Lakeside Home Inspections

In older homes, you may find coloured wiring such as: green, blue, orange, burgundy, silver, or black. If the house was built between 1968 and 1975, there's a good chance it has Aluminum wiring. An easy way to spot it is to check and see if the wiring is labeled. Another way is to check at the connections: electrical panel, switches, outlets, fixtures, or junction boxes. If you have this wiring, contact your insurance company and an electrician to make sure you're covered and that it is safe!

For anyone that doesn't know, this is what asbestos paper/wrap looks like. Off-white in colour, slightly textured (looks like wallpaper). Do not disturb/tear!

At an inspection and found this utility post that should have been replaced, not cut and left to hang in the air. The strange things that people do...

Water damage in Attics:

This dark discolouration is caused by frost build-up. When there is excess air leakage into the Attic from the house (bathroom vents, gaps/missing insulation, etc.) during the Winter, frost forms on contact with the underside of the shingles (sheathing). As the frost melts when the temperature rises, the dampness causes a discolouration and the material deteriorates.

Improving insulation and sealing gaps, as well as making sure there is adequate ventilation, would stop this from happening again

When installing handrails at your exterior stairs, remember to make them easy to grab. That first mis-step will be a doozy!

This is why cages over exterior vents for bathrooms are a good idea!

Kitchen vents should always be smooth lined ducting. These ridges from flexible ducting will hold grease, which could drip down, or even start a fire!

For whoever installs these, please stop! I've seen it before and I'll probably see it again, but never install this type of fitting on pex piping. Even though it's not a very good type of water shut-off, it's intended to be installed on copper piping. It's not IF it leaks, but WHEN it leaks!

Not sure why the HVAC installer put the AC here, but the dryer vent is way too close. The dryer lint will congest the fins, and force the AC to work harder (and fail sooner!)

Recently, found this stripped wire inside an electrical panel