable file to help ready the property for sale
Estate reports are condition documentation — not legal opinions, appraisals, engineering reports, or court evidence.
See how estate reports work →
The difference
Why people call us
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Clear reports, often same-day.
Plain-English findings with photos — not a 40-page PDF you'll never read. You'll know what matters and what it means.
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Drone + 360° documentation.
We get eyes on roofs, shorelines, and hard angles by drone, and capture every room in 360° so you can walk the property again anytime.
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Real trades expertise.
This is run by working tradespeople — carpentry and masonry/restoration in-house — so we know the difference between a cosmetic crack and a real problem.
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We can connect you to trusted local trades.
Found something? We can point you to vetted local trades to get it fixed — no scrambling to find someone you can trust.
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Comfortable with hard-to-reach properties.
Island, boat-access, off-grid, end-of-the-road — remote doesn't scare us. We come prepared.
Simple from start to finish
How it works
Four steps from first call to a report you can use — and help getting the work done.
Book
Call, email, or send a request. Tell us the property and how to reach it (including water access).
Inspect
We show up prepared and go through the property top to bottom, documenting with photos, drone, and 360° capture.
Get your report
You receive a clear, plain-English report — often same-day — covering what we found and what it means.
Connect to fixes
Need work done? We can connect you with trusted local trades to handle the repairs.
Our reporting system
Every inspection runs on ShieldFile
ShieldFile is our own inspection-and-reporting system. It turns what we find on site — notes, photos, drone and 360° captures — into a clear, professional report you can actually use, often the same day.
Clear, fast write-ups
Plain-English findings, organized by area and severity — not a 40-page PDF you'll never read. Often the same day.
Photo, drone & 360° evidence
Every finding is backed by real images, built right into the report — so you see exactly what we saw.
Secure & shareable
Get a private link to send your report to a lawyer, realtor, or a trusted trade for a quote — and we can turn access off any time.
Who we are
A small crew who knows these buildings
Canadian Shield Property Inspections is a small Northwestern Ontario crew of working tradespeople who got tired of seeing people buy cottages and homes without really knowing what they were getting into. We inspect the way we'd want our own family's purchase inspected — thorough, honest, and explained in plain language. We know this country, we know these buildings, and we know who to call when something needs fixing.
Photo: Benjamin on a job site
Benjamin Babo
Founder · Systems & Trades Advisor
Journeyman carpenter. Leads operations, report systems, documentation workflow, estimates, and client support.
Journeyman Carpenter
Photo: Dylan doing masonry / restoration work
Dylan Kress
Masonry & Restoration
Partner and our stone, chimney, and restoration expert — years of hands-on restoration work.
15+ Years Masonry & Restoration
Photo: Josh on a roof inspection
Josh Smolak
Home Inspector & Field Operations
The face you'll meet on site, handling inspections and field work. Currently completing InterNACHI home-inspector certification.
Completing InterNACHI certification
Reviews
Real reviews, coming soon
Pilot reports in progress. Real client feedback will be added once available.
Good questions
Frequently asked
Do I need an inspection on a cottage or remote property?
Honestly, those are the ones that need it most. Lake and remote places take a beating from weather, water, and freeze-thaw, and small problems hide for years. An inspection tells you what you're really buying before you're stuck with it.
Are you certified / licensed?
Ontario doesn't have a government home-inspector licence, so nobody here can claim one. What we bring is real trades experience, and Josh is currently completing his InterNACHI home-inspector certification. We'll always be straight with you about our qualifications.
How fast do I get my report?
Usually the same day, often the same evening. Turnaround depends on the size and access of the property, and we'll give you a timeline up front.
Can you help me get the problems fixed?
Yes — we can connect you with trusted local trades to handle repairs. We don't hide the bad news; we help you deal with it.
What does the inspection cover — and what are its limits?
Our inspections are visual, non-invasive assessments of accessible systems and components. They are not warranties, appraisals, engineering reports, code-compliance inspections, or legal opinions. We document what we can see and reach on the inspection date, and we tell you straight what we couldn't access.
Do you also do the repairs you find?
If we identify repairs and also offer repair coordination or contractor referrals, we disclose that clearly. You choose whether to use our recommended trades, your own contractor, or no contractor at all — no pressure, no obligation.
Buying up here? Don't guess. Know.
Book a clear, fast inspection from a crew that actually knows these buildings.
Book an Inspection
or call (204) 894-6943