by Shawn Chesney | Apr 14, 2016 | Shawn Chesney Home Inspections Blog
Safe Rooms A safe room, also known as a panic room, is a fortified room that is installed in a private residence or business to provide a safe hiding place in the event of an emergency. Some Facts In Mexico, where kidnappings are relatively common, some people use safe rooms as an alternative (or a supplement) to bodyguards. In Israel, bullet- and fire-resistant security rooms have been mandated for all new construction since 1992. Since the 1980s, every U.S. embassy has had a safe room with bullet-resistant glass. Perhaps the largest safe room will belong to the Sultan of Brunei. The planned 100,000-square foot room will be installed beneath his 1,788-room, 2,152,782-square foot residence. Why are safe rooms used? Reasons include: to hide from burglars. The protection of a safe room will afford residents extra time to contact police; to hide from would-be kidnappers. Many professional athletes, actors and politicians install safe rooms in their houses; protection against natural disasters, such as tornadoes and hurricanes. Underground tornado bunkers are common in certain tornado-prone regions of the United States; protection against a nuclear attack. While structures near the blast may be incinerated, those far away may be shielded from radioactive fallout. This type of safe room, known as a fallout shelter and typically located outside the home, was more common during the Cold War than it is today; and to provide a temporary refuge in the event of a serious disease outbreak. Safe rooms have become a status symbol in wealthy areas such as Bel Air and Manhattan, where it is believed there are thousands of such rooms. However, it is difficult to estimate the...
by Shawn Chesney | Mar 22, 2016 | Shawn Chesney Home Inspections Blog
The Home Inspectors at Shawn Chesney Home Inspections see many different things every single day when performing a house inspection. Some things are minor and some things can be dangerous. Lighting is often dismissed as a minor thought due to its reliability and ease of use and low risk, but there are a few things to be aware of. Lighting Color Rendering Index (CRI) CRI is a quantitative measure of the ability of a light source to reproduce the colors of various objects faithfully, in comparison with an ideal or natural light source. The closer the CRI of a lamp is to 100, the more “true” it renders colors in the environment. Poor CRI is the reason that a shirt and pants that seemed to match at home now clash in the restroom at work. Incandescent lights are inefficient but they have a CRI of 100, making them the most aesthetic lighting choice. Compact fluorescents lights (CFLs) are far more efficient and have a longer life than incandescent bulbs, but they have a CRI in the low 60s. Low-voltage halogen and LED lights are relatively efficient, long-lasting, and have a high CRI, although not as high as incandescent bulbs. Clothes Closet Lighting People don’t often think about the fire risks posed by the light in their clothes closet, but it’s one of the few places in the house where a source of high heat can get too close to flammable materials. Lighting must be installed safely, with adequate separation from clothes, boxes and other flammables stored in the closet. Additionally, the quality of the light, as well as bulb...
by Shawn Chesney | Feb 23, 2016 | Shawn Chesney Home Inspections Blog
Most people don’t know how easy it is to make their homes run on less energy, and here at InterNACHI, we want to change that. Here are 10 Easy Ways to Save Money & Energy in Your Home . Drastic reductions in heating, cooling and electricity costs can be accomplished through very simple changes, most of which homeowners can do themselves. Of course, for homeowners who want to take advantage of the most up-to-date knowledge and systems in home energy efficiency, InterNACHI energy auditors can perform in-depth testing to find the best energy solutions for your particular home. Why make your home more energy efficient? Here are a few good reasons: • Federal, Provincial, utility and local jurisdictions’ financial incentives, such as tax breaks, are very advantageous for homeowners • It saves money. It costs less to power a home that has been converted to be more energy-efficient. • It increases the comfort level indoors. • It reduces our impact on climate change. Many scientists now believe that excessive energy consumption contributes significantly to global warming. • It reduces pollution. Conventional power production introduces pollutants that find their way into the air, soil and water supplies. 1. Find better ways to heat and cool your house. As much as half of the energy used in homes goes toward heating and cooling. The following are a few ways that energy bills can be reduced through adjustments to the heating and cooling systems: • Install a ceiling fan. Ceiling fans can be used in place of air conditioners, which require a large amount of energy. • Periodically replace air filters...
