Dylan Chalk photo of fire-rated gypsum drywall

What is Fire Seperation Versus a Fire Wall?

Understanding Fire Resistant Sheetrock Sheetrock is the building material used to make walls and ceilings in almost all new construction; it is the material that replaced the old lath and plaster technique which lost favor due to the relative cost savings of sheetrock. Sheetrock is a made from gypsum – a mineral mined from the earth. The gypsum is a chalky white substance that can be pressed into sheets and then wrapped in a paper face to make wall boards....

The 3 Most Common Reasons a Home Inspection Report Kills the Deal

Understand the bones of a house As you know, one of the many difficult parts of being a home inspector is delivering bad news. Nobody enjoys delivering bad news. But when you are hired to evaluate the condition of a building for a prospective home buyer, and there are many tens of thousands of dollars at stake, as well as emotional turmoil, it is critical to perform this job thoroughly and objectively…. Even if the discoveries made during a home...

Dating Bradford White Hot Water Heaters

Find the date in serial numbers As a home inspector, you are constantly on display for your clients while you are performing a home inspection. So while your clients are looking to you as their expert, there is no more embarrassing feeling than being unable to tell them the accurate age of the hot water heater. You need to be able to interpret the date in the serial number as part of your service. Most water heater manufacturers code the date of...

Is Mold Beyond the Scope of a Home Inspection?

Moisture problems in a home When I run into a moisture problem inside a home, one of the more common questions I get from my clients is: “is this mold harmful to my health?” While this is excellent question it is impossible for a home inspector to answer -we are not doctors and even medical specialists would struggle to quantify health-risks associated with a mold condition given the myriad variables of people, exposure and species of mold. That being said,...

Exterior Door Inspection: Will These Doors leak? A Closer Look at Hinges, Thresholds and Sweeps.

Leaking Doors After ten years of inspecting in the rainy Pacific Northwest, I have concluded that there are only two kinds of exposed exterior doors around here: those that leak and those that are going to leak. While exceptions can be found, they are primarily a function of exposure – doors installed below generous roof overhangs and on north faces are often safe, but doors exposed to the weather in our climate are not to be trusted. While anyone can...