Knowledge is the Power for Your Freedom to a Worry Free Home!         A chimney is not the same as a flue. Your chimney is the visible outside structure made of block, brick, rock or slate. The flue is the internal vent shaft that vents the gases and smoke produced from the fire to the outside of your home. The terms liner and flue are normally used interchangeably, although the flue is technically the air space inside the liner. It's the flue or liner that must be unbroken from the heat source, it may be a woodstove, oil burner or a fireplace. If it's broken or cracked, the gases and flames can breach the flue and get inside the home.   This posting and the contents that are written here are the intellectual property of Baker Home Inspection and Consulting. All views and opinions expr... 05/04/2008

  Knowledge is the Power for Your Freedom to a Worry Free Home!       A Home Inspection in New Hampshire gives the potential buyer and their Real Estate Agent,( hopefully you are useing a Buyer's only Agent), the tools needed to make an informed decision about the condition of the home and reduce libilities for all involved. What really matters on a Home Inspection. Buying a Home ? The process can be very stressful. A Home Inspection is supposed to help give you peace of mind, but sometimes has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information in a very short time. This will often include a detailed computer generated report with photographs, as the you receive from Baker Home Inspection and Consulting, or it could be just a checklist, hand written report, and envir... 05/03/2008

  Knowledge is the Power for Your Freedom to a Worry Free Home!   Gas log fireplaces in New Hampshire is more than likelly going to be fueled by propane and it will either be vented or unvented sometimes. Vented means that the combustion gases will be vented to the outside. Now a unvented one means that all the exhaust gases stay in the home. The appeal to folk's of the unvented, is that they are essentially 100% efficient. But there is a controversy with unvented gas fireplaces and that is the home becomes the flue for the gas fireplace. But in theory, there are safety devices built into these units that are supposed to cut the unit off if anything should go wrong with it. But allegedly some folk's have been harmed by the carbon monoxide. The long and short term affects can include me... 05/02/2008

Knowledge is the Power for Your Freedom to a Worry Free Home!       One of the main causes of a leaking roof is the failure of the flashing around the chimney. Chimney flashing fails for two basic reasons, it either gets punctured or torn, this typically resulting from old age and corrosion or the two part overlapping flashing system, which consists of the step flashing beneath the shingles and counter flashing embedded in the chimney brick, has come loose or has been damaged by wind and ice. Other than spotting obvious problems, such as the flashing flapping in the breeze, it's difficult to detect flashing failure from the ground. If it's safe for the Inspector, it's important for him or her to go up on the roof to look it over. Or to do a thorough check from the inside when the attic... 05/02/2008

Welcome to Baker Home Inspection and Consulting Blog! Feel free to take your time to browse my blog posts! Knowledge is the Power for Your Freedom to a Worry Free Home! Does Your Home have Adequate Ventilation?   Home Buyer's and Home Owner's this is something you are going to want to know. You are offered guidance from HUD's minimum property standards of how much ventilation your home should have. HUD's standards call for home ventilation to be one square foot of net free vent area for every hundred and fhity square feet of attic floor area or for every three hundred square feet if the ceiling has a vapor barrier. I have done Inspection's and found problem free roof's with far less than the recommended ventilation levels, while some others that appeared to meet HUD'S standards have had... 02/11/2008

        Feel free to take your time to browse my blog posts! You should work with your roofing contractor, when you are needing a new roof! Because until there are new standards set and they are enforced, there is a real need to be careful when choosing your roof shingles. One option in choosing them is to avoid fiberglass shingles and using organic felt shingles, which have not shown any premature cracking problems. There has been some organic shingles that have been reported to blister and curl, but this problem is not as widespread as the cracking of fiberglass shingles, and rarely results in leaks or to blow-offs. Organic shingles have a higher tear strength with good flexibility and with a high resistance to nail pull-through. Usually they do cost more than fiberglass shingles, thi... 01/28/2008

Welcome to Baker Home Inspection and Consulting Blog! Feel free to take your time to browse my blog posts! A Shingles Anatomy Asphalt shingles consist of a fifer mat coated with asphalt. This fiber mat, gives the shingle most of it's strength is made either from an organic cellulose material ( that can be up from recycled paper or wood ) or from the more popular fiberglass. The organic mats are sometimes called felt mats, that is similar to ordinary roofing felt. They are saturated with a soft pure asphalt to form a sturdy pliable base. Fiberglass mats are much thinner and they are not saturated with asphalt. Both of these types of mats are surfacecoated on both sides with a layer of hard asphalt that has been stabilized with inexpensive mineral fillers such as fincly ground slate or li... 01/26/2008

