Reducing Laundry Machine Headaches
Does anyone really enjoy piling all their dirty clothes into a basket and slowly descending the basement stairs to their laundry machines? In the quest for more convenience many people find a way to bring the laundry machines up and out of the deep dark dungeon and...
What is Radon Gas?
Testing for radon gas is a frequent topic during the course of a home inspection. In a hyper-paranoid world where something is good for you one day and hazardous to your health the next day, how do you know whether or not to worry about exposure to radon gas? Let’s...
Thermal Seal Failure Means Fogged Windows
The majority of homes I encounter in a home inspection have at least some thermal pane windows. The most common thermal pane window has two pieces of glass separated by a spacer. Sometimes the void between the glass panes is simply a vacuum and other times it is...
Choosing the Right Home Inspector
You’ve been looking for a new home for months. You’ve spent weekends going to open houses. You’ve worn down your real estate agent through dozens of showings, but you finally found the right place and the seller has accepted your offer. Now you’re ready for the...
Water Heater Health Check
Can you imagine what it must have been like to live without running hot water in our homes? Near the end of the 19th century the storage water heater was born in Pittsburg. So water heaters as we know them today have only been around for a little over a hundred...
Protecting Your Chimney
Almost every home that I inspect has at least one chimney. While they are usually constructed from traditional masonry (bricks and mortar) chimneys can also be made from concrete block, metal or other materials. Sometimes a chimney is associated with a fireplace,...
