New houses need to be inspected, too

Recently, a market analyst on cable network CNBC mentioned that, nationwide, there haven't been a lot of new homes constructed in the last five years or so due to the economy. That's why the inventory of available houses has been so drastically reduced and it's what's led us to the current "seller's market" in home sales. And that is particularly true in Kansas City, especially based on the January numbers just released. Now, as the economy recovers, more and more new houses will be built.

So, it's important for you to remember that a new house needs to be inspected just as much as an older house does. Previous posts on this blog have detailed some of the problems I've found in newly constructed homes.

The brand new house pictured here didn't have any insulation in the attic.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. One new house featured a whirlpool bathtub in the master bath, but the tub's drain pipe hadn't been connected to anything. Recently, I inspected a new house that had no heating or cooling in the laundry room on the second floor. Turns out the floor tile had covered it up. And yet another new house had the control wire for the furnace connected to the doorbell instead of the house's thermostat and no power cord connected to the kitchen garbage disposal.

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.

Additional information about the dangers of radon gas

Continuing the focus on radon gas begun last month with National Radon Action Month and Kansas Radon Action Month, here are a couple of other things for you to know -

It's easy to think that houses without full basements will also be without radon gas. That's not true at all. In fact, one of the highest radon levels I've seen in more than twenty years of testing was in a house with a walk-out basement. It matters whether the ground under the house has a high concentration of radon, not what kind of foundation the house has. Houses with full basements, houses with walk-out basements, houses built on a concrete slab, and houses with a crawl space underneath are each susceptible to high levels of radon. So don't let anyone tell you that a certain type of house doesn't need to be tested for radon. For your peace of mind, and for the health of you and your family, test the house you're living in now and/or the house you're looking to buy.

How serious are the health issues caused by radon gas? The Secretary of the Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment asked all Kansas physicians to:

• educate their patients about radon and the risk of lung cancer.
• advise patients who smoke to stop smoking. The risk of lung cancer from radon exposure is 10 to 20 times greater for persons who smoke.
• encourage patients to test their homes and to fix any home with elevated radon levels.
• provide patients with information about radon, radon testing and mitigation by visiting www.kansasradonprogram.org.

As the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in smokers, radon gas is not to be taken lightly. That's why I've installed a radon mitigation system in my own house.

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.

January is Kansas Radon Action Month

The Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment (KDHE) and Governor Brownback have proclaimed January "Kansas Radon Action Month" to help educate residents about the dangers of radon exposure and encourage actions to identify and address radon problems in the home. Radon is a tasteless, odorless, colorless, naturally occurring radioactive gas found in nearly all soils which comes from the breakdown of uranium. Outdoors, radon is diluted to low concentrations, but once inside an enclosed space, radon can accumulate to significant levels.

In January, KDHE offers free home radon test kits in various Kansas counties in the Kansas City area. Check www.kdheks.gov and follow the Radon Action Month link for locations and specifics. 

About one out of every three radon measurements performed in Kansas are elevated, being above 4 pCi/l (picoCuries per liter). Some areas have higher levels than others, though elevated levels of radon have been detected in every county in the state. As many as one in 15 homes across the U.S. has elevated radon levels that often go undetected. “Radon is the first leading cause of lung cancer in people who have never smoked and is estimated to cause over 200 lung cancer deaths in Kansas every year,” said Robert Moser, M.D., KDHE Secretary and State Health Officer. “All Kansans should test their homes, fix any homes with elevated radon levels and build new homes using radon-resistant methods.” Bruce Snead, Director of Engineering Extension at Kansas State University said, “Unfortunately, the reality is that radon is everywhere, and the only way to know the radon concentration anywhere, is to test. Kansas Radon Action Month is an ideal time to take action to identify your risk by testing your home.”

These home test kits are a great way for you to begin checking the level of radon in your home. But, the best way to be certain of your test results is to have a certified radon professional, such as Miki Mertz of Complete Home Inspection, handle the test for you. Complete Home Inspection uses a continuous radon monitor that takes samples over a period of two full days, with the test unit 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. As mentioned earlier, if the radon level is higher than 4.0piC/l, then it should be fixed, or "mitigated".All radon tests done as part of real estate transactions in Kansas must be handled by a state-certified radon tester, such as Miki Mertz of Complete Home Inspection.

Additional information about radon can be found on the Complete Home Inspection web site at http://www.completehomeinspectionkc.com/kansas_city_home_inspection_036.htm, at www.kansasradonprogram.org, and at www.epa.gov/radon.

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. 

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.