Inspection World 2010 wrapped up this afternoon, after five days of meetings and classes. With sessions starting at 8:00 am and some running as late as 9:00 pm, all we have seen of Las Vegas has been the windowless interior of the conference center at Bally’s!

Bob Sisson and his wife, Welmoed, at the entrance to Inspection World

Now we’ll be attending the National Home Builder’s Association conference, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This show take up two of the three halls,  and even just looking at the exhibits will take two days.

Look for more pictures soon!

During the Thanksgiving weekend, many of you probably gave thanks for the roof over your head. But how much do you really know about that roof?

This roof is too far gone for repair!

The most common roof material in our area is the Asphalt-Fiberglass 20 Year shingle.  Although it is warranted for 20 years, it is a prorated warranty, like for tires. This means that every year, the warranty reimburses a smaller percentage of the replacement cost. And, as the tire people say, “your mileage may vary.”  In this region, we expect about 17 years of useful life from a 20 year shingle. Sections that get lots of sun, or that collect debris, are very shallow, or very steep, will age more rapidly. It is rare for all of a house’s roof to age at the same rate.

Other shingles are available, from 15-year (not recommended), 25-30 year architecture shingles, or 50 Year heavy duty shingles.  Some “Lifetime” shingles are available; however, the warrantee covers the shingles but not the roof deck, fasteners, flashing, etc.

Moss and debris on a roof can shorten its lifespan.

If your roof has lots of algae or moss, when you re-roof you can get shingles that have better “Algae & Moss Protection” in the surface granules.

Power washing shingles can do more harm than good.  If a roof is washed, it must be washed from the top down so that no water is forced up in between the shingles, and very low pressure must to be used so as not to wash off any granules from the shingles. The granules are what keep the shingle from sun-burning. Once a shingle has lost its granular surface coating, the asphalt will deteriorate quickly. Lots of granules on splash blocks is an early sign of a failing roof.

We don’t necessarily walk every roof; sometimes it’s just not safe for either the inspector or the roof:

• Too Hot. Walking will leave footprint in the soft asphalt
• Too Cold. Walking could CRACK the brittle asphalt
• Too Old. Walking will damage what is left
• Too Littered. Moss, debris leaves or other debris can be hazardous
• Too Steep or Wet. Hazardous for the inspector
• Nonstandard. Metal, Wood, Slate, Clay Tile or Concrete are NEVER walked on without scaffolds & full safety gear.

In these cases we spend extra time in the attic looking for stains and wet spots, and across the street with our high power binoculars and Zoom camera lenses.

One Last Roof Reminder

Here’s some added incentive to make sure your roof is in good shape. In just over two weeks, Santa’s going to need to park on it with his sleigh and all those reindeer!

Now is the season people are thinking about buying or building a deck. Here are the three biggest issues I see when inspecting decks…

#1 No Permits

If an unpermitted deck collapses, you could be liable.

Decks REQUIRE permits. If your builder doesn’t want to pull permits, get another builder. If the builder is caught mid-construction working on an unpermitted deck they WILL lose their license and YOU may be required to tear it down and start over. If you are building your own deck and are caught mid-construction, you may be required to tear it down. What’s more, if someone is hurt on a deck that you knowingly built or had built without permits, your insurance may not cover it.

#2 No Flashing at the house

Vinyl siding is NOT flashing. Flashing protects the junction of the ledger board to the house, the bolts and more. A deck ledger without VISIBLE flashing is considered UNSAFE by many home inspectors.

Note that the flashing goes BEHIND the siding and OVER the ledger board.

#3 Poorly-constructed Railings

Bottom line, the railing posts need to be FASTENED to more than just the rim board. The rim board is not structural enough by itself. The best description can be found at the co-author of the NEW CODE requirements at deck-lok’s website. If the railing can be moved more than ½” TOTAL MOVEMENT it is considered UNSAFE by many home inspectors.

Balusters should be fastened with screws, not nails. Nails will pull out if a heavy force (think falling adult) is applied to the baluster.

One of the best “prescriptive” deck plans provided by a local jurisdiction can be found at: the Fairfax (VA) County website (PDF file). This is used by a “Reference” by many other jurisdictions and inspectors as “best practice”

Now you know! Have a safe summer!

A few days ago I posted about dryer vents and their potential to cause house fires. Well, this morning I opened up the paper and read this:

http://tinyurl.com/d5pqz7

A barking dog alerted a sleeping family to the fire that had started in their dryer vent.

Folks, please take a few minutes to clean the accumulated lint from your dryer vent. This family was thankfully not injured, but they are facing $20,000 in repair costs.

Hi, and welcome to the Home Inspection Confidential blog! I’m Bob Sisson, owner of Inspections by Bob, and I’m ready to tell you all about the secrets your house might be hiding from you.

Bob hard at work in a crawl space

That’s me, inching my way through a tight crawl space that extended more than 40 feet beneath the house. The opening to the crawl space was less than two feet wide, and it was pretty obvious no one had ventured into the space in years. But it’s my job to go into all the tight spaces, nooks and crannies that homeowners rarely attempt to access. Some of these places require a Tyvek suit, and sometimes even a full respirator.

I’ve seen a lot of very weird and unusual things during my inspections, and this is where I get to share them with you. And if you have questions, please send them in! I’ll answer them regularly right here on the blog.

You’ve found the house you like, agreed on a price and signed the contract. It looks like a great place; why worry about a home inspection?

A professional home inspection can save you the cost of an injury or a repair call. It costs a fraction of the value of your home and provides peace of mind by uncovering potential surprises, problems and issues. Your home is the largest single investment you are likely to make; trying to save a few dollars by not getting a home inspection, or by picking the cheapest home inspector you can, could end up costing you much more than you bargained for.

There really is no such thing as a “perfect” house; this doesn’t mean the house you love isn’t worth buying. You just need to know everything you can about the house from the beginning, so you are aware of what the major and minor issues are and what you could expect in the way of repairs and maintenance.

In short, getting a home inspection means not having to say “I wish I knew then what I know now”!