Welcome to Baker Home Inspection and Consulting Blog! Feel free to take your time to browse my blog posts! You should always use Special Care when Reroofing a Shallow Slope Roof! Whether your using felt paper or using abituminous membrane a Shallow Slope roof requires special care to be taken. Asphalt shingles.  The CABO sets the minimum slope for asphalt shingles at 2 in 12 and requires that any roof below 4 in 12 be covered first with a double layer of building paper. The eaves must also be protected with underlayment, whether lapped - and - glued felt or a bituminous memberane. Although most codes allow a double layer of cemented saturated felt at the eaves, bituminous membranes offer the best eaves protection. Most manufacturers recommend placing the membrane from the edge of the sh... 01/23/2008

Welcome to Baker Home Inspecton and Consulting Blog! Feel free to take your time to browse my blog posts! Are you looking for something to do in Sullivan County this weekend? Will here are some. Sat. 19 Jan. 2008 In Charlestown The men's group at the Methodist Church will be hosting a ham supper starting at 5:00 P.M., they will also be including door prizes and some live music. The cost is $8.00 for adults and $4.00 for children. In Claremont Cub Scout Pack 38 is hosting a Pinewood Derby. If you have never beed to one, you have missed some real fun. Just to see the smile's on the kids face's is just the best thing to see. The doors will open at 11:00 A.M. for registration, there will be a snack bar and derby bingo. The racing will start at 1:00 P.M. at St. Mary's Gymnasium. Knowledge is... 01/18/2008

Welcome to Baker Home Inspection and Consulting Blog! Feel free to take your time to browse my blog posts! Link to Part 1  http://activerain.com/blogsview/315601/New-Construction-and-Trees How to get started! If you have already chosen your contractor, include them at this time. Be sure to communicate to them exactly what you want and expect to accomplish for your property and your new home. Before your contractor has any equipment brought in to start any work, your going to need a map drawn to scale of your property. It's easier to move things around on paper than it is to move heavy equipment around on the site. On this map you should include all the property lines, the dimensions ( that is the footprint ) of any structure your going to have built and the driveway, the amount and loca... 12/29/2007

Welcome to Baker Home Inspection and Consulting Blog! Feel free to take your time to browse my blog posts! Thinking of having a New Home Built or Thinking of Buying a Home that has just been Built ? In most areas propertys with trees usually sells first. However, many new homeowners are very disappointed when, in months to 10 years following construction, all of the trees start dying on their property. That is usually when help is called in to determine what disease is attaacking their trees. It's a very sad event when the homeowner gets to learn that the real cause is construction damage, and that it could have been lessened or even avoided just by following some important rules for building around trees. Before puting a contract and purchasing! When considering purchasing property wit... 12/22/2007

Welcome to Baker Home Inspection and Consulting Blog! Feel free to take your time to browse my blog posts! I am urging you to use caution when heating your home this winter! Preparing to avoid having a home fire doesn't require you to buy a lot of expensive equipment or pay for training and doesn't take much of your time to do so. Keep all potential fuel sources like newspapers, matches, rugs, carpets, clothing and bedding at least three feet away from heat sources, such as the main heating system, space heaters, fireplaces and stoves. Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended and always use a glass or a metal fire screen with small holes to keep fire and embers in the fireplace. Never use a cooking range or oven to heat your home. If you must use a portable space heater, place the... 11/25/2007

Welcome to Baker Home Inspection and Consulting Blog! Feel free to take your time to browse thrugh my blog posts! No house is perfect. Even the best built and best maintained homes will always have a few items in less than perfect condition. Below is a lest of some of the items I most commonly find when inspecting a house: Roofing - Problems with roofing material are the single most common defect I find. Usually it doesn't mean the roof needs replaced, but simply that it is in need of maintenance or repair. Ceiling stains - Caused by past or present leaks, ceiling stains are very common. It can be difficult to tell whether the stains are from leaks still present, or were caused by leaks which have since been repaired. Electical hazards - Most common in older homes, but often can be foun... 11/24/2007

