John McComas is a licensed General 'B' Contractor in the State of California (540953). Prior to beginning his profession as a building inspector more than 29 years ago, John worked as a remodeling contractor, solar design and installation contractor, and was in the construction trades for more than seven years.
Following three years in the US Navy during the Vietnam era, and seven and one-half years as a firefighter and fire engineer for the City of Santa Barbara, John traveled extensively through all but one of the Central American countries as far south as Costa Rica, before returning to U.C. Santa Cruz to pursue formal education in Environmental Planning.
Prior to, and during the time he worked for a planning organization in the Central Sierra Foothills, John trained as a white water guide. He rafted both commercially and privately for many years and volunteered for an organization that provides outdoor adventures for disabled and disadvantaged youth and adults (ETC).
John resides in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Region with his life partner and companion, and plays with his two grandsons as often as he can. His loyal pet Sasquatch ('Bigfoot') is a polydactile yellow tabby that has John well trained, and mostly covered with cat hair.
Paul Barraza has been performing home inspections since 2007 after completing the Residential Inspection course from respected Inspection Training Associates in 2006. While completing the course, he caught the attention of John McComas, one of the instructors, which served as a spring board to start an apprenticeship under one of the most well respected home inspectors in the Bay Area. Paul is an ASHI Certified Inspector, as of September 2011.
After high school, Paul left California to attend Oregon State University, where he earned a B.S. in Forestry Management in 1996. It was at OSU that he discovered his love of rock climbing and began his frequent weekend trips to Smith Rock, in central Oregon. After graduation, Paul began working for Hornblower Cruises and Events between climbing trips. Eventually, he gained enough sea time to earn his 100-ton inland captain's license.
Eventually, his passion for climbing culminated in a two and a half year road trip around North America in his trusty (rusty) Volkswagen Westfalia. After the road trip Paul started working for the climbing gym Berkeley Ironworks, where he eventually worked his way up to General Manager – overseeing one of the largest climbing and fitness facilities in the U.S. Over the years he has climbed many test pieces, including 5.13 sport routes, v13 boulder problems and even the 3000' tall El Capitan in Yosemite.
Paul grew up in a 1936 Colonial Revival home in Kensington, CA, was an active member of Troop 100, eventually earning the Eagle Scout Award and currently lives with his wife and step son in a 1916 Craftsman in Berkeley. When he is not inspecting or rock climbing, he can be found working on his "fixer-upper".
