BLOG
Lawn Fertilizer Schedule Interval 1
Many Houston homeowner are familiar with Randy Lemmon and the "Garden Line" radio show. I know it is my go to program when I am out driving to inspections on weekends. He publishes a handy lawn care schedule on his web page but it sure is easy to forget....
4 Warning Signs You Need a New Roof
Replacing your roof when the time comes is one of the most important things you can do to protect your home and family. A new roof can give you 20 years or longer of protection and increase your home’s curb appeal. Are you wondering if it’s time to invest in a new...
Your dryer exhaust vent system
Your dryer exhaust vent system is an often forgotten detail in your home but it can be a nuisance and quite possibly dangerous. Ideally, we want a solid metal duct from the dryer all the way to the point it exits the home. We also want to make sure the dryer itself...
Monthly Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) filter inspection.
It is that time again. Monthly Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) filter inspection. Take a good look at your filters. Clean or replace them if they are dirty. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early...
Garage Door Safety Features
Overhead garage doors can be dangerous to small children or pets. Garage door safety features help to minimize these risks but it is important to understand the purpose and function of these safety features. The first safety feature is a pair of photo sensitive...
The Top 3 Benefits of a Pre-Listing Home Inspection
Examining the Benefits of a Pre-Listing Home Inspection Home inspections are a part of buying or selling almost every house. While prospective buyers typically schedule an inspection as a contingency of purchase, the seller can order an inspection at the very...
Rain Gutters can create moisture problems.
Recently I inspected a house where I encountered some fairly serious moisture problems near some windows. The home is only seven years old with stone exterior and full gutters. Two windows at the front of the house showed evidence of moisture intrusion in the form of...
Is your smoke detector yellow?
Smoke detectors are a critical piece of safety equipment in our homes but we have the tendency to ignore them. During inspections, I find inoperative smoke detectors or other deficiencies in fire protection equipment in about 50% of existing construction homes. One of...
Monthly Air Conditioning Filter Inspect, Clean or Replace
It is that time again. Monthly Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) filter inspection. Take a good look at your filters. Clean or replace them if they are dirty. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early...
4 Winter Home Improvement Projects to Improve Your Home’s Interior
What to Do When Stuck Inside? Try these Winter Home Improvement Projects The gloomy weather of winter tends to drive everyone indoors more over the winter months. If you want to stay productive on the days you are stuck inside, make plans to start one or more of these...
Five Fire Safety Tips For The Home
As a homeowner, you always want to make sure your home is safe. One threat that is always a possibility is a house fire. Here are five fire safety tips for the home that you can start practicing today. Be Vigilant With Smoke Detectors Make sure you have placed fire...
Thermal Imaging During Home Inspections
You might have come across the term thermal imaging, especially if you are purchasing a home. Thermal imaging is a relatively new tool used among skilled home inspectors. By using thermal imaging during home inspections, the home inspector can detect areas with...
Plumbing Backflow Prevention
One of the most common deficiencies encountered in Houston home inspection is the absence of appropriate plumbing back flow prevention. Even though I commonly report the absence of back flow protection, most homeowners ignore the deficiencies and they remain...
Your Water Meter
A water meter is a device used to measure the amount of water delivered to your home. In the Houston area, the meter is most often located near the curb at the street. It can be located in other places, such as halfway between the street and the home or on the back...
Accordion fittings and clogged drains
Accordion fittings and clogged drains. One always follows the other. Countless Do-it-yourself (DIY) homeowners have fallen for the ease of installation that accordian style plumbing fittings offer. It is true that these fittings can reduce the work load and planning...
Clogged air conditioner drains
Clogged air conditioner drains can damage your air conditioning system, and left long enough, can cause substantial damage to your home. Your air conditioning evaporator, most of which are located in the attic of Houston homes, creates a substantial amount of water....
Electrical System Inspection Part 1
A very big safety concern in any home is the electrical system. Electrical system inspection should be approached with caution. I recommend homeowners limit their inspection to checking light bulbs and using a plug tester. Anything beyond this requires a good...
Foundation Wedge Cracks
A very common deficiency in Houston are foundation wedge cracks, also known as “corner pops”. These are the result of construction errors. The good news is these cracks generally do not affect the structural integrity of the foundation. They do, however, create a...
Big Ticket items when preparing your home for inspection
Time for nuts and bolts. Our initial focus will the big ticket items when preparing your home for inspection. Maybe you are just thinking about selling your home or maybe it is already listed for sale. Ideally, we want to prepare our homes as much as possible before...
Selling your Houston home: Preparing for Inspection
Selling your Houston home ? In Texas, the residential real estate process is driven by deadlines. The home inspection process has to fit inside the time constraints and the seller plays a big role in determining those constraints. We are going to explore the option...
Kitchen Range Inspection: The Anti-Tip Device
A kitchen range inspection can reveal a significant safety issue that I commonly find during inspections in the Houston area . Ranges are a combination oven and cook top and are normally freestanding appliances fueled by natural gas or electricity. The oven portion...
Houston Home Inspection: Drone Crash Number 3
I love using my DJI Phantom III for roof inspections. If keeps me off the high and dangerous roofs and my customers get a roof inspection. However, sometimes the tight spaces involved require flying skills that my 30 years flying real airplanes did not prepare my for....
Rain Gutter Discharge
Many Houston homes have rain gutter systems to carry rain water from the roof covering away from the foundation. A very common deficiency I see during rain gutter inspections are rain gutter discharge tubes pouring water directly on to the ground right next to the...
Dishwasher contamination part II – The air gap.
In the first installment of our dishwasher series, I said one of the most common dishwasher inspection faults I find in the Houston area are improper drain installation. Just to review in case you missed it, in most homes, the dishwasher is connected to the food...
Dishwasher contamination Part I -The high loop.
One of the most common dishwasher faults I find as a home inspector in the Houston area are improper drain installation. In most Harris county homes, the dishwasher is connected to the food disposal for drainage of waste water. Because there is a direct connection...
Siding to soil clearance
The recommended clearance of masonry siding products (brick, stone, etc.) is 6 inches.
Wood siding clearance is recommended to be 8 inches from soil.
Ever present enemy Part II
The roof of your home consists of the roof covering and the structure that supports it. The roof covering is designed to keep as much water as possible out of your house. In the Houston area, most residential roof coverings are based on asphalt shingles although there...
Landscaping for the health of your home Part II
In the first part we talked about the importance of proper slope around your foundation so that water isn't held against the foundation. Now lets talk about the things to consider when planning new landscaping beds near the house. One of the most common faults I find...
Landscaping for the health of your home Part I
As a Houston home inspector, I regularly encounter landscaping that negatively impacts the house.
Fire safety in your home
Fire is something we all fear. There is a home structure fire every 86 seconds in the United States. Over 2,600 people died in US structure fires in 2015. Obviously, we need to do everything we can to prevent fires, detect fires and escape fires. Prevention means...
The ever present enemy (of your house)
We all want to take better care of ourselves and our loved ones. A great way to do both is to make sure your home is a healthy, safe and comfortable one. The absolute best place to start is to learn how the number one enemy of your home affects every part of your...