Wednesday 25 January 2012

Project Time!

Last week we did a simple little project with two exterior doors at my Father's house.  We wanted to install glass panels into 2 standard exterior doors.  Why would we want to do this you may ask?....well to save money of course!  We saved about $200 per door doing it this way.....of course you could spend the extra money and buy a door with the glass panel already installed, but if you buy them separately you can save!  As long as you don't mind doing the work.

If you have a jig saw and some know how with tools, this is a super easy project.....All you need to do is make sure you measure your cut out for the panel correctly and get yourself some metal blades for your jigsaw.
Measure twice! cut once.



Glass panel & door.

Glass frame in 2 pieces.

Final product! Just screw the frame together.


Sunday 22 January 2012

Home Inspection Costs

How much should a home inspection cost? This is an ongoing question and usually the first question realtors and prospective clients ask when considering our services.  

You must remember that buying a home is probably the most expensive purchase you will ever make. This is no time to shop for a cheap inspection. The cost of a home inspection is very small relative to the value of the home being inspected. The additional cost of hiring an inspector is almost insignificant by comparison.

The home inspector’s job is to provide a general, overall inspection of the home. We can consider ourselves similar to a general medical practitioner, as they would find something wrong with a patient and then send him/her to a specialist. The specialist in this case would be an electrician, plumber, roofing contractor, HVAC contractor, engineer and so forth.

You could always opt out of a traditional inspection and bring in all the expert trades to inspect your potential property, but the cost would be ridiculous! You would end up spending well over a $1000 to do this. This is why the home inspection industry exists, for a much lower fee you bring in one person who has a general knowledge of all.

You also want to make sure your home inspector is well qualified and really does know what they are doing. Do yourself a favour and pay a little more for the quality inspection you deserve.  Our prices vary for each property we inspect, don't be fooled by inexperienced inspectors offering cheap inspections.  True professionals take their job seriously and amateurs DO NOT! 
Like most things in life, you pay for what you get! 

House CSI

Building Permits





What’s the deal with building permits? Do I need one? Why do I need this? Simple answer....YES! You absolutely need them and if there are signs that your house has been worked on, you should want to know that the appropriate building permits were pulled.

During most home inspections, we can quickly figure out whether or not your home as been worked on. We can also figure out whether or not the work done has been completed by qualified trades. There will be obvious signs in workmanship that will stand out and allow us to understand what is going on. If things look sloppy and unprofessional, chances are your home could have been worked on by unqualified trades and furthermore, building permits were most likely not pulled. Permits means the work on your house has been properly prepared and completed by professionals; this also includes having the work inspected by city code inspectors as the project moves along.

People seem to associate building permits with only large expensive renovations, but it’s not the permit fee that costs the money, it’s the design fee. Properly prepared and stamped architectural drawings can cost big bucks, where the city building permits for these drawings may only cost $100-$200.

Building permits are granted by your local municipality and most municipalities differs as to which permits are required and when. Generally, you will need a permit for most renovation work, especially when it comes to removing walls and changing floor plans. You also need a permit for most plumbing, electrical and HVAC work. If you are only changing decorative finishes, you do not need to apply for a building permit.

If you suspect your home may not of had permits pulled for past renovation work, get your home inspected! Not just by a home inspector! The home inspection will give you a general report of the entire house and all its system and components, but if you think your electrical is compromised, bring in a qualified electrician! If you think your HVAC is compromised, bring in a qualified HVAC contractor!....and so forth. Your biggest concern should be the overall safety of your home. Permits are GOOD!

House CSI



Friday 13 January 2012

Heat Recovery Ventilators or HRV's

Ever wondered how fresh the air in your home is?  Air quality can depend on a number of different variables, such as humidity, mould , asbestos, radon, lead, carbon monoxide, biologicals, formaldehyde and pesticides. It also can be something as simple as the age of your home and maybe how often you open a window.  Opening a window in the middle of winter or summer is not the most efficient thing to do, especially when considering your homes heating and cooling costs.  Maybe you should consider an HRV?  You may also want to consider a home inspection to further understand your home.

With today’s residential construction techniques our homes are becoming very tightly sealed enclosures, preventing air intrusion and air leakage.  The air inside these tightly sealed envelopes can become stale and full of moisture, which can lead to air quality issues and cause potential health problems.  A Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) can help solve these problems as the system removes stale indoor air and replaces it with fresh outdoor air.  This fresh colder outdoor air and the stale heated indoor air passes through a heat exchange core, which transfers the warmth from the outgoing air to the incoming air.  This exchange reduces the energy needed from your furnace to warm untreated incoming air.  HRV's are constantly ventilating your homes air, allowing the house to breathe without the need to open a window, they also can significantly improve your indoor air quality!

HRV’s are not just used for the winter.  They also help keep your home cool in the summer and keep the house air fresh, as well as reducing moisture levels. These properly installed systems are very efficient and can recover up to 85% of the heat lost in your homes outgoing air.

A home inspection is a great start to fully understanding all your home systems and components.  The inspection will help you determine whether or not this system may be a viable option for your home.  We also recommend having your home’s HVAC system inspected by a qualified HVAC contractor to further investigate your options when it comes to heating and cooling.


House CSI


An HRV in action.


Blue Wood?....What is it?

You've probably seen this product before on HGTV, that bright smurf blue lumber that seems to be gaining popularity in the residential renovation world.  I’ve run into a number of times on home inspections and even recently used it at my Father’s house for his second floor addition; but I wanted to know a little more about this fine product and to find out what exactly is used in making it. 
Side by side.