by Shawn Chesney | Feb 23, 2016 | Shawn Chesney Home Inspections Blog
The following items are essential tools, but this list is by no means exhaustive. Feel free to ask an InterNACHI inspector during your next inspection about other tools that you might find useful. 1. Plunger A clogged sink or toilet is one of the most inconvenient household problems that you will face. With a plunger on hand, however, you can usually remedy these plumbing issues relatively quickly. It is best to have two plungers — one for the sink and one for the toilet. 2. Combination Wrench Set One end of a combination wrench set is open and the other end is a closed loop. Nuts and bolts are manufactured in standard and metric sizes, and because both varieties are widely used, you’ll need both sets of wrenches. For the most control and leverage, always pull the wrench toward you, instead of pushing on it. Also, avoid over-tightening. 3. Slip-Joint Pliers Use slip-joint pliers to grab hold of a nail, a nut, a bolt, and much more. These types of pliers are versatile because of the jaws, which feature both flat and curved areas for gripping many types of objects. There is also a built-in slip-joint, which allows the user to quickly adjust the jaw size to suit most tasks. 4. Adjustable Wrench Adjustable wrenches are somewhat awkward to use and can damage a bolt or nut if they are not handled properly. However, adjustable wrenches are ideal for situations where you need two wrenches of the same size. Screw the jaws all the way closed to avoid damaging the bolt or nut. 5. Caulking Gun Caulking is the...
by Shawn Chesney | Feb 23, 2016 | Shawn Chesney Home Inspections Blog
What is Asbestos? Asbestos is a mineral fiber that can be positively identified only with a special type of microscope. There are several types of asbestos fibers. In the past, asbestos was added to a variety of products to strengthen them and to provide heat insulation and fire resistance. InterNACHI inspectors can supplement their knowledge with the information offered in this guide. How Can Asbestos Affect My Health? From studies of people who were exposed to asbestos in factories and shipyards, we know that breathing high levels of asbestos fibers can lead to an increased risk of lung cancer in the forms of mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the lining of the chest and the abdominal cavity, and asbestosis, in which the lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue. The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increase with the number of fibers inhaled. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is also greater if you smoke. People who get asbestosis have usually been exposed to high levels of asbestos for a long time. The symptoms of these diseases do not usually appear until about 20 to 30 years after the first exposure to asbestos. Most people exposed to small amounts of asbestos, as we all are in our daily lives, do not develop these health problems. However, if disturbed, asbestos material may release asbestos fibers, which can be inhaled into the lungs. The fibers can remain there for a long time, increasing the risk of disease. Asbestos material that would crumble easily if handled, or that has been sawed, scraped, or sanded into a powder, is more...
by Shawn Chesney | Feb 23, 2016 | Shawn Chesney Home Inspections Blog
The purpose of this article is twofold. First, at InterNACHI, we’d like you to take measures to keep your garage free from fire. Fortunately, there are ways this can be done, some of which are described below. Secondly, garage fires do happen, and we’d like you to make sure that a fire cannot not easily spread to the rest of your house. While you can perform many of the recommendations in this article yourself, it is a good idea to hire an InterNACHI inspector to make sure your home is safe from a garage fire. Why do many garages pose a fire hazard? • Where are you most likely to do any welding, or any work on your car? These activities require working with all sorts of flammable materials. • Water heaters and boilers are usually stored in garages, and they can create sparks that may ignite fumes or fluids. Car batteries, too, will spark under certain conditions. • Oil and gasoline can drip from cars. These fluids may collect unnoticed and eventually ignite, given the proper conditions. • Flammable liquids, such as gasoline, motor oil and paint are commonly stored in garages. Some other examples are brake fluid, varnish, paint thinner and lighter fluid. The following tips can help prevent garage fires and their spread: • If the garage allows access to the attic, make sure a hatch covers this access. • The walls and ceiling should be fire-rated. Unfortunately, it will be difficult for untrained homeowners to tell if their walls are Type X fire-rated gypsum. An InterNACHI inspector can examine the walls and ceiling to make...
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