Higher Standards Home Inspections

This is Andrea Webster, Chris' daughter.

Our family is devastated to inform you of his passing. His personal and business FaceBook pages will be memorialized.

I've inspected a lot of houses lately that look great, but upon close inspection revealed a lot of defects. Typically, these are "investor owned" homes, or flipper homes. I encourage you to be circumspect when you're considering buying one of these. The flippers know how to make the home look great, tons of curb appeal, lots of upgrades, really nice kitchens and bathrooms, and more. I tell my clients that I don't inspect pretty, but I 'peel back the veneer' to take a close look at the various systems of the house to make sure it is habitable, safe, and repairs won't cost them more than they bargained for (by revealing defects - no surprises!).

So, I thought I'd provide you with a short list of what immediately raises warning flags with me. Maybe it will help you.
1. Investor Owned
2. Vinyl siding. This is an inexpensive product and easily broken. But more importantly, it is rarely done right. The Vinyl Institute says that vinyl siding must be installed over a properly installed weather resistive barrier. Vinyl siding is not as able to withstand rain / moisture pe*******on as other wall claddings, so it is really important to have a properly sealed house before the vinyl is installed.
3. Crawl spaces. These are notorious for breeding mold. I'm really allergic to mold and I know I'm not the only one. Mold in the crawlspace WILL get into the house. Crawlspaces must be fully and properly sealed to prevent this.
4. Decks. Decks have a limited life span and even new decks are rarely installed correctly (according to building code). Having a deck collapse during a summer party would be awful.

My last piece of advice is to call me. You need a quality home inspection to protect yourself against hidden defects that may prove to be more costly to repair than you anticipated. Lately the houses I've inspected would cost upwards of $50,000 to make them function as you assumed when you bought the house.

Chris Webster
678.763.8292

Due to the current health precautions in GA and the US, business has slowed. I'm spending my time studying home inspection material, because no matter how much you know, you don't know it all.

Let's use this time together. If you have a question about your home now is the time to ask. Please call, text, email, post on my FB page or PM me.

I'd love to hear from you,
Chris
678.763.9292
[email protected]

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/holiday-edition-home-buyers-brunch-tickets-84555348323?aff=utm_source%3Deb_email%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dnew_event_email&utm_term=eventurl_text

We'd love to see you there! I'll be available to answer your home inspection questions.

I look forward to meeting you!

Holiday Edition Home Buyers Brunch Wrap Up Homeownership for the Holidays

Are you considering having a home alarm installed? Great idea! But, if you do...

- Please have the alarm company put in the contract that they will replace any disturbed attic insulation. Insist that they leave it like they found it. And

- They are going to drill holes in the top of your wall framing when they are in the attic (you won't see it). Please make sure the contract says that they will fill the holes with fire blocking foam. The top of your walls also serve to slow the spread of fire. For your safety if that awful day happens you will need to have the maximum protection you can get. Make the installer show you the foam and make sure it is fire blocking foam.

Now, enjoy the added security of your alarm!

It may be another looooong season for the Falcons
after a 12 - 28 loss to the Vikings. But I still have hope that THIS IS THE YEAR!!

falcons vs vikings - Google Search

In another crawlspace. The cinder blocks that you see are called piers. They serve to hold up the house. The wood that you see is the main beam, or girder that runs the length of the house to hold it up. The issue is that on the 4 ply girder only 2 of them are supported! But, I guess that is better than the other picture, where the pier doesn't support the girder at all! "No worries", I can hear the installers say in my imagination, "we'll just put a 2x6 there to support the house." NOT! I can't tell you how much it bothers me that some contractor did this terrible job, took the money and ran. Let me be clear: This house is not supported! Gravity always wins.

Maintenance Tip: Did you know that your kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans are there primarily to remove moisture, not odors? Moisture inside the house is harmful just like water outside the house. I recommend running the bathroom exhaust fan at least 20 minutes after you finish your shower. In my house I've installed this digital timer

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Defiant-15-Amp-4-Hour…/206264395

in every bathroom, including the half bath, to make that easy. I run the fan while I'm in the shower, then just push the 30 minute button after I finish. Then I can go about my day knowing the moisture will be removed and the fan won't run all day.

Have a Great Day!

Defiant 15 Amp 4-Hour In-Wall Push Button Countdown Timer Switch with Screw Terminals, White-30469 - The Home Depot Replace your old wall switch or spring-wound timer easily using this Defiant Countdown In-Wall Timer with Ground Terminal.

Did you know that effective January 1, 2020 the refrigerant R-22 will no longer be allowed to be manufactured or imported into the US? This is the refrigerant that many older home air conditioning units use. There is no need to change your unit just because of this change, and it will still be available from existing inventories of HVAC companies, but the price will go up. That means that, when your AC needs service or repair, it is going to cost more. At some point you should consider having the older unit replaced with a new one. Talk to your HVAC tech to see what options are best for you. Keep Cool!

Do you have an older gas range, water heater or gas furnace? If so you may want to replace it for health / safety reasons. The problem is that we can't see the gas burners in these appliances and some of the burners may not be burning as efficiently as when they were new. If so, your gas fired appliances may be pumping out carbon monoxide. What may make this even worse is that most of us have range hoods that don't exhaust to the outside, but recirculate back into the house. And, most of us don't have carbon monoxide alarms in our houses.

Rather than replacing these items as a first step, I recommend that you have a qualified service professional inspect the burners and (and this is important!) use a professional grade CO meter (a testing instrument that measures how much CO is in the air) to determine how much danger you are in every time these appliances are used.

I also recommend that you install carbon monoxide alarms on every floor of your home and in the immediate vicinity of every bedroom. Remember, small children and the elderly are the most susceptible.

"Carbon monoxide (CO), an odorless, colorless gas, which can cause sudden illness and death, is produced any time a fossil fuel is burned. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) "The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. CO symptoms are often described as “flu-like.” If you breathe in a lot of CO it can make you pass out or kill you. People who are sleeping or drunk can die from CO poisoning before they have symptoms." https://www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm

CDC - Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - Frequently Asked Questions