Know what's underground before you close.
A sewer replacement runs $10,000–$40,000, the seller's disclosure won't mention it, and your home inspector can't see underground. One scope inside your contingency window changes everything about that math.
Buying in Sandpoint? The city requires a SLIP lateral inspection before most sales — here's how that works.
The most expensive thing nobody looked at
Here's how Brad tells it, after four years inside a service plumbing company before founding Lateral Concepts in 2010: the backup calls always started the same way. "We just bought this house — the home inspector didn't say anything about this." Of course he didn't. He ran some water, flushed the toilets, and water can go anywhere. The structural condition of a sewer line is out of sight and out of mind — until it isn't.
A scope during your due-diligence period tells you the line's actual condition, what maintenance or repair it needs, and what that should cost — which becomes negotiating leverage while you still have some. And when the line is healthy, you close with peace of mind instead of a question mark under the yard.
Buying from out of state? A large share of our buyers are relocating from California, Washington, Oregon, and Colorado. You may never stand in that driveway before closing — our report, photos, and video stand in for you.
What your inspection includes
- ✓Full camera inspection of the lateral — house to the main or septic tank, with professional Ridgid equipment
- ✓We do the real work: pulling a toilet or freeing a seized cleanout cap when that's what access takes
- ✓Written report with photos, footage markers, NASSCO-standard defect coding, and honest recommendations
- ✓Full video delivered with the report
- ✓County septic permit records pulled and included where applicable — nobody else does this
- ✓Straight talk after the scope: what it means, what it should cost, what we'd do
What it costs: residential scopes start at $295 with the full report included. Exact number before we schedule — no surprises at the driveway.
Wary of the $89 "camera special"? You should be — those are run by repair companies, and that camera's job is to find them a repair. Pay a bit more the first time for a professional rather than having to call for a second opinion.
The scope vendor who won't blow up your deal — in either direction
On your contingency clock
Same-week scheduling, report delivered fast — because we know exactly what a 10-day inspection window feels like from your side of the table.
Reports built for the addendum
Defect, location, severity, footage marker — language you can drop straight into a repair negotiation. No vague alarmism, no soft-pedaling. Findings that survive scrutiny because we don't profit from them.
Calm at the driveway
Twenty years underground means your client gets a measured explanation on-site, not a scare story. When the line's fine, we say it's fine — and your transaction keeps moving.
Under contract? The clock's already running.
Call now and we'll work inside your contingency window.