November 8, 2009 | Posted by Lookin' Good
A frequently overlooked problem by buyers are ceiling leaks in the garage, particularly in two story homes. Understandably, they are focused on estimating the parking space for their vehicles, laundry facilities and of course storage. This is equally important whether the garage is finished or not. Water stains on lumber are as detectable as on drywall.
The easiest method of detection is to open the garage door to allow adequate natural light and look carefully at the ceiling and the seam where the walls and ceiling meet. Typically a brown stain is a dead give-a-way that there has been or is a leak.
There are materials that can cause discoloration on the garage ceiling and walls such as splatters from grease, paint or chemicals. Though they are unattractive, they are not necessairly indicative of an underlying problem.
State of Nevada Certified Inspector of Structures are not allowed, by law, to address the issue of mold or other fungi. If the stain is suspect of mold or other fungi, than an expert in that field is reccommended.
On a garage ceiling, the water stain may come from one of several problems, a roof leak, plumbing leak, air conditioner condenser line leak or attic pan leak.
If there is a stain visible, it is very important a home inspector go into the attic over the garage and/or ”walk” the roof. Walking the roof means exactly what it says. Getting up on the roof and walking around from one end of the house to the other looking for problems with the roofing.
Because of the risk of damage to the roof, a tile roof should not be walked. In that case, or if some or all of the roof is not accessible, a licensed roofing contractor should be called for an evaluation.
Please understand this blog is based on opinion reflecting personal experience. We sincerely hope this information is useful. If you have any questions please call our office at 702.734.5665.
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November 1, 2009 | Posted by Lookin' Good
Little if any additional information is available since the date our original post. We repeat, from the previous post of 10/18/09, there is no Chinese drywall reported to have been used here in the Greater Las Vegas area.
Therefore, the following is simply some general information about this product.
According to an article found posted on 10/24/09, by the Wall Street Journal, it was used in the construction of approximately 35,000 homes from 2004 to 2007 in about 27 states. Though, potentially number of contaminated structures could be higher because of the number of houses constructed with both imported and domestic drywall.
The product reportedly gives off a very bad odor, though we have not found documentation as to how long it took for the deterioration process to start. This odor seems to have a sulfur base, as it smells like “rotten eggs”. The fumes from this product seem to cause respiratory problems, nose bleeds, headaches, copper pipe corrosion and corrosion of other metals including jewelry and coins in the homes in which it was used.
If you or someone you know has property in a state where this drywall has been used, it is our suggestion to contact one of many law firms listed on the Internet. They will be informed as to what your rights and remedies are.
Unless there is further information concerning Las Vegas property owners, this subject will not be up dated again.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123993444645927999.html 10/24,2009
Please understand this blog is based on opinion reflecting personal experience. We sincerely hope this information is useful. If you have any questions please call our office at 702.734.5665.
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October 25, 2009 | Posted by Lookin' Good
Remember Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday, November 1, 2009
Not only is this a friendly reminder to set your clocks BACK an hour BEFORE 2 AM, but to point out this is a consideration in setting an appointment time for the property inspection.
Even though most home inspectors use very high powered flashlights all year round, there is no substitute for adequate daylight coming through the windows.
Here in Las Vegas, when the sun heads over the mountains, it gets very dark, very fast. For this reason, Lookin’ Good Home Inspections makes seasonal adjustments in our appointment schedule.
Please call the office for notice of these seasonal changes.
Please understand this blog is based on opinion reflecting personal experience. We sincerely hope this information is useful. If you have any questions please call our office at 702.734.5665.
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October 18, 2009 | Posted by Lookin' Good
After receiving a few phone calls concerning Chinese drywall, we decided to post this blog though reasearch is not complete. In a nutshell, it does not appear to be a problem here in Nevada, specifically not in the Greater Las Vegas area. This is primarily due to the regional manufacture of drywall and the availibility of gypsum mined here in Nevada. In a few days we will post the balance of our findings – an explaination of the issues with Chinese drywall and if possible what to look for. The basic information at this time is that it has not been reported in Nevada, as of this date, to our knowledge. Please follow the following link for more information.
http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/where.html
Please understand this blog is based on opinion reflecting personal experience. We sincerely hope this information is useful. If you have any questions please call our office at 702.734.5665.
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