Weather Stripping A Window Or Door

Weather Stripping A Window Or Door

In Indiana and Kentucky, all home inspectors will tell you to use weather stripping in your home to seal air gaps around movable joints, such as windows or doors.
To determine how much weather stripping you will need, add the perimeters of all windows and doors to be weather stripped and then buy just a little extra to allow for waste.

Selection
Choose a type of weather stripping that will withstand the friction, weather, temperature changes, and wear and tear of opening or closing of the door or window. For example, when applied to a door bottom or threshold, weather stripping can drag on carpet. Weather stripping in a window sash must accommodate the sliding of panes—up and down, sideways, or out. You want the weather stripping you choose to seal well when the door or window is closed while allowing it to open freely but also allow it to open freely.
Choose a product for each specific location. Felt and open-cell foams tend to be inexpensive, susceptible to weather, visible, and inefficient at blocking airflow. However, the ease of applying these materials may make them valuable in low-traffic areas. Vinyl, which is slightly more expensive, holds up well and resists moisture. Metals are also available, last for years and are affordable
Applying Weather stripping
Weather stripping supplies and techniques range from simple to some difficulty. Consult the instructions on the weather stripping package. Here are a few basic guidelines:
• Weather stripping should be applied to clean and dry surfaces in 20° temperatures or above.
• Measure the weather stripping and the area twice before you cut anything.
• Apply weather stripping against both surfaces. The material should compress when the window or door is shut.
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When weather stripping doors:
• Choose the correct door sweeps and thresholds for the bottom of the doors.
• Weather strip the entire door jamb.
• Apply one strip along each side.
• Make sure the weather stripping meets tightly at the corners.
• Use a thickness that causes the weather stripping to tightly press between the door and the door jamb when the door closes, without making it difficult to shut.

For sealing a window, apply weather stripping between the sash and the frame. The weather stripping should not interfere with the window operation.

For more information on weather stripping, ask your Indiana & Louisville home inspector when you have your home inspection performed.

Overgrown Vegetation

Keeping vegetation trimmed back from a structure helps avoid moisture related concerns, staining of the siding and keeps thieves from having a place to hide. Avoid promoting insect infestation by keeping the shrubs trimmed around your home. By removing these unwanted shrubs and trees, you’ll give your home the ventilation it needs to avoid these unwanted problems, keeping your home safe. Your Kentuckiana home inspector will most likely point this minor problem out to you when you have your home inspection performed on your new Kentuckiana real estate.

 

Louisville Inspector Talks About Brick Veneer Siding

Masonry brick adds value to a home because it has a solid, durable reputation, however many brick homes built within the last few decades aren’t actually constructed of brick. Though solid-brick homes are sturdy, they are very expensive include lots of labor. Brick veneer was created for this reason.

Brick Versus Brick Veneer?

Most importantly, it is not a structural element of the home. True “brick homes” are constructed block-upon-block to hold up the house, whereas brick veneer siding is held up by the house itself. It is real masonry, but like any other siding, it is simply a single layer overlaying the original wooden framework of a house. Using small metal ties, this faux “brickwork” is secured to the home, allowing for a small gap of air between the pre-existing exterior wall and the new exterior facade.

How do you tell the difference?

The easiest way to know the difference is to see when the house was built. If it was constructed within the last 40 years, there’s a good chance it’s not solid-brick. Also, look at the masonry pattern. Solid-brick will run lengthwise (horizontal), with occasional rows where the blocks will be installed so you can only see their ends—this irregular crisscross pattern ensures durable structural integrity. Plus, around windows there will be reinforced arches with the blocks, again, facing in towards the house to reinforce the opening. But brick veneer siding will almost always run lengthwise since they don’t perform any structural responsibility.

Need To Know

Brick veneer siding retains some of the benefits of solid-brick. It is durable and fireproof, which can possibly save you some money on your insurance premiums. Also, masonry is a great way to provide natural insulation against the winter cold and summer heat. But unlike solid-brick, brick veneer siding is an even better insulator because it traps air within the gap between the two exterior walls.

Precautions

Although the masonry itself won’t rot, because there is that small gap between the two walls, moisture can get trapped and cause problems. Additionally, weep holes are often created to ventilate this gap. Plus, brick is porous, so when it rains, water can seep between the block and mortar, creating damage to your home’s exterior. Therefore, when installed, a water-resistant surface must be placed over the home’s original framework to prevent moisture build-up and mold from entering your house.

How To Install

Call a masonry contractor when needing to install brick veneer siding and leave it to the experts.

This Southern Indiana and Louisville Home Inspector performs home inspections on both sides of the river.

Where Is Lead Found?

Where lead is found In general, the older your home, the more likely it has lead-based paint.

At Certainty Home Inspections we can test your home for lead based paint by taking a sample of the suspected area. We serve all of Southern Indiana and Louisville Kentucky.

•·         Paint. Many homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint. The federal government banned lead-based paint from housing in 1978. Some states stopped its use even earlier. Lead can be found: In homes in the city, country, or suburbs. In apartments, single-family homes, and both private and public housing. Inside and outside of the house.

•·         In soil around a home. Soil can pick up lead from exterior paint, or other sources such as past use of leaded gas in cars, and children playing in yards can ingest or inhale lead dust.

•·         Household dust. Dust can pick up lead from deteriorating lead-based paint or from soil tracked into a home.

•·         Drinking water. Your home might have plumbing with lead or lead solder. Call your local health department or water supplier to find out about testing your water. You cannot see, smell or taste lead, and boiling your water will not get rid of lead. If you think your plumbing might have lead in it: Use only cold water for drinking and cooking. Run water for 15 to 30 seconds before drinking it, especially if you have not used your water for a few hours.

•·         The job. If you work with lead, you could bring it home on your hands or clothes. Shower and change clothes before coming home. Launder your work clothes separately from the rest of your family’s clothes.

•·         Old painted toys and furniture and painted window seals.

•·         Food and liquids stored in lead crystal or lead-glazed pottery or porcelain. Food can become contaminated because lead can leach in from these containers.

•·         Lead smelters or other industries that release lead into the air.

•·         Hobbies that use lead, such as making pottery or stained glass, or refinishing furniture.

•·         Folk remedies that contain lead, such as “greta” and “azarcon” used to treat an upset stomach.