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!