Border Blog
Home Inspector Tells All
Insurance Companies want your inspection report – but do they have a right to ask for it?
This issue has come up several times recently and I wanted to address it once and for all. When you hire an inspector you will be asked to sign an agreement which explains the limitations and scope of the inspection. Within most of these agreements will be a...
Home Heating
Home heating is taken for granted much of the time. We turn up the thermostat and magically we get instant comfort. Of course there are many considerations to think about when we turn up the heat, not the least of which is the environment. This discussion often leads...
Will I need to upgrade my Electrical Panel to get insurance?
Electrical panel Sizes Many homes built in the 1960,s have been modernized over the years and many look like they are much newer with the updates. Most of the homes of this era are on their third set of shingles and the second set of windows and exterior siding. The...
Exterior Hardboard Siding and older vinyl windows
The most destructive elements of a home are the sun and moisture. The exterior materials in the home have to be designed and maintained to withstand these destructive forces of nature. We have seen different materials come and go that have been less then satisfactory...
Structure and the effects of poor renovations
The structure of a home depends upon a network of components all working together to form a safe and strong building envelope. Most homes in the past half century or so have been designed by builders with the help of architects and building engineers and more...
Foundations Concrete and Pressure treated wood
FOUNDATION Concrete foundation issues can be grouped into two major problems type, displacement and leakage. Displacement is when cracks or movement occur due to external pressures placed upon the walls and floor by the wet expansive soil outside the home. Cracks in...
WHY IS THERE WATER COMING IN AROUND MY CEILING FAN?
Are you experiencing this problem? This time of year when the outside temperature is well below freezing in the evenings and it warms up during the day you begin to experience problems with frost and condensation. Most people believe this is from leaks in their roof...
TIPS TO KEEPING YOUR HOME HEALTHY AND SAFE: Take action today to prevent un-necessary future maintenance costs
1 DIRECT DOWNSPOUTS OUT AWAY FROM THE HOME. All downspouts should be at least 8’away from the foundation wall. We see a lot of leaky basements as a result of downspouts draining next to the home. 2 CHECK YOUR SHINGLES ON A REGULAR BASIS It is vital that the shingles...
My House isn’t selling: What can I do to help sell it?
Tips for the seller: With so many homes on the market sellers need to develop strategies that will set them apart from other home sellers. Having a pre-sale inspection is one of the greatest advantages you can have in a slower market. Prospective buyers will be drawn...
WHY IS THERE MOLD ON MY CEILING?
Mold requires moisture to grow. This moisture can form when the outside elements make their way in (intrusion) or when the inside air tries to get out (condensation). The picture of mold in this situation is from condensation. Upon discovering the mold the homeowner...
PAINT: What causes paint to peal on wood siding
Recently I came across what is known as alligatoring paint on wood siding. I thought the problem might have been due to using the wrong type of paint but a quick call to Pat at Border Paint soon cleared up the real issue. Pat said that what happens is that after many...
DECK TIPS: Common Deck Seating Problem
Common bench seating structures (like brackets found at your local building supply stores) are not designed to be on decks higher then 2' off the ground according to local building standards. The bench seats are actually considered "a climbing apparatus". Children...
Be careful when traveling with a cell phone.
This is just a quick reminder to anyone who might be planning a trip abroad. We all carry cell phones now a days and phone companies know how to make us pay. I recently traveled to the United States and Mexico on a cruise. Having experienced high cell bills in the...
The new business of trying to trick your client into buying
Have you ever been called by a telemarketer who offers you the world, only to find out that its another world. When I was in retail sales many years ago we were sent to many training sessions that drove home the concept of "trading up by trading down". This is the...
DOING IT YOURSELF IS CHEAPER – BUT IS IT SAFE
Don’t misunderstand me, I love to find out how to do something myself so I can save money. The problem I often see is with the quality of the work done by the so called do-it-yourselfers. Lets face it, the status one achieves after four years of training and about...
ONE SMALL MISTAKE COSTS THOUSANDS TO MAKE IT RIGHT
I recently inspected a basement wall in a ten year old home that was leaking. I was disappointed but not surprised to find out that all the effort was a result of the poor workmanship of the builder. In this case the wall was taken apart to find the source of the...
WHAT TYPE OF INSULATION IS BEST?
Typically insulation has been measured in R-VALUE over the years. While this gives us some sense of how well the product works there are other things that we should look at to determine which product is best to use. There are factors to consider such as water...
WELL INSPECTION LLOYDMINSTER: HOW TO SHOCK CHLORINATE YOUR WELL
Shock Chlorination is preformed to kill bacteriological growth to prevent sickness and eliminate unwanted tastes and odors from your well. The process of shock chlorination is not that difficult but if the procedure is not completed properly it may be ineffective....
IS MY WELL WATER SAFE TO USE??? HOW CAN I BE SURE?
I have lived on an acreage for most of my adult life and have experienced different styles of wells and well water. I have even had to treat dugout water for household use because the well was a low producer. In any case I want to take a few minutes and explain a few...
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO WORK ETHIC???
A while back I wrote about some great customer service I received while on vacation. Today I wanted to talk about poor service and its effect on business. Recently I preformed an acreage inspection for a fine couple. When I explained my fees they were a bit surprised...
OUR MOST EXPENSIVE MISTAKES TEND TO BE OUR BIGGEST LESSONS
Two weeks ago I was singing the praises of an Air Canada employee for her great customer service. This week I have to thank yet another Air Canada lady for getting me out of a bind I created. That's right I made a mistake and it was a costly one. The long and the...
I recently repaired a partially cloged washer fill line. It was a bit tight but with a bit of extra elbow grease it came apart. A total of 5 minutes allowed the homeowner to once again wash in cold water, AFTER 5 YEARS! I couldn't help but wonder how much extra it...
CUSTOMER SERVICE IS SO IMPORTANT
On a recent flight across the country I experienced some great customer service and thought I would acknowledge it here. In my business I try to be as professional as possible and the great service I received from Laurie on an Air Canada flight reminded me of just how...
WANT TO SAVE ON HOME INSURANCE
You can save 15% on your insurance if you burn wood. Wawanesa recognizes WETT inspected appliances to be professionally installed to code and for that the customer wins two ways! 1. Cheaper insurance for as long as no changes are made to stove installation. Yes year...
I AM SICK – COULD I HAVE MOLD IN MY HOME
Every home has mold but not every home is a sick home. In fact mold spores are everywhere in our environment. Without mold life on this planet would not be possible. From my limited experience in this area I have discovered two extremes in terms of peoples reaction...
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