In these instances, an opening may need to be made in the wall to determine if the moisture is simply from some leak and if it is encouraging a termite infestation. Inspectors also will use a flashlight, probes, and powers of observation to determine the presence of an infestation. They will inspect inside the structure, outside the structure, beneath the structure if there is a pier-and-beam foundation, and in the attic. (more…)
Do You Want to Make Your House Prettier? Check this! (5)
Posted by in Home Improvement | Home inspections | repair home - (0 Comments)
One problem is that inspectors cannot report on what they cannot see, so their written determinations include exceptions to areas that are not accessible. In fact, about 80 percent of the wood in a typical house is hidden from view. (more…)
Do You Want to Make Your House Prettier? Check this! (4)
Posted by in Floor | Home Improvement | Home inspections | repair home - (0 Comments)
Termites use their jaws rather than their legs to move forward. Tests of termite barriers show that the creatures are unable to move particles larger than about 1 millimeter in diameter. As particle size increases, so does the size of the space between the particles. (more…)
Do You Want to Make Your House Prettier? Check this! (3)
Posted by in Home Improvement | Remodelling | repair home - (0 Comments)Fortunately, the damage to my home was limited to something I was removing anyway, but, even so, the problem needed to be tackled before any renovation could be carried out. In this case, we had an L-shaped addition, covered with asphalt shingles as was common in the 1950s, coated instead with stucco, because the rest of the house was brick. We couldn’t afford brick and complete the rest of the renovations we wanted, so stucco was the compromise. (more…)
Do You Want to Make Your House Prettier? Check this! (2)
Posted by in Garden | Home Improvement | mortgage | repair home - (0 Comments)I had seen them before, in the backyard of one of my parents’ houses. We had a termite infestation, with food provided by a rotted shed and years of deferred maintenance.
We bought the house in March 1982. In those days, lenders insisted on termite reports as a condition of obtaining a mortgage. We had a termite inspection that said that the ho
use was clean and came with a year’s guarantee. I began demolishing the shed in April 1983, and that’s when the termites appeared. My question is: How did the termites know that the guarantee was up? (more…)
Do You Want to Make Your House Prettier? Check this!
Posted by in Bathroom | Floor | Furniture | Home Improvement | Home Interior | Interior Design | Remodelling | kitchen | repair home - (0 Comments)
No matter how eager you are to make your house prettier, you have to take care of the ugly stuff first: inadequate heating, bad wiring, a worn-out roof, improper ventilation, and dangers to health such as radon, asbestos, and lead-based paint. (more…)