The Building Inspector Who Loves Your Home

Know who is inspecting your investment

Odds are, you’ve met Dennis Parra in your own home, or his son, or his two grandsons, all of whom are certified and have made Parra Building Consultants Inc. the most experienced building inspection crew in San Diego.

And if you haven’t met the Parras, you’ll want to the next time you’re buying a house, a commercial or industrial property, or thinking about some repair or retrofit work. With 22,000 inspections under his belt, you won’t find a more knowledgeable building inspector than 74-year-old Parra. He likes to call it longevity

A resident of Burlingame, Parra grew up in the neighborhood, attending Our Lady of Angels in Golden Hill and then St. Augustine High School in North Park before earning degrees from San Diego City College and National University. He worked for SDG&E for 20 years, opening its first energy information office and energy conservation department. He owned the Energy Store at 32nd and G Street 30 years ago alongside his father’s Parra & Sons Construction. “I was green before anyone knew what that meant,” Parra chuckles. “We used to retrofit for weatherization, install solar panels, windows, all insulation, roofing and waterproofing; we’d make the whole house suitable for saving energy and money. We could prove the payback way back then.”

Nowadays, Parra, his son Dennis II and two grandsons busy themselves mostly with home inspections. They are experts in structural integrity, electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, all forms of water proofing, roofing and windows. Waterfront San Diegans are always wrestling with moisture problems, but in the 80-to-120-year-old neighborhoods south, east and north of Balboa Park, homeowners have some special challenges.

“We call it the North Park syndrome when the foundations are falling apart,” says Parra. “You have to be real careful. You can’t miss the problems, and of course, there are foundation repair people who charge quite a bit. We try to direct homeowners to a good contractor. We don’t believe in hiring a handyman or someone who isn’t an expert. “Something we’re always thinking about is not only the buyer’s purchase, but we’re thinking down the line to when they sell. The next inspection may find a problem, so we need to find anything the first time around.” It’s good to keep Realtors informed, too, says Parra.

Most of Parra’s work concludes well, but not everything has a happy ending. He was one of the last to inspect the historic Villa Montezuma in Golden Hill before it was closed for lack of funds to repair. “The foundation was so bad,” says Parra. “The roof was horrendous.” And he’s not one to tell a customer what he wants to hear. Parra is a longtime member of the Historical Society of San Diego and the Save Our Heritage Organisation.

He’s also inspected the Hotel Del Coronado, the Del Mar Castle and nearly every old building in the Gaslamp Quarter. Professional stomping (or crawling) grounds include old homes in Mission Hills, Point Loma, La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe. A history buff, Parra and his wife have toured 50 states and capitals, and the childhood homes of most U.S. Presidents and quite a few European castles.

As licensed general contractors, the Parra Building Consultants Inc. crew must keep up with continuing education requirements. “We have to keep our knowledge up and know the building code,” says Parra. “We have to know function, but the code is a really good safety standard to follow when we’re looking at a structure.”

Dennis Parra is an affable lecturer at colleges, schools and planning groups. Parra is a member of the California Real Estate Inspection Association, American Society of Home Inspectors, Forensic Consultants Association, Roofing Waterproofing & Building Envelope Professionals, Roofing Contractors Association, Construction Specification Institute, International Conference of Building Officials and the distinguished Executives Association of San Diego. But who’s counting?

Check out parrabuildingconsult.com or contact Dennis or Dennis II at (619) 232-1100. And you too can help prevent the elder Parra from retiring. “I never want to stop working,” he says. “I love inspecting homes. We pretend we’re buying the homes ourselves and our kids are going to take it over. We get so attached to a property, we love it.” .

Parra Building Consultants Inc.
3127 Kalmia St.
San Diego, CA 92104