Barrie Home Inspector

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Happy New Year in 2024

Prepare for Your WETT Inspection

Most issues identified during a WETT inspeciton of your wood burning appliance are minor in nature. Many of these deficiencies could have easily been repaired by Home Owner or Handyman, saving you time and possibly money. Some WETT Inspectors will "fail" an appliance when a non-compliant item is found and will require them to come back to complete inspection when fixed, for an additional fee of course.

Read our article on items to check prior to having a WETT Inspection.

https://www.napoleon.cc/prepare-for-wett-inspection/

Understanding Your Chimney
Proper installation and maintenance of your wood burning appliance chimney can provide optimum performance and improve the safety of your appliance. View our tips on proper installation and location for your next project.

https://www.napoleon.cc/wood-safety/

Rotted Upper Floor Boards
While inspecting a Century Home the other day I found the exposed floor boards had visible white mould on wood. Due to integrity of boards being compromised the entire floor would most likely have to be replaced. Huge unexpected cost to home owner.

https://www.napoleon.cc/structural-inspection/

Kitec Plumbing Failures

There are still homes out there that have Kitec Plumbing installed. The final date to register for Class Action Settlement was 2019 so any Home Owner with Kitec Plumbing is on their own.

I did two home inspections on the same house which had Kitec Plumbing installed for heating on main floor and upper floor. The first client just walked away from the house, the second negotiated a deal for all new heating system to be installed.

With a lot of homes being sold without a Home Inspection you can imagine how many people are going to find out that they have an unexpected and expensive issue they will have to pay to have fixed.

Read More https://www.napoleon.cc/kitec-plumbing-replacement-required/

No Home Inspection? You May Still Be Protected !
If a seller or Realtor fail to disclose a Latent Material Defect legally you can sue them in Ontario.

Read More https://www.napoleon.cc/latent-patent-defects/

Sump Pumps

Mark your calendar to remember to test your sump pump prior to Spring. If you have a two part power and switch connection then you can test the pump operation by simply disconnecting power cord from switch and plugging in directly. This can be a time saver if you have a newer sealed sump pump cover.

https://www.napoleon.cc/plumbing-inspection/

Status of Home Inspector Licensing

Currently there are no plans to proceed with licensing Home Inspectors in Ontario. There was a bill in the Ontario Government which died when parliament was Prorogued. According to various sources the Ontario Government is only interested in licensing Home Inspectors if they pick up all the costs involved which would include Government Officials who would be paid to supervise the Home Inspection licensing process. So it would appear that the Government wants to appear to be pro-active, as long as it costs them nothing. Reminds me of the Tarion debacle where they were to be stripped of their responsibility of inspecting new homes, ( apparently they never did any of the required inspections ) but after Proroguing Parliament just allowed everything to return to status quo. Not much good news here for Home Buyers.

https://napoleon.cc/tips/home-inspector-licensing-2014/

Century Home Inspections

Older century homes with unfinished basements can sometimes have dry rot in support beams. Probing the beam will usually determine whether the dry rot has compromised the beam or not. If there is substantial dry rot at supporting ends of the beams then supporting posts will be required.

https://napoleon.cc/tips/wood-repair-for-your-home/

Building Permits
Couple buys home unaware that Seller had done a lot of work without getting the required Building Permits. When replacing deck boards they find Rim Joist is rotted due to lack of flashing. If building permit had of been taken out the proper flashing would have been installed protected the Rim Joist

https://www.reddit.com/user/BarrieHomeInspection/comments/s68asc/rotted_rim_joist_no_building_permit/

Ice Dams in Cold Weather
If the eaves of your roof have a build up of ice this typically indicates you have inadequate insulation or your attic does not have the required ventilation. Ice dams can cause serious damage to interior of your home if not properly dealt with. The solution could be as simple as just adding soffit baffles to your roof.

https://napoleon.cc/tips/asphalt-shingles/