Tag Info

I can't agree enough with Greebo's statement that you should be present for the inspection. Even if you don't know why the inspector is doing everything he's doing, you can see that he's being as thorough as possible without causing damage to the house. Remember, Mike Holmes is called in when the homeowner discovers there's a problem, and so he has the ...

In my experience the biggest thing you can do is check out the home inspector you intend to use by checking references from past RECENT clients. I've bought about half a dozen properties since 1997 and I've had crap inspectors and great inspectors - the first two came recommended by my realtors at the time, and they were not very thorough and gave me form ...

Actually, there are different types of sprinkler systems. In lots of residential homes, a personal protection type system are being installed. These systems use existing water pressure and lower flow heads. The heads are not interconnected and only release water if the temp is high enough at the individual heads. The purpose is not to extinguish the fire, ...

You should consider, but not invest now. Wait and test, before treating. Small design changes now, can make implementing a fix later, easier. Radon is everywhere, to some level. If you have higher levels of radon, then you need to be concerned with the rate that fresh air is exchanged in your home. Houses are much tighter today, so be more aware with a new ...

Bed bugs are hard to see. They get in small cracks (e.g. between the flooring and wall) and can survive for months. Finding them by sight will be next to impossible. But you could have a service inspect the place before you move in. I think some use trained dogs that can smell them. That said, no matter how careful you are, bedbugs can migrate through small ...

At the risk of simply stealing something from the internet and re-posting it (oh the horror!)... http://coolthingstoremember.blogspot.com/2006/09/new-home-walk-through-checklist.html Pre-Delivery Checklist Bring a level, measuring tape, notepad/pen, flashlight, mirror, stud-finder … Doors Open and close all doors. See that doors are ...

Although David Moore is somewhat correct, there are a lot of varied explanations to your question depending on where you live, the market etc. In large markets, there are large corporate home builders that have multiple crews covering all trades and do a turn key package. Many do custom homes from your plans. Many however will only build your home on land ...

You are going to get lots of opinions on this but in general I would say people with experience building homes - maybe 30% (I think I am being overly optimistic) could do a custom right with no major problems. General contractors - ha. You are looking at 5% if that. You need someone with experience with custom homes. You need an architect to OK it. Not ...

Check with the local building department to verify that they pulled permits and passed inspection for the work. They could have just covered up big problems that inspectors would have forced them to fix. Even if they did get permits that does not guarantee that there are not still problems. Things that may have been hidden from the inspectors, just missed ...

As a former construction estimator, I would suggest that you get in touch with the contractor sales department at a building supplies store in the area in which you're considering building. Quite often the estimators there will have a ballpark "per-square-foot" price for materials, and may have an idea of a ballpark price for labour, too. They can probably ...

Pick up a copy of New Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual from Reader Digest. This is an awesome book, and a great resource when you're just starting out in home repair.

Welcome! You will certainly find lots of specific questions and answers on this site but not as many general how-tos; it is after-all a Q&A site. Firstly, you need some tools! There is a great thread on this site about the tools everyone should own, I suggest you give it a read! The internet is a great resource and you will find answers to almost any ...

If you are in an area with granite rock (there are other indicators of Radon, but granite is the most common) then you should get a soil survey done. As @Tester101 said, results may already exist for your area, so check this first. If the results show high radon levels, definitely get ventilation fitted - this is important for basement levels, but you ...

Congrats on your pending venture, a new home! I am a certified Home Inspector and have a few ideas for you. Actually, there are several items that a good home inspector is going to look at that are not on your list. Keep in mind that an inspector is going to be able to render an opinion on the condition of the systems and structure of the house. Other ...

Ethically? Legally? It all depends, I guess. Radon is linked to cancer, so if you care about not getting cancer, and are planning on living there, I'd look into it. Basements are more of a problem as are 'tight' houses due to lack of air exchange. We had our old house with a basement retrofitted for Radon for about $1500. I imagine it'd be significantly ...

Look behind EVERYTHING. A flipped house like that, chances are they went really cheap and covered over problems rather than solving them. New floor in the basement? be suspicious. Are they covering flood damage, which happened a LOT in the past few years? New walls? what's behind them...mold, bad wiring, rats nests? Cracks from the house sagging? New ...

I have been researching this subject and it seems like its pretty cheap to add sprinklers during the construction stage. If I was building a house I wouldn't hesitate for even a second to install one. I don't understand why someone wouldn't do if given a choice. Moreover I think it should be mandatory for all new construction. I'm currently saving up money ...

Here's a Wall Street Journal article (published in 2007, granted it maybe a little dated, but should still be current enough to help you get a workable ballpark figure) that contains some useful links that should prove helpful in the process of calculating the cost of building your own home: Calculating the Cost Of Building a New Home Here's another link ...

In addition to the basics, seen in this answer: What are some of the best books/resources on home inspection for first time home buyers?, the fact that someone's been messing around with the innards of the house means you should pay extra attention to the areas you know they've worked on, and whatever's around it. You mentioned they replaced the roof. Get ...

Your home will give you ideas on what projects that should be done, because you will see things that need "improving". Start small and work your way up to larger projects. Some good starter projects: Paint a room Replace a light fixture Replace faucets or other hardware Mount a flat screen on a wall Caulk cracks or drafty areas around doors or windows ...

From Google: or·ange·ry /ˈôrənjrē/ Noun A greenhouse where orange trees are grown. Synonyms hothouse So, structurally speaking, there is no difference between the terms. The difference is merely based on what you put inside of it (whether or not you put orange trees in it). (If you grow lemon trees, is it a Lemony?)

I'm guessing the circuits are sharing a neutral, and so are considered a multiwire branch circuit. Branch Circuit, Multiwire. A branch circuit that consists of two or more ungrounded conductors that have a voltage between them, and a grounded conductor that has equal voltage between it and each ungrounded conductor of the circuit and that is ...

There are plastic-sheets available for putting under the concrete-foundation of a house that are long-term radon-safe, i.e. that won't let radon trough even after several decades. Putting such a sheet under the foundation is low-cost and easy, and I don't see any reason -not- to do so. Pay attention that you don't perforate the sheet with ...

Am I totally off base in suggesting a terminology issue? a pair of breakers tied together is called a "tie-bar breaker" not a "double pole breaker." This is not to say that the breaker in question is not connected to both poles(Hot A and Hot B). Historically, in CA, dishwasher and disposal were installed on a tie-bar breaker, separate from all other ...

They make kits that attract the bed bugs and trap them in a container so you can inspect it for their presence. Bed Bug Detection Travel Kit I have never used one of these so I cannot vouch for their accuary. However, I would not substitute this for a professional opinion in the event it is negative.

If you are in the UK, get yourself a copy of “The Housebuilder’s bible”, it contains a lot of very useful costing tables. (On Amazon it is all too easy to buy an old version of the book, as Amazon does not remove out of date copies from its website, so be careful.) Also read the author's (Mark Brinkley) blog.