Sump Pump Selection: What Size, Type & Backup System Do You Need?

As a home inspector, the verbage I use at the end of nearly every defect listed in an inspection report advises further evaluation and/or repair by a qualified contractor. If it’s an electrical defect, the report will likely say, “Recommend repair by a qualified electrician.” If a roof shows some advanced wear, the report may state, “Recommend further evaluation by a qualified roofing contractor.” As inspectors, our guidance generally must point clients to qualified professionals as they are the ones most qualified and (hopefully) capable of fixing the problem correctly.

In reality, though, there are some things most homeowners are perfectly capable of doing on their own. In fact, with all the responsibility that comes along with homeownership, it’s in the best interest of every homeowner to become as “handy” as possible in order to properly maintain their home and save money. Of course, knowing what to do and how to do it is extremely important, and no one should ever tackle a job they aren’t fully capable of doing on their own.

So what are some things most homeowners can likely “DIY?” One relatively simple thing is painting. In most cases, painting is not as much a “repair” as it is a cosmetic upgrade. Sometimes, though, painting is a necessary maintenance task and one you can likely do just fine on your own. Decks, for example, are often painted and need repainted periodically to hold up against the elements. By painting the deck yourself, you’ll enjoy a sense of accomplishment as well as a major savings.

Caulking is another relatively simple DIY project. As caulking deteriorates over time it needs replaced, and applying caulk is something nearly anyone can do (although it can be somewhat of a messy job). To apply caulk, simply remove the old caulk completely, thoroughly clean the area of any debris and residue, and apply a new bead of caulk using your finger to smooth out the bead. Of course, be sure you choose a caulk that is designed for the specific application and follow the instructions to observe adequate dry times.

Several outdoor maintenance jobs are easy for most homeowners. Keeping vegetation at least six inches from the house only requires a few standard tools and a bit of time and effort. Cleaning out gutters – provided they aren’t too high and you are safe on a ladder – is also not difficult.

If you possess some basic carpentry knowledge, you are likely able to do many things to improve your home’s safety, function and aesthetics while reducing costs. Installing handrails, prehung doors, and even laminate flooring are all relatively easy tasks for homeowners with a little know-how.

Often times, calling a professional is simply the only viable option and one of the costs of owning a home that will inevitably need repairs over time. But by educating yourself and honing some basic skills as you gain experience, you may find that some tasks that once seemed impossible to do on your own are suddenly quick and simple afternoon jobs.

So to recap, every homeowner should take the time to learn some basics regarding home repair and maintenance in order to keep up with smaller jobs and save money whenever possible. But know your limitations, and always call in a professional for any bigger jobs or repairs you aren’t 100% comfortable and capable doing on your own.

*To visit our main website, go to http://www.hillinspections.com

This article hits home for me in a very real and personal way. A couple short years ago, a friend of mine died as the result of a gas leak in his home. This friend was the older brother of a very good, life-long friend of mine. He was a bright and very funny guy who had many friends and was loved by many family members and others who knew him. Like me, he served in the military, and (unlike me) he met his wife while deployed overseas. They started a family, had children, and settled down once his tour of duty concluded.

While doing laundry in his basement one day, a gas leak that had developed slowly and gone undetected was ignited by a spark from a system in the basement. This caused an explosion that immediately knocked my friend unconscious. Some time later he woke up and realized he was on fire, and he ran frantically outside into his backyard. His neighbors, hearing his screams and seeing the blaze, rushed to get over his fence to help, but by the time they got to him he was burnt beyond recognition. He spent the next couple days in the ICU, unconscious, and passed away, leaving his wife and small children behind. Needless to say, I carry this tragic story with me every time I perform an inspection where gas is present.

At every inspection, I carry a state-of-the-art carbon monoxide detector on my belt the entire time I am performing the inspection. The detector vibrates and emits a loud alarm if the level is 35 parts per million (ppm) of carbon monoxide or more, and I frequently check the detector’s digital screen even if the alarm does not go off. Carbon monoxide is most common when combustion sources (furnaces, fireplaces, gas stoves, vehicles, etc.) are in operation, but it can still be present in higher than expected levels, even in homes with few sources of combustion.

