Connecticut Home Inspection Blog

Yesterday I talked about homeowners and professionals both doing repairs or renovations that were best described as creative. The common thread was the work was done incorrectly. To take that theme a step further; what happens when a professional contractor performs work that should be done by a tradesman.

Tradesman would be specialists such as electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors. These are licensed trades that require extensive training both in the classroom and in the field. In addition competency testing is a part of this process. A license in one of these fields requires years to obtain.

A contractor or home builder on the other hand, at least in Connecticut, is not required to obtain any training and is not licensed. It is only necessary for the owner of the company to register the business with the Department of Consumer Protection.

Building and renovation is a business like any other dictated largely by the bottom line. Saving money during a project puts more money in the businesses - owners' pocket. This can become an incentive to cut corners.

One short cut is to not use professional tradesmen during a job. The contractor himself may install the wiring, plumbing and heating/cooling.

The picture at right is an example of a contractor, not a tradesman's work. The two floor registers in the picture are for the heating and cooling in this addition. The larger of the two is the return vent. Two things are wrong here;

1. The return is in front of a door and

2. It is too close to a supply duct.

The installation of the duct work and placement of the return and supply vents needs to be done by a licensed HVAC contractor. There is much more to installing heating and cooling than just putting in some ducts which this contractor failed to understand.

The same would be true of wiring and plumbing. Wiring especially should be done by an electrician because of the potential danger from incorrect installation.

My advice to anyone looking to have a home improvement project done is to be sure your contractor is using licensed tradesman. Hiring a home inspector to conduct phase inspection should also be strongly considered. An outside quality control person can have a big physcologic impact on the contractor.

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

Being a home inspector I find a lot of goofy stuff. Usually this silliness is done by a home owner or a "handy" family member like ol' Uncle Bob. Home owners are the brunt of many jokes to do with home repairs and renovations, BUUUUT to be fair professionals are just as often the culprits.

What's disturbing about shoddy or unsafe work done by someone who is a professional is they are supposed to know how to do it right. A home owner has at minimum the excuse it's not their regular every day job.

Take for example this drain pipe run through a heating duct or was it the heating duct put in around the pipe. No matter it's a clear case of shoddiness. What makes this nice little short cut a big problem is;

1. There is asbestos wrapped around the duct and pipe and

2. The drain is galvanized pipe in a house that is over 60 years old.

Something has to give or more precisely give out here at some time. Galvanized pipes have a life expectancy of around 50 years. If the pipe begins to leak it may be doing so inside the heating system duct work. The asbestos just further compounds the problem.

All though home owners are responsible for their share of wacky fixes and projects, the pros can be even more creative in their construction techniques. After all they have a nice collection of fancy tools to get them into trouble.

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

An interest in Energy efficiency has again become a concern for American home owners. I say again because in 1973 an oil embargo by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) propelled the United States into an energy crisis.

One energy conserving measure then President Nixon asked of Americans was to lower their thermostats to 68 degrees. As a result of this emphasis on home energy conservation homeowners began probably for the first time to focus on making their homes more energy efficient.

One obvious area that became the focus of energy saving improvements was the attic. The majority of heat loss, as most everyone knows, is through the ceiling. In 1973 - 74 the amount of insulation was very minimal through out the entire house. The ceiling would often, as it is today, have the most insulation.

But the problem or more precisely perceived problem was the attic was cold. Why was it cold? Because of the vents that were installed in the ends of attic. So it was theorized that cold meant more heat loss and industrious home owners began to close off their attic vents in an attempt to save more energy.

As is often the case with homeowner improvements there is more motivation than knowledge. The vents must be open at all times in order to dispel heat in the summer and moisture in the winter. Closing the vents will not slow heat loss; more insulation in the ceiling will accomplish that goal.

So here we are in 2009 and I still find remnants of those old energy saving ideas from the 1970s. The top photo shows a nicely made cover that closes off one of the attic end vents. I find covers like this one a few times a year in homes that predate the oil embargo.

What was a little ironic is I found a meat thermometer in this attic on top of the air handling unit. The day was in the mid 70s and mostly cloudy. The temperature as you can see, and I felt, was over 100 degrees.

The plywood roof decking was beginning to delaminate in a few spots and the newer roofing nails were quite rusted. All this is a result of the vents being closed.

Attic ventilation is necessary for a home to function properly and not become sick. Closing off attic vents is a misguided attempt to improve efficiency. The energy saving effort in the attic should be direct at the ceiling insulation and sealing gaps not at the vents.

