What Is A Home Inspection?

A home  inspection is essentially a “visual snapshot” of a home’s condition as it exists at the time of the inspection, and that condition is described in a comprehensive written report.

A home  inspection report consists of a non-invasive physical examination of a home’s systems, structures and components intended to identify material defects that exist at the time of the inspection.

The heating and cooling equipment is activated along with operating plumbing fixtures, testing accessible electrical outlets and fixtures, and operating a representative sampling of doors and windows. A visual inspection of the roof, crawl spaces, walls and drainage adjacent to the home are included.

An inspection is NOT any of the following:

A code inspection,
An FHA/VA inspection
An appraisal,
A pest control certification,
A warranty
An insurance policy

Simply put, we can only inspect what we can see! We, as home inspectors can’t pull back insulation, pull back carpeting or linoleum, walk two story or unsafe roof surfaces or clear a path to the receptacles in a room, remove ceiling tiles, move furniture or open windows that are blocked by furniture ,therefore, a home inspection is non-exhaustive and even though we are very detailed in what we do some components and systems of the home may be concealed.

We suggest that before you actually close on a home, you take a walk through of the home right before closing to make sure no situations have changed and we provide you a home inspection checklist to help you get the job done.

Certainty Home Inspection provides a quality home inspection service  that serves, Bedford, Seymour, Clarksville, Jeffersonville, New Albany, Sellersburg, Louisville, Paoli, Salem, Corydon, Madison.  At Certainty, it is our goal to provide you with a quality home inspection report.

What Is Asbestos

In Indiana & Kentucky, Asbestos is still a concern for this Indiana Home Inspector! If you have questions on asbestos, don’t hesitate to call us with your questions at 1-866-417-9591 or schedule your home inspection
online today! Certainty Home Inspections performs inspections in Southern Indiana and Louisville

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What Is Asbestos? Asbestos is made from fibrous minerals and was widely used in many products because of its strength and tolerance to high temperatures and chemicals. Commonly found in older home construction materials.

On the exterior, asbestos shingles and siding were often applied and although the asbestos cement shingles are less commonly found these days, the asbestos siding has proven very durable and quite resilient. The asbestos cement siding has no health concerns unless pulverized to create dust or burned to release fumes.

Homes of 1930 through the 1950s construction are commonly found to have asbestos or (vermiculite) insulation. Other interior asbestos uses included floor coverings; these are typically square tiles or vinyl sheets applied with an adhesive backing. Plumbing supply and drain pipe insulation, this usually has a white canvas type covering over a fibrous insulation material. Flue pipe and heating distribution insulation, somewhat resembles white surgical tape and most commonly seen on metal distribution pipes for the heating system, as it was used to seal junctions and connections of the piping,. Ceiling tiles and wall coverings, normally found in suspended ceiling tiles and wall paint and patching or repair material. Use of these materials was banned in 1977. Gas fire place embers and ashes and old stove- pads may contain asbestos. Asbestos paper, or cement compounds were used to protect the floor and wall around wood stoves.

Not so fast though, identifying asbestos material is not so easy and visual examination alone is not always reliable. This means sampling and lab analysis will be required to confirm the presence of asbestos.  Taking samples your self is never recommended. Most reputable home inspection firms provide certified sampling professionals who know what to look for and how to reduce risks while extracting a sample and can provide you with lab results within 72 hours.

In fact, the EPA states that when you’re in doubt about the material you should treat it as if it contains asbestos or have it sampled and analyzed by a qualified professional. This is because sampling done incorrectly can be more hazardous than leaving the material alone. Material that is not deteriorated, damaged or hat is not going to be physically disturbed, should be left alone.

Although we always recommend that sampling should be done, we have had home buyers decide not to have a sample analyzed, choosing to encapsulate this material on the heating distribution pipes by tapping over it with common duct tape, only to be denied service from a local heating and air duct cleaning company. Upon discovering the possible asbestos tape, the cleaning company refused service.

If you choose to live with suspect asbestos materials you’ll want to be cautious not to cause damage or disturb it in any way. If it is or becomes damaged avoid being in the immediate area don’t clean up any debris from the damaged area and be careful not to track it inside. Consulting a professional for repair or removal of the material is recommended. Keeping in mind that removal posses risks of exposure and can be expensive and sometimes required by state regulations when remodeling.

