Are You Sure?
You are on your way! You have found the house you want in the area you want and have made an offer. If you are lucky, the offer has been accepted and you enter into a bound contract. Now is the time, you have to wait…
IAQ (Indoor Air Quality)
A few months back I attended a training class, sponsored by ASHI, on IAQ. There were some interesting facts on where the majority of your inside air comes from. Did you know up to 60% of your “breathable” inside air comes from your crawlspace?
Leaky Windows?
Do you notice discolored drywall at the corners of your windows? Or maybe the paint is just peeling off. Maybe this helpful hint will eliminate some of these issues. Most vinyl windows have welded seams. While these seams are supposed to be water tight…
Are We Alone?
You have put a contract on the house of your dreams. Farmhouse shiplap, glass front cabinets, floating shelving, granite counter tops, and southern heart pine floors, it is perfect. BUT, your inspection reveals someone is already living there…
Miles of Wiring!
In a typical 2500 square foot house there is potentially one mile of wiring. The National Electric Code (NEC) has set code/ guidelines to prevent the use of unsafe wiring practices. However, this is only on permitted and inspected builds and additions. Double tapping of breakers…
Overhead, Underground
Electricity, where would we be without it? At the advent of electricity, a basic light bulb would have been the only load in ones house. Even as late as the early 70’s, electronics were still lurking in the background. Fast forward to current day…
Log Cabin Fever?
Log cabins are, to say the least, cozy and comfortable. However, log structure dwellings are different from stick framed houses. According to some log home manufacturers, logs can shrink as much as 3/4 inch per log in height…
Blueprints?
Missed it by that much! Blueprints are a critical part of any house. They make sure the weight of the ridge board of the roof is transferred through the house walls, through the floor structure and lands on a support pillar or pier below. Sometime a miscalculation in drawing or a missed measurement…
Round Thing on Roof?
What are these round objects protruding from the roof of almost every house? Through the years as plumbing became prevalent in most homes, there arose this great odor. It turns out that waste water will become stagnant, among other things and foul up the air in your house. In comes the invention of the p-trap…
What's Underneath?
As you walk across your floor you might hear a squeak or pop. Maybe you feel an uneven surface under your carpet or a hump in your hardwood flooring. This leads to the question, “What’s underneath?”…
Who Knows What Goes on Behind Those Walls?
When you step in to any room in your house, providing you have paid your bill, you reach for a switch and almost instantly you have light. It is as if by some miracle the light knows when you move the switch. What most people don’t realize is the mind boggling amount of wires that hangs just behind your drywall…