Home owner tips and information

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Home Inspector - Home Inspector/Structural Engineer/Mold Assessor
Useful information for buying and maintaining your home.
RECENT BLOG POSTS
Exterior walls of a house can have many different finishes such as brick, wood, vinyl, or stone.  Another common finish material is stucco, which has been in use for hundreds of years.  In the U.S. it may also be called "exterior cement plaster".  It provides a durable finish, is economical, and ...
10/08/2008
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  Looking into Impact Rated Windows           In new construction and renovation projects, growing numbers of builders and homeowners are electing to install impact rated windows.  High quality impact windows eliminate the need for storm shutters, serve as a noise barrier, prevent criminal break-...
10/08/2008
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Drainage standard prevents flooding            My first experience as captain of a vessel came long before I knew of oceans, lakes and rivers.  It came in the spring of 1970, when I was five years old.  A steady rain began on Saturday.  The next morning, my brothers and I stood on our front porch...
10/08/2008
  The building blocks of a good house           When visiting with any of my seven nephews, I love to play with them and their toys.  It is a great way to connect and have fun, plus it satisfies my inner child.  One of the most popular toys I had forty years ago is also one of theirs;  Lego block...
10/08/2008
  All professional home inspectors should carry insurance that includes General Liability, Errors & Omissions, and Fidelity Bonding.  Good quality insurance also includes indemnification for referring agents. (Realtors) When an inspector goes through a home, it is very easy to cause damage to a h...
10/08/2008
All stairways in a home need to these criteria to be acceptable: 1. Headroom must be minimum 6' 8". 2. No flight of stairs may exceed 12 feet in vertical rise. 3. The width of a stairway needs to be at least 36 inches. 4. The maximum height for a riser is 7 3/4 inch, and the minimum tread depth a...
10/08/2008
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For your family's safety, attached garages require a properly installed firewall.  It consists of 1/2 inch type "X" wallboard on walls adjoining the home, and 5/8 inch wallboard on the ceiling, if there is living space over a garage.  Also, the door to the house needs to be a 20-minute rated fire...
10/08/2008
A water heater is an essential item in every home. For safety every water heater requires a Temperature and Pressure Relief (TPR valve). If the water heater overheats the water, the TPR valvle will prevent it from exeeding 210 degrees or about 80 psig.  If either limit is exceeded, the valve open...
09/04/2008
A house is a structure full of walls, doors, and windows. A home is a structure full of warmth, emotion, and safety. If you work hard and are fortunate, your house is your home. It is easy to take you home for granted, but some short reflection now and then will help.
09/04/2008
The most common form of stucco or "exterior cement plaster", when applied to a wood frame structure requires precise and labor intensive installation: 1.  Wall prep with 2 layer of house wrap of with vapor permeability 2.  Plan and properly install plastic, premolded, joint edges and weep screeds...
09/04/2008
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Greg Bertaux

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