Purlin

These pieces of lumber run perpendicular to the roof rafters and are used to support the roof framing.

Corbel

A decorative piece of wood or stone used to support an opening.

Not to be confused with Corbelling, which is the process of laying bricks so they are offset, creating a shaped edge.

Quoin

Corner block on masonry or stucco houses.

And if your house didn’t come with quoin blocks, you can now use the stick-on version!

Reglet

The groove into which counter flashing is inserted on a masonry wall.

Plenum

The space above the furnace through which warm air passes to be distributed to the ductwork.

Cripple Wall

A short framed wall between the foundation and first floor framing.

Weir

The highest point of the bottom of the trap arm (also called the trap weir or the crown weir).

Drip Leg

A short length of pipe extending below the natural gas intake on a furnace. Designed to catch dirt or impurities in the gas before they reach the furnace.

Ufer

A type of grounding system whereby metal rods are incorporated into the footings, rather than having copper pipe or connection to the water supply pipe.

Welmoed proudly shows her brand-new home inspector license

Welmoed will be concentrating on pre-listing inspections and home check-ups, but is qualified to perform any type of home inspection.

Give her a call at (301) 208-8289 and book your inspection with her today!

Bob Sisson was elected to serve a three-year term as a Director. Here he is on the stage, along with the other Directors, during the induction ceremony.

Bob Sisson (far left) at the induction ceremony for the ASHI Board of Directors

Being a member of the Board of Directors for the national organization means Bob can play a part in elevating the standards of Home Inspectors around the country. ASHI works hard to ensure their members adhere to a Code of Ethics, and requires every inspector to take continuing education as a condition of renewing their membership. In states where there is still no licensing requirement for Home Inspectors, this can help home buyers feel more confident in the abilities of the inspector they hire.

ASHI currently has just under 6,000 members, and Bob is proud to be one of them.

Dual-pane windows were invented in 1935 but weren’t widely used in the United States until the 1950s. Our windows were manufactured by Andersen and they are true divided-light single-pane casement windows. When the house was built, fuel oil was inexpensive, so it was more cost-effective to simply burn more oil than it was to invest in insulation and very costly dual-pane windows – not when you consider that our house has 40 windows incorporating a whopping 136 separate window sashes!!

A single-pane window has an R-value of 0.91. Dual-pane windows usually have R-values starting at 2.0, and super-efficient triple-pane windows can achieve R-values greater than 3. But there’s more to windows than just numbers.

There are three methods of heat transfer: radiation, conduction, and convection. Radiation is the heat you feel from the sun; it warms objects. Conduction is heat that passes through materials; nature will always try to balance the heat on both sides of a barrier.

The last method is most important when considering windows: Convection. When the warm air in a room hits the cold window glass, it loses heat. The now-cold air sinks down, pulling more warm air in behind it. This creates what is called a Convection Current, and it creates drafts that can make a room much less comfortable.

With heating oil hovering at the $4 mark, we started looking for ways to reduce the drafts in our old windows. One of the methods we tried last winter was to cover the window screen inserts with insulating window film; the kind you attach with double-sided tape and shrink to fit with a hair dryer.

These worked, sort of. The main problem was that the air gap they created was nearly 2 inches wide – plenty of space for a convection current to be created in the gap. So we were still losing heat; it was now just a two-step process. They tended to wrinkle, and were prone to tearing. Also, covering the screens meant we couldn’t open the windows for ventilation.

A few months ago Bob started researching other options. He had decided that plexiglass inserts were going to give us the best results, but the issue was finding a supplier that could both cut to very precise tolerances (to the nearest 1/32^nd inch), and at a price that wouldn’t require a second mortgage. He finally chose TAP Plastics.

So we started measuring the windows. A regular measuring tape simply wasn’t going to be accurate enough, as we had to be as precise as possible so we could get the tightest fit. Bob found this ruler at the hardware store and it was the perfect tool for measuring inside dimensions.