Basically blue wood is your regular standard construction lumber and plywood(wall studs and sheathing) that has been specially treated to be moisture resistant, mould resistant, as well as being termite resistant.  All three are pretty great things we think, especially when it comes to building houses.  The wood goes through a two part process that uses a first part ‘infusion film’ that allows the wood to become water repellent and also breathable as it creates a semi-permeable membrane with the wood fibres.  The second step happens by treating the wood with a proven fungicide and insecticide DOT wood preservative.  This is also known as Disodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate, which is widely used in the building industry.  This treatment is also non corrosive to metal and apparently can be exposed to harsh job site conditions for up to six months without losing it’s benefits.  

You may want to consider using this product on your next home renovation project; we highly recommend it for basement framing and bathroom framing, particularly around showers or where anything has a high chance of getting wet. 

House CSI 

End cut  sealant....Mike Holmes approved of course!



Monday 9 January 2012

Need a New Water Heater?....Think Tank-less

I've been seeing tank-less water heaters more and more on recent home inspections in the Toronto area....and here's why;

These sometimes called ‘on demand’ water heaters take up less space, use less energy and last longer than conventional storage tank heaters.    Believe it or not, but 20%-40% of energy consumed by conventional water heaters is lost due to radiant heat loss as heat is slowly released from the storage tank.  The tankless system can reduce your water heating costs by as much as 50% because it’s only heating water when it is needed and eliminates radiant heat loss by no longer using a storage tank.   Let’s also not forget that they’re super compact in size compared to conventional tanks and can be mounted on the wall, literally taking up no floor space at all!

A home inspection with a qualified contractor (plumber) can determine your households specific needs and may be a good idea to find out your options when it comes to your households water heating. Maybe a tank-less water heater is right for you!


I love heating all this water for nobody.

It just looks better!


Saturday 7 January 2012

MOULD....it all starts with WATER!

Mould is a naturally occurring organism that grows in buildings where the moisture, air, a food source, and temperature all meet the conditions for growth. Mould is everywhere, indoors and outdoors and not all moulds are bad mould. If mould levels indoors the house are higher than levels found outside the house, the house air could be compromised and reasons for concern may apply.


Mould inside a home is generally caused by some form of water intrusion. Since some moulds only need 24-48 hours to start growing, finding the source of the water intrusion and eliminating this source should be top priority in reducing the growth of mould indoors.  

If you suspect mould in your home, you may want to consider a mould inspection to further evaluate the possible problem. This home inspection process includes sampling, which is an effective method to assist and determine the scope of the problem and to understand what areas of the property have been impacted.  


Thursday 5 January 2012

Is your attic properly insulated?

With winter being here, you may want to find out how well your attic space is insulated. Having your attic properly sealed and insulated can save you up to 20% per year in heating and cooling costs. We all know that heat rises, so keeping that heat from escaping into the attic is critical when considering reducing your homes heat loss. In southern Ontario a R value of 40 is the current standard for homes, but numerous times we perform inspections on older and newer homes that do not reach these standards. It's important for home owners to have their attic space inspected and to find out whether or not they have the correct amount of insulation. Of course having a high quality home inspection on your house before you buy would provide you with all the answers needed on this topic....


Blown in type. R50....that's what you want!
Fiberglass bats, mostly R20.....not so good.

Wednesday 4 January 2012

Thinking of Renovating??

The pre-renovation consultation is an inspection for all home owners with renovation visions who are requiring advice on how to go about bringing their dreams to fruition. This type of home inspection pays special attention to the areas of the home defined in the owner's plans for their future home. It's an entirely different kind of inspection; one that requires someone with a lot of renovation experience. Martyn Boyce of House Consulting Services & Inspections is one of the most knowledgeable, experienced inspectors in the field. As a professional engineer, he gives the right advice to homeowners considering a renovation.

Martyn Boyce supervised and directed home renovations in Toronto for over ten years. Needless to say, he has the necessary knowledge and experience to advise you on any of your future renovation decisions. One of the greatest benefits of the pre-renovation consultation is that we can inform you of exactly how to go about your renovation and if your ideas are reasonable given the pre-existing structure. Our objective is to help you understand how to keep costs down, but ultimately how to make you dreams come alive.



Monday 2 January 2012

Choose Your Home Inspector Wisely

“If you want to be a successful home inspector, you should make sure your company name begins with the letter ‘A’ and plenty of them!”

This comment, delivered by my brother-in-law, was a rather eye-opening statement that inspired this blog post. From this remark, it seems that some homeowners assume that amongst home inspectors there is equality in terms of their credentials, knowledge and experience. However, this is far from a factual statement.

The truth is, anyone can take a course to completion and get a nice “Certified Home Inspector” label. But no single course, nor even a collection of courses, can prepare you for all of the significant conditions that one is faced with as a home inspector and furthermore, failure to meet the standards of professional service may lead to serious repercussions. An error in judgement can result in catastrophic financial loss or even death by carbon monoxide poisoning, electrocution, or other causes.

So it would seem that at the end of the day, simply opening the Yellow Pages and picking the first guy on the list might prove more hazardous then you first anticipated. Even more so because the home inspection business remains completely unregulated in Canada and any self-proclaiming “professional” whom often does not have training, insurance, or written reports can offer their services to unsuspecting homeowners.
Be sure to find out what your inspector did before they became a home inspector because there is no substitute for experience. Period.