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6 Fall Home Improvement Projects
This fall, spend some time improving your property as the temperatures get cooler. You can complete some of these fall home improvement projects yourself while others should be handled by a professional. Here are 6 tasks for fall that help prepare your home for...
Home Inspectors and Mold
Home Inspectors and Mold Home Inspections and Mold The home inspection in Harrisonburg Virginia revealed a visible apparent growth, microbial growth like substance or whatever words the inspector chose to use to describe it. You see, without a lab report from a lab...
7 Ways to Prepare for a Home Inspection as a Seller
Selling your home can be a lengthy process. Fixing up the house, finding prospective buyers, and negotiating the price takes some time. Once an offer is made, there is still a lot to do before closing. Your buyer will likely order a home inspection during which you...
Aging in Place: Creating a Safe Home for Seniors
If you are entrusted with the care of an elderly loved one, make sure their living environment is a secure space. Taking steps to improve the safety of the home for your aging family member is as important as childproofing a home for infants. If you aren't mindful,...
Keep Your Home Healthy: Retest After Radon Mitigation
When high levels of radon are found in living spaces, the next course of action is to reduce the amount of radon. To do this, radon mitigation specialists install a system custom designed for your home. It is important to retest after radon mitigation to make sure the...
7 Ways to Reduce Humidity in Your Home
Homes with excess moisture can cause discomfort and lead to health problems. Too much moisture indoors contributes to an environment that's conducive to mold and mildew growth. If your home is too humid, take a look at these ways to reduce humidity in your home. 1....
The Benefits of Cleaning Gutters in the Spring
Warmer weather inspires many homeowners to take on exterior maintenance projects. Cleaning the gutters after winter helps protect your home from rain during spring and summer. Consider these benefits of cleaning gutters in the spring. One of the Benefits of Cleaning...
Easy Ways to Increase Home Health and Safety
Keeping your home healthy and safe helps you to be prepared in case of emergencies. You're also making sure that the spaces in and around your home are a safe environment for family and friends. Your home is where you want to be able to relax, knowing that you and...
3 Signs of Mold In the Home
Look for These Signs of Mold In The Home Mold can be dangerous to your health and home when it spreads throughout your living spaces. Pay attention to these signs of mold in the home to keep it from becoming a problem for you and your family. 1. Moldy Smell You can't...
Why You Should Order a Pre-Listing Home Inspection When Selling Your Home
When preparing to sell your house, you probably have several tasks to take care of before listing it. One thing that you might not have considered is getting a pre-listing home inspection. Read on to learn why this is a step worth taking and how it can help your real...
8 Ways You Can Heat Your Home More Efficiently This Winter And Save Money
During winter, your expenses increase from the cost of heating your home. But, there are some things you can do to save you money on utility bills while still keeping your home comfortable. Here are a few things to consider to heat your home more efficiently this...
4 Steps to Prepare Your Fireplace for Use
As winter approaches, gathering by a warm fire might seem like the perfect way to spend an evening. However, a fireplace should never be used for the first time without taking some precautions first. Here are 4 steps to prepare your fireplace for use. The Parts of the...
Infrared Thermal Imaging In Home Inspections
You have likely come across the term thermal imaging, especially if you're in the market for a new house. Thermal imaging is a tool that some home inspectors use during home inspections. This technology offers deeper insight into the home inspection by showing...
The Dangers Of Radon In Your Home and What You Can Do About It
What Is Radon? Radon is a radioactive gas that can be found in homes across the United States. Living with high levels of radon poses a risk to your health; one of the long-term dangers of radon in your home is cancer. It's important to know the levels of radon in...
Tips for Creating Healthier Indoor Air Quality
Poor indoor air quality is not good for you or your family's health. Breathing in particles that come from pet dander, dust, pollen, pollution, mold spores, and chemicals may make you sick. If your indoor air is polluted, it can affect your nasal passages, allergies,...
5 Ways to Keep Your Home Cool for Less During the Summer
As summer temperatures rise, so do utility bills as most of us choose to run our air conditioners more often. We have five pieces of advice to keep your air conditioning costs lower than they otherwise would be. Whether it's basic maintenance or strategic positioning...
Top 3 Home Inspection Tips for Home Buyers
Your home inspector plays a crucial role in a successful real estate transaction. If you think of your home inspector as a partner in your home-buying experience, he or she could save the day and help you end up with the home you want. The prospect of getting a home...
Loose Electrical Outlets And Switches
Loose Electrical Outlets, Receptacles, And Switches Cause a House Fire An outlet is lights, switches, smoke detectors, and receptacles. However, many recognize the term outlet as a place to plug in a lamp or another electrical device. According to the US Fire...
Six Tips To Keep You Warm And Save Money
Six Tips To Keep You Warm And Save MoneyThe windows of older homes can be very drafty and if you, like many do not intend on opening them during the winter, purchase window kits and seal them up until summer. 3M and Frost King make a clear plastic film that can be...
A Look at Electrical Systems: AFCIs vs. GFCIs
Ungrounded Outlets in Electrical Systems If you own, rent, or are planning to purchase an older home, then you have heard plenty of stories about ungrounded electrical systems and outlets. One of those stories is the high cost of updating the branch circuits to...
HVAC Filters and Why You Should Change Them
What do HVAC Filters do? The purpose of HVAC filters in your heating and cooling system is more than just cleaning the air so we breathe better. Its purpose is also to keep the coil (much like a car radiator) clean so the unit works to its full potential and highest...
What Can I Do To Stop Mold Growth
What Can I Do To Stop Mold Growth Control the moisture. Your bathroom may notbe connected tot he light switch that operates the light. So remember to turn the fan when you take a shower. If you do not have a bathroom fan then open a window, the top sash is best...
What Are the Health Effects of Mold?
Black mold, black mold, black mold. That is all we hear, but there are several different molds that are black in color, and while their health effects are uncomfortable, they are not deadly. Every time we breathe, we inhale microscopic mold spores, and this includes...
Mold Growth Indoors: How Does Mold Grow?
Understanding Mold Growth As mentioned before, mold needs four things to grow or produce spores. A food source, such as drywall, wood, fabrics, dead plants, or any organic material. Mold requires the right temperature and moisture content. and spores must be present....
What Is Mold?
Mold is a naturally occurring living organism found in virtually every environment. It grows when the humidity is 60% or higher, if there is a substance for it to eat (like drywall), if the temperature is between 40 and 100 degrees, and if mold spores are present....
Methods for Attaching a Deck to Your Home
LedgerLOK versus Lag Bolts Received a phone call today regarding ledger bolts being used for attaching a deck to a house instead of lag bolts. Here is what I found: Many years ago, it was standard practice to attach a deck to a house using nails, and for years, there...
The Cost of a Home Inspection
Home inspectors use many factors to determine the cost of a home inspection. Items such as the finished square footage versus unfinished areas and travel time. Other considerations are: Does the home have a basement or crawlspace? The property's age, the number of...