This is a Lufkin X46 Extending Ruler. It has a brass extension bar that lets you get amazingly precise inside readings. To make sure we got the most accurate measurements, we each took them independently and then compared numbers. If we didn’t get the same numbers, we went back and re-measured. A lot of work, but the end result would be worth it.

We then ordered the plexiglass. For most of the panes, we chose 1/8” thick clear plexi, so there would be less chance of wobbling or warping. For the smaller panes (the ones in the French doors, which we would have to do individually), we chose 3/32” plexi.

Installation

Each piece of plexiglass was protected by two sheets of blue adhesive plastic. To get started, Bob would peel the plastic off one side of the plastic, and then set it in place in the sash, right up against the muntins. This would leave a gap of between 5/8” and ¾” – just right to create a true dead air gap.

While pressing the plexi against the window, Bob started to peel back the front protective plastic. To hold the plexi in place, he used these little things:

They’re called glazier’s points, and they’re meant to hold panes of glass in window sashes. They’re usually covered up by the window putty. In our case, we were going to use them to hold the plexi tightly against the sash. They are just pushed into the wood frame with a flat tool, like a paint scraper. Each sash required about a dozen points.

Once the plexiglass is installed, it is hardly noticeable:

So, did it work?

We’ll let the pictures tell the story.

This is a three-sash window on a north-facing wall. The left sash is the plain single-pane window glass. The center sash has the screen insert with the window film applied to it. The sash on the right has the plexiglass installed in both the lower and upper sashes. It’s a huge difference!

Here’s another example.

This is a French door on the opposite wall of the same room. Only one pane has the plexiglass on it. Can you guess which one?

We now have this plexiglass insert in every single-pane window in the house. The total cost for the plexiglass was about $1800, plus another $40 for many packages of glazier’s points (we’ve managed to clear out the stock in all three area hardware stores). Applying the plexi took about five minutes per sash; it took more time to wash each window thoroughly before the application!

Anti-Siphon Valve

In our home inspection reports there is a check box marked “Missing anti-siphon valve on hose faucets”

These have been required for many years and are recommended on ALL outdoor hose connections that don’t already have them. They can also be called “vacuum breakers.”

For houses that don’t have them installed already as part of the plumbing, or part of the hose faucet or freeze-resistant faucet, the simplest option is to get the adapter shown here and to screw it onto the faucet.

You can also replace your faucets with ones that have anti-siphon devices built into them. These usually have something that looks like a cap attached to the top of the faucet, just behind the knob.

Why it’s important

When several high-volume water using devices are turned on (such as a washing machine, dishwasher, shower, etc.), and the end of the garden hose is immersed in a bucket or even just a puddle, for a brief moment the water pressure in the house can be lower than it is in the hose and the hose water, with any contaminates from the hose, can flow back into the house and contaminate your drinking water.  This adapter prevents that from happening.

It’s not just your own house that’s at risk. If there’s an interruption in the municipal water supply – say, a water main break – and you lose water pressure, that same hose can siphon water all the way back into the public water supply.

An easy fix

The best way to protect yourself from potential contamination is to make sure all outside faucets have anti-siphon devices, whether they be built into the faucets or threaded onto them. It just takes a minute (and about $6 per faucet) to add them.

The answer is lots. Although condos are generally smaller and buyers shouldn’t have to worry about the exterior, grounds, foundations, roofs and other sections usually inspected for a single family home or townhouse, there are still plenty of things that need to be inspected to make sure they are safe.

None of the maintenance of a condominium complex's exterior is the responsibility of a unit's owner. However, we will still inspect it for safety and suitability.

As with all our inspections, we start with the exterior, even though this common property is the management’s responsibility:

• Are the walkways safe, with smooth, even surfaces and no trip hazards
• Are the handrails present and secure
• Are the elevator inspections up to date
• Are the exterior doors secure

Problems with these areas point to maintenance problems overall and suggest that the buyer re-examine the Condo documents for maintenance plan and budget.

We then go inside the unit and continue the inspection.

