Prepare Your Home For Winter

Here are ten tips to help you prepare your home for winter:

The fall equinox is a good time to prepare your home for winter.

1) Furnace Inspection

·         Call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and clean ducts.

·         Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.

·         Consider switching out your thermostat for a programmable thermostat.

·         If your home is heated by a hot-water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them slightly and when water appears, close them.

·         Remove all flammable material from the area surrounding your furnace.

2) Get the Fireplace Ready

·         Cap or screen the top of the chimney to keep out rodents and birds.

·         If the chimney hasn't been cleaned for a while, call a chimney sweep to remove soot and creosote.

·         Buy firewood or chop wood. Store it in a dry place away from the exterior of your home.

·         Inspect the fireplace damper for proper opening and closing.

·         Check the mortar between bricks and tuckpoint, if necessary.

3) Check the Exterior, Doors and Windows

·         Inspect exterior for crevice cracks and exposed entry points around pipes; seal them.

·         Use weatherstripping around doors to prevent cold air from entering the home and caulk windows.

·         Replace cracked glass in windows and, if you end up replacing the entire window, prime and paint exposed wood.

·         If your home has a basement, consider protecting its window wells by covering them with plastic shields.

·         Switch out summer screens with glass replacements from storage. If you have storm windows, install them.

4) Inspect Roof, Gutters & Downspouts

·         If your weather temperature will fall below 32 degrees in the winter, adding extra insulation to the attic will prevent warm air from creeping to your roof and causing ice dams.

·         Check flashing to ensure water cannot enter the home.

·         Replace worn roof shingles or tiles.

·         Clean out the gutters and use a hose to spray water down the downspouts to clear away debris.

·         Consider installing leaf guards on the gutters or extensions on the downspouts to direct water away from the home.

5) Service Weather-Specific Equipment

·         Drain gas from lawnmowers.

·         Service or tune-up snow blowers.

·         Replace worn rakes and snow shovels.

·         Clean, dry and store summer gardening equipment.

·         Sharpen ice choppers and buy bags of ice-melt / sand.

6) Check Foundations

·         Rake away all debris and edible vegetation from the foundation.

·         Seal up entry points to keep small animals from crawling under the house.

·         Tuckpoint or seal foundation cracks. Mice can slip through space as thin as a dime.

·         Inspect sill plates for dry rot or pest infestation.

·         Secure crawlspace entrances.

7) Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

·         Some cities require a smoke detector in every room.

·         Buy extra smoke detector batteries and change them when daylight savings ends.

·         Install a carbon monoxide detector near your furnace and / or water heater.

·         Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they work.

·         Buy a fire extinguisher or replace an extinguisher older than 10 years.

8) Prevent Plumbing Freezes

·         Locate your water main in the event you need to shut it off in an emergency.

·         Drain all garden hoses.

·         Insulate exposed plumbing pipes.

·         Drain air conditioner pipes and, if your AC has a water shut-off valve, turn it off.

·         If you go on vacation, leave the heat on, set to at least 55 degrees.

9) Prepare Landscaping & Outdoor Surfaces

·         Trim trees if branches hang too close to the house or electrical wires.

·         Ask a gardener when your trees should be pruned to prevent winter injury.

·         Plant spring flower bulbs and lift bulbs that cannot winter over such as dahlias in areas where the ground freezes.

·         Seal driveways, brick patios and wood decks.

·         Don't automatically remove dead vegetation from gardens as some provide attractive scenery in an otherwise dreary, snow-drenched yard.

·         Move sensitive potted plants indoors or to a sheltered area.

10) Prepare an Emergency Kit

·         Buy indoor candles and matches / lighter for use during a power shortage.

·         Find the phone numbers for your utility companies and tape them near your phone or inside the phone book.

·         Buy a battery back-up to protect your computer and sensitive electronic equipment.

·         Store extra bottled water and non-perishable food supplies (including pet food, if you have a pet), blankets and a first-aid kit in a dry and easy-to-access location.

·         Prepare an evacuation plan in the event of an emergency.

Home Inspection Red Flags

                                           Home Inspection Red Flags

Almost all homebuyers hire a home inspector to examine the home they want to purchase. It is not realistic to inspect every home that a homebuyer shows an interest in. The buyer will likely make an offer before a home inspection is completed.

There are always some minor problems with any house. By being observant and using your senses you will assist your client in gaining a realistic assessment of the conditions of the home.