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

Competent home inspectors will always attempt whenever possible to get up on the roof. Often it is not the roof or more accurately the shingles that are of interest, but various other areas that require scrutiny.

For example masonry chimneys especially need a thorough looking over inside and out. Any penetrations through the roof and associated flashings need to be examined. Seams where the roof and home join are always of importance. And don't forget those gutters.

Arguably some of these "hot spots" can be examined from the ground through a pair of binoculars or the edge of the roof. But not all of the areas of interest can be seen well enough with these methods to make a good determination on their condition. Unfortunately some roofs are not accessible due to height, slope or weather so the roof edge or the binoculars may be the only means of inspection in those instances.

I was on a roof recently that looked to go on almost forever. Walking around up there was quite a work out!

My advice is whenever looking to work with or hire a home inspector ask if they walk the roof. If they answer no you may want ask what other parts of the home are not examined.

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

Yesterday a team of divers found an ancient ship wreck off the coast of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. The cargo was largely intact because it was explained the ships had not capsized when they sank.  The vessels were transporting amphorae, large vases for carrying wine, olive oil and other goods.

The discovery has scientist pretty excited (I guess old pottery get's them worked up), but there is no gold or other treasure on these boats.  It sounds like they found the equivalent of a convoy of eighteen wheelers heading to Whole Foods Market.

Now I found a truly significant discovery the other day during, can you believe it, a home inspection! Yes there I was poking through this house and taking pictures for my report.

You see I take lots of pictures. You might say a boat load. They serve as my notes as well as illustrations for the report.

Getting back to my discovery. There I was in the kitchen snapping photos of interesting stuff like the range when I noticed the laundry.  I always take a couple of pictures behind the washer and dryer in order to see the vent pipe, plumbing and wiring back there.

I leaned over and took a couple of shots and pulled back to see the results. There was something poking in at the edge of the second picture that gave me pause. Could it be?

I leaned over the dryer once again and quickly took another shot. As I examined the picture there it was,

The Lost Sock!

Those guys in the Mediterranean Sea got nothing on this discovery! I'm contacting the media today. 15 minutes of fame here I come.

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

The nice thing about being a home inspector is its rarely boring. I get to go to a different location every day, meet many new people and in general it's a feel good job. The other great thing about inspecting is it's a diverse field. The knowledge and expertise of inspecting homes can translate nicely to other types of buildings and inspections.

One area I have become diversified into is energy auditing. I have done in the last three or so years audits on some smaller commercial buildings. So when I received a call to audit a green house I did not immediately dismiss the potential job as out of my sphere of capability.

As I spoke with the gentleman on the phone who was the maintenance manager of this facility I was curious about his idea to make a glass house more energy efficient. Glass can not in any way be considered an insulator. An entire house made of glass with openings all around, what on earth can be done to improve the efficiency of this building?

In truth there was something and he needed an auditor to help him quantify the data to get grant money to install a set of thermal shades.

The shades will be installed at the bottom of the domes you see in the pictures. What this does is reduces the ceiling area and volume of the building. Less area means less heat required to warm the house. The shades are able to be moved in and out to allow sun to penetrate in the day and put in place at night when heat is most needed.

Quite a simple but ingenious idea. The estimated savings for installing these shades, about 13%.  That's pretty significant especially when a green house burns through a lot of heating oil when the temperature drops.

This was one of my most unique inspections and as always I learned something in the process. I do love this job!

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

This has to be the worst summer weather I can ever remember. Only a few days the temperature has barely snuck into the 80s. Here it is nearing the end of July and I have not put in or needed our air conditioners. The last week has been more summer like with high humidity, but the temperatures have remained low.

Without exaggeration almost every day in June it rained or was cloudy. Many of my flowers died because they were soggy without the sun to dry them. And my vegetable garden, pleeease! I hardly saw a tomato or cucumber sprout on the vine for almost the entire month.

I have been inside two or three homes all summer where the A/C was running. Are you kidding me? I am almost certain I will not be putting in an air conditioner this summer. In fact I am thinking of making it a commitment. Even if the weather eventually turns hot and sticky, I'm not going to give in. It's a matter of pride now. I can say one summer I never used air conditioning.

I am going green. That's my story. Not using A/C will save electricity and lower my carbon foot print. All though I should probably invest in some extra deodorant; it could get a bit odoriferous around my house.

