Many homes built in the 1960,s have been modernized over the years and many look like they are much newer with the updates. Most of the homes of this era are on their third set of shingles and the second set of windows and exterior siding. The one renovation that is usually left to the last is the electrical entrance,  panel and branch circuits. This is because it is not easy to make changes to the interior of the walls where the wires are hidden. This issue will look at the electrical entrance in particular and how you may be forced to upgrade it to 100 amps.

Most of you will remember a time when you had to move furniture around to find a power source in a room,  only to see that it was already in use by two or more other cords. As an inspector I often come across the tangled power cords of several electronic components hidden behind a sofa or desk. Using the thermal camera I often detect a heat signature of an over loaded and over heated electrical circuit. Most of the time there is a power bar and an extension cord or two all plugged into one receptacle. The issue here is the potential for fire, which leads me into the topic of insurance.

Insurance companies are also aware of the extra demand of today’s homeowners. They have the data to prove that an older home with a 60 or 70 amp service panel can lead to overloading of the circuits and potentially a fire. This is why they will often insist that in order to be insured in such a home you are required to upgrade the panel to 100 amps and add extra circuits.  The cost of changing the panel is usually between $1500.00 and $2500.00. So before you sign on the dotted line have a look at the electrical system and the size of the panel. Ask your insurance company if they have a policy on the minimum size of the electrical service entrance.  While the 60 amp panel and one receptacle per room was sufficient in 1960 it is more likely to be inadequate and unsafe within the context of today’s power needs.

Even wall cladding must be specifically designed to withstand the elements. The majority of the homes from the 1970’s had a hard board siding product such as x-90 installed. These products have stood the test of time but are now breaking down and in some cases rotting the walls of the homes they were intended to protect.  Many of these products incorporated plastic splines that were designed to keep them on the walls, these plastics became brittle just  as the vinyl windows have. The result is that much of this siding is falling off. Some products held up better then others when they were kept well sealed with paint.  If you are considering buying a home or own a home with older windows and siding you need to evaluate their condition closely and determine what if any action may be required to keep the exterior wind and water tight.

Often people can get away with these renovations because the engineered plans have some room for error and the removal of a support wall will simply place the load on the trusses and outside walls. What often develops over time is the outside walls begin to spread outward as the roof settles inward. The drywall over the windows, doors  and ceilings begins to crack, door jambs shift making the doors out of square and sticky. Other times the movement is far more serious and the homeowner will use a cable in the attic to hold the walls together, yes I have seen this more then a few times.  So the long and the short of it is that you should seek the advice of a structural engineer if you plan to remove a wall or supporting post in the basement. Failure to do so could compromise your entire home.  Almost anything can be done if you plan for the change and improvise a safe and effective solution.

Concrete foundation issues can be grouped  into two major problems type, displacement and leakage. Displacement is when cracks or movement occur due to external pressures placed upon the walls and floor by the wet expansive soil outside the home. Cracks in concrete walls are usually grouped in two categories, horizontal or vertical with horizontal usually being the more serious type. If a crack runs horizontal it is possible for the wall to bow inward and compromise the entire structure of the home. Most vertical cracks on the other hand are not as likely to shift under pressure but are often more likely to leak. If you have cracks in your foundation don’t be too alarmed as most foundations develop cracks.  If you have large long cracks that have shifted or slipped it could be serious and you should have the issue looked at by a professional.

Most foundations in our area  are constructed using pressure treated wood. There is a lot of controversy on this type of construction but I believe the science and proven track record  have shown that these basements are here to stay. A wood basement has many advantages not the least of which is ease construction and modifications for vents, wires and even chimneys. The main issues we see with PWF construction is that they were not constructed properly and the pressure from wet clay soil often drove the wall inward. The wall should be properly blocked and strapped to withstand normal stress but two very common mistakes often cause problems in these walls. One issue is having an unsupported driveway next to the wall. This will apply extra pressure on the wall and cause it to bow. Once the wall gives a little the driveway usually settles in toward the home and creates a low spot where water pools making the problem worse over time. The second common problem is the lack of end blocking. End blocking is required to help distribute the load from the wall to the floor joists. Often times the end blocking is missed or removed by the different trades when the home is being built. Without the end blocking the wall moves quite easily. The movement often occurs during back fill or in the first couple of years after construction.

1. Make sure you keep the humidity inside the home between 25 – 50%.
2. Make sure the vapour barrier over the ceiling fan is well sealed and under 6” of insulation.
3. Make sure the vent is straight up through the roof with no sags to trap moisture.
4. The vent piping must be well insulated to keep the air warm all the way to the roof.
5. Try to eliminate possible sources of moisture inside such as drying clothes on a line inside or showering without running the fan.
6. Don’t use a humidifier unless absolutely necessary.
7. Run the central house fan often during cooking if you have one.

Unlike the last few years the quantity of homes for sale means shopping for the right home has never been better. This search for the perfect home usually entails a thorough home inspection so you should be as prepared as possible for what the inspector might find.  I often come across problems that are so obvious I am surprised the buyer never noticed them. Having an inspector go through your home prior to listing it just makes good sense. You need someone who is detached and has a trained eye for spotting potentially costly problems. In fact rare is the time when I don’t uncover something that will save the buyer more money in the long run then the cost of the inspection. It is far better for the seller to be prepared by knowing what the issues are ahead of time.  A good pre sale inspection report will give you the advice you need to make some minor repairs and get quotes on the larger repairs if necessary. If the inspection turns up some problems, you will have the time to assess the problem and decide what to do. It is likely that you may save hundreds or even thousands of $$$$ by getting things taken care of yourself.

A seller inspection can;

help the seller substantiate a higher asking price if problems don’t exist or have been fixed

allow the seller to assist the inspector during the inspection

reveal problems ahead of time which: might make the home show better.

give the seller time to make repairs and shop for competitive contractors.

permit the seller to attach repair estimates or paid invoices to the inspection report.

remove over-inflated buyer procured estimates from the negotiation table.

alert the seller to any immediate safety issues found, before agents and visitors tour the home.

provide a third-party, unbiased report to offer to potential buyers.

permit a clean home inspection report to be used as a marketing tool.

be the ultimate gesture in forthrightness on the part of the seller.

relieve a prospective buyer’s unfounded suspicions, before they walk away.

lighten negotiations and 11th-hour re-negotiations

lessen the likely hood that the deal will fall apart the way they often do when a buyer’s inspection unexpectedly reveals a problem, last minute.

The missing insulation would have been caused in one of two ways, it was never put there or it was blown back by high winds into the soffits. My guess it that the wind storm last summer blew the insulation back exposing the drywall in the ceiling and created a great spot for condensation to form and mold to grow. If the original insulator had not blown the insulation in properly, the mold would have shown up earlier.

So the thing to take away from this is that the attic insulation is critical. It should be approximately 12″ thick or R-40 and it needs to be distributed evenly. Make sure if you are in the attic that you look for frost which indicates heat loss and try not to disturb the insulation any more then necessary.

In order to have these bench seats on decks over 24″ high you will need a back rest at least 42″ above the seat. This back rest needs to be securely fastened to the decks vertical uprights and not have any opening greater then 4″. As most of the bench seats are placed on higher decks it is important for the homeowner to know that this type of deck would not be granted a deck permit in Lloydminster and would not pass current code requirements.

Thanks so much to Kirk Kimberly, Owner of Simple Design Decks for this great safety tip. Visit Kirks website at www.simpledesigndecks.com Stay tooned to see if we can get some more deck tips from kirk.