Inspector's Blog

History's lessons should be heeded Plumbing has been in use since ancient times. The Romans seem to often get credit for "inventing" plumbing. The Roman aqueducts are renown. Yet many ancient civilizations, Greek, Persian and Chinese for instance, did in fact have public water systems. What is historically notable to the ancient Romans is the use of lead plumbing. The word … [Read more...] about Plumb Crazy

Finding good ideas gone wrong is nearly a daily experience for the home inspector I often kid that I know enough about something to be dangerous. There are times while looking through a house that it seems that those who should know don't know what they should know with potentially dangerous results. A basic and it seems from my perspective an often over looked requirement … [Read more...] about Good Idea, Poor Execution

A penny saved is... While Ben Franklin's quote on saving money is renowned, not all saved pennies may be well earned. For example, shortcuts are simply a way to save money and time. What they are most often not are a best practice. A shortcut is good for the one using the shortcut, not typically the one receiving the results of that time saver. "Well done is better than … [Read more...] about What Would Ben Franklin Say?

Is there full transparency in the window industry? Windows are a most noticeable part of our homes. Allowing us see the world outside and letting light inside. Unfortunately they are also gaping holes in the thermal envelope. A significant amount of energy is lost through our windows because glass is an extremely poor insulator. Due to this characteristic windows have evolved … [Read more...] about Windows, a Clearer View on Energy Savings

And we should all be thankful for that! As a home inspector one phrase I hear time and again is, houses were built better (insert an age, time frame). There certainly is no question that older houses still standing now, often have great details and character. These relics often have beautiful trim work and interior finishes fitting of the period, which are naturally not found … [Read more...] about They Don’t Build ‘Em Like They Used To…