Another tool in my tool bag that is frequently used is a combustible gas leak detector. This tool is used to check for gas leaks along gas pipes – primarily with furnaces and gas fireplaces.

The main purpose of this article is two-fold: to clarify the effects of carbon monoxide and gas leaks on people at varying levels, and to stress the importance of hiring a home inspector who uses advanced tools to check for gas and CO leaks that could cause great harm, if not death, like in the case of my friend.

The effects of carbon monoxide are as follows: 35 ppm – maximum allowed exposure for a one hour period; 200 ppm – headache, fatigue, dizziness and nausea after 1-2 hours; 400 ppm – headache in 1-2 hours, and possible death after 3 hours; 800 ppm – dizziness, nausea and convulsions, and possible death within two hours; 1,600 ppm – headache, dizziness and nausea within 20 minutes and possible death within one hour; 12,800 ppm – death within 1-3 minutes.

Since carbon monoxide can not be seen, smelled or tasted, it is impossible to determine the levels without a detector. If your home inspector doesn’t use a high quality CO detector and existing detectors in the house are far from the source or not working properly, you are at a great disadvantage and may be purchasing a home with an existing and potentially life threatening problem.

Likewise, if your inspector does not check for gas leaks you may be unaware of leaks that are small but increasing over time and could even find yourself or a family member in a position similar to my friend who lost his life from a gas leak explosion. Natural gas is highly flammable (which is why it’s used for combustion), and an ignited leak can cause an instant and potentially fatal explosion.

Please be sure to ask any inspector you are considering hiring if he or she checks for gas/CO leaks during the inspection, and ask for those results at the end of the inspection. Most homes I inspect average between 1 and 5 parts per million for carbon monoxide, and most often there are no natural gas or propane leaks detected. Still, it only takes that one time for an injury or even death to occur, and every good inspector should be checking gas levels at every general home inspection to verify safety and provide their client with this important information.

*To visit our main website, go to http://www.hillinspections.com

Contrary to older homes that typically contained many walls to separate rooms, the modern preference for most homeowners is an open floor plan. Often times, people purchase a home that is not as open as they’d prefer with the intention of opening up the space, or current homeowners may wish to remodel to achieve a more open feel.

Of course, before you go tearing out walls there’s one very important consideration you have to determine… is the wall load bearing? A load bearing wall is a wall that, as its name suggests, supports load (weight and force) from the structure. Load can be “dead” load, meaning it is always present as part of the structure itself, or “live” load, meaning the load is not permanent and can be moved (furniture, appliances, people, etc.). If a load bearing wall is removed entirely and no longer present to provide support, devastating consequences can result for the structure.

So how do you determine if a wall is load bearing? Well, it’s actually not as difficult as you might think. If you have a basement, begin there. If not, begin with the crawlspace or slab. In other words, start at the lowest point of the house, regardless of the type of foundation. If your home has a basement or crawlspace like most in my area, you will likely see vertical columns with long, thick wood or metal beams running on top of them. Above the beams, you will typically see wooden floor joists running perpendicular (at a right angle) to the beams and bearing on the stronger exterior walls.

The load from the structure is constantly transferred through this entire system – from the roof, through the walls and floor structure, and finally to the more substantial foundation at the base, and ultimately into the ground. All of the individual members of the structure are designed to effectively transfer load continuously and to withstand the dead and live loads that may be exerted on the system at any time. In general, foundation walls and centrally located interior walls are load bearing.

Once you’ve verified the direction of your support beams and floor joists, you can move to the first floor. If the wall in question is running parallel to the beam and perpendicular to the floor joists below, there is a good possibility that it is load bearing. This is because the joists above the wall are probably running in the same direction as those in the basement, and the wall is likely supporting the joists above it. If the wall is running parallel to the joists, there is a good possibility that it is not load bearing. Often (but not always), short and narrow interior walls are not load bearing and are not exerting much weight on the structure below. Longer, wider walls are load bearing more often than not, even if they contain doors or larger openings.

