Radon

What is a GFCI aka ground fault circuit interrupter?  These safety devices simply help protect against electrocution.  Tracking down a GFCI is a matter of knowing where to look.  Any outlet that is near water (bathroom, kitchen), garages, exterior and even crawlspaces should be protected by a GFCI outlet. These outlets can easily be recognized by the 2 buttons on the face.  There is a test and reset button.  These outlets should be tested once a month.  Just push the test button, hear a click

Who traded their car in for a boat this week?  Rain for 4 days now? And more to come.  Well  hopefully you haven't had to deal with water in your house also.  After inspecting a few homes during and after heavy rain I found old and apparently new leaks.  Here are a few places I found them. At the top of the house.  You don't have to go on your roof, just your attic.  Take a look and see.  This leak is caused by the old aluminum ridge vent being used still.  The nails have no seals around them

Many times while inspecting homes I find the windows have broken seals.  You know that moisture or cloudy haze on the window when you are looking out of them?   While this can be annoying and costly to fix, the window is still functioning properly to keep the weather out and able to be used as an emergency exit.  That may not be the answer you want the home inspector to give you.  You may want all these windows replaced or repaired by the seller, which can always be asked for by the buyer, but

Hey here is a quick post about a few safety issues I find while inspecting. 1)  Railing on decks and porches.  These rails should never be horizontal but balusters spaced every 4 inches.  Horizontal rails can be climbed on and balusters spaced more than 4 inches apart can allow little children to squeeze through. 2)  Check your smoke detectors and change the batteries at least twice a year.  If your smoke detectors is 10 years old it is time to replace it.  Just check the date on the rear, if

Moisture problems are a headache and can lead to major problems to your home and your health.  Water can cause so many problems for a homeowner.  A leak at one end of the house can cause a problem at another location in the house causing a lot of frustration and costing a lot of money to fix.  Water from the roof and gutter system to the little bit of moisture seeping through the foundation walls over time can cause issues that may go unnoticed until it is too late.  I will point out some

Spring is here.  We all wait for the winter to be over and look forward to the spring.  And when it finally gets here there is a list of things to do.  Sports, gardens, cleaning, outside and maybe just enjoyment.  I know for my family it's all the above.  Go go go...running to sports, stopping at the garden store on the way home, getting home to work outside and then enjoying a beer (or wine, water) on the deck with friends and family.  Talk about busy...over 2 months since my last blog. Sheesh!

A septic system is a part of the house, if installed on your home, that the homeowner does not want to mess with ever.  I know this article does not directly apply to the homeowners that live on a public sewer system, but even you should monitor what goes down that drain.  But for those that do have a septic system in your yard remember this-Don't Forget About It!      I read somewhere before septic systems are like roofs, you only think about them when they leak.  I'm not writing this short

Happy New Year! It's a new start.  Every year people take this time of year to start something new or reset.   Maybe I'll be a better blogger this year.  What change are you going to make?  A new house? Higher education? Home Improvement?  Better health?  Or prioritize your life?  Whatever it is, start now.  Like I stated in my first blog, my goal isn't all about your home but life too.  A house should be more than a house, it's a home where life happens no matter how many people live there.

Let's light it up in here! Or outside.  Whichever you need.  I remember when my wife and I first moved into our home 11 years ago, the previous owner had installed 100 watt light bulbs in every fixture.  Sure it was great being able to see everything, but the possible damage to the light fixtures and the heat was not good.  Needless to say I did change all the light bulbs to the proper wattage bulbs. But now I realized I couldn't see anything. We were in the dark! This wasn't going to work.