Home Inspection on Hardcoat Stucco Siding Systems

Hardcoat Stucco basics Hardcoat stucco is an ancient building material that was historically applied over masonry buildings and was often referred to as plaster. Modern stucco is made of Portland cement, lime and sand and is often installed over wood-framed buildings in North American residential construction. Quality stucco siding systems are three or more coats of Portland Cement applied over a lath system that helps attach the plaster to the house. The resulting plaster siding system should be 3/4 of an inch...

I’ve got moisture ants in my house?

What are moisture ants? Moisture ants are a wood-destroying organism that indicates there is wet wood in or around a house. Moisture ants are not a primary wood-destroying organism meaning they do not infest dry wood. Because wet wood is a prerequisite, moisture ants could be considered more of a symptom than a primary problem. Moisture ant queens are large ants and can be confused with carpenter ants, but the more prolific workers are small and almost an orange brownish color....

I’ve Got Mold In My Attic!

Frequently asked questions about a common problem in some climate zones Mold is a 4-letter word in real estate and mold remediation is a multi-billion-dollar industry that thrives on the fear created by the lack of metrics available to quantify the risk of mold exposure in our buildings. Mold issues in buildings are complicated by television shows that use the fear of mold to dramatize their entertainment. Unless home inspectors offer mold testing as an add-on service, mold is beyond...

Understanding Open Grounds and Options for Repair

What is the equipment ground? The equipment ground in residential wiring is often thought of as the “third prong” in an electrical receptacle and the third, bare conductor in an electrical circuit. Residential wiring systems will function properly without an equipment ground but these conductors make our electrical systems safer by providing a low resistance path for fault current to return to the electric panel and trip the breaker to disable a dangerous fault condition. Houses built prior to the adoption...

Testing AFCI’s and GFCI’s During a Home Inspection

Why Simple Testing is not Always So Simple Home inspectors like to test things to see if they work; this is the very definition of what an inspector does during a home inspection. This seems simple but can get complicated when you run the risk of disabling an important system in the house or even damaging a homeowners personal property. One specific example of this conundrum is testing AFCI’s and GFCI’s which protect electrical circuits. These devices are easily identified by...