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Monthly Archives: November 2011
How can you tell if the outside walls have been insulated properly? On interior walls you can obviously see the insulation
It is difficult to verify or determine how much insulation is in the outside walls after they are enclosed. Sometimes if you remove an outlet cover on an outside you may be able to see if insulation is present. If … Continue reading
Posted in Ask the Home Inspector
Tagged Auto, cavity, cover, Draft, heat loss, holes in the wall, insulation, interior walls, location, loss, outlet, Scans
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Roof Inspection Checklist for Baton Rouge Houses
In this issue of our “Home Inspector Tip of the Week” series, Kevin will take you on a recent roof inspection, and will show you how to tell if your new roof was properly installed. Obvious or unforeseen roof problems … Continue reading
If you are buying a new home, who pays for the inspection? Is it the buyer (me) or the seller?
In the standard purchase agreement, the buyer has the option to have an inspection done on the house he is buying. Usually the inspection is paid for by the buyer. However, during negotiations of a purchase agreement a buyer certainly … Continue reading
The weather strip on my front door is damaged and allows air to leak in. This has not been as much of a problem in the summer, but with cold weather coming I want to fix it. How is the best way to fix this?
It does not seem as much of a problem in the summer, but it is. If your weather strip allows a ¼” opening around a door, it is like a hole in the wall that is 4” x 4”. The … Continue reading
Posted in Ask the Home Inspector
Tagged air flows, Auto, builder, cold weather, door, Draft, hole in the wall, problem, reason, universal type, way, weather strip
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Several of my doors have light that can be seen around the doors when closed. I am not sure how to go about fixing this. Can you give me some help?
This is a very important concern for energy conservation. Well sealed openings into our home help with loss of heated or cooled air. It is usually more noticeable in the winter because air moves from cool to warm so you … Continue reading
Posted in Ask the Home Inspector
Tagged air moves, Auto, check, cold winter days, concern, cool, Draft, home, loss, quality weather, square hole, weather strip
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The sinks in my master bathroom are very slow to drain. I have tried putting drain cleaner down them but does not seem to help. Short of calling a plumber is there anything else I can try to make my sinks drain better.
If the liquid drain cleaners don’t work you might try clearing the drain trap under the sink. This can be done by disconnecting the “P” or “S” trap under the sink and cleaning it out. If you have a plastic … Continue reading
Posted in Ask the Home Inspector
Tagged assembly, assembly tools, Auto, Draft, drain cleaners, drain trap, metal assembly, plastic, s trap, stopper, water, work
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I was wondering if you know anything about painting stucco. We have authentic stucco, and I have been wanting to paint it for some time. I have tried to do some research because I have been told you cannot paint stucco, and I am getting mixed reviews. I heard of stuff called latex, and elastomeric paint. Have you heard of either?
In most cases stucco can be painted. I would suggest an elastomeric paint, which by the way may be latex. This is a “rubberized” type paint that will hide most cracks in the stucco. In painting stucco the prep work … Continue reading
Posted in Ask the Home Inspector
Tagged better luck, cannot, durable coating, paint, paint store, painting stucco, professional paint, type, way, work
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Water Heater Installation – How NOT To Do It
In this issue of our “Home Inspector Tip of the Week” series, Kevin will take you through one of our recent home inspections in Baton Rouge to show you a VERY bad example of a water heater installation. The water … Continue reading
I would like to install a skylight in our bathroom but my wife said she has heard that they always leak. Do you have any suggestions?
Your wife is correct. Skylights are great, but they are a leak potential. Anytime you put a hole in a roof, it might leak. Skylights are fine when they don’t leak. I have one in my bathroom and we had … Continue reading
Posted in Ask the Home Inspector
Tagged Auto, contractor, Draft, leak, roof, roofing contractor, skylight, skylights, wife
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Can you tell me how to rid my home of fruit flies?
The small brown, red-eyed fruit fly is usually carried inside homes in fresh fruits and vegetables, most often bananas. The items in which the flies are breeding must be found and discarded in the outdoor trash. To deal with the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Auto, cup, Draft, fresh fruits and vegetables, fruit, fruit fly, fruits and vegetables, home, plastic, plastic wrap, rubber, rubber band, wrap
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