For more information on asbestos, please visit the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

Window Efficiency

Indiana home Inspector would like to share some information about window efficiency in the Southern Indiana and Louisville area. Windows provide our homes with light, warmth, and ventilation but in the winter time they can lack on performance. Placing your hand against a window pane on a cold day proves the point. If the pane feels cold, there’s a good chance you can reduce your energy costs by either insulating your windows or installing new ones. Insulating with drapes is a low cost fix to drafty windows and reduce heat loss up to 10 percent and in the summer months they can block out the heat, providing a 33%reduction in heat gain. Interior storm windows are another fix and consist of flexible or rigid plastic installed over existing window panes. If you decide to purchase new windows, be sure to choose energy efficient models that will save heating and cooling costs all year long. Energy Star has established a set of energy performance ratings tailored to four climate zones across the US to guide you in selecting new windows. These ratings are broken down into several catorgories although U-Factor and Solar Heat Gain Coeffiecient (SHGC) are the most basic. U-Factor simply meastures how easily heat can flow through a window, not counting direct sunligh. The lower the number the more energy efficient it is. SHGC measures how much heat from sunlight can be absorbed by the window. A high number means the window remains effective at collecting heat during the winter. A low number provides greater shading ability and may be best for Southern climates. For Indiana U-Factor of .40 or lower and a SHGC of .55 or greater works best. For more info visit www.energystar.gov

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.

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Home Inspections So Good…They’re Guaranteed!

At Certainty Home Inspections, we offer a simple, no weasel words guarantee.  Attend your Indiana home inspection and if for any reason you’re not satisfied with the “Quality” of the home inspection service, tell the inspector before receiving your report and we’ll either make it right, or you don’t pay the home inspection fee! Please know that in the case of an ongoing complaint, no refunds will be issued after one year from the date of service.

How Can We Guarantee Our Inspections?

It’s easy.  We find more defects than our competition.  The end result is that you save more money.  Most contracts allow negotiations with the seller to make repairs or give you credit at closing.  So the more defects our inspector finds the more money you save.

We are a  multi-inspector firm with three licensed home inspectors.  This allows us time to do a thorough inspection of your new home.  This also means we charge a little more than most of our competitors.

You don’t want a cheap inspection.  A cheap inspection may be the most expensive thing  you’ll ever buy, it may cost you thousands of dollars down the road because of missed or overlooked defects.  Cheap inspectors often know less and do less, which is one reason why they’re cheap.

The More Thorough We Are, The More Defects We Find, The More Money You Save!

Home Inspection Guarantee – How Can We Possibly Promise This?

We take the time to do a thorough home inspection, write a detailed home inspection report with digital photos, and deliver the BEST SERVICE possible to you. And we know that once you have seen our  work, that you will be completely satisfied.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

A growing number of states and cities are requiring homes to install a device that detects the presence of carbon monoxide, a dangerous gas that kills 2,000 people a year and sickens many times that number.

Surprising to most homeowners, carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning in the U.S. Detectors have been available for almost a decade, to alert people to the gases — odorless and colorless — spewed out by faulty furnaces, stoves and even barbecue grills. However, fewer than one-third of American homes have these inexpensive devices, according to industry surveys.

Just as laws requiring smoke alarms spurred nearly every household to install them during the past 20 years or so, legislators and doctors are hopeful that the new carbon-monoxide detector requirements will have the same effect.

Starting next month, most homes sold in New York state — new or resale — must have a carbon-monoxide monitor. Similar laws have already passed in Rhode Island, New Jersey and West Virginia. A number of other states are contemplating legislation. Action is being taken at the local level too: Cities such as Chicago and St. Louis have ordinances requiring detectors.

“A detector can save families from something they can not control,” says Stephen Gladstone, vice president of the American Society of Home Inspectors. “If somebody doesn’t have a carbon-monoxide alarm and their heating system malfunctions, they might just not wake up.” Nearly a decade ago, tennis star Vitas Gerulaitis died of carbon-monoxide poisoning from a faulty heater.

Legislation seems to have life-saving effects: Cities with ordinances that require carbon-monoxide detectors have much lower death rates from exposure to the gas than those that don’t, according to a study published last year in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

While fires and automobiles are the top producers of carbon monoxide, a typical family home has many possible culprits. Furnaces, kitchen stoves, water heaters, fireplaces, generators, camping stoves and charcoal barbecues — anything that burns fossil fuels such as gasoline, diesel fuel, wood and kerosene — can produce dangerous levels of the gas.

Carbon monoxide is produced when these fossil fuels don’t burn completely. Incomplete or “dirty” burning can occur if rust or grime falls into a furnace burner, if equipment cracks or rusts, if gas pressure is out of adjustment or if there isn’t proper ventilation for these devices. Health officials have seen carbon-monoxide poisoning occur after people warm up their cars in their garages, even for a few minutes.

“It can be produced so easily and it can spill into a home so easily,” says Tom Greiner, an Iowa human-housing engineer who is pressing for a law in his state to require detectors.