Welcom to Baker Home Inspection and Consulting Blog! Feel free to take your time to browse thrugh my blog posts! Many factors affect the location and the cost of your water well. These factors include geological conditions, topography, location of driveways and other structures, plus Local, State, and Federal regulations. Basically there are five important considerations for siting your water well. Away from sources of contamination. Convenience to building interior water and power locations. Avoid future building or land use areas. Accessible for drilling equipment and future servicing. Governmental regulations, isolation distances. Correct water well design and casting installation is important to protect against contamination risks. Old and abandoned wells can pose particular risks a... 11/24/2007

Welcome to Baker Home Inspection and Consulting Blog! Feel free to take your time to browse through my blog posts! When you turn the tap you set a series of actions in to motion. To ensure adequate water pressure, your well water is stored inside your home in a pressure tank. Normal water pressure is between 40 and 60 psi ( pounds per square inch ). As water continues to run, the volume of water in the pressure tank drops, which also lowers the water pressure. When the pressure drops below 40 psi a pressure switch activates the pumping system. The submersible pump pumps water into the pressure tank until normal pressure is reached and the pump automatically shuts off. A safety valve installed on the pressure tank is designed to release pressure should it exceed 100 psi. Knowledge is the... 11/24/2007

Welcome to Baker Home Inspection and Consulting Blog! Feel free to take your time to browse my blog posts! Getting water from bedrock relies on the water entering the well from fractures and crevices in the open borehole of the well in the bedrock. Often deeper wells that are low producers can have the rock formation broken up by utilzation of hydrofracturing. Originally pioneered in the oil fields to increase low yield petroleum wells, fracking is now routinely employed by the water well industry to break open a fracture to a nearby water producing zone in the well. Not all frack units and methodology are the same. There are units that can deliver pressures of up to 5,000 lbs./sq. in and volumes of up to 50 GPM to entice the well to produce additional water flow. It's common to frack a... 11/22/2007

Q: What goes into a Home Inspection? A: A complete home inspection is a comprehensive visual examination of the home's readily accessible elements and components, including careful inspection of each of the following areas: Site: grading, retaining walls, driveways, sidewalks, patios, decks, landscaping, drainage. Exterior / Substructure: balconies, porches, decks, chimneys, walls, trim, eaves, foundation, basement, crawlspaces, siding. Garage: exterior, roof, interior, firewall, vents, doors. Attics / Roof: gutters, downspouts, flashings, roofing material, ventilation, insulation. Plumbing: water, heaters, main water service, venting, toilets, tubs, showers, sinks. Electrical: main service cable, service rating, branch circuits, grounding, receptacles. Heating / Air Conditioning: equip... 11/10/2007

Look for Commitment: A problem seen in the real estate industry is a number of part time and recreational salespeople. Some of these folks only work in real estate seasonally or are earning a second income for there family and honestly don't need to work full time. No matter how long they have been in the real estate business, their lack of full time commitment can make it harder for them to keep up with the vast changes in laws, marketing and business practices that are occurring in the profession today.  If an agent isn't working at least thirty hours a week, fifty weeks a year, you may want to look for someone else. Consider there Education: In the majority of states, the requirement for real estate licensing are substantially less than those for cutting hair. You cannot rely on lice... 10/06/2007

  Welcome to Baker Home Inspection and Consulting Blog!   If a basement is unfinished does it still need foundation insulation ?    Yes, unless the floor above is insulated. Even if used only for storage and heating and cooling equipment the basement is thermally connected to the rest of the house. Is floor insulation above a basement or a crawl space an alternative to foundation insulation ?  Yes, but keep in mind that pipes, ducts and HVAC equipment located in the basement would then need to be insulated to meet the MEC and to protect pipes from freezing. Sometimes these can be grouped in a small area with insulated walls while the floor above the rest of the basement is insulated. Doesn't placing insulation on the exerior improve energy performance ?  If the basement incorporates pas... 10/06/2007

Many houses and apartments built before 1978 have paint that contains lead {Called lead-based paint}. Lead from paint, chips, and dust can pose serious health hazards if not taken care of properly. Federal law requires that individuals receive certain information before renting or buying a pre-1978 housing. Residential lead-based paint disclosure program                                                                          Landlords have to disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before  leases take effect. The leases must include a disclosure form about lead-based paint.                   Sellers have to disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before selling a house. Sales contracts must include a disclosure for... 10/06/2007