• Does the age of the development mean a LEAD PAINT waiver may be required?
• Are any outlets painted over?
• Have the smoke detectors been replaced, and are there an adequate number of detectors?
• Is the water temperature safe?
• Is the stove properly anchored?
• Is the electrical panel accessible and appropriate?
• Do all the appliances work?
• Are there GFCI’s in all the appropriate places?
• Is the HVAC system in working order and has it been maintained?
• Have any of the appliances been recalled? (we run RecallCheks on Condo appliances as part of our inspection)
• Are the bathroom walls/tile in serviceable shape?
• Do the toilets work properly and are they securely anchored to the floor?
• Do sinks drain properly? (the pipes belong to the association)

Special Considerations for Condos

When you buy a single family home, you own and are responsible for all the systems and structure of the home. However, in a Condominium, your ownership stops at the drywall. Everything inside the walls (plumbing pipes, vents, electrical wiring, wall studs) are the property of the condo association and, usually, unit owners are NOT permitted to repair or alter these systems.

This water damage in a condo unit could lead to structural issues like rot, but the unit owner is not permitted to repair it as the pipes belong to the Association.

There are several issues that are cause for serious concern because even if YOU address YOUR UNIT, the issues may exist above, below and to each side of you.

• Recalled Electrical Panels: FPE Panels were popular when many high-rises were built in the 60′s and 70′s
• Polybutylene Piping: This is rarely discussed in Condos or Apartments because acknowledging the problem would mean system wide replacement, which would be extremely costly.
• Asbestos on Steam/heating Piping
• Lack of Smoke Detectors because the units didn’t require then when built
• Overly long dryer vents with no plan to routinely clean them (they go through common space and are in the walls so they are the Association’s responsibility)

Condo/Apartment living does have its advantages, but everything INSIDE the unit is your responsibility so make sure everything is working properly before you buy the unit. Even though the systems and all the stuff in the walls is someone else’s responsibility, you want to know if they ARE maintaining it properly.

First of all, familiarize yourself with the ASHI Customer Bill of Rights. This will tell you whether your Home Inspector is operating in a professional, ethical manner, with your best interests in mind.

Once at the site with the Home Inspector, you can ask specific questions. You might want to bring along your own notebook and/or camera (And if your Home Inspector discourages this, ask them why!).

Questions to ask your inspector onsite:

• Where is my Electrical panel and how do I shut it off?
• Where is my Water service and how do I shut it off?
• Where are my outdoor faucet shutoffs?
• Do I have enough smoke detectors?
• What needs to be serviced before I move in?
• What needs routine/annual service?
• What should I test routinely, and when should I test it?
• Where is the master GFCI for the kitchen/bathroom/outside/etc?
• What should I do if..(smell gas, outlet doesn’t work, see a leak, etc.)
• How do I operate my garage door without power?
• How do I find a good contractor/repairperson?
• How do I adjust the water temperature?
• Should I have my ducts cleaned?
• Do I need more insulation?
• What can I do to save energy? (or what should I do first to save energy?)
• What is (fill in the blank – an unusual switch, oddball feature, etc.)

Above all, don’t be afraid of asking any question, even if you think it’s silly. And if you don’t understand the answer, tell us and we’ll explain it until you do. That’s our job!

What could possibly be lurking beneath this beautifully renovated kitchen?

Let’s start at the bottom: the foundation. If a house’s foundation is not happy, the entire house will be unhappy and have problems.  The foundation needs to be dry and stable. No undercutting or digging near the footings. Improper materials such a tree trunks that were used to support parts of the house need to have been replaced with more suitable materials. Insulation should be correctly installed so that the house is kept warm from the bottom up (Incorrectly installed insulation is a breeding ground for all sorts of pests and can accelerate damage while at the same time hiding it).

Plumbing pipes need to be examined and replaced as many of the old materials are well past their useful lives and will react poorly if connected to newer materials without special precautions.

Electrical systems need to be updated and brought up to modern safety standards.  An older 60A-2wire system is not going to be able to support a modern kitchen, laundry and Heat Pump and if incorrectly “updated” can hide potentially deadly shock hazards.