If you have a one-story house with an unfinished attic, you can easily access the joists above the wall to see if they are bearing on it. If you have a two-story house or a finished attic, a little more investigation may be needed.

If you discover that a wall is load bearing, it does not mean that you can’t open up the wall to create more open space. The wall can usually still be altered by placing a “header” (horizontal support member) above the new opening to transfer the load around the opening and downward toward the foundation. Windows and doors have headers above them to achieve the same goal. It is important, though, that the header is properly sized for the load requirement (not too small or too big) and that the wall is adequately supported with temporary bracing while it is being altered.

Because of the vital importance of determining whether a wall is load bearing and ensuring that alterations are properly done, it is always advisable to consult a structural engineer prior to remodeling work that involves wall alterations. Likewise, it is important to hire an experienced contractor who can complete the work properly and safely. “Bear” all this in mind if you’re considering alterations to create a more open floor plan.

*To visit our main website, go to http://www.hillinspections.com

This post isn’t about showerheads themselves, but the wall covering that surrounds them. Despite the fact that standard drywall is very prone to moisture problems and isn’t at all waterproof, it’s still one of the most common wall covering material used around showerheads. I see it all the time.

Ideally, nothing that isn’t waterproof, or at least water resistant, would be used in a bathroom at all. There’s simply too much water and moisture, and problems are bound to occur over time when bathrooms are constructed with materials that aren’t water-friendly.

The rule of thumb is that waterproof material (such as tile or vinyl) should extend at least three inches above a showerhead. Often times, tub showers have waterproof surrounds but the showerhead is installed right above the surround through standard drywall. Standard tub surrounds are often not high enough to extend three inches above the showerhead because people tend to prefer their showerheads to be located fairly high to allow for plenty of headroom.

If your showerhead is located above the surround and coming through drywall, you’re not likely to have waterproof material installed – especially if you haven’t had any noticeable problems. But if you’re remodeling or having a new bathroom constructed, be sure to use waterproof materials and that the area around the showerhead extends at least three inches above the pipe. In the long run, you’ll be glad you did.

*To visit our main website, go to http://www.hillinspections.com

Every now and then I have the fortunate experience of running across rare and unique forms of construction at inspections. Recently, I had the pleasant surprise of coming across a concrete beam and block suspended ceiling at a house I inspected. Most people have never heard of (let alone seen) this type of floor system, and I’d like to describe it so – if nothing else – you can share in my fascination.

Nearly all suspended residential floor systems throughout the U.S. are made of wood, and we have come to view wood floor construction (wood girders, joists, and subfloors) as the norm. In some other countries, though, concrete is a more common building material than wood for many applications. A friend of mine grew up in India and told me he was amazed when he first moved to America and discovered that all the houses were “built of flimsy sticks.” He was used to homes being built with mostly concrete.

Concrete beam and block foundations like the one I recently saw have gained popularity in the United Kingdom and some other Western countries. The system consists of concrete beams in the shape of a T, known simply as T-beams, and the “T” is inverted so that the top side of the T shape is facing down. Concrete blocks are then laid perpendicular to the T-beams, side-by-side between them, on top of the bottom lips of the beams and flush with the tops. The beams bear on the exterior foundation walls and interior support walls, and the concrete blocks are made to be lighter weight than normal so the load isn’t too great for the foundation to support.

There are several benefits to this type of floor structure. As you can imagine, it is very strong. Installation of the system is also relatively simple and is not weather dependent since, unlike wood, the concrete is not very susceptible to water damage. It is also good at resisting damage from water and pests and is suitable for radiant floor systems since the concrete is a good radiator of heat. Unlike wood floors that are prone to bouncing and squeaking, those issues are virtually non-existent with a concrete beam and block floor system.

It’s not likely that the long-standing, traditional construction practices here in America will change any time soon. Still, it’s pretty exciting to occasionally run into oddities that are rare and different. If you’re looking into building a home, you may want to consider the option of a suspended concrete beam and block foundation, provided you can find a contractor who knows enough about the system’s design and installation requirements. In any case, it’s interesting to know about different building practices that are common elsewhere but rarely seen in our own country.

*To visit our main website, go to http://www.hillinspections.com