Home Inspection Focus Areas
For some families, the dream of homeownership can turn into a nightmare when they find out their new home is in serious disrepair. A home inspection by Ken Osborne, an experienced, licensed professional home inspector, can help save you from having to pay thousands of dollars in repairs after buying your home.
Electrical
If we find something off with the home’s electrical system, an electrician can be called in to help. Maybe the electrical box is so old that it does not comply with city code. An electrician can recommend brands to replace the box and tell you how much it will cost.
Seasonal Home Maintenance
Your home is an investment that requires ongoing maintenance to stay in tiptop shape. If you neglect annual and quarterly tasks, you risk overlooking potential issues that could lead to expensive repairs down the road. Stay on top of preventive maintenance tasks with this seasonal checklist.
Winter - To prevent pipes from bursting, drain and insulate exposed outdoor pipes and leave the water dripping inside on cold nights. Also check your boiler's water level every now and again to make sure it doesn't get too low.
Spring - Winter can leave a layer of grit on your home's exterior. Get it ready for spring by cleaning windows, doors and siding with a garden hose or power washer. And while the weather is mild, have your HVAC systems serviced by a professional to keep them running at optimal efficiency.
How Insulation Works in Your Home
To understand how insulation works it helps to understand heat flow, which involves three basic mechanisms -- conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction is the way heat moves through materials, such as when a spoon placed in a hot cup of coffee conducts heat through its handle to your hand. Convection is the way heat circulates through liquids and gases, and is why lighter, warmer air rises, and cooler, denser air sinks in your home. Radiant heat travels in a straight line and heats anything solid in its path that absorbs its energy.
Most common insulation materials work by slowing conductive heat flow and--to a lesser extent--convective heat flow. Radiant barriers and reflective insulation systems work by reducing radiant heat gain. To be effective, the reflective surface must face an air space.
Top Home Inspector believes Job is Essential
Published by The Columbus Dispatch
As America’s chief home inspector, Tim Buell wants consumers to understand one thing: Inspectors aren’t clairvoyant.
“People think we should find things that are hidden, but that’s not what we do,” said Buell, a 68-year-old retired home inspector in Marysville, Ohio.
As the new president of the 8,000-member American Society of Home Inspectors, Buell’s job is to explain what inspectors do and what they don’t do.
In today’s world, that’s not always easy. As homes and technology have changed, so too has the role of home inspectors.
Much of what home inspectors have traditionally done is right before our eyes — checking framing, foundations and roofs, for example. But many of today’s biggest concerns about homes are less obvious. Radon and mold in particular have become huge worries for homebuyers.
Common Mistakes Buyers Shouldn't Make During a Home Inspection
The home inspection is one of the most crucial steps for buying a home, and it shouldn't be overlooked or rushed. In fact, the inspection process has the potential to be just as nerve-racking for the buyer as it is for the seller. What if you've fallen in love with a beautiful home that has major problems lurking beneath the surface?
That's why it's extremely important to pay attention during this process, and take steps to avoid common pitfalls. How can you possibly screw it up? We're here to tell you.
Stay clear of these mistakes when you get an inspection on your dream home.
Read more: Common Mistakes Buyers Shouldn't Make During a Home Inspection
Frost in Your Attic? What you should know.
With the cold spell this January here in southern Indiana some homeowners may be seeing frost inside their attic. The best way to prevent frost from accumulating in an attic is to seal off attic air leaks. Small air leaks may not seem to be important, these can add up to a lot of frost accumulation in the attic. It's important to seal all attic air leaks; not just the big ones. Once every little air leak has been perfectly sealed, the attic will be frost free. The only problem with doing all of this air sealing is that the air leaks are located underneath the attic insulation, and it can be very difficult to find every air leak without completely removing the attic insulation. For this reason, it's nice to start with the easier stuff first.