Older heating systems are MUCH less efficient that modern ones, and although they may continue to WORK for many years, they will hurt you a little bit every month.  Modern fuel burning appliances are now routinely 90+% efficient; old systems were barely 70% when new and in top form.  AC units went from a SEER (efficiency rating) of 8 to over 20 — a possible reduction of 75% in electrical usage.

Lastly, all existing ongoing damage needs to be addressed.  I have seen a new, state of the art, triple pane, argon filled, low-E window installed into a window opening where I could poke my finger into the cavity of the house through the rotten wood the windows was installed into.

My clients have often been quite surprised to find that their beautifully restored house needs tens of thousands of dollars in repairs to the INFRASTRUCTURE of the house to stop the ongoing damage, stabilize the house, and make it safe for modern living.  The previous owners had spent all their money on making it look good, but next to nothing on its foundation, plumbing, heating, or electrical system.

The foundation under that kitchen was in need of repairs.

Recently I inspected a house whose interior was beautifully renovated. However, the basement told a different story. The original foundation was stone and timber (yes, actual tree trunk sections were supporting the house. After more than 100 years, they were deteriorating). Over the years, repairs and additions were made with brick, then with concrete block, and finally, poured concrete. The original foundation pieces were still there. In Home Inspection training we are taught that there are five foundation materials: wood, stone, brick, concrete block, and poured concrete. This is the first time I have seen all five materials in one property!

Infrastructure repairs can be expensive, and many people are reluctant to spend money on things that don’t “show.” But neglecting infrastructure could mean that the new kitchen you just spent a pretty penny on could be in jeopardy.

The workers who service these utility lines shouldn't be put in peril because of improperly installed generators.

One of the reasons that it takes longer than anyone would like to restore power is that the lineman doing that work have to constantly be on guard against stray power that can maim or kill. I realize that some know-it-all will say that they are supposed to take the steps to isolate each line segment they are working on and that is true. But when the lines are down in the street like plates of spilled spaghetti and poles have been turned into tooth picks it gets a little challenging to find places to ground those lines on both sides of the work. Add to that the twelve hour shifts worked for days on end and you have the makings of a young person’s funeral.

After one of our more serious summer storms I was doing damage assessment to check the accessibility of buildings in the Takoma Park Fire Station’s service area. I was flagged down by a utility crew that told me that there was power coming back out to their lines from an improperly connected generator. They explained that they were not allowed to talk to the home’s occupants themselves because the conversation might get ugly given that such depraved indifference to the safety of others for the sake of ones own convenience has killed dozens of lineman over the years. I donned my helmet and safety vest over my work uniform and started up the front walk just as a utility manager arrived in his sedan. Since the supervisors, who come in pickup trucks, were being so thinly spread managers were also getting into the effort. I turned back to let him handle it and got quite a surprise.

This gentleman was around the age when most in his industry would retire. I expected that he would have the meter pulled and then explain to the occupants that they were endangering the lineman and that their service would remain disconnected until the counties electrical inspector could verify that the makeshift generator connection had been cleared. Instead he opened the trunk of his car and pulled out a lovingly cared for set of all leather climbing gear. (Climbing gear of any recent manufacture would be predominantly synthetic materials.) He put his suit coat in the car and donned a pair of leather lineman’s boots that although in beautiful condition were obviously older than some of the linemen he was managing. He had a member of the crew that had been waiting for him pull the meter and install a blank with a locking meter ring to prevent the blanks removal. He walked up to one of the trucks and took out a large insulated wire cutter. He then donned his climbing gear and pole gaffs, climbed the pole, donned his insulated gloves, and cut all three of the wires that served that home so that the service drop wires fell into their front yard. He then ordered the other end of the drop removed from the home. (The wires between the pole and the strain relief bracket on the house belong to the utility. The wires from the eve down to the meter belong to the buildings owner.) He then went up to the door and talked to the occupants to inform them that their service would not be restored without an order from the county and why. I asked the foreman of the crew why the manager would cut the drop personally and the foreman said that it was the managers way of taking complete responsibility for the removal of the service drop from the home.

