OK, most of you have an answering machine, but now all of us make the best use of it. Some have the children talking on it or the dog barking or whatever. You're in business, so please leave a message on your answering machine that lets people know you're in business.
As home inspectors, we have some tricks for figuring out the age of a house. In newer subdivisions we pick up dates from manhole covers, sidewalks and curbs. This will give you an idea of when the subdivision was built. This obviously doesn't work in older neighborhoods. Thermal pane windows usually have a metal strip which separates the two panes of glass. On that metal strip you will often find the manufacturer's name, a CMHC number and the date of manufacture. Again, this information must be used carefully. It will tell you the age of the window but not necessarily the age of the house. Check several windows. If they are all the same, you have just figured out how old the house is or the date when all of the windows were upgraded. On houses built within the last 20-25 years, you wil...
10 Most-Likely do-it-Yourselfer Mistakes The standard rule for do-it-yourself projects is that they will take twice as long and cost three times as much as you expected. Or maybe it's takes three times as long and cost twice as much. Either way, the reason is the same. DIYers make mistakes. Lots of mistakes. The good news is that you can learn a lot from mistakes. The bad news is that mistakes always wind up making your home improvement project more expensive and more time-consuming than you wanted. Here are their top 10 DIY mistakes: • Not taking out the required permits. Considered a bother at best by many DIYers, permits actually serve a greater purpose than just raising money for the government. o For some jobs, such as putting in a wood stove, you need proof of the permit or your...
Accessory Dwelling Units and the Ontario Fire Code What You Need to Know About Retrofit Section 9.8 Accessory Dwelling Units can contain some dire pitfalls for a new owner and anyone involved in the sale of such a unit. It's one more thing to be concerned about, because the consequences of having an apartment declared illegal or closed down can be disastrous. Any separate unit with its own cooking, eating, sleeping, and sanitary facilities in a detached or semi-detached house or row house is classified as an "accessory dwelling unit". It doesn't matter whether it's a basement apartment for rent or a unit to accommodate a family member or a nanny. In Ontario it's been a roller coaster ride for homeowners in recent years. In 1994 the New Democratic gover...
http://www.epa.gov/region09/toxic/lead/documents/Lead_Pamplet_English.pdf This is a must read Pamplet on what you need to know and do if you have lead in your home. Agents, this may a nice item to have in your arsenol of items to give to your clients (buyers, sellers,renters,etc.) . Lead is not just in the water! One of the main items we stress at the inspections is saftey, and when children are invaulved the clients really listen. Hope this helps, Chuck
As an inspector I from time to time come across issues that are hard to help our lcients get around. Cat urine is one of these issues. Once it gets into the under flooring material(wood) it is really hard to get it out. I believe that your local vet can sell you something called "Out Right" to get rid of the cat urine stains and or odour. It works by pouring a liquid onto the stain and the bacteria/enzyme actually digests the urine. I got this product name from another inspector (Mr. Ron Tropea) who's brotherer is a veterinarian. I hope this helps. Chuck.
