But, it has a new roof

Don't make the mistake of concluding that, because the house you're looking to buy has a new roof, the roof doesn't need to be included in your Kansas City home inspection. Recently, I inspected one half of a duplex that had a new roof installed over both sides of the duplex. The half that my client was buying had no ventilation installed with the new roof. Soffit vents had been installed, but there were no other vents in the new roof. The other half of the duplex had a vent installed, but a wall separated the two attic spaces from each other. So, none of that ventilation would reach my client's half of the duplex.

The original roofing had wood shingles and that type of roofing is, essentially, self-ventilating. Perhaps the roofer simply replaced what was already there instead of realizing that new venting needed to be installed. Regardless, an unvented roof leads to many problems, including the formation of mold. So my report says that yes, it has a new roof. But the new roof needs to be fixed. Without an inspection, my client would have felt secure in the knowledge that his new house had a new roof. But when problems began showing up a few years later, he wouldn't have been quite so happy. And checking the roof ventilation is not something you're likely to do when you're looking to buy a house. That's why you hire me.

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.

Your air conditioner is under attack

It's easy to think that you can just let your dog out into your backyard to do his business and everything will be okay. But, Fido might actually be ruining your air conditioner. These photos show damage caused by dog urine to an air conditioner in a recent inspection. This type of damage is found in about one Kansas City home inspection each month.

The acid in dog urine disintegrates the aluminum air flow tubes on your air conditioner's compressor unit, reducing the flow of air that cools the compressor while the air conditioner is running. Not only is your air conditioner now more likely to overheat, but this type of damage can also lead to a freon gas leak. So, while it's great to give Rover free reign in the yard to mark his territory, discourage him from treating your air conditioner like it's a fire hydrant.

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.