Ar_home_b_search
 



connecticut ct home inspectors: Assessed or Condemned - 03/13/12 04:42 AM
So much in life is open to interpretation. We are all individuals and the color of the sky may be just a bit different in your world than it is mine. Our differences make us unique and give life a beautiful twist. What a dull world it would be if we all saw things exactly the alike. However in some instances ones opinion may better be left locked away in a corner of one’s mind.

As a home inspector I am paid for my opinions and above all else my knowledge. This is the same with all inspectors. What I … (5 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Right in Front of Me - 01/31/12 07:02 AM
It’s funny how ones attention can become so intently focused on something, that a maelstrom can be occurring a few feet away and it can go completely unnoticed.
The other day while inspecting an attic I was making my way back towards the entrance looking for the plumbing vent penetrations. The client had said he had detected a leak when he initially viewed the house during a rain. The flashing on the roof was in horrific condition, so the leak was no surprise. As I was looking down the roof framing for the penetration I was halted in my tracks by … (36 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: The Glow of The Unknown - 11/02/11 08:25 AM
Traveling through your days on life's journey, comfortable in the warm light of the path you tread, a brighter beam may cast upon a new way. So bright is the light, the way is not clear. Set forth down the new and uncertain or march the safe and known. What can make you glow? 

 
James QuarelloConnecticut Home Inspector2010 - 2011 SNEC-ASHI PresidentNRSB #8SS0022JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services we offer in Connecticut click on the links below:
Serving the Connecticut Counties of Fairfield, Hartford, Middlesex, New Haven, Southern Litchfield … (5 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Screwed and Cut - 10/31/11 08:30 AM
If you have or have had children, you know they for some reason love Band Aids. Kids especially love the cool band aids like Spidey or Dora. I can remember wanting to put a band aid on the smallest scratch. I would, like my kids now, ask in that, trying-to-sound-really-sincere, pathetic voice, Mom!? Can I pleeease have a Band Aid.?
It usually worked like a charm.
But suppose every time your kid or you went to get a Band Aid and ended up needing another one? It would be sort of like running inside a hamster wheel. Reach in the medicine … (9 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Oops, I Forgot - 10/01/11 09:32 AM
We ALL forget things every day, so we write stuff down on a calendar, sticky note or in an iPad. When doing a task it can get a little more complicated. If it’s a one off deal, like putting together your kids new super triple decker alien blasting space station, it come with directions. Not that they’re any help lying under all the pieces you have scattered about in a feeble attempt to intuit the assembly. When it comes to repetitive tasks, most people are pretty good, after a short time of remember how all the pieces should go together. But … (13 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Finding The Bridge - 06/01/11 08:44 AM
Walking along a mountain brook the way becomes more difficult to navigate. Fallen limbs dripping with moss and moist, blue green stones begin to make the path treacherous. On the other side of the water you can see the way is clearer, but the river is wide. You must find a way across or risk a fall. In the tree filtered light a bridge appears, bright in a gap through the canopy. You must focus on every step to reach the span, perceiving the path will be easier once you have crossed over.

 
 

