It’s hard to believe that we have been in business since 1999 and members of the Dayton Area Board of Realtors all that time. For years we taught classes at the DABR to help new Realtors understand what a home inspection was all about and how to deal with needed repairs. There have been so […]
Lead Water Main is Hazardous
In the basement of a home from the mid 1800’s there was a heath hazard that no one noticed. Buyers, the current owner who had purchased that home six months ago, real estate agents and our clients all walked past this piece of pipe as they anxiously looked for potential issues with the house. The […]
Venting Frustrations
There is nothing worse than badly draining sinks, tubs, and showers, not to mention toilets that need three flushes to finish the job. A call to a drain cleaning company did not help. They looked down the drains of the three year old home with a camera scope, all the way to the city sewer […]
Don’t Be Stranded…
When connecting stranded wiring (a wire that is made up of numerous smaller wires as opposed to a solid wire) all strands of the wire must be secured under the terminal screw. In this photo of a wire connected to a circuit breaker, there is less wire connected to one of the connections which means […]
How “Safe” is your bathroom?
When you hear it said that bathrooms can be unsafe you might not think that a half ton of steel would be the answer. But bathrooms can be one of the most dangerous places in a home, with a multitude of potential hazards. Starting with tiled floors which can become slippery when wet to the […]
Unreasonable Expectations
Inspections can sometimes be a challenge for the inspector and the reason is rarely because of what is found, but trying to find it. Vacant properties are much easier to get around, no furniture, no stored items blocking the inspector at every turn. We do our best to get around obstacles and into difficult areas, […]
Steam Heat, Confused?
Yes, so what type of heating system is in the house we are looking at? It’s easy to figure out if you know what to look for. Steam heat does exist, the water is heated above 212 degrees (boiling point) turning it into steam. The steam moves by convection through pipes and radiators. Most homes […]
Relaxing Day Enjoying Life
So often it’s arrive, and get going. Tool belt on and get to work, room by room, plumbing, electrical etc. Recently at a house out in the country, I had to park in the driveway and walk through a paddock to get to the house. Horses appeared as soon as I entered the field which […]
Well (Water) Inspections
Many properties particularly in rural areas are on well water, which is not a problem in itself. A new well will have a submersible pump that is down in the well shaft, older wells will often have a “jet pump” which will be located at the pressure tank (in the house of a well pit) […]
Your AC “does not like economy”
Air conditioners (condensers) positioned out of the way in a small space are not unlike unfortunate fliers in economy. They are in a space smaller than required and asked to behave as though everything is OK. When there are two condensers side by side they want 28” of space (yes, like leg room) between them, […]
Read The Report ? “yeah” really..
We get paid crazy money to do a Home Inspection. The home is often way bigger than we are scheduled for. Clients are too busy to attend (we love when you come to the inspection) The report is printed on site and then emailed that evening. All the information in the report is easy to […]
Cute table right? Well…
Don’t eat off of it! This DIY project has all the right look of a farmhouse table. Unfortunately the top is made of treated fence pickets which contain harmful chemicals that you don’t want on your skin, let alone on food and utensils. We see a lot of beautiful furniture and updates that are made […]
Who will keep the dog in?
It never ceases to amaze me how many homes have chain link fences around the back garden proudly displaying the iconic Sears brand on the gate. In fact It’s hard to believe that Sears has closed down and the dishwashers, refrigerators and garage door openers that are in so many of the homes we inspect […]
Furnace Filters Required
Everyone uses the phrase furnace filters which got me thinking as I worked my way through an inspection. The filters remove dust from the air going through the furnace which has nothing that really needs to be protected. Yes, the fan motor will last longer if it is not dusty, but it’s not really there […]
