As a home inspector my job is to educate the client and find any costly problems associated with the home I am expecting. This inspection did both, I was called to inspected a small 1600 sq. ft. ranch, built in 1974, on a slab foundation. At some point the house had electric heat, two ...
Deck Inspections 101
One of the most important items of a home inspection is the deck. If the deck needs to be rebuilt, it can be very costly depending on the size, materials and damage if the current deck is not flashed properly. The focus of this article is the give you insight into some quick ...
House on the Move
Often I am asked by clients if I inspect structure. Many new homebuyers do not know what structure is or how it can be very important to have an inspector that knows what to look for with regards to structural defects. Structural problems may cost the buyer thousands of dollars to ...
Thermal Imaging Inspections Explained
The enclosed video below should help explain what to expect when I perform a home inspection using thermal imaging camera. Thermal imaging detects heat, hot surfaces appear yellow, cold appears blue. Therefore, during winter months, missing insulation will appear as blue shadows. See ...
Ice Dam Prevention
Observing a past small snow storm I could not help but notice how fast snow melted on some roofs. Have you ever noticed that an unheated shed, porch, or garage never has an ice dam? The main cause of ice dams has to do with proper insulation, ventilation and heat escaping from the building ...
Common garage firewall-related issues
A common problem that I see in older homes here in New Hampshire is the lack of a firewall on the shared wall with the home. See diagram below. When I notice this flaw, many realtors will often remark that the firewall requirement is “grandfathered in,” which means it was not required ...
Brick Veneer with Structural Problems
Structural problems are possibly the number one cause for a buyer to pass on the home. As a home inspector, we are limited to visual inspections only. Therefore, if the problem is not a visual one, we must rely on experience in detecting hidden structural problems. On a recent home ...
Thermal imaging quickly finds roof leaks
One week, two separate home inspections one with a new roof and one with a recently patched roof. Thermal imaging spotted two roof leaks that may have gone unnoticed. Moisture leaks are displayed in blue shadows. The first roof leak recently patched by “Chuck in the truck” as is ...
How to Properly Winterize Central A/C
Here is a short video on how to winterize your A/C unit. This is a quick process should take you less that 30 minutes. Questions? steve@gaudethomeinspections.com (603) 714-8628 ...
Extending the life of your hot water tank
Recently while taking a plumbers course I learned a way to possibly extend the life of your hot water tank. The hot water heater in my house is coming up on seven years. The warranty has expired and I want to extend the life if at all possible. Hot water tanks do require minimal ...
