Preparing/Inspecting your home for winter part II

In my previous post I talked about the roof and what needs to be done in preparation for old man winter. Today I am going to discuss what else needs to be done to your home in preparation for the coming winter months.

One of the most common cold weather entry points, on a home, are the windows and doors. Start off walking the perimeter of the home looking at each window. Check the caulking and make sure it is still in good shape. Maybe you don’t see any and wonder what I am talking about. When a window is installed, a bead of caulk is applied to the window frame. This is not seen at all. But this does break down over time. The exterior portion of the window frame is usually overlooked. It doesn’t get caulked at all. If this is the case, then I recommend caulking this gap, between the window frame and the wall. As the home moves or shifts, and as the sun beats down on the window, the interior caulk will begin to break down. Furthermore, wind and cold can enter the wall cavity reducing the efficiency of the insulation. By caulking the perimeter of the windows you will achieve two things: first you will prevent water from having any chance of penetrating the wall or window, and second you will block off any access for the cold to enter.

Next step is to walk around looking for any openings, (IE. wall penetrations, electrical, A/C, phone, cable) where cold or water can enter the wall cavity. Place some caulk around these openings as well. If there is a large opening, I recommend buying a can of expandable foam. Use the foam to fill the opening then caulk over the top to seal it off completely.

Now that you’ve checked and fixed any and all openings, it’s time to enter the home and check all exterior doors. You want to look for the seal around the door. Check for damage or wear. One way is to close the door and look around the edges. If you can see any light, there is a problem. Replacement is easy and most materials are easily found at the local home improvement stores.

The reason behind checking and fixing these is to assure that your home is weather tight and to keep as much cold out as possible. Small amounts of cold air entering your home will cause your heater to work harder and more often raising your overall cost to heat the home.

Preparing/inspecting home for winter part 1

It’s that time of year again, and here in Utah we are begining to feel the change. Thats right, old man winter is at our door step. Having had some new snow in the mountains and cold temperatures at night and during the day, it’s time to start thinking of home winter preparation.

What is home winter preparation, you ask? It is the things that need to be done, to, and around your home to help protect it from the elements. First off, lets talk about the trees close to the structure. Any overhanging branches that are close to the roof need to be trimed or removed. Wind will do wonders with these branches and the effects of branches blowing and making contact with the shingles can be costly.

Next it’s time to remove all leaves, dirt and branches from the gutters. Any debris in the gutters will weigh it down. It prevents all of the water from reaching the downspouts. Also take time to make sure the downspouts are clean as well and that all of the water, coming from the downspouts, runs away from the foundation. Check to make sure the gutters are in good shape and not sagging or falling away from the structure. Make any repairs needed.

Now that the trees are trimmed and the gutters are clean, it’s time to inspect the roof for missing, cracked, or deteriorated shingles. Areas with missing shingles, obviously need to be fixed. The idea is to keep all the water on top of the shingles and not let it get under them. Replace any broken or missing shingles. Now if you notice a few cracked shingles, it is a good idea to buy a tube of roofers caulk and fill these cracks in. Also check the caulking around any flashing, vents, sky lights, and chiminey. These are the most common areas for water entry. If you are not a DIY type of person, then you may need to find a roofing contractor or handyman to do this for you.

Any exposed wood, for example, the fascia and rake boards, needs to be sealed. A fresh coat of paint or stain will do the trick. One way to tell if your are in need of paint is to look for peeling or cracked paint. If the fascia or rake boards have been stained, check for discoloration or fading. These are signs of needing to be stained or sealed again.

Your roof is now ready for what winter has in store. A little work will save you a lot in the long run. My next blog will tackle the rest of the home, excluding the roof.

Home Inspections in Utah Tip #5

 

I was inspecting a home the other day for a first time home buyer. The home was a foreclosure and was only a couple of years old. The couple was wanting the surety that the home was in good shape before committing to the biggest investment of their lives.

I made a quick walk through to see the layout before starting my inspection. Some of the first things I noticed were cosmetic issues. For example, I noticed that the door, from the house to the garage, had been kicked in and dented. It was then that I began to picture what might have taken place. I pictured the previous owners coming home to find that the locks on the house had been changed, due to the foreclosure. All of their stuff was still inside, so they kicked in the garage door to gain access. I began wondering what else I might find, due to their possible anger. Luckly, outside of some careless moving, dented and scratched walls, the damage was purely cosmetic. This doesn’t mean that the home was without issues. I found many electrical and plumbing issues down in the “DIY” basement as well as water entering through a window well. But in regards to whomever the bank hired to replace all of the locks and door knobs, is what leads to my next tip.

