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.

Complete Home Inspection Earns Esteemed 2012 Angie's List Super Service Award

Award reflects company’s consistently high level of customer service

Complete Home Inspection has earned the service industry-coveted 2012 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor awarded annually to approximately 5 percent of all the companies rated on Angie’s List, the nation’s leading provider of consumer reviews on local service companies.

“It’s a select group of companies rated on Angie’s List that can claim the exemplary customer service record of being a Super Service Award winner,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “Our standards for the Super Service Award are quite high. The fact that Complete Home Inspection earned this recognition speaks volumes about its dedication providing great service to its customers.”

Angie’s List Super Service Award 2012 winners have met strict eligibility requirements, including earning a minimum number of reports, an excellent rating from their customers and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

Service company ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List. Companies are graded on an A through F scale in areas ranging from price to professionalism to punctuality. Members can find the 2012 Super Service Award logo next to company names in search results on AngiesList.com.

Customer Service

Recently, a customer called with some great questions regarding what to do following his Kansas City home inspection. As often is the case with homes built before the 1960, the electrical outlets in the home he was looking to buy were two-wire outlets. Some of the original outlets had been replaced with today's three-prong receptacles, but they were still two-wire outlets. He had asked the seller, as part of their negotiations following his Complete Home Inspection, to have the outlets rewired to meet today's standards. The seller refused. So our customer called for more information on how serious a "problem" this represented.

He asked a lot of intelligent questions about whether he should walk away from the deal, about safety issues, about electrical surges, and more. Now, he understands his options and can better decide what he wants to do going forward. In this particular case, contacting an electrician to get an estimate of the cost to ground the outlets sounded good to him. it was great to spend the time further explaining things to him and easing his mind. It's part of our Customer Service that we value so highly.

But overall, this is a shining example of the home inspection process. I've been doing Kansas City home inspections for more than twenty years now. But, I'm not the "house police". Because something is uncovered during your inspection does not mean that the seller is required to "fix" it, or that you're required to do anything about it after you move in. That is entirely up to you, your situation, and your negotiations with the seller. But, since it was uncovered during your inspection, it must be documented so that you know the condition of the property at the time of the inspection. What happens next depends on what you want to do about it.

Back to the electrical outlets in our customer's house, the house doesn't need to be rewired. Outlets can be grounded. GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlets can be installed for safety. It is possible that new owner could live safely in the house without doing anything about the outlets, as the seller had been living there safely for years. So there are many possible courses of action now. Knowledge is the key in making the correct decision for you and your situation, the knowledge you get from your Complete Home Inspection.

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

Thank you

Thank you to the people who put together and publish the American Society of Home Inspectors' "Reporter" magazine each month. It's fun to be included on the cover of the December issue. The photo was taken during our recent Chapter Leadership Conference in Chicago.

Rental Property Inspections

When you're moving into your new rental property, you're very excited to see the place, start unloading your belongings, and get going on the process of transforming it into your new home. You probably wouldn't walk around the back of the property, look under the deck, and discover evidence of a previous deck fire.

Neither did the woman from the property management company helping my client get ready to move in. It was quite a shock to her when I showed her what my inspection uncovered. Obviously, someone had tried to repair the damage. But the management company knew nothing about it.

Because he had had me inspect the property for him before he moved in, my client, the new tenant, was now protected from liability for the fire damage. And he was now aware of what was lurking underneath the deck.

Later in the inspection, we flushed the toilet and turned on the shower and the faucet in the master bathroom all at once. The flow of water revealed a hole in the main drain pipe in the basement. The cable company had accidentally drilled into it from the neighbor's townhouse while running their cable. With the sudden large volume of water in the drain pipe, the hole sprayed water against the wall. This would then run down the wall, across the floor, and toward the floor drain. Sadly, it would also soak whatever was being stored in this area of the basement.

Looking around the basement also revealed a large opening around the water main pipe where it came through the foundation. You can see the mud that washes in around the pipe when it rains. Again, this leads to a wet basement, possible mold and mildew, and can damage or ruin items that are stored in this area.

All of these defects were found in a five-year-old townhome that, otherwise, was in great shape. And it's likely that none of these defects would be found and listed by you as you filled out your damage report form. You  have other things on your mind.

That's why we suggest you hire Complete Home Inspection to do your walk-through for you and with you. It's a great way to protect yourself, find out what really might be wrong with your new place, and find out how to use the various features and appliances in it. You'll get some peace of mind that you could really use while dealing with the move-in process.

And, Rental Property Inspections are a great investment for landlords and property management companies, too.

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, whether you're renting or buying - 913-268-0222, completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Clean out your gutters

In case we ever do get some rain in the Kansas City area, it's very important to keep the rain gutters on your house free of debris this Fall.

It's easy to forget to do this on the heels of the drought of 2012. But, letting all of the falling leaves clog things up will cause a lot of problems for your house's foundation IF it ever actually rains.

Clogged gutters and downspouts lead to overflows and back ups that can put water in your basement. The clogs keep rain water from flowing away from your house's foundation. It, instead, seeks out the cracks in your basement walls. And, due to the drought, it's entirely possible that the soil surrounding your foundation has pulled away from the foundation. That movement may have caused some new cracks to form. Now, with the gap between your foundation and the dirt surrounding it, water has an even easier path to find those cracks.

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.