home inspections in connecrticut: The End of Flue Season
- 04/03/13 10:25 PM
As the cold weather wanes with the lengthening days of spring, so does the need for heat. The click of the thermostat, the rumble of the boiler are sounds now being heard less frequently. Soon they will cease until the inevitable cool winds of autumn once more begin to gust. The harbinger of another winter. While the heating system lies dormant, hibernating like a bear in a dark basement corner, the warmth of summer rendering it temporarily unnecessary, important components may unknowingly be suffering damage. Homeowners are, from my experience, usually good about maintaining their oil fired heating systems. Oil is, … (17 comments)
home inspections in connecrticut: Taking a Peak
- 02/14/13 09:06 PM
When approaching a house for the first time, one will first take notice of the general appearance of the dwelling. The landscaping or lack of is what often initially draws the eye. Followed by the siding, trim and color scheme. Next perhaps a cursory glance to the windows. Finally the eye will be enticed briefly towards the roof, note how it plays off the rest of the house and move on. The entire assessment happens in just seconds.
When one lives in the house, the accounting becomes part of our perceptual background. Routine draws more of ones attention else where. … (27 comments)
home inspections in connecrticut: Aluminum Foils
- 01/31/13 09:05 PM
Aluminum is the third most abundant element on earth. This may also explain its prevalence in our daily lives. Aluminum is really a wonder material. It's light weight, strong and very conductive. It is and was used in many components of our homes. A few uses for aluminum turned out to be not only miserable failures, they caused destruction and harm. The best example I can think of is aluminum branch circuit wiring. Other uses were not so potentially fatal or destructive. Climbing through an attic not long ago, scanning around with my flashlight, the beam was unexpectedly strongly reflected. An unusually … (31 comments)
home inspections in connecrticut: Changeling
- 01/15/13 08:29 PM
In folklore a changeling is typically described as being the offspring of a fairy, elf or other legendary creature that has been secretly swapped with a human child. In nature the Cuckoo bird lays its eggs in the nest of other birds and leaves the rearing of its offspring to the host. Talk about a dead beat parent. The swapping of one thing for another in retail is called bait and switch or you could simply call it misrepresentation. Changing one thing for another not only is a dirty trick, but it also may not behave in the same manner. Electricity is a force of … (8 comments)
home inspections in connecrticut: Think Twice, Cut Once
- 12/31/12 08:59 PM
The saw is one of the oldest carpentry tools in the world. Records documenting their use date back to ancientEgypt. No records however have been found indicating when the adage of measure twice cut once found its way into the construction lexicon. My guess would not long after the first saw was invented. The saw had remained basically unchanged until modern times when they were able to be manufactured. The greatest innovation taking place in the 20th century with the introduction of the electric powered saw. Electric power spawned the creation of new types of saws. Specialty tools that made cutting … (29 comments)
home inspections in connecrticut: Start to Finish
- 12/26/12 09:13 PM
There are literally dozens of variations on the way to say start to finish and just as many that have a slightly different connotation; beginning to end, first and last, peak to prairie, roof to basement. Yet all these terms imply roughly the same meaning, there is a start to a task that leads to an end. One thing is for certain, a bad beginning can mean things may not end well. Take for example a roof. More specifically the covering. The vast majority of house roofs are covered with an asphalt shingle. Installing asphalt shingles might look easy to the … (19 comments)
As the cold weather wanes with the lengthening days of spring, so does the need for heat. The click of the thermostat, the rumble of the boiler are sounds now being heard less frequently. Soon they will cease until the inevitable cool winds of autumn once more begin to gust. The harbinger of another winter.
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