James QuarelloConnecticut Home Inspector2010 … (9 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Sucking Air - 05/24/11 09:06 AM
Anyone who has every worn a respirator mask knows, as the filters clog with gunk, it becomes harder to draw a breath through the mask. To avoid passing out from lack of oxygen, one must change the filters in the mask as necessary.
Forced air heating and cooling systems also rely on filters. Just like the respirator the filter removes gunk from the return air before it enters the fan and is cycled back into the rooms. In spite of what the filter companies advertising may say, the purpose of the filter is not to clean the room air for the … (14 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Tinker Toys - 05/17/11 08:58 AM
One of my favorite toys growing up was Tinker Toys. For anyone not familiar with these wooden sticks, cylinders and wheels, they were invented in 1913 and are still being made today. They are a toy that requires a kid to use his imagination, you know like video games. What you do is put the sticks into the wheels or cylinders and build stuff. Playing with Tinker Toys can be a precursor to becoming a builder.
Or a DIYer.
During a recent home inspection here in Connecticut, I had the privilege of inspecting a DIY paradise. I would say that the … (12 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Improved Reception - 05/15/11 08:41 AM
Way back in the olden days, when phones had cords, before cable, television reception was completely reliant on your antennae. That's the TV's antennae, not your antennae for you aliens out there reading this. A good pair of rabbit ears was must, or better still a roof top antennae with a motor. That was the bomb. With advent of cable the TV antennae became almost obsolete.
Today we have satellite TV, which is still an antennae, but sounds so much more impressive. It is also my understanding from the many folks I have spoken with the reception can be as good … (8 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Getting To Know The Neighbors - 05/01/11 08:24 AM
Moving into a new home is exciting and a little bit intimidating. New surroundings can cause some anxiety to well up in anyone.  For example not knowing your neighbors. Will they be friendly or standoffish? Do they have a dog that barks incessantly at all hours? Or are they fun, friendly and inviting and own a cat.
There are a few times every month during an inspection when the neighbors ease on over to see who's moving in. All the commotion of the home inspection always attracts attention. When you stop and think about it, new people moving in must generate … (28 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Unstable Ground - 04/28/11 07:59 AM
Seeing the destruction in Japan caused by a massive earth quake a few weeks ago has made me think; what happens to a home when it's built on unstable ground. In Connecticut earth quakes aren't at all common. Yet not all the ground is necessarily solid.
While inspecting the exterior of a house on a recent afternoon, I rounded the corner to find a large fault line running through the foundation wall. It was in a common area to find foundation cracks, a window opening, except there was nothing common with this crack.
First it was as wide as a pen, … (13 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Inspected Once, Twice... - 04/25/11 09:02 AM
Home inspectors are not omniscient, all though at times there seems to be that perception. I have heard on many occasions, "the inspector should have caught that". This includes things like damage found inside walls, leaks that occur years after the homeowners have moved in, and stuff that doesn't necessarily fall into a home inspection. Often I find by asking a few questions, the inspector wasn't at fault, the perception is off. However, there are times when it is clear to me things were missed.
I have found during my own inspections items that were not caught by previous inspections. Now … (17 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Not To Forget - 04/19/11 07:37 AM
I think it's human nature to purposefully forget when something bad has happened, either personally or on a broader scale such as witnessing a natural disaster. The emotions we feel at the time are strong and unpleasant, subsequently we push them away into a dark corner of our mind, buried deep under our memories.
The winter just past here in Connecticut was one of much pain and suffering for many people. Record snowfall in January caused homeowners to experience water infiltration into their homes from ice damming. Some unfortunate souls had structural issues. Roof collapses were common.
It is spring now, … (42 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Rust Never Sleeps - 04/04/11 07:42 AM
That's what Neil Young said back in the late 70s. I think Neil showed some great insight (doesn't he always). Rust, corrosion, oxidation, they all mean about the same thing, the insidious decay of metal.
Rust is caused by the usual culprit, water and moisture. If a component is designed to be in contact with moisture, it will be designed to resist water. However when the component is not meant for a damp or wet location, no such safe guards will be incorporated.
Electric service panels by and large are never meant to be in a wet or damp location. Sure … (49 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Bump De Bump - 03/29/11 07:47 AM
Stairs, most houses have a set. Most people hardly give them a thought. Truth is they are inherently dangerous. A set of stairs must be built within certain parameters to reduce the possibility of falls and injuries. You can't make any set of stairs completely safe. Kids will slide down the railing and your tipsy Uncle Albert will have to use the second floor bathroom, you just can't control those behaviors. However if built properly a set of stairs is pretty safe.
As simple as stairs look they are not so simple to build, especially when trying to stay within safety … (17 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: A-Spalling - 03/16/11 08:36 AM
First impressions mean a lot or so it's said. As a Connecticut home inspector, my first impression of house is when I pull up in front. If I see a quaint little cape with nice curb appeal, well it might be a smooth inspection with out major bumps in the road. If the home looks like a train wreck, I could be in for a long and rough ride. The truth is most homes fall some where in the middle, meaning it can be hard to decipher the clues from the street.
Sitting in my truck the other afternoon in front … (10 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Everyone Uses It, So It Must Be Good - 03/04/11 09:50 AM
One of the services I offer as a Connecticut home inspector is infrared thermography. Scanning the home with an infrared camera I can see what the naked eye can not. It can be very revealing. One lesson I have learned using the IR camera is what types of insulation work and what types do not. To break it down very simply;
Fiberglass insulation does not work effectively, period.
The first problem is most of the stuff is installed in preformed batts which usually must have a paper facing or vapor barrier. This paper is the cause for most of the air … (24 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: She's Pretty As a Picture...Just Don't look Under The Hood - 02/18/11 07:38 AM
Buying a car can be a lot like buying a home. When a car is to be sold, it is prepared for showing. The interior is detailed, the body is waxed and the tires and rims cleaned and shined. What often doesn't get done is any mechanical work. So what you have is a good looking ride that may not go anywhere. Homes are sometimes sold in the same way, especially homes that have been bought to be sold.
Not long a go I was asked to do a home inspection on a home here in Connecticut that was described as "gorgeous" by … (64 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Sometimes You Just Know - 01/26/11 07:54 AM
I have been inspecting homes in Connecticut now for about 10 years. Wow where did the time go! Like any job after a while you acquire an intuition, a six sense about certain aspects of the work, in my case homes and their owners. Usually I get a feel for the property after walking around and setting up. For example I arrived at a home the other morning and after walking through finding the kitchen, I had a good idea of what was in store for this particular morning.
The home was well kept, a bit dated, but very neat with … (18 comments)

connecticut ct home inspectors: Determination And Persistence, Ingredients To Success Or Failure - 01/22/11 08:35 AM
Determination and persistence, ingredients to success or failure, these qualities at first glance wouldn't be perceived as ever leading to failure. Drive, perseverance, resolve, these are qualities we associate with winners. Yet can tremendous effort turn to fiasco?
As a Connecticut home inspector I see the efforts of people that have gone awry. All those qualities were evident in the task and it failed miserably. I often refer to these projects as creative construction. This brings up another important quality, self awareness. As humans we are the only creature that is self aware. We can not only think, we can imagine. … (11 comments)

 


Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog