Energy-saving tip

Now might be the time to act if you've been thinking about replacing your home's old windows with energy-efficient windows. First of all, acting now means that you might be able to get the project completed before the cold weather moves in to stay. And secondly, the federal tax credit on replacement windows expires at the end of the year. The tax credit might save you up to $200 when you select Energy Star-rated windows.

Whether you're selling the house, buying it, or planning to stay put for a number of years, new energy-efficient windows increase your comfort and save on your energy expenses year-round. And they often require less maintenance than older windows.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Timely reminder about fireplaces

While inspecting a rental house for the new tenants last month, I suggested that the landlord should have the fireplace flue checked and cleaned. The landlord seemed to feel that I was just being picky but, begrudgingly, agreed to have it done anyway. The chimney inspector stopped by the house this week and told the tenant two things when he was finished: 1) "Congratulations, you win for dirtiest flue so far this season.", and 2) "You're lucky you and the previous occupants haven't had a creosote fire."

While it's always nice to be proven correct, the moral of this story is that you should have your fireplace and flue inspected and cleaned on a regular basis. Whether it's the house you're living in now, the house you want to buy, or a house that you're going to rent, creosote build up in a chimney's flue is very dangerous. Since it is out of sight, it's very easily out of mind, as well. When you have Complete Home Inspection do your Kansas City home inspection, I look at the fireplace, the chimney and the liner, and look up into the flue. If I see signs of trouble, that's when you need to call an expert to do a thorough fireplace inspection for you. Cracks, blockages, and creosote build-up are all going to cause you problems. So, for your safety and your family's safety, have your wood-burning fireplace checked and cleaned regularly.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

This won't happen to you

A horror story from my client this week is something that will never happen to you when you have Complete Home Inspection handle your Kansas City home inspection. While inspecting the house my client is buying, he told me about the inspection on the house he is selling.

First, the inspector told everyone - buyers, sellers, real estate agents - to just sit in the living room while he inspected the house. Then, following his inspection, he went out to his car for about thirty minutes and wrote his report while they waited. He brought the report in, gave it to his customers, made a few verbal comments, and started to leave. His comments included that he found five floor joists that were damaged and needed to be replaced. My client, who is the seller and a building contractor, asked to see the joists to be replaced. The inspector showed him one and was unable to, again, find the other four he had mentioned verbally and in his report.

Here's what would have been different if the people buying my client's house had, instead, hired me to do their inspection. First, if your schedule allows, I prefer having you accompany me during the inspection. This allows me to point out features, talk about how things work and how to take care of them, and talk about any problems I might find. There is no "sitting in the living room waiting for me to be done". Secondly, you have more important things to do while buying or selling a house than to sit around waiting for me to write your report. Your comprehensive written Complete Home Inspection report, including photos, will be E-mailed to you either the same day, or the morning following your inspection. (see the "Your Inspection Report" video - http://www.completehomeinspectionkc.com/kansas_city_home_inspection_013.htm) Additionally, floor joists don't get "replaced", they get supported, reinforced, "sistered", or repaired in some other fashion. For the inspector to say that the joists needed replacing shows his lack of knowledge.

It was gratifying to have my client talk about how much better his Complete Home Inspection was than the one done on the house he was selling. And it was unsettling to learn that someone calling himself a home inspector was treating his customers this way. Know that your Complete Home Inspection will be handled professionally, knowledgeably, and thoroughly. And enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your questions will be answered, that your report will be complete and easy to read, and that you'll learn a lot about your new house during your Kansas City home inspection.

Whole house inspections, condo inspection, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your own Complete Home inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Insurance problem

October has been the month to find roofs that have asphalt shingles covering wood shingles. Sadly, I have to tell my clients that they probably won't be able to get homeowners insurance on that house until that roof is stripped and replaced. And for the seller, that means that no one will be able to buy their house until something is done about the roof.

For decades, it has been a common practice to cover existing wood shingle roofs with asphalt (or "composition") shingles when the house needed a new roof. It wasn't perfect, but it worked. Recently, after many storm related insurance claims, the major insurance companies made a business decision not to write new policies for houses that had asphalt shingles over wood shingles. It doesn't matter what kind of shape the roof is in.

Two, and sometimes three, layers of asphalt shingles are fine.  But, not asphalt over wood. Why? For the insurance company it just costs so much more in labor and materials to replace such a roof system if you were to make a claim in the future. The reason for that is shown here -

A wood roof has these gaps underneath the shingles to allow the roof to "breathe". Asphalt roofs instead need solid decking to go under the felt and shingles. So the asphalt-over-wood roof needs to be stripped to the bare rafters and started from scratch. That's where the expense comes in.

From the outside, the roof may look normal. But once I lift of the edge of the asphalt shingles, and also look in the attic during your Complete Home Inspection, then I know there are two layers, with the asphalt composition shingles over the wood shingles. And that means that the house may be uninsurable.

That's just another reason to have your prospective house inspected by Complete Home Inspection BEFORE you buy it. And for sellers, it's another reason to have your house inspected BEFORE you put it on the market. It's a great way to avoid last-minute surprises for either party, and get some peace of mind at a very hectic time for you.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-02222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Radon gas at home

The danger of radon gas really hit home recently. My regular calibration test of the radon monitors I use showed that my house had a higher level of radon than before. Perhaps last year's drought caused the increase. Regardless, radon gas has been linked to lung cancer. So, I had a radon gas mitigation system installed in my house.

My husband works and works out in our basement, spending most of his day there. Seeing that the air in the basement was no longer considered to be healthy for him to breathe, we needed to fix it. Fortunately, radon is a fixable problem. Now, a small suction fan, installed in a pipe that goes through the basement floor, sucks out the radon gas from under the house and vents it to the back of the house. The system is a permanent part of the house and uses about the same amount of electricity as a clock radio.

Statistically, in the Kansas City area, one of every three houses tested is found to have elevated radon levels. When you hire Complete Home Inspection to test the radon level in your house, whether it's the one you live in or one that you're looking to buy, I'll use a continuous radon monitor that takes samples over a period of two full days. The test unit will be placed in the lowest livable level of the house. Windows are kept closed throughout the time of the test.  The test results are then averaged into an overall number for your final report. If the radon level is higher than 4.0piC/l, then it should be fixed, or "mitigated". And that's what happened at my house.

A Complete Home Inspection radon test costs $100. A radon mitigation system costs about $700-900 in the Kansas City area. If you are buying a house, test for radon as a part of your home inspection process.  If the test shows a high radon level, you might negotiate with the seller to correct it. If it comes in low, you have peace of mind knowing that you’re buying a healthier house.

In Kansas, radon testers and mitigation companies must be certified. I have been a certified radon tester for more than 20 years. And my husband is very grateful for that.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your own Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

This might be over your head

The Seller Disclosure Form probably said that the house had a new roof - new decking and new shingles. Yes, but...

When I arrived at the house to begin my inspection, seeing bundles of new shingles piled up on the side of the house made me suspicious that the homeowner might have done the roofing himself. My client happened to be a former roofer, so he came up on the roof with me to check things out. Wow.

No "starter row" had been done when the shingles were installed. The valley between different levels of the roof was installed incorrectly with the shingles being cut improperly. The flashings were installed in such a way as to allow water to get under the shingles. In one area, no flashing was used at all, a glob of black tar was slathered on instead. And the new decking wasn't anchored properly, we kind of bounced as we walked across the roof.

It would be easy for you to read on the Disclosure Form, "new roof installed a month ago", and figure that everything was okay. But, you really wouldn't want a roof like this over your head. That's why it's so important for you to give your potential new home a Complete Home Inspection. It gives you the peace of mind that comes from knowing the condition of the property at the time of the inspection.

This was the second inspection I had done for this particular client. He and his wife decided not to buy the first house I inspected for them. There were simply too many things wrong with that property. Now, after looking at this roof this week, there's a good chance I'll be doing a third inspection for them soon.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

"Rehabbed" doesn't mean "fixed"

We've talked about the importance of having a newly constructed house inspected before you buy and the importance of having a condo inspected before you buy. The same is true for a house that has just been rehabbed. It's easy to think, since many aspects of the house have been changed, fixed, and updated in a rehab project, that you don't need to have it inspected. Think again.

Recently, my client was buying an "as is" property that had just been rehabbed. She hired me to find out just how "as is" it was. And she is very happy to have made that decision. The new granite kitchen counter tops looked great. But the brand new dishwasher underneath them wasn't connected to either water or power. And the dishwasher's power cord wasn't going to reach the under-the-sink outlet some four feet away. The brand new kitchen range, still showing most of its packing material, was plugged into a circuit that arced when turned on at the breaker panel. And the crawl space, an area you probably wouldn't visit when you're looking at a house, had drooping wires hanging down everywhere. And, a plumbing pipe that should be supported every four feet had, instead, one support in the middle of its nearly thirty-foot run.

So, though the house you're looking at may have been recently rehabbed, the work wasn't necessarily done by skilled professionals. Find out what shape the property is in before you buy. It could be the best you investment you make when buying a home.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Air conditioners are killing furnaces

No, it's not a new horror movie, it's the Defect of the Week. And the current heat wave is really making it a critical issue. Check the drainage on your air conditioner. If the water flow is clogged, it can flood your furnace and kill it.

This week, even in a million-dollar condo, clogged drainage hoses or pipes were causing water to flood furnaces and floors. This unseen problem can cause all kinds of damage. Here's what to do. If you're looking to buy a new property, have Complete Home Inspection check out the property for you BEFORE you buy. My client buying the million-dollar condo simply said, "This inspection just paid for itself" when I opened the closet door to the air conditioner and found the drain pan overflowing, flooding the furnace and the floor, and starting to get the carpet wet. Their downstairs neighbor is probably grateful, too, as that water would have to eventually go somewhere.

If you're not in the market for a new home, check the one you live in now. First, see if water is draining out of your air conditioner's drain hose or pipe. Make certain that the hose/pipe is near a floor drain or whatever your system is supposed to drain into (for example, the condo on the fifteenth floor didn't have a floor drain). Sadly, simply seeing water flow doesn't necessarily mean that everything's okay. Remove the furnace's access panel and look for water. Remove the drain hose from the air conditioner and check for current or future clogs. Do everything you can to make certain that the water from the air conditioner is draining only into the floor drain or whatever.

As air conditioners have been running almost constantly lately, the condensation builds up rapidly. And, as you know, water will always end up going where you least want it to go.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your own Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com. Your furnace will thank you.

House Defect of the Week

Two houses in the same day, miles apart and very different in age, had the same significant slope in the floor right over the center beam of the house. I set a small ball on the floor and it moved to the other side of the room without me touching it. They were either built that way or this is a good example of how a house can slowly change shape over the years. In either case, it's a great example of something that you wouldn't notice when you're looking at the floor plan of your potential new home. But it is something that I look for while doing your Complete Home Inspection. And that's what gives you peace of mind.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Another new Angie's List review

It means a lot to see and hear the wonderful things people have to say following their home inspections. One customer took the time to post a new review on Angie's List - another straight-A rating. Thank you so much.

http://www.completehomeinspectionkc.com/kansas_city_home_inspection_014.htm

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Change in Kansas Law

Effective July 1, 2013, you'll need to be more careful when choosing a home inspector in the state of Kansas. State Registration for Kansas home inspectors comes to an end at the end of this month. That means that just about anybody will now be able to claim to be a home inspector in Kansas.

The best way to protect yourself is to choose a home inspector certified by a national organization, such as ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors). This not-for-profit professional association for home inspectors advocates high standards of practice and a strict code of ethics for its members. ASHI is the most respected professional association for home inspectors in North America. Through ASHI’s continued efforts, ASHI's Standards of Practice—covering all of a home's major systems—are recognized by consumers as the authoritative standard for professional home inspection.

Miki Mertz was among the first women in the nation to become an ASHI certified home inspector, earning her certification in 1993. She also was the first woman to serve as a member of the ASHI National Board of Directors. So she not only adheres to the ASHI standards of practice and code of ethics, in many cases she helped create and enforce them.

Choose a home inspector you can trust, not someone who just decided to call himself a home inspector. It's the best way to ensure peace of mind in your home-buying process.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Deadly radon gas

Two recent examples speak of the dangers of radon gas and the importance of you getting a radon test on the home you're living in or the home you're looking to buy -

1) A couple from Winfield, KS, wrote a letter to The Kansas City Star that said, in part, "Our adult daughter has stage IV lung cancer. Because she never smoked, the likely cause is radon gas, which, according to the surgeon general, is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. This colorless, odorless, radioactive gas is created as uranium in the ground breaks down. If it collects in your basement, it can be lethal."

2) A couple, while scheduling their Complete Home Inspection on the house they were looking to buy, said that they DEFINITELY wanted a radon test. In their previous house, their family dog had developed lung cancer from radon gas and all of the time the dog spent in the basement.

Statistically, on either side of the state line in the Kansas City area, one of every three houses tested is found to have elevated radon levels. Miki Mertz is a certified radon tester, certified by both the National Radon Proficiency Program and by the State of Kansas. A radon test conducted by Complete Home Inspection costs only $100, and uses a continuous radon monitor that takes hourly samples over a period of two full days. The test unit is placed in the lowest livable level of the house. Windows are kept closed throughout the time of the test.  The test results are then averaged into an overall number for your final report. If the radon level is higher than 4.0piC/l, then it should be fixed, or "mitigated". Inexpensive do-it-yourself test kits are not what you want to rely on when it comes to your family's health and well-being. Instead, rely on the knowledge and competence of a certified radon tester like Miki.

Fortunately, radon is a fixable problem. A small suction fan is installed in a pipe that goes through the basement floor to suck out the radon from under the house and vent it to the exterior of the house. That way, the radon gas isn’t in the breathing air inside the house. The system becomes a permanent part of the house and uses about the same amount of electricity as a clock radio.Such a radon mitigation system costs about $700-900 in the Kansas City area. If you are buying a house, test for radon as a part of your home inspection process.  If the test shows a high radon level, you might negotiate with the seller to correct it. If it comes in low, you have peace of mind knowing that you’re buying a healthier house.

Regardless of whether you're in the process of buying or selling a house, have the level of radon gas tested in the house you're living in. It's too important to your family's health to be put off for some other time.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, complete with a radon test, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

New Angie's List review

It always means so much when a client takes the time to write and post a review on Angie's List - http://www.completehomeinspectionkc.com/kansas_city_home_inspection_014.htm

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Love this story

Got a great E-mail from a customer scheduling his Kansas City home inspection - "Funny thing I thought I'd mention. Wife and I just moved to KC and decided to purchase a home. I signed up for Angie's List and you came highly recommended. Then my aunt and uncle said, "Don't get anyone off Angie's List, use the inspector we used, she was fantastic!" Lo and behold, you inspected their house as well :)"

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Customer Comment

Following his recent Kansas City home inspection, James sent an E-mail that included: "You did an inspection on my home..(in) Olathe.  My wife and I moved there from Illinois...During the inspection, I was blown away at your depth of knowledge of residential construction history and enjoyed the walk through with you. You were very pleasant to work with...".

Thank you, James. And welcome to Kansas City.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Interesting strategy suggestion for home buyers

The current seller's market for houses can mean that your offer on a home will be competing with other offers. In a May 2013 article titled, "9 Ways to Make Your Home Offer Irresistible", Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine offers strategies to make your bid stand out from the others in the eyes of the sellers. 

Suggestion #7 is to make your offer's contingency clauses palatable for the sellers. And one way to do that is to, in the home-inspection contingency clause in the offer you make on a home, tell the sellers that you will cover the cost of any repairs recommended following the home inspection. If those repairs get too pricey, you can back out of the deal. Telling the sellers that they won't get stuck paying for a new roof, or new furnace/air conditioner, or similar repairs on a house they are leaving, might give your offer an edge over others. It's an interesting strategy for the magazine to suggest.

Your real estate professional can guide you as to what would be best for you to do in your individual situation. But here's an explanation of the home inspection process so that you'll understand it all. When you hire Complete Home Inspection to do your Kansas City home inspection, I am NOT the "house police" and can't require repairs to be made. I will thoroughly inspect the property and ascertain whether, at the time of the inspection, the house's appliances and systems are functioning as intended. I will also inspect the structure and exterior of the house. You will receive a complete report following the inspection, including photos and a summary page that lists recommended repairs.

Most people use the summary of recommended repairs as a place to start negotiating. Sometimes repairs are made, other times a change in the price of the home is worked out. If you're working with a real estate agent, ask him or her. It is important to take the age, price and condition of the house into consideration, asking only for important, expensive or safety-related items to be corrected. Obviously, if you follow the Kiplinger's advice, that wouldn't be an option for you.

So, it's an interesting new wrinkle for you to consider in your home-buying process, one that's brought on by the current seller's market in home sales. Ask your real estate professional what your best strategy would be, so that you're protected throughout the process.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

New or Existing, get it inspected either way

The March 2013 issue of Money magazine included an article examining the pros and cons of buying a just-built home versus an existing home. While the article focused on Sales Price, Speed of Transaction, Cost of Ownership, and Chance for Near-Term Gains, what it didn't talk about was that just-built homes and existing homes each need to be inspected by a certified home inspector before you buy.

A March 2012 post on this blog showed the attic in a new house I had inspected recently -

No insulation at all. Now, is that something you would check as soon as you move into your new home?

Probably not. Instead, you'd be wondering why it cost so much to cool and heat your new place.

In another new construction, I couldn't get the kitchen sink spray hose to extend from its resting place. The dishwasher's drain hose and the spray hose were tangled up under the sink. Further, the dishwasher was susceptible to backflow from the sink's garbage disposal because of the way its drainage hose had been placed. Again, you don't usually move into a brand new house and immediately check under the kitchen sink.

And a July 2009 post on this blog detailed a new house where I filled the whirlpool bathtub in the master bath as part of the inspection. As the water drained, it ran out all over the bathroom floor and flooded the rooms underneath. The tub's drain pipe hadn't been connected to anything. In another new house, I found that the control wire for the furnace had been connected to the doorbell instead of the house's thermostat. A couple of weeks into your first winter in the house, you'd wonder why the house only felt comfortable when the pizza guy rang the doorbell. And one more just-built house horror story for you - the kitchen garbage disposal had no power cord connected to it.

Yes, your builder's warranty covers things in your just-built home. Yes, you have a year to make a list of what needs to be repaired. Getting a Kansas City home inspection from Complete Home Inspection BEFORE you move in, though, gets you a jump start on that list and allows you to get many of those things fixed before you take occupancy. While warranties may protect you, the time lost, the inconvenience and the frustration you'll experience can only be handled by getting a Complete Home Inspection for your new property. So let me handle you final walk-through for you. Put my experienced eye to work for you and your family.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and new construction final walk-throughs, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

A Seller's Market

For the first time in five years, the Kansas City housing market is being called a "Seller's Market" for existing homes, based on the January and February 2013 sales and inventory numbers. If you're selling your home, that's great news. But, how do you make your property stand out from all of the rest and make it more attractive to potential buyers?

A great sales tool is to have your home inspected BEFORE you put it on the market. That gives your prospective buyers the peace of mind that comes from knowing the condition of your home at the time of the inspection. It may save them money since they won't need to have the property inspected themselves. It makes your disclosure form very complete and detailed. And, it may be the difference that helps them choose your house instead of the others they've looked at.