Yep next year I will be clearing two years of dust off my air conditioners.

And the weather for today, cloudy with heavy rain. Sigh...

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

Seems like an incongruous list, but all do have something in common; collars. As you would suspect the topic is collars for water heaters not dogs or priests. Actually the collar in question is for the flue pipe of the water heater or combustion appliance.

Flue pipes are for safely transporting the products of combustion to the exterior. The gases they carry are hot. To get the pipe to the exterior it will often have to be sent through a wall or ceiling. When the pipe is passed through a wall or ceiling a collar is installed to insulate the wall or ceiling from the hot pipe.

The first picture is of a newer water heater with the flue pipe going straight up through the ceiling. In the close up photo it is apparent a protective collar has not been installed. Also undesirable is the unsealed gap around the pipe which will leak unconditioned air into the home.

It is a little ironic to note that in the first photo the boiler flue pipe seen passing behind the water and through the wall has a collar.

The repair of this potential fire hazard is relatively simple. An HVAC specialist can easily install the protective collar in little time.

Do you have a missing collar?

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

My family went camping this past weekend for the second time this year. Why might that be in any way significant? Considering my wife is not the camping kind and she suggested we go, I think you can get the rest.

I would go camping with my friends growing up and later as a young adult. The camping trips were usually centered around fishing. As I got older and then got married I stopped camping and fishing. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy doing these hobbies; it was just a matter of time and focus.

I became centered on my career or more accurately how to change it. I began going to school part time. Then my first daughter was born. I found a new job which I grew to hate in little time. So I decided to start my own business. My second daughter came along soon after and things were really hopping in my life.

Fast forward to this weekend and camping. My girls are now 5 and 8 years old. Life is still busy, but the girls are not as immediately demanding of attention like when they were babies. They are wonderful, smart and fun. Like all kids they want to do stuff all - the - time!

What is simply fantastic about children is they have such open imaginative minds and a super sense of adventure. So getting them to do or try something new is not usually that difficult. Or they have already found and decided to do something new and you are pulled into it under mild protest.

So here we are camping and the girls saw the place has canoes and kayaks. They want to go out on a boat. Cool, I haven't been in a canoe in years. We rent the canoe and all four of us go out for an hour.

The girls wanted to try fishing from the boat, but I thought we should stick with sight seeing. They had a blast and as soon as we were on shore wanted to know when we could do it again.

Sitting around the camp fire that evening I realized I was again doing things I enjoyed. My life had come to a place where everything was sort of smoothing out and coming full circle. The difference now was my daughters.

Before my first daughter was born someone had given me some wise advice; make your children part of your life, do not live your life around them. Those words have stuck with me and I found some meaning in them this camping trip. I was rediscovering things I had taken pleasure in earlier in life and was now sharing them with my daughters. It was an unexpected revelation to find intense happiness from sharing what I love with those I love.

Could there be anything better than that?

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

When ever starting a project or repair it is good to begin with a plan. Proper prior planning helps to eliminate or reduce mistakes. Looking over a repaired newer roof not long ago the repair person here was operating with minimal strategy.

According to the sellers disclosure a solar light tube had leaked and been repaired. There were some minor water stains around the diffuser in the living room which had not been fixed. The areas that needed to be thoroughly checked would be the roof and attic.

The leaky solar tube was located on the roof and was found to have been "repaired" all right. Clear silicone caulk (the other duct tape) had been liberally applied around the upper portion of the tube. Silicone is some what better than roofing tar, but not by much.

Looking a few feet away up the roof on the peak what do I spy but more caulk...gobs and gobs more.

The thought process here may have been something along the lines of; since there is a leak and I am up here with this caulk gun better to be safe than sorry.

Look at the second photo. The caulk was put on so thick it began to run down the slope. Looks almost like a tongue. The ironic part; notice the bare tiny white nail head over to the right of blob.

Looking down the ridge, which is a vent, more goop on the seams and also over the vent opening. But wait it doesn't stop there, (the tube of caulk must not of run out) this industrious silicone sealer added more protection to shingle seams. Look at the nice neat job this guy did on the shingles.

No doubt that the leak has been temporarily stopped, but this is nothing more than a band aid and not an actual repair. Since this home was a condo and maintained by a private management company the homeowner was made aware of the need for future maintenance of the sealant.

This is classic example of no real plan to repair a problem, but a shotgun approach to solving an issue.

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below: