Attached Garages

This blog is all about the garage and common issues we find during home inspections in regards to safety and fire concerns. Garages are a common area for fires due to the likeliness of flammable materials, such as motor oils, exhaust fumes, paint thinners, varnish, camping fuels and other flammable liquids that are commonly stored in garages. Here is some valuable tips and advice that every home owner should know!

The following tips can help prevent garage fires and their spread:

• If the garage allows access to the attic, make sure a hatch covers this access.
• The walls and ceiling should be fire-rated. Unfortunately, it will be difficult for untrained homeowners to tell if their walls are Type X fire-rated gypsum. 
• The floor should be clear of clutter. Loose papers, matches, oily rags, and other potentially flammable items are extremely dangerous if they are strewn about the garage floor.
• Use light bulbs with the proper wattage, and do not overload electrical outlets.
• Tape down all cords and wires so they are not twisted or accidentally yanked.

If there is a door that connects the garage to the living area, consider the following:

• Do not install a pet door in the door! Flames can more easily spread into the living area through a pet door, especially if it’s made of plastic.
• Does the door have a window? If it does, it should be fire-rated.
• The door should be self-closing. While it may be inconvenient, especially while carrying groceries into the house from the car, doors should be self-closing. You never know when a fire will happen, and it would be unfortunate to accidentally leave the door open while a fire is starting in the garage.
• Check the joints and open spaces around the door. Are they tightly sealed? Any openings at all can allow dangerous fumes, such as carbon monoxide or gasoline vapor, to enter the living area. 

Concerning items placed on the floor, you should check for the following:

• Store your flammable liquids in clearly labeled, self-closing containers, and only in small amounts. Keep them away from heaters, appliances, pilot lights and other sources of heat or flame.
• Never store propane tanks indoors. If they catch fire, they can explode. Propane tanks are sturdy enough to be stored outdoors.

There are plenty of things that you can do to prevent garage fires from spreading to the rest of the house, or to keep them from starting in the first place. If you have any concerns about your garage, why not have it inspected by a qualified home inspector or contractor! If you have any concerns feel free to contact us anytime, we’d be glad to help.

Be sure that the walls and ceilings are sealed!

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!

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.

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

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!

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.

Formaldehyde in the Home

Here is a great read all about Formaldehyde....Things you may not know!

Formaldehyde is a colorless, pungent-smelling chemical widely used in industries that manufacture building materials and numerous household products. Thus, it may be present in substantial concentrations in indoor environments. 

Where indoors may formaldehyde be found?

• Pressed-wood products (such as hardwood plywood wall paneling, particle board and fiberboard), and furniture made with these pressed-wood products. Mobile homes are especially at risk for indoor formaldehyde pollution because of their abundance of composite wood in construction, and relatively compact interior space; 
• Carpet backing and urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI). In the 1970s, many homes were insulated with UFFI as an energy-conservation measure before it was discovered that UFFI contained dangerously high levels of formaldehyde. Fortunately, formaldehyde emissions in this product decline over time, so older houses with UFFI are unlikely to have high levels of formaldehyde now. This insulation is not very common in modern housing; 
• Tobacco smoke; 
• Durable-press drapes and other textiles; 
• Un-vented, fuel-burning appliances, such gas stoves and kerosene space heaters; and glues. 

Is it dangerous?

Four years after concern arose over high levels of formaldehyde found in some FEMA trailers, there is still a great deal of confusion regarding permissible levels of airborne formaldehyde in indoor environments.

• Formaldehyde is known to cause the following conditions: 
• watery eyes; 
• burning sensations in the eyes and throat; 
• nausea; 
• severe allergic reactions; and cancer. 

Uncertainty remains as to how to compare measured air concentrations of formaldehyde to cancer incidence. No definitive "high risk" level can be drawn because many other factors besides formaldehyde exposure play a role in the development of cancer. In general, however, the lower the level and shorter the duration of exposure, the less risk of cancer and other health effects there are. 

• wheezing, coughing and difficulty breathing; 
• asthma attacks; fatigue; skin rash; 

In 1992, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) declared formaldehyde a "toxic air contaminant," meaning that there is no safe level of exposure. In June 2004, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassified formaldehyde from “probably carcinogenic to humans” to “carcinogenic to humans,” specifically concerning nasopharyngeal (upper throat) cancer, while the National Toxicology Program (NTP) continues to classify formaldehyde as “reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen in humans” for nasopharyngeal cancer. 

Steps to Reduce Exposure

• Use exterior-grade pressed-wood products (lower-emitting, because they contain phenol resins, not urea resins). 
• Use air conditioning and dehumidifiers to maintain a moderate temperature and reduce humidity levels. 
• Increase ventilation, particularly after bringing new sources of formaldehyde indoors. 
• Seal non-laminated surfaces of products containing formaldehyde with paints, varnish or polyurethane-like materials.