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This issue: Composite decks - Energy Tip -
Licensing required -
Home Inspections (As-Is) - Weird house of the
week
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COMPOSITE DECKING
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NOT SO GREEN
www.wcgosman.com- Home
Inspections and Apraisals |
Special
* Home Inspection
*
Termite Certification
* Licensed RE Appraisal
all for $595.00 |
Jumping on the "Green Product" bandwagon some companies are rushing
products to market without adequate field testing. Just as in the case
of FRT roof sheathing, Polybutylene piping, aluminum wire, and others,
many new decking materials are not holding up to the marketing hype.
Several class actions are underway against a number of manufactures such as
Trex, Choicedek and Geodeck. Many homeowners are reporting problems
including mold, water damage, loose and twisting floor boards. On a recent
home inspection I could see underneath the deck floor boards fungus growing
the size of baseballs and the floor boards were imbedded with mold
throughout. It is disappointing to have to tell a home buyer the
expected useful life of a brand new deck is about three years.
Composite decks are typically a mixture of recycled plastic and wood fiber,
usually
grocery bags and pine pulp that was supposed to be maintenance free.
The problem with the wood fiber is that it is not properly treated for
outdoor use. Like other exterior wood the material needs to be treated
with mildicides and preservatives otherwise the wood pulp
eventually takes on moisture and begins to decay. The quality of the plastic
component is also important. Exterior grade plastic, recycled or not, needs
certain characteristics such as UV protection and stability strength.
Plastic expands and contracts with changes in temperature and will twist and
pull deck screws loose if not of adequate quality. Exposure to UV light
can also cause color fading and break down the material.
To me for a product to be considered green not only must have certain
characteristics such as;
use of recycled material, low energy use, renewable material and non-toxic,
but also must
be capable of performing it's intended use in a sound and durable manner. I
am a strong supporter of green building but if the product ends up in the
land fill a year after purchase its not so green.
For Consumer Reports info
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2008/07/choicedek-deck.html
ENERGY TIP: Sealing the Ceiling:
 If
you are using an attic fan chances are you're pulling a lot of the air out of
the house you just paid to cool. This air is drawn out through loose fitting
attic access doors and around openings in the ceiling for electrical
fixtures, ductwork, and plumbing pipes. This is a fairly simple fix. Install
weather-stripping at the attic panel and from the attic use a spray foam or
caulk to seal around the gaps around the fixtures and pipes. If you have
recessed light fixtures you may need to build a small Styrofoam box over the
light fixture to allow a 3" clearance to prevent over heating. |
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HOME
INSPECTIONS
The reasons given for doing a pre-purchase home inspection seems to
have shifted over the years with changing market conditions. Many view
home inspections as a tool just to see what the buyer can get the seller to
repair or to negotiate a better deal. Two years ago during the sellers
market home inspection were often forgone as way to enhance the offer. It
was during this time the phrase - information only inspection -
came into use. I'm not sure what this means as all inspections were only
ever about providing information. What is done with the information is up to
the home buyer.
Even today home inspections are often waived for reasons such as; - this
is an as-is contract so the sellers are not going to fix anything anyway,
or this is a new house and so likely there is not problem, or this
is a short sale or bank owner property.
For me the Number 1 Reason to do a home inspection is to discover
problems that pose a potential hazard so they can be
fixed. If a home inspection is not done the problem may not get
discovered until it is too late. It does not matter who fixes the
problem - just that it gets corrected by the appropriate contractor. A
home inspection is not about getting a better deal or sticking it to the
sellers it is about protecting you the home buyer from potential hazards in
the house. Everything else is secondary though it is certainly
important to check all the major structural and system components for
additional repair and maintenance needs or suggestions.
Most potential
hazards that I see are usually easy and inexpensive to correct such as;
- Missing vent pipe on a gas water heater - a carbon monoxide
hazard.
- Electrical outlets without proper grounding or exposed live wires - an
electrical hazard
- Non existing or non working smoke detectors - a fire hazard
- Missing drain trap that allows sewer gases into the house -
noxious fume hazard
- A water heater with a missing safety relief valve. - risk of
overheating - explosion
If these types or items are not inspected for prior to settlement you
probably never will.
It is nice to have a home inspection contingency but this is not as
important as to have these items checked and corrected. A home
inspection is still important even if the sale is not contingent on one - it
is for your health and safety.
I count 24 bathrooms?
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