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3 Tips About Insulation and Ventilation in Your Home
Insulation and ventilation are essential for making your home comfortable and energy-efficient. Good insulation helps keep the temperature inside consistent, and minimized air leaks mean less money spent on heating and cooling bills. But for insulation to work...
4 Common Types of Roofing Materials
If you're in the market for a new roof, you'll get to choose between several common roofing materials. Each material has its own benefits and drawbacks, so it's important to know what each one offers before making a decision. In this blog post, we'll discuss some of...
4 Signs That You Need a New Roof
Your roof's main purpose is to protect your home from the elements. However, over time, it eventually starts to fail and you'll need to replace it. Here are four signs that you might need a new roof. Stains On Your Ceiling If you start seeing water stains on your...
5 Deck and Patio Ideas
It’s the time of year to start spending more time outside. After a winter of snow and cold temperatures, your outdoor space could use a boost. Here are 5 deck and patio ideas to get it ready for use. Add a Fire Pit Any time of year, a fire pit adds a welcoming and...
5 Ways to Make Your Home More Energy-Efficient
Helping the environment and saving money are just two of the good things that happen when you make your home more energy-efficient. There are many ways you can do this, some of which are easier than others. These are the top 5 tasks to improve the efficiency of your...
5 Tips for Fire Safety in the Home
Fire is one of the most devastating events that can happen to a home. A fire can break out at any time with little warning and threaten your belongings, the house, and the lives of your family. Fire safety should be an important consideration as a homeowner. These...
6 Ways to Keep Your Home Healthy and Safe
It’s not difficult or expensive to make your home healthy and safe. Here are 6 tips to help your home become a better place for your family to spend time. Take Care of Lead and Mold Lead paint causes severe health problems. Lead poisoning can cause brain damage in...
Dealing With Residential Water Damage
Dealing with water damage in your home can be stressful and frustrating. Whether the damage is caused by a flood, a leaky pipe, or a backed-up sump pump, water can wreak havoc on your home and belongings. Take care of the issue as soon as possible. Here are some steps...
Don’t Ignore These Signs of Electrical Problems in the Home
Learn to recognize signs of electrical problems in the home. Seemingly minor inconveniences like flickering lights could indicate a bigger issue that puts your family and home in danger. The signs of electrical problems below are among the most common and serious....
How to Heat Your Home Efficiently
Saving money on energy costs is a concern for all homeowners. No one enjoys paying higher electric and fuel bills when the weather gets cold. Making your home energy-efficient keeps you comfortable with less impact on your bank account. Here are a few ways to heat...
4 Benefits of a Sewer Scope Inspection
Certain parts of the home are often ignored by homeowners. As long as things seem to work normally, they assume there is not a problem. Even when they do see signs of an issue, they don't think it is serious. One of those problem areas can be the sewer lines. Some...
6 Ways to Prepare Your Fireplace for Use
If you have a fireplace in your home, follow these steps to prepare your fireplace for use before building your first fire of the season. Have the Chimney Swept The first step to take to prepare your fireplace for use is to call a chimney sweep for a cleaning....
5 Signs of Mold in the Home
Mold isn't always on a homeowner's radar, especially since it may not be as obvious as other problems. It is commonly found in basements, bathrooms, and areas where's likely to be moisture. Mold can present health hazards for anyone living in your home. Here are five...
All About Thermal Imaging in Home Inspections
How Is Thermal Imaging in Home Inspections Helpful? You may have heard about how thermal imaging is used by firefighters and law enforcement, but do you know how it is used in real estate? Some home inspectors are using an infrared camera to provide a more thorough...
Top 7 Signs of Plumbing Problems at Home
It's easy to take the plumbing system in your house for granted until something goes wrong. Pipes, valves, and drains can develop issues over the years. Learn how to identify plumbing problems at home before they become catastrophes. Yellow or Brown Patches on the...
6 Ways to Improve Air Quality Indoors
Today, builders design well-insulated, energy-efficient homes. This helps property owners with lower energy bills, yet it does have a downside. Maintaining fresh air is sometimes challenging in tightly insulated buildings. Clean, pollutant-free air is especially...
Full Disclosure and PCDS – (property condition disclosure statement)
Full disclosure What is full disclosure and why is it important? When dealing with one of the most expensive purchases of a persons’ life it is pretty important to make sure the deal is as honest as you can make it. This honesty refers to the buyers, sellers, realtors...
The Long story about ice damming and attic ventilation
Ice damming Ice damming is a real problem in many older homes in particular. I have written about this in several other blogs but it has been a while so I will try to broach the subject once again in a slightly different angle. Let’s start with building construction....
Maintaining your pressure tanks – know the signs of failure and under performance issues
Pressure tank Maintenance If you live on an acreage or farm you will likely have a well and pressure system in your home. This little component is often overlooked and receives very little maintenance. This week I was having some issues with my Reverse Osmosis system...
AVOIDING WET BASEMENTS – Part 5 – Deciding to make a claim or not
Wet basements, to claim or not to claim So you have had some water infiltration into your basement, what now? The vast majority of the people I deal with call the insurance company first. While this may be the best approach in a given situation it may also end up...
AVOIDING WET BASEMENTS – Part 4 – How to deal with a wet basement
How to deal with moisture in your basement Moisture in a basement may take the form of a chronic problem or a one-time issue. The water intrusion may be severe such as a sewer backup or as simple as a little bit of water on the bare concrete floor. Whatever the...
AVOIDING WET BASEMENTS – Part 3 – Drainage under your homes concrete floor
Draining under your homes concrete floor Wet basement floors are common in this part of the country and most contractors will tell you every home should have a sump pump. I have a different opinion as I see hundreds of dry basements that have been designed correctly...
AVOIDING WET BASEMENTS – Part 2 -Sump pumps
Sump pumps Sump Pumps have become quite technical in the past few years. Homes with high water tables are very dependent upon the proper operation of the sump pump. There are several combinations of sumps available on the market, some that will even notify you in the...
AVOIDING WET BASEMENTS – Part 1 – Downspouts
Downspouts One of the most common problems I come across is missing and loose or otherwise improperly installed down spouts. In the Midwest we have fairly flat properties and the soil is generally a layer of top soil over a clay base. Many of the homes I inspect have...
Q: Our walkway is broken and tipped. Should be replace it or try to fix it?
A: A broken walkway presents two problems. One problem is the fact that it may be a trip hazard. If the walk has displaced pieces which you or a guest may catch their foot on, it should be repaired or replaced. A second issue of a broken and tipped walkway is that...
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