September 2011 – Renovations Are NOT Always a Positive Experience!”
Quick Tip
What does “GFCI” mean?
G round F ault C ircuit I nterrupter… This safety device terminates the power to an electrical circuit immediately – in the event of damage, actual ground fault or other mal-function to avoid a deadly electrical shock.
A GFCI is required by the electric code and is highly-recommended for outdoor, kitchen and laundry electrical outlet locations, and it’s required by law in North American bathroom outlets. These devices should be tested each and every month (see images above as to their test-buttons).
We always recommend using a licensed electrical contractor for safety and protection of you and your family.
Glenn Duxbury & Associates
Building Inspection and Consulting
125 DeBeck Street
New Westminster,
BC V3L 3H7
604-524-2502
info@glennduxbury-inspections.com
Welcome to “Love Your Home”
I hope you’ve had a wonderful summer! I’ve had an extremely busy season with many eyebrow raising adventures in the world of home inspection. A very rewarding part of my job is helping home owners protect their property from unexpected damages, and preventing injury accidents, so check out these articles with professional tips and advice:
“Renovations Are NOT Always a Positive Experience!”
How to protect yourself from rip-offs and bad workmanship
“Post-Renovation Inspections” (below)
“CASE STUDY:
The Guardrail that Guards No-one!
”
(below)
This home-made guardrail is a fall waiting to happen!
Each month I share my experiences of home inspections through case studies, tips, what to look for, and preventative maintenance to save you the buyer, seller, homeowner or property manager, time and money.
Sincerely, Glenn
Glenn Duxbury & Associates
Building Inspection and Consulting
Uncovering tomorrow’s surprises, TODAY!
Renovations Are NOT Alwaysa Positive Experience!
How to protect yourself from
rip-offs and bad workmanship.
Undertaking a renovation project in your home is stressful enough – without being ripped-off or having your contractor otherwise let you down… Dust, dirt, noise, major inconvenience, disruption of your family’s regular schedule and even more negative ‘nasties’ are all part of a home renovation. These can be dealt with over time if you are fortunate enough to have a caring, thoughtful and professional contractor. However, we’ve been engaged time and again to ‘rescue’ many families who have found…
Click here to read the entire article…
“ We’ll be calling you soon for another inspection “
“ We were really impressed with the thorough house inspection Glenn did for us recently on a property we were looking to buy. We asked a lot of questions and he explained things very clearly. Based on his findings, we decided not to go ahead with the purchase. We consider the inspection fee money well spent for the information and education we received. Thanks Glenn! We’ll be calling you soon for another inspection”
.
~ Sunny / Michael ~
CASE STUDY:
The Guardrail that Guards No-one!
This home-made guardrail is a fall waiting to happen!
This is an attempted ‘home-made’ balcony guardrail – 2 stories up, over a steep drop-off at the rear of the home. This is a serious and dangerous ‘accident-waiting-to-happen’ issue! The roofing nails used are not even long enough to penetrate the ¾” thick stucco finish and so there is just no holding power; this would detach with even a very light amount of pressure applied (obviously not a professional job and done without a permit). Normally a guardrail is required is to withstand up to 200 pounds of body weight applied from side to side. ( Want to try it?
)
Post-Renovation Inspections
Ensure that the renovations have been done 100% right, the first time…
A truly independent home inspection has immeasurable value. There is no greater truth than ‘knowledge is power’ and this is exactly what homeowners need before, during and after renovations. A certified and Licensed Home Inspector CAN act as a consultant throughout local renovations to ensure all sub-trades’ work is up to par.
A final inspection (Post-Renovation) is an important part of the process and a must BEFORE you make any final payments to the contractor(s). To protect yourself, it is strongly recommended that you have a certain amount of hold-back built into the contract. Do you have the experience to do the inspection yourself? Are you able to climb on to the roof, search the crawl space, know the building codes and what to look for? Or are you relying on the contractor to get it right the first time.
To ensure that the renovation has been done 100% right,
contact a certified and Licensed Home Inspector to act on your behalf…
It will provide you ‘peace of mind’ and may help you to avoid any future conflict.
Please visit our website for more on our Inspection Services
.