Here are some of the obvious red flags that may lead you to believe that the home you are looking at may have some problems.

THE EXTERIOR

Poor grading:

 

If the ground around the house doesn’t slope away from the house, it could be causing water to run down the foundation walls and into the basement. It is recommended that the ground around the house slope away about one inch per foot to ensure proper drainage away from the basement. The main cause of basement moisture problems is poor grading and roof gutters that do not extend away from the home by at least 4-5 feet.

Foundation cracks:

The vast majority of concrete basement cracks are of no concern. They are a result of shrinkage in the concrete as it cures. Cracks can also be caused by minor settlement. The cracks will usually form in the middle portion of the basement. These cracks are vertical in nature and are fairly even in width. Cracks that are larger than ¼ inch in width and are not vertical in nature can indicate a more significant amount settlement in the foundation and may require further investigation.

Roof coverings:

Asphalt shingles have a life cycle of about 20 years.

Wooden roof coverings have a life cycle between 25-30 years.

Factors that affect the roof covering life cycle include: the slope of the roof ( the stepper the better) and the colour (the lighter the better as it will reflect the heat).When looking at any roof a fairly good evaluation can be done by standing back and looking at the roof from the ground. If the shingles are curled at the edges and do not lay flat they are nearing the end of their life cycle and will probably need to be replaced sometime in the near future.

IN THE BASEMENT

Mildew smells:

Mildew odours indicate that the basement suffers from water seepage. This is best detected when you first go into the basement as your senses will get accustomed to the odour quickly and it will not be as notable over a short period of time.

If there are number of air fresheners present, the homeowner may be trying to cover up these odours. It is important to note that some basements in the summer will seem a bit damp and cool. This is naturally due to the heating system not running and lack of venting in the basement.

Basement storage:

The way items are stored in the basement could reveal some information about potential moisture, leakage, cracks or other problems. If the homeowner has his belongings located in all areas of the basement, you may feel that they are not worried about basement moisture or leakage problems. If you see belongings located up on shelves or pallets and nothing on the floor in the basement, you may get the feeling that they are experiencing some moisture issues. Other times, you might observe all items piled up in a certain part of the basement. This may indicate a problem is trying to be concealed.

Basement stains:

Be aware of brown water stains on the walls. These stains will appear as wavy watermark lines on the drywall or basement framing. You may see rust on nails or staples in the vapour barrier at the bottom of the wall. Look for these especially in the areas where the outside downspouts are near the basement. Other clues of moisture problems may be freshly painted walls or basement floor.

IN THE HOUSE

Stains:

Look for stains on the ceilings in areas under kitchens or bathrooms. Often these stains are from prior roof, toilet, plumbing fixtures or kitchen appliance leaks. Water can travel so it’s best not to assume that the source of the leak is directly above the stain. The home inspector will use a moisture meter to determine if there is an ongoing problem.

Grow ops:

There is an increasing and surprising number of homes that have been former illegal grow operations. Here are a list of some clues, that when observed altogether, may lead to the assumption that a grow operation inhabited this home.

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  red tape residue around ducts or vent pipes.
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  spray foam sealing any openings in the ceiling. 
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  lots of staples in the floor joists and unexplained screw holes.
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  signs of soil, plant pot circles on the floor or other types of things that you would not normally find in a basement.
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  look under the electrical panel for damage to the basement wall where the electrical system may have been breeched to steal power.

Older homes:

There are many things about old houses that are not necessarily a big problem, but may cause some extra headaches and costs to the new homebuyer. Old knob and tube wiring may need to be replaced. Some homes may have old steel water lines that some insurance companies may want replaced. Old 60 amp services will need to be upgraded to 100 amp. Aluminium wiring that was used from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s can also be a concern for insurance companies. Old windows, furnaces and many other things may need to be replaced or upgraded over time. The new homeowner needs to be aware of these additional costs.

Strange Feelings:

In the dead of winter, when all the windows are open AND candles are burning in every room AND incense plug ins are situated in every outlet AND the heat is blasting, you may be genuinely suspicious that there is something not quite right about this house. If the homeowner is refusing to let you view all parts of the house OR is refusing to allow something to be turned on, you may again be suspicious that there is a problem.

There are always some minor problems with any house. By being observant and using your senses you will assist your client in gaining a realistic assessment of the significant conditions of the home.