Let me assure you that a service drop that is removed to render lines safe from a generator back feed is the very last thing that gets replaced after a wide spread power outage. With the threat of sudden death removed, work to restore power to hundreds of homes could then resume. When I got home to my own darkened house after my shift with the Volunteer Fire Department had ended I read in the paper that a lineman had been killed the previous day by a generator back feed only two counties away.

Something else that you may want to be aware of is that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is committed to seeking reckless maiming or manslaughter charges against anyone who injures or kills a lineman by connecting a generator to a building’s wiring without the proper safeguards in place. If someone were being so callous with your life you would get a little testy too.

The Moral is that if you didn’t have a generator connection installed and inspected in advance you must not try to connect one to your home’s wiring with improvised methods! Just run cords from the generator to the loads that you need to power. If the load is not cord and plug connected and thus cannot be supplied by a cord from the generator then be prepared to do without it.

Tom Horne is a Master Firefighter / Rescuer of the Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department which is an assisting agency of the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, Maryland by vocation.  He is also a practicing Electrician by craft with over forty years experience in the installation, maintenance, and operation of emergency and standby power systems.

Copyright 2001 by Tom Horne. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

The spots on this floor may not look pretty, but they don't affect the function of the floor, or present a trip hazard, so they fall under "cosmetic."

There are a lot of common defects that by themselves pose no concern.

• Drywall nail pops
• Drywall tape peeling
• cracks at the junction of walls and/or ceilings
• Floor squeaks
• Cracks above doors and other wall openings
• Carpet stains
• Bleaching of carpets or floors due to sun
• Fading paint
• Fading window treatments

These are all considered cosmetic as they have no effect on the serviceability of the structure or system. Only if the defect is accompanied by other symptoms or indicators such as moisture stains, moisture, movement, displacement or unevenness is it an issue, and then we are looking for the CAUSE, not necessarily the cosmetic symptom.

A nail pop by itself is rarely of issue. However, a rusty nailpop surrounded by a water stain is a different matter. Cracking drywall bead at corners or ceilings is very common and, unless accompanied by water or rust stains, is more an indicator or poor drywall technique than anything else.

Exterior wood often shows cosmetic issues long before they become serviceability issues. Often all that is needed is cleaning, priming, maybe some putty, and some paint. In other words, routine upkeep and maintenance, which is something that is very hard to get Realtors to even write up. Even If the wood is really soft, wet, or possibly the damage goes through the exterior surface, unless it endangers the structure or function, involves pests, or poses a safety risk, it all falls under “cosmetic” and is the responsibility of the buyer to address. If the surface has been repaired and is sound, like at the bottom of doors, it can be really ugly but not be anything more than Cosmetic.

The glazing on this window is damaged and the trim needs to be painted. But the window still works as intended, so the damage is cosmetic.

Doors that bind are another common fault. Is there something hanging from the door that has warped it or may be interfering with it? Has the door been painted numerous times? Only when the door is racked, and there are additional signs such as an uneven floor, uneven cracks, or other doors in the vicinity that also have issues (in the same direction) do we start looking for additional faults. If a single door sticks or is hard to open/close, it probably needs routine adjustment and is not a sign of something more sinister.

So in general, even if there is cosmetic damage to a property (and yes, rot can fall into this category), unless it is interfering with the serviceability of the component, a seller may not be required to fix the damage. For example, a window can have rotted or ugly trim, but if you can still open and close the window, see out of it, and it’s keeping the weather out, the damage is considered cosmetic. The damage should be repaired or replaced, but it will likely be the responsibility of the new owner. However, if the damage prevents the window from opening, then it is no longer functioning as designed and can occasionally be written up.

Why occasionally, and not always? Most current contracts only allow defects that fit into five specific categories (roof, appliances, electrical, plumbing, heating) to be addressed as part of a Home Inspection contingency. Everything else is considered cosmetic, or needs to be addressed in a different section of the contract. Note that structure, air conditioning, and safety are noticeably absent from the list.

The lesson is to understand both the scope of a Home Inspection and the contents of your contract. Here is where your realtor should be watching out for your best interests.