Most flat top roofs are made up of layers of asphalt, roofing paper, asphalt, roofing paper, asphalt, roofing paper, and then gravel. Although most leaks are caused by damaged or poor flashings, the built up membrane itself can get old and worn.The gravel serves to keep the UV rays of the sun aw...
We would like to think that roofing systems today are well thought out, easy to assemble and trouble free. And then there is the real world. We went to the manufacturers of roofing systems and roofing components to get a handle on what are some of the real world field problems that shouldn't be...
The EcoEnergy program of homeowner grants to help retrofit homes has been brought back to life by the federal government in late September of 2011 -- part of the EcoAction initiative. I love this program and the hard workers at NRCan have done a great job of organizing it, explaining it and ma...
When you have a new home built for you, just before you take possession, you will spend a couple of hours walking around the house with the builder and a notebook. This is a critically important part of buying a home because this is where you check for all the errors and omissions. If you do th...
All too often people buy products or services to lower their heating or air conditioning bills that are not the best investments. They may be good products and good services, but they may not the real priority or the best payback for that particular house. But of course any salesman will tel...
If you recognize the photo above as the heat exchanger in an old boiler as seen through a small mirror with a flashlight, you are probably a home inspector. More and more home owners and home buyers are seeking the services of a professional home inspector and the business of inspecting home...
NEW CONSTRUCTION
In the interests of health and safety a number of trades are controlled by law, most particularly plumbing and electricity. The degree to which plumbing and electrical work are actually regulated varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For instance almost all work performed in...
There are several non-destructive ways that we can see what is going on inside the walls, ceilings and roofs of our homes. Simply watching the melting patterns of a light snow on the roof will tell you where you have insulation and where you have heat losses. In the first photo this was an unheat...
Is there real value to having a generalist come in and perform a complete home inspection? Yes!
I wrote this entry in 2007, and in 2016 I added this note from my Newsletter:
“There is a brand new CSA standard for home inspections -- an industry that has been plagued by inconsistency and the abs...
The most effective technique, one that can save you hundreds of dollars of erroneous digging, is to use a "sonar probe".
This gadget is often combined with a video camera designed to look inside sewer pipes.
An emitter probe is snaked into the drain line. You walk...