Tip #5
When you hire an inspector, you are paying for his expertise and ability to notice and report on all found issues. I found that the deadbolts did not line up with the face plate. Therefore, the deadbolts did not function as intended. The face plates where the wrong type. While explaining the cause of this to my client, I also noticed a loose screw in the door knob. I went and checked the other doors for the same problem, since they were all done by the same contractor/person. Come to find out, I found four exterior doors that only had one screw scewed in and the other just in place to give a false impression. There was even one door that I could move the knob enough to open the door, even though it was locked.

It is important to have an inspector that is willing to take the time to look at the small items as well as the major items. When you call to make an appointment or just to get a quote, spend a few minutes and talk with the inspector about what he looks for while inspecting you future home. It is through this conversation that you will know whether or not this inspector has your best interest in mind. Don’t be affraid to ask as many questions as needed.

 

Serving: Utah County, Salt Lake County, Weber, Davis, Sandy, Draper, South Jordan, Bountiful, Layton, Provo, Orem, Lehi, Alpine, Springville, Spanish Fork, American Fork,  Pleasant Grove, Murray, Riverton, Park City, Heber, Tooele

Home Inspector in Salt Lake City, Utah

Need a home inspection in Salt Lake? Look no further. Check out our site to see how much experience we have and all that we offer. Give us a call and we will be happy to answer any questions you have and give you a quote. We guarantee a quality home inspection at an affordable price.

Utah Home Inspection Tip #4

I was inspecting a home the other day for this nice young couple relocating to Utah. They had already decided to buy the home. They wanted to make sure that everything was acceptable and functioning before buying the home. They were present for the inspection and followed me around as I went about inspecting this home. About an hour into the inspection, I was asked why I am checking all of the receptacles in every room. My client said, if one is O.K. aren’t the rest going to be O.K. too? I explained that it is possible for only one to be bad. Upon entering the last room in the basement, I checked the first outlet and it was fine. I then checked another and it had an open ground. I turned and said to my client that this is a perfect example of why I check as many receptacles as I can.

Inspection Tip #4:
You never know what you will find unless you check. I know many inspectors that will only spot check a few. You can’t assume that because one is wired correctly that the rest are too. The same applies to the whole inspection process. You are paying for a thorough inspection and should accept no less. Don’t be affraid to ask your inspector to inspect everything thoroughly.

Home Inspector Utah Tip #3

The home buying season is upon us and there are many people looking into moving, up-grading, downsizing, or purchasing their first home. There is a lot to do to prepare yourself and family for this transition. The financing is the first big hurdle. After you find out how much of a home you can buy you now find yourself busy searching and looking at many different homes in your price range. Once you find a home that fits your needs you make an offer. Your offer is accepted. You are excited and start preparing for the day you sign and get to move into your new home. There is one last step that sometimes gets glossed over in all the happiness and paperwork. That is the inspection. A date will be given to you that will allow you to have the home inspected and allow you to change some of the terms of the agreement should anything be found. This leads to my next tip.

Inspection Tip #3

You’ve seen the home inside and out and have noticed a few things you will change. But did you notice that there is no power at some of the outlets, or that the insulation is only at an R-19 rating? There are so many things that make up a house. As a buyer, you tend to assume everything is ok and works. This is the problem. The most cost effective part of purchasing a home is the valuable inspection done by a professional home inspector. It is their job to look/inspect every aspect of the home you are purchasing.  There can be no worse feeling than having skipped the inspection and signed the papers to find out after moving in that there is a major problem and that its going to cost you thousands of dollars to repair.

Again, A home inspection will be the best few hundred dollars you will ever spend.

Utah Home Inspector Tip #2

New homes have issues too. Many people fall victim to the idea
that a new home won’t have any issues. What gets forgotten
is the fact that most contractors don’t thoroughly inspect their sub-
contractors work. This is where the issues come into play. Their
are many sub-contractors that will cut corners where ever they
can. This in turn can leave you, the buyer, with possible future
problems. Some of these issues may not surface until after your
home warranty has expired.
For example, on the last new home that I inspected, I found 6
entry points for water to get into the exterior wall cavity. This
becomes an issue for mold to grow, on top of the fact, that during
the freeze/thaw cycle, the stucco will be damaged.
The buyer never noticed these entry points. This could have
possibly cost her thousands of dollars to repair a few years
down the road.

Inspection tip: A new home is just as much in need of an inspection
as an older home. There are many issues that get overlooked in
new construction. Most importantly, the structural caulking on the
exterior. An inspection on a new home is money well spent.

Utah Home Inspection Tip #1

In these tight economic times you might be thinking that you could forgo the home inspection and save a couple hundred dollars. This is a dangerous route.  Banks are desperate to unload these homes and it is in your best interest to make sure you are buying a home without major issues.

Inspection tip: Find a quality home inspector that has your interest at heart.  An inspector that takes time for you will also take time to do a complete inspection of your future home.

Home Inspection in Lehi Utah

I recently did a home inspection for a family in Lehi. But I haven’t finished the report yet, I’ve got a link to my standard format though in pdf.