Sunday 23 June 2013

What Really Matters on a Home Inspection



Buying a home? The process can be stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind, but it often has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information over a short time. This often includes a written report, checklist, photographs, environmental reports, and what the inspector himself says during the inspection. All this combined with the seller's disclosure and what you notice yourself make the experience even more overwhelming. What should you do?

Relax...your House CSI inspector is a true professional, being a member of InterNACHI, you can trust that we are the most highly trained in the industry. Most of your inspection will be related to maintenance recommendations and minor imperfections. These are good to know about. However, the issues that really matter will fall into four categories:

  1.  major defects: An example of this would be a structural failure;
  2.  things that lead to major defects: a small roof-flashing leak, for example;
  3.  things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy, or insure the home; and 
  4.  safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electric panel.
Anything in these categories should be addressed. Often, a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in categories 2 and 4).

Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an inspection. Realize that sellers are under no obligation to repair everything mentioned in the report. No home is perfect. Keep things in perspective. Do not kill your deal over things that do not matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions already listed on the seller's disclosure, or nit-picky items.

If you are considering a home inspection in the GTA, contact us at House CSI!

Friday 21 June 2013

Stucco Removal Video! (EIFS)

Stucco! People just love stucco....Not sure what stucco is? Well most likely the common stucco you see around your neighbourhood is a modern form of stucco known as EIFS. This stands for Exterior Insulating and Finishing Systems, it is also sometimes referred to as synthetic stucco.

This finish usually consists of plastic foam insulation panels that are glued to the sheathing of the house. The stucco finish is usually applied with a base coat and then a finish coat which can be sprayed on, or rolled on. The final coat gives the house the colour and texture.

This quick video shows you exactly what an EIFS finish looks like....and what it looks like when it’s being ripped apart! Notice how thin the actual finish is.... Note: This was being done to create a space for a new fireplace.


Saturday 8 June 2013

Pre-Inspection Checklist

The home inspection is a common part of  selling a house. This is usually performed for the potential buyers and most often these potential buyers use the inspections findings to their advantage to re-negotiate the price of the home. For those selling their home.....here is a simple checklist of common items that home inspectors find and report on. Often these findings can be fixed for as little as $20!!
Most of these items are an easy DIY project.
House CSI

Thursday 6 June 2013

Home Inspection Promo Video

We finally finished our first video! This is just a promo for our homepage....hopefully we'll keep it up and bring you more! 


For more info on home inspections and the services we provide....please visit our website at www.housecsi.com Thanks!

Sunday 2 June 2013

Infrared Cameras & Moisture!

During a recent home inspection/renovation consultation we encountered a small leak on the main floor. The main floor area was being ripped up and is in the process of a serious renovation so we could easily see all the electrical, plumbing and ducting. We spotted the leak, which happened to be the old kitchen drain pipe that had never been connected together properly! It had been this way for over 40 years and never leaked, but during the renovation it must have been knocked around and the improperly installed connector had become completely loose.

Below the main floor area is a recently re-finished laundry room, so we thought we should probably go down to the basement and see if any water damage has occurred and take some thermal shots while we’re at it, just to show you how thermal imaging works with moisture damage. As you can see from the regular photo, there are no signs of any moisture issues....this leak had probably been leaking for a few hours. If the floor above had been covered, we would never suspect any moisture issues at all. Take a look at the pictures with the thermal camera, clearly it tells us another story!

The laundry room, directly below the renovation above and the leak. No signs of any moisture damage!!
Now this is telling us we have a serious moisture concern! We love these cameras!

The leak 12 hours after it had been fixed. The drywall  is almost completely dry, the floor joists  are still wet. This area had completely dried out after 24 hours.  This is because the floor above was open and there was an abundance of air-flow was helping this dry out. If it had been covered this would of easily stayed wet and caused damage to the laundry room ceiling.

The next shots are of a basement ceiling that has signs of moisture damage. In this situation we had no access to what’s behind the drywall, so we have to assume at some point recently there has been a leak. We decided to pull out the thermal camera to see if there were any signs of moisture as well as our moisture meter. COMPLETELY DRY! 

Not every situation tells you exactly what's really happening, having a thermal imaging camera and moisture meter is essential in the home inspection process. We hope this blog helps you understand how these tools work and how they benefit all parties involved during the home buying/selling process. For more information please contact us, we'd love to help!

A basement ceiling with clear signs of damage.  Possibly a moisture concern!

And NOTHING! So whatever was the concern is no longer a problem.  We confirmed this with our moisture meter as well.