ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS
2009
Wood pellet burning stoves have been around for a while now and have been in use in the northern climates for the most part. They have slowly been creeping south to my area more and more, and I have noticed more stores that sell them, and the pellet fuels as well. My brother bought a Bixby wood p...
01/22/2009
5
Comments
Some people tile old staircases before the sale of the home to make it pretty, but this can be an accident waiting in the wings. On an inspection last week, I came across a small 4 step staircase with treads that were at an angle downward. This alone is a problem, but to tile it makes it much wor...
01/21/2009
Staircase inspections are my specialty. I have built many staircases, and I see small ones and large ones all the time that are built or installed improperly. The rise and run (height and depth of tread) is of course the main thing you check for. Inconsistant rise and run can cause you to trip. W...
01/20/2009
8
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It seems I just can't get out of the basement lately - with my recent blogs that is. A seller of a home I inspected yesterday finished off the basement and installed 2 complete bathrooms and a kitchen. They put in a waste ejector system inbelow the concrete floor for the wastewater from these plu...
01/15/2009
I baffles me when I walk into someones basement and see the paper vapor barrier facing down. The vapor barrier, also known as kraft paper, is prevalent on most brands of insulation. This vapor barrier prevents water vapor from penetrating through and into the substrate material - such as your sub...
01/14/2009
Not too often do I receive a call where the caller says he saw me on active rain and read my blogs. Recently, someone who was buying in my neighborhood did call and say he got to my site via active rain, but overall I have not gotten the results that the real estate agents seem to get. I have tri...
01/13/2009
I received a call from a recent client who was buying a house that needed a roof. She asked me for the phone number for a roofing contractor to do a free estimate on a roof. She is a single mom with 2 kids who makes a decent salary. She asked me for other contractor referrals as well, but I don't...
01/13/2009
I have done a lot of blogs related to basement finishing lately. It seems it is one of the most important things on buyers' minds. They simply MUST finish the basement as living space. I do not understand this mentality. Why do you want to live underground? Did you buy too small a house? I inspec...
01/12/2009
3
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Many circuit breakers that are in service for many years have never had to perform their safety function. They stay on and never trip because the circuit has never been overloaded. This is generally a good thing, but circuit breakers should be shut off and turned back on at least once a year. Som...
01/11/2009
Efficiency testing of oil heating equipment is essential for clean and proper operation of your oil fired boilers and water heaters. You can usually tell if an efficiency test has been done because you will see a small 1/4 inch diameter hole drilled in the vertical part of your exhaust piping. Th...
01/10/2009