Looking at plumbing in a house have you ever wondered what different things are? There is that usual loop of pipe, which for no apparent reason loops down from ceiling in the basement? Or the two copper pipes about a foot apart one above the other that are sticking straight out and capped off? The […]
Radiant Heat (What’s It?)
Walking through a home you might notice a non descriptive box in every room, some may have numbers on a dial 50, 60, 70. What you are looking at is a thermostat for the radiant heat ceiling. The house is not heated by air coming out of a vent but wires embedded in the ceiling. […]
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) […]
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 […]
Asbestos Pipe Insulation
Video of asbestos pipe insulation on a hydroponic (water) or steam boiler heating system. Asbestos can be dangerous to your health if fibers are disturbed, often found in buildings buildings from the fifty’s and older on heating and hot water plumbing pipes.
Advertised a New Roof…
Video of the homes sales brochure: listing advertised that there was a new roof, take a look it was obvious to our Inspector that it was far from new.
Granules in Attic (What’s It?)
Looking at the “floor” of an attic in an older house that was insulated between 1919 and the late 50’s you might see a granular material with a silver/ whitish colors where you expected to see fiberglass insulation. If you are looking at buying or are living in a home with this stuff you need […]
Garage Door Safety Spring
Video of garage doors with the old style springs to the side of the tracks. These pose a danger if they fail and snap. A safety wire must be inserted into the center of the spring to hold it in place. These inexpensive safety wires are available at any store that sells overhead doors for […]
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 […]
Termites Appear Suddenly
Three weeks ago we performed a home inspection and a “termite” inspection on a lovely tri-level in West Chester. Our bug guy returned this week to deal with a pest issue that was identified in the report. Arriving at the home he went to pick up a newspaper that had been tossed in the yard […]
Licensed Home Inspectors
The state of Ohio has started issuing licenses for home inspectors in an effort to raise the overall standard of inspections. While not yet required, we went ahead and have become some of the first licensed inspectors in the state. The application which involved getting FBI background checks as well as submitting a record of […]
Leaking Vent Pipe Boot
Where the plumbing vent pipe exits through the roof shingles, there is a metal plate with a rubber gasket (boot) that stops water leaking into the attic. The flashing boot will generally deteriorate and start leaking water into the attic after about twelve years, that’s long before it’s time to re-roof. The boot needs to […]