Further, the April issue of Money magazine talks about how, in today's economy, many home buyers don't have as much savings left after their down payment to pay for improvements, and suggests that sellers smooth out their home's rough patches before listing the property. The magazine advises, "Repair that leaky roof and address other obvious structural problems, or you'll have to subtract the cost of doing so from your price." So, you may be saving yourself money in the long run by being proactive now.

Give yourself a competitive advantage in this Seller's Market. And avoid getting any surprises when your prospective buyers have the property inspected. Have Complete Home Inspection do a Kansas City home inspection on your property BEFORE you list it.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

The Drought and Radon Gas

Yes, the drought continues to plague us here in the Midwest. Now, deadly radon gas is finding new ways to get into your home. You can't smell it, you can't see it, but for about three out every five homes tested in our area, it's there and at dangerous levels. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment now recommends that you test your home's radon gas level every two years. And it's particularly important to do when you're buying a new property.

Radon is a naturally existing radioactive gas found underground. Due to the extended drought we've experienced, the ground has been moving, shrinking, and cracking around and under your home's foundation. That opens up new pathways for radon gas to escape the soil. And, the movement of the earth can cause new cracks to form in your foundation, which opens up new pathways for radon to then get into your home.

Keep in mind that since things have changed during the drought, "we had it tested a few years ago and it was fine" just doesn't apply anymore. In Kansas, your home must be tested by a certified radon tester. Missouri has no certification program as of yet, but it simply makes sense to have a trained professional handle your test for you.

I'm a Kansas certified radon tester and have been certified by the NRPP (National Radon Proficiency Program) for years. Complete Home Inspection uses a continuous radon monitor that takes samples over a period of two full days. The test unit is placed in the lowest livable level of the house. Windows are kept closed throughout the time of the test.  The test results are then averaged into an overall number for your final report. If the radon level is higher than 4.0piC/l, then it should be fixed, or "mitigated". Inexpensive do-it-yourself test kits are not what you want to rely on when it comes to your family's health and well-being. Instead, rely on the knowledge and competence of a certified radon tester.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

The Drought and the Big Meltdown

With about two feet of snow melting around you this week, here are some things to check on  in order to protect your house from water seepage. Even though 24 inches of snow may melt down to only about two inches of water, last summer's drought may have caused some problems for your foundation - problems that will start showing up now.

First, make certain that your downspouts are clear and flowing well. And, if a downspout is usually connected to an extension of some sort, make certain that is connected now. You want to keep the snow melt water flowing away from the foundation of your home.

Next, make certain that water does not pool up behind a wall of snow that melts at a slower rate. If you shoveled snow into a pile as you cleared a walkway, for example, that pile might now be trapping water between it and the foundation. Since the drought caused dirt to compact and often shrink away from foundations, there may now be a gap between the foundation and the fill dirt surrounding it. Water loves to find gaps like that, so do your best to keep it away from your foundation.

Finally, check your basement wall for signs of water. The drought caused many foundations to shift as the ground receded and moved last summer. And that shifting may have caused new cracks in your basement wall to form and may have worsened existing cracks. If you find signs of water entering your home, make a mental note to do something about it in case we get our usual spring rains in Kansas City. Make a note to perhaps seal cracks that you find are leaking. And definitely make a note to change or improve your "yard slope", as they call it, to keep water flowing away from your foundation and out into the yard for drainage.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

New informative video for you

We've added a new informative video for you to our web site - www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

This video shows how your needs will be met in your Kansas City home inspection when you hire Complete Home Inspection to do your inspection for you - both what you need, and what you DON'T need. Here's the video link on the web site - http://www.completehomeinspectionkc.com/kansas_city_home_inspection_012.htm.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your own Complete Home Inspection,. 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Reason #6,437 to have your home inspected

Here's something you wouldn't have noticed until well after you bought the property and moved in.

