The price of a Professional Home Inspection

That’s a lot of money for only a few hours’ work!

small-banner-2  The right inspector, right away. ®

        Pablo Picasso, the painter, was dining at a restaurant in New York City.  A fan introduced herself to him and gushed at how thrilled she was to meet the great artist, and how she loved his work.  Encouraged by his polite acceptance, the fan begged, “Oh, Mr. Picasso, would you draw me a sketch?” 

          Picasso grabbed some paper and, with a pen, promptly sketched the waiters passing parfaits.  As the woman reached for the sketch, Picasso said, “Madame, that will be $10,000.” 

          Shocked, she replied, “But that only took you five minutes!” 

          “No, Madame,” replied Picasso. “It took me 50 years.”

Picasso priced his service to its value, not to the cost of manufacture.  Picasso did not price his service based on the cost of the paper plus the cost of ink plus some hourly wage… and nor should a home inspector.  

When looking for a internachi-cpi  do not base your decision on price alone. You should always consider the Home Inspectors experience education and training, after all that is what you are paying for. Who wants a Home Inspector that only charges $100.00 and has no professional training other then going through some one week on line course and then calls him self a Home Inspector.

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What is A Home Inspection

Brought to you by: Certified Professional Inspector (CPI) ®

Central California Property Inspections internachi-cpi

A home inspection is a limited, non-invasive examination of the condition of a home, often in connection with the sale of that home. This is usually conducted by a home inspector who has the training and certificationsto perform such inspections. The inspector prepares a written report, often using home inspection software, and delivers it to a client, typically the home buyer. The client then uses the knowledge gained to make informed decisions about their pending real estate purchase. The home inspector describes the condition of the home at the time of inspection but does not guarantee future condition, efficiency, or life expectancy of systems or components

An inspectorwill check the roof, basement, heating system, water heater, air-conditioning system, structure, plumbing, electrical, and many other aspects of buildings looking for improper building practices, those items that require extensive repairs, items that are general maintenance issues, as well as some fire and safety issues.However, it should also be noted that a home inspection is not technically exhaustive and does not imply that every defect will be discovered. A general list of exclusions include but are not limited to: code or zoning violations, permit research, property measurements or surveys, boundaries, easements or right of way, conditions of title, proximity to environmental hazards, noise interference, soil or geological conditions, well water systems or water quality, underground sewer lines and/or waste disposal systems, buried piping, cisterns, underground water tanks and sprinkler systems to name a few. A complete list of standards and procedures for home inspections can be found at the InterNACHI websites.

A home cannot “fail” an inspection, as there is no score or passing grade given. A professional home inspection is an examination of the current condition of a house. It is not an appraisal. It is not a municipal inspection, which verifies local building code compliance. A home inspector, therefore, will not pass or fail a house, but rather describe its physical condition and indicate what components and systems may need a major or minor repair or replacement.

For more information on Home Inspections please contact us at (661) 717-9694 or visit our site at www.ccpinspect.com

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The Pros and Cons of Carpeted Bathrooms

Carpeted Bathrooms

During your Home Inspection from your InterNACHI Inspector the problems listed below will be checked for. You Home Inspector will note any existing or problems and make recommendations as needed.

Carpeted bathrooms are bathrooms that have carpeted floors instead of traditional floor surfaces, such as tile or vinyl. Despite their tendency to foster mold and bacteria, carpets are sometimes installed in residential bathrooms for aesthetic purposes. Carpets should never be installed in bathrooms in commercial buildings.

Advantages of carpets in bathrooms:

  • They make bathrooms appear more warm and inviting.
  • They are softer than tile and many people find them
  • comfortable on bare feet.
  • Bathroom slip hazards are reduced. It is easier to slip on hard bathroom surfaces, such as tile, than on carpet.
  • Installation is generally quick and inexpensive.

Disadvantages of carpets in bathrooms:

  • The pad beneath the carpet may soak up large amounts of moisture.  Some of the common ways that carpets may come into contact with moisture in bathrooms include:

a.  Steam from the shower will condense on the carpet.
b.  Water splashes from the tub or shower.
c.  Water sheds from shower/tub occupants as they step onto the
     carpet.
d.  Water splashes out of the sink.
e.  Water drips from the vanity.
f.   Water leaks from the toilet.

The presence of moisture in the pad will lead to the growth of decay fungi on the wood or oriented strand board (OSB) sub-floor. The sub-floor will be decayed and weakened by mold. Mold also releases spores that can cause respiratory ailments, especially for those with certain health problems. Inspectors can use moisture meters to determine if there is excess moisture beneath a carpet.

  • In addition to potential mold growth beneath the carpet, bacteria can accumulate in carpeting that surrounds the toilet. Bacteria are contained in urine, which can be accidentally deflected onto the carpet.