Today’s carbon-monoxide detectors don’t go off anytime they sense the gas. Earlier versions of the device (those made before 1998) did that and were tripped off so easily — a car pulling into the garage could cause it to go off — that many consumers saw them as an annoyance and were inclined to ignore them. New models go off when they sense a certain level of gas over a period of time. The detectors measure how many molecules of carbon monoxide are present in one million molecules of air (parts per million). Government regulations state that 50 parts per million is the maximum concentration a healthy adult should sustain over an eight-hour period. (A concentration of 400 parts per million can be life-threatening within three hours.)

Consumers can choose from inexpensive no-frills monitors that simply beep and cost around $15 to fancier $50 devices that have digital displays and flash the concentration detected. There are also combination smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms. Safety experts recommend that an alarm be placed outside bedrooms and on each floor of the house. Some also suggest putting a detector near carbon-monoxide-producing devices such as furnaces. Manufacturers suggest that people replace their alarms every seven years since sensors can degrade and electronics can fail. Companies that sell detectors include U.K.-based Kidde PLC and BRK Electronics’ First Alert.

Symptoms of carbon-monoxide poisoning vary depending on the concentration of gas in the air. Mild carbon-monoxide exposure often mimics the flu or food poisoning — with headaches, nausea, vomiting and fatigue — and is thus commonly misdiagnosed. Higher concentrations of carbon monoxide can cause almost immediate dizziness and nausea and can lead to convulsions, coma and death within a few hours, or even minutes at extremely high concentrations. Small children and those with heart and respiratory conditions are most at risk. And some patients complain of neurological symptoms months and even years after exposure.

Carbon monoxide suffocates the cells of the body: It enters the bloodstream and prevents the release of oxygen to the tissue. The only treatment for carbon-monoxide poisoning is to immediately leave the source of the gas and to administer oxygen.

If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning in your Kentuckiana home, get everyone out of the building immediately, and call 911.  If it is safe to do so open windows to allow entry of fresh air, and turn off any appliances your suspect my be releasing the carbon monoxide.

When needing to test for carbon monoxie in your home locate a home inspector in Southern Indiana or Louisville Kentucky. Be sure to call one that is certified, licensed and insured. Certainty Home Inspections has three licensed home inspectors to make sure we can get your inspection done in the time you have left on your real estate contract. Don’t waste your money on a cheap Charlie inspector, have “Certainty” with your new home purchase.

Important Propane Gas Information

When heating your home on a cold winters night in Indiana or Kentucky, if you smell gas follow these instructions:

1. No flames or sparks, immediately put out all smoking materials and other open flames.   Do not operate lights, appliances, telephones, or cell phones.

2.  Leave the area immediately.  Get everyone out of the building or area where you suspect gas is leaking

3.  Shut off the gas.  Turn off the main gas supply valve on your propane tank.  If it is safe to do so.  To close the valve, turn it to the right, clockwise.

4.  Report the leak.  from a neighbor’s home , call your propane retailer right away.  If your can’t reach your propane retailer, call 911 or local fire department.

5.  Do not return to the building or area until your propane retailer, emergency responder, or qualified service technician determines that it is safe to do so.

6.  Get your system checked.  Before you attempt to use any of your propane appliances have your propane retailer check the system for leaks.

Propane smells like rotten eggs, a skunk’s spray, or a dead animal.

If you have questions regarding your gas furnace or hot water and need an inspection done, please give us a call toll free at 1-866-417-9591. We serve New Albany, Jeffersonville, Clarksville, Louisville, Bedford, Seymour, Corydon, and Floyd Knobs.

Trees As Windbreaks

The biggest and most energy efficient air conditioner and heat assistant is a tree.  A tree provides windbreaks and can keep it cooler in the summer and make it easier to heat in the winter.  A little care taken in the choice of trees and their placement can result in savings when you pay the bills.  Evergreen trees such as pines and cedars are the most efficient blocking the wind.  Trees slow the wind by up to 15 times the height of the windbreak.  Homeowners can save as much as 25 percent on their heating bills with a windbreak on the north side of the house.  Windbreaks on the north and west sides can result in a 33 percent savings.  A row of trees running from southwest to northeast will be the best windbreak since winds usually blow from the northwest.  Hardwood trees are most effective on the east, west, and south sides of your home.  Trees should be planted far away enough that their roots will not damage the foundation. Certainty provides thorough home inspections in the Southern Indiana and Louisville area. We offer 1/2 price on any second home inspection.

To book your inspection today call Certainty Home Inspections at 1-866-417-9591.