Fire damage in the attic. When you're shopping for a new home, you look at the floor plan, curb appeal, kitchen layout, and the like. You don't go into the attic and look for signs of damage from a previous fire. That's why you hire Complete Home Inspection. We do that for you.

Unless you're thinking of converting the attic space to living space, you would never even look there. Since this fire damage was not on the seller's disclosure form, my client would have completed the purchase completely unaware of what was lurking overhead. My discovery was quite a surprise to the home buyer and to the realtors involved.

You have so many things on your mind when you're looking to buy a home. And there can be so many pitfalls for you along the way. Get the peace of mind that comes from having Complete Home Inspection do your Kansas City home inspection for you. It'll be one less thing for you to worry about.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your own Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com. 

The very real danger of radon gas

Radon gas, a colorless, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas, could very well be present in the home you're looking to buy. Statistically, on either side of the state line in the Kansas City area, one of every three houses tested is found to have elevated radon levels. Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. For non-smokers, it is the first. What is the level of radon in your house? The only way to know is to have it tested. And that's why the State of Kansas has gone so far as to name January Kansas Radon Action Month.

In fact, the secretary for the Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment says that homeowners "...should test their homes, address any elevated radon levels and use radon-resistant construction techniques when building new homes." That's how serious a threat to your health radon gas is.

Miki Mertz is a certified radon tester, certified by both the National Radon Proficiency Program and by the State of Kansas. A radon test conducted by Complete Home Inspection costs only $100, and uses a continuous radon monitor that takes samples over a period of two full days. The test unit is placed in the lowest livable level of the house. Windows are kept closed throughout the time of the test.  The test results are then averaged into an overall number for your final report. If the radon level is higher than 4.0piC/l, then it should be fixed, or "mitigated". Inexpensive do-it-yourself test kits are not what you want to rely on when it comes to your family's health and well-being. Instead, rely on the knowledge and competence of a certified radon tester like Miki.

Fortunately, radon is a fixable problem. A small suction fan is installed in a pipe that goes through the basement floor to suck out the radon from under the house and vent it to the exterior of the house. That way, the radon gas isn’t in the breathing air inside the house. The system becomes a permanent part of the house and uses about the same amount of electricity as a clock radio.Such a radon mitigation system costs about $700-900 in the Kansas City area. If you are buying a house, test for radon as a part of your home inspection process.  If the test shows a high radon level, you might negotiate with the seller to correct it. If it comes in low, you have peace of mind knowing that you’re buying a healthier house.

Regardless of whether you're in the process of buying or selling a house, have the level of radon gas tested in the house you're living in. It's too important to your family's health to be put off for some other time.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, complete with a radon test, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Would you go in the crawl space?

Of course you wouldn't go into the crawl space when you're looking to buy a house. That's why you hire Complete Home Inspection to do your complete Kansas City home inspection for you. You're too busy looking at the floor plan, figuring out who gets which bedroom and where to put the couch and the piano. But look what you may miss if you DON'T have your home inspected by Complete Home Inspection before you buy it.

These photos are from the crawl space under a home I inspected recently. These first two show that one of the floor joists, seen here from two different angles, has been eaten all the way through by termites. And a very poor repair has been done to try to shore up the joist. Damage like this may cause the floor above it to sag since the joist is there to support the weight of the house. And that can cause many other structural problems to develop over time in this part of the house. I also like to run a simple test when a floor looks like it slopes one way or the other - putting a ball on the floor and seeing if it rolls by itself.

This third photo shows the roughly 2-inch crack in the found- ation wall that was also revealed during the crawl space inspection. A crack like this can cause even more structural problems to develop over time. It's not something that you would see when you're looking at the property, deciding if the kitchen is big enough, and if there's room for your mother-in-law to live with you. But it is definitely something you need to be aware of before you buy. Armed with knowledge like this, you can make a more-informed purchase decision. And you have the peace of mind that comes from knowing the condition of the property at the time of the inspection.

That's why it's worth your while to make a home inspection from Complete Home Inspection a part of your home purchase. You just don't know what you might be missing otherwise.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we can do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.