April 27, 2009 Maintaining Wooden Decks

Today I was reminded of how things can change at a home from day to day. We visited an almost new home built in 2004 and the rear yard had a large wood deck with a sun room screened porch on one end. The decking planks at the top of the stairs had cupped at the end of a couple of boards, pulling the nails free of the 2×10 joists and curving up 6” leaving hand size holes, trip hazards if not noticed. My client was amazed, he stated that he had visited the home just 2 days prior and it had looked fine. Wood decks are made of pressure treated lumber and when left in the GA sun with out sun block or UV stain will weather and split, in this case drying from recent heavy rains and warping. Water seal and maintain all outside wood walks, decks and landings, to extend the life of your home and prevent added maintenance.

April 23, 2009 Alpha Home Services sponsors the Atlanta Board of Realtors 20th Annual Auction

Alpha Home Services is proud to sponsor the ABRs 20th Annual Auction benefiting both the Atlanta Chapter of Habitat for Humanity and the Board’s Educational Foundation. This years theme is “Beat the House”, with lots of food and fun in a casino atmosphere. We look forward to seeing you there!

April 18, 2009 Crye-Leike, REALTORS Presents “Support The Troops” Spring Carnival

Alpha Home Services is proud to support Crye-Leike Crabapple/Roswell branch in its First Annual “Support The Troops With Crye-Leike” Spring Carnival. Eric, Kate and I enjoyed a great day at the carnival! Lauren Holmes and the Crye-Leike Realtors and staff provided the community with great opportunity to support our troops overseas and have some good old-fashion carnival fun.

January 5, 2009 Carbon Monoxide Alarms

As of January 1, 2009, all new residential homes will be required to  have either single or multiple station carbon monoxide alarms installed in the vicinity of all sleeping rooms.  This is part of the 2009 GA Amendments to the 2006 International Residential Code for One- and Two- Family Dwellings.

It is always a good idea to have a CO alarm in your home if you have gas appliances to warn you of elevated cabon monoxide levels.

September 26, 2008 Be Careful When Trimming and Cutting Shrubs Around Your Home

During my last several inspections I have noticed damage to electrical grounding wires and HVAC condensers that was caused by trimming or cutting shrubbery too close to the house.

Electrical ground wires have either been cut or pulled from the grounding rod, this can cause damage to any devices connected to cable, satellite and electrical devices in your home. Either reconnect to the grounding rod or have a licensed electrician fix cut grounding wires.

I have also seen damage to fins in HVAC condensers, again due to getting too close to the unit with a trimmer or lawnmower.  This can reduce the units ability to cool your house. Have a licensed HVAC  technician repair your unit to repair damage to the fins in your condenser.

September 18, 2008 Tenacious Termites

I was doing a rough framing inspection today for a kitchen remodel on an older home.  While looking at the top plate and framing on the wall next to the garage, I saw mud tubes and damaged wood.  I went outside and saw that there was wood to ground contact at the corner of the garage door.  The mud tubes looked old and so did the damage, but I let the homeowner and the contractor know that they might want to look for additional damage and have a pest control professional inspect the front of the house. The strange thing was that neither the contractor nor the homeowner recognized the mud tubes and damage until I pointed it out to them.

Here are some good rules of thumb to help prevent termite damage in your home:

Limit wood or siding contact with the ground, make sure that you have anywhere from 2 to 6 inches of clearance between wood or siding and the ground around your house. (This includes mulch, pine straw and debris like leaves, they love the moisture that these items hold in the ground.)

Keep your outdoor hose bibs and rain gutters in good repair, leaks will soak the ground close to your foundation and give termites the water that they need to survive.

Have a pest control professional inspect your home at least once a year to look for termites and other pests that can cause damage and treat for them if they are found.

As one long time resident of Georgia once told me, “It’s not if you get termites, it is when you get termites!”   So, be proactive and you will save yourself lots of time, money and headaches!

September 10, 2008 Rough framing, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspection

Did an all roughs inspection on a home being built today.  This is a review of the rough framing, electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems.  As a municipal inspector I usually have anywhere from 40 - 60 minutes to complete this inspection.  When doing a private home inspection I usually take about 2 – 3 hours to perform the same inspection.  The large time difference is based on the fact that as a municipal inspector I might have between 9 to 15 inspections to perform per day, but when doing private home inspections I will only be doing 1 to 2 inspections.  This allows me to take more time to check and recheck all areas and gives me a much greater chance of finding any problems or items that need to be addressed.  As a municipal inspector I am inspecting to the minimum code standards, but when doing a private inspection I can take much more time to insure that the structure that I am inspecting is in compliance with the current residential building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical codes.

September 6, 2008 Good deals on good homes

I inspected yet another foreclosure today. As we are all aware, it is a sign of the current economic times. I am finding many of these foreclosures to be in good shape and my clients are telling me they are finding homes for very good prices. This particular home was in a great neighborhood in Decatur, right across the street from a park. The water and gas had been shut off in the home, however in this case, we were able to get them turned on to test all systems in the home. This was an older home, about 50 years old, however we found the electric system had been upgraded. My client was a young energetic Presbyterian minister who I believe found himself a great place to call home.

August 26, 2008 Hurricane Fay brings rain to Georgia

Rainy weather is a great time for reviewing concerns of water run off. As the heavy rain pours down, especially after a long period of drought, unexpected issues or concerns become readily apparent. A good heavy rain can quickly let you know of blocked roof gutters and down spouts when they begin to overflow dumping water at the foundation instead of being diverted away from your home. In the same manner, drainage systems that have filled with debris can flood unexpectedly in yards and driveways. Today is a great day to check your roof runoff and maintain as necessary.

August 23, 2008 – Radon test

Picked up a radon test today in a condo near the Brookwood MARTA station. I was happy to let my client know that the test came back with an overall EPA average of 0.8 picocuries per liter – about the amount of radon gas levels reported in outside air in Georgia. The previous radon test I placed in zip code 30319 had a high reading. The only way to know if you have a radon issue is to test your home!