Ed settled in Syracuse and went on to create a painting company with up to 15 employees; this grew to include a remodeling and construction operation. Working alongside excavators, masons, framers, plumbers, electricians, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) contractors, roofers, sheet rockers, trim carpenters, floor men, painters, and landscapers, Ed has been involved in all phases of residential maintenance, renovation, and construction. A deck that he designed and built for his own home appears in the Fine Homebuilding Press book on how to build a deck.

Along with a business partner of some 25 years, Ed has invested in and maintains about 20 one- and two-family rental properties. This enterprise in itself has been an extraordinary education in how houses work, as well as in how they can fail both on their own and as a consequence of human behavior.

For the past several years Ed has been involved in the building performance industry, studying the interaction of structures, people, and mechanical systems. Building performance specialists are much like personal trainers for houses: they prescribe improvements that fine tune the house. He had the experience of working for a prominent Syracuse firm in this field, and he diagnosed and prescribed corrections for performance problems in hundreds of houses.

He earned certification from The Building Performance Institute in both “shell”—the envelope of the house--and HVAC. He is also certified by New York State to work with builders who wish to earn the Energy Star label for new homes, and he has conducted sessions in building performance testing for the national training organization, Affordable Comfort. He is a member of The Building Performance Contractor’s Association of New York State. His special interests include home energy as it relates to safety, comfort, and efficiency. Ed is actively working to form stronger links between the home inspection industry and the building performance industry on the state and national levels.

Tom Sherman has devoted many hours in the field to training Ed in the specifics and subtleties of home inspection. It is their hope to provide the clients of Absolute Home Inspection with the highest-quality service. Ed has completed all the requirements and is now proud to be a full Member of the American Society of Home Inspectors.