Radon testing

You cannot see radon, smell it, or taste it. A measurement is the only way to know what is in your house, and the number matters more than anyone's opinion about your neighbourhood.

What we actually do

We place a continuous radon monitor in the lowest level of the home that someone lives in or could live in — a finished basement counts, and so does an unfinished one you are thinking of finishing. The monitor samples on a schedule rather than averaging blindly across the whole test, which means we can see whether something unusual happened partway through.

Closed-house conditions matter. Windows and exterior doors stay shut for the test except for normal entry and exit, because an open window during a radon test produces a comfortingly low number that tells you nothing about how the house behaves the rest of the year.

What you get

• A dated report with the measured result, the test period, and the device used
• A clear statement of whether the result is at or above the EPA action level of 4.0 pCi/L
• If it is high: a scope and a price for fixing it, from the same visit
• If it is not: that, in writing, with no upsell attached

Testing during a home sale

Most radon tests happen on a closing clock, inside an inspection contingency. That changes the priority from thoroughness to turnaround. If you are a buyer, order the test early in the contingency window rather than at the end of it — a high result means a negotiation, and a negotiation takes days you will not have if the result lands the afternoon before the deadline.

If you work in the trade yourself, we also partner with home inspectors and agents who need a radon vendor on file. If you are the seller and the result came back high, a mitigation system is a bounded, quotable repair with a documented outcome. That is a far easier conversation than an open-ended one, and it is one of the few inspection findings that can be fully closed out before closing.

How often to retest

Retest every couple of years, and again after any work that changes how air moves through the house — a new furnace, new windows, a finished basement, or foundation work. If you already have a mitigation system, retest on the same schedule to confirm the fan is still doing its job.

Short-term and long-term tests

Short-term tests run a few days and are what real estate timelines require. Long-term tests run ninety days or more and give a better picture of your annual average, because radon rises in winter when the house is closed up and the stack effect is strongest. If you are not under a deadline, a long-term test is the more honest number.