Recommendations for Clients

The following are recommendations that your InterNACHI inspector can pass on to there clients who are experiencing urine- or moisture-related problems with their bathroom carpet:

  • Clean the carpet regularly to remove any mold or urine that may be present.
  • Keep the carpet as dry as possible. Various devices exist that prevent water from bypassing the shower curtain.
  • Install a bathroom fan, if one is not installed already. If a fan is installed, operate it more often.
  • Inspectors can inform their clients about why they are experiencing problems.

In summary, carpets installed in bathrooms can trap moisture and urine, substances that can cause structural damage and health problems.

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Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned?

Summary

airducts_lgU.S.EPA,Office of Air and Radiation
Indoor Environments Division (6609J)
EPA 402-K-97-002, October 1997        PDF Version (18 pp., 280 K, about PDF
Knowledge about air duct cleaning is in its early stages, so a blanket recommendation cannot be offered as to whether you should have your air ducts in your home cleaned. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urges you to read this document in it entirety as it provides important information on the subject.

Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts. This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space. It is important to keep in mind that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are present in homes. Pollutants that enter the home both from outdoors and indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around can cause greater exposure to contaminants than dirty air ducts. Moreover, there is no evidence that a light amount of household dust or other particulate mater in air ducts poses any risk to your health.

You should consider having the air ducts in your home cleaned if:

There is substantial visible mold growth inside hard surface (e.g., sheet metal) ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system. There are several important points to understand concerning mold detection in heating and cooling systems:

Many sections of your heating and cooling system may not be accessible for a visible inspection so ask the service provider to show you any mold they say exists.

  You should be aware that although a substance may look like mold, a positive determination of whether it is mold or not can be made only by an expert and may require laboratory analysis for final confirmation. For about $50, some microbiology laboratories can tell you whether a sample sent to them on a clear strip of sticky household tape is mold or simply a substance that resembles it.

If you have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets wet or moldy it cannot be effectively cleaned and should be removed and replaced.

If the conditions causing the mold growth in the first place are not corrected, mold growth will recur. You hire a Certified Professional Home Inspector, to determine if you have any sources of moisture intrusion that could lead to mold growth. Inspectors who belong are members of InterNACHI are trained and taught how to indentify possible moisture intrusion.

Ducts are infested with vermin, e.g. (rodents or insects); or

Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris and/or particles are actually released into the home from your supply registers.
If any of the conditions identified above exists, it usually suggests one or more underlying causes. Prior to any cleaning, retrofitting, or replacing of your ducts, the cause or causes must be corrected or else the problem will likely recur.

GFCI & AFCI Protection in Your Home

During my time as A Home I come across many homes that are not adequately protected by a.GFCIs.   A GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) this outlet is a device that adds a greater level of safety by reducing the risk of electric shock. It is my duty and responsibility a Professional home inspector to alert my client to this condition. Sometimes during the home inspection process I may find that a GFCI outlet is present but not working.

Most building codes now require that GFCI protection be provided in wet locations such as the following: all kitchen counter receptacles; all bathroom receptacles; all exterior receptacles; ext gfci receptacles in laundry and utility rooms; receptacles next to wet bar sinks; all garage and unfinished basement receptacles except receptacles that are not readily accessible or single receptacles for appliances that are not easily moved; receptacles near a pool, spa, or hot tub and; light fixtures near water. Downstream. it is possible that when the home was built that GFCI protection was not required in all of these areas. Sense home inspectors are not code inspectors and building codes are constantly changes, your home inspector may know if they required when the home was built. The should how ever not the lack of GFCI protection in these areas.

  A GFCI outlet may be wired in a branch circuit, which means other outlets and electrical devices may share the same circuit and breaker. When a properly wired GFCI trips, the other devices downstream from it will also, lose power. If you have an outlet that doesn’t work, and the breaker is not tripped, look for a GFCI outlet,  that may have tripped. The gfci_outletnon-working outlet may be downstream from a GFCI device. The “dead” outlets may not be located near the GFCI outlet; they may be several rooms away or even on a different floor. GFCI outlets should be tested periodically – at least once a year. All GFCI devices have test buttons.

AFCI. (arc fault circuit interrupter) are 15-amp and 20-amp 120-volt circuits. Microsoft Word - SAFETY ALERTS.docDining rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, sunrooms, closets, hallways, or similar areas in today’s modern homes must be AFCI protected.

An arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) is a circuit breaker designed to prevent fires by detecting non-working electrical arcs and disconnect power before the arc starts a fire. The AFCI should distinguish between a working arc that may occur in the brushes of a vacuum sweeper, light switch, or other household devices and a non-working arc that can occur, for instance, in a lamp cord that has a broken conductor in the cord from overuse. Arc faults in a home are one of the leading causes for household fires. AFCIs resemble a GFCI (Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter) in that they both have a test button, though it is important to distinguish between the two. GFCIs are
designed to protect against electrical shock, while AFCIs are primarily designed to protect against fire.

Active Rain

Active Rain is a great web site to get help with all your Real Estate needs visit them today at www.activerain.com get answers to your questions and find Real Estate Professionals in your local area that help you. While you are there check out our profile page at http://activerain.com/jcm1959

Well & Water Quality

 

 


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