As inspectors, our job is to help clients see beyond the paint and plaster, separating serious concerns from harmless imperfections. Some issues signal costly repairs ahead, while others are purely cosmetic and easy to fix.
Whether you’re buying your first home or just brushing up on the process, this guide covers everything you need to know: what a home inspection is, what inspectors look for, and what to do once you get the report.
Because attics are rarely used, homeowners often overlook them entirely. Many become cluttered storage spaces, making access difficult and sometimes even dangerous.
Despite our best efforts, some people’s homes just might be contributing to why they get so sick each winter. The good news is that there’s plenty that can be done to create a healthier environment at home.
Homeowners commonly find icicles hanging off of their roofs and gutters, but most aren’t aware of the serious hazards they pose to themselves and their homes.
The human being is known to have five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. While many might consider sight to be the most important sense for people in their everyday lives, scientists actually recognize smell as the “strongest sense.” This is because, as writers like Colleen Walsh at the Harvard Gazette acknowledge, smell is the sense that is most linked with emotion and memory. Have you ever smelled a favorite dish and were instantly transported to a memory of your childhood home or a trip to grandma’s house? The phenomena you’re experiencing is your olfactory senses doing what it does best by reaching through your limbic system (with a quick pit-stop by your amygdala and/or hippocampus) and tossing out one of those cozy core memories. Just as we enjoy these trips down memory lane, smells can also remind us of moments we might rather forget, whether from visiting the home of a frequent smoker, or a friend with a few too many cats. Houses can develop odor for many different reasons, so if you’ve found yours smelling a bit off lately, let’s discuss a few of the more common (and often misdiagnosed) causes. #1: Take Out the TrashThe first
In this day and age, new homeowners are more informed and mindful about their family’s health than ever. Between dangers like lead paint, asbestos, and carbon monoxide leaks, builders have come a very long way in eliminating harmful toxins within the home. Still, threatening elements continue to loom around the home, and although air pollution today is not as high as in the past, reducing indoor air contamination should be on every homeowner’s to-do list! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stresses that, although many visible forms of air pollution have died down since the 1970s, air pollution can be harmful even when it’s invisible. So, how can homeowners feel confident that their air is clean in a world full of smog and wildfires on top of some of the pollutants that are tougher to recognize? To find out, let’s discuss some common contaminants, and what people can do to keep their homes fresh. What are the dangers posed by outdoor air?Modern home design has led to houses being extremely closed off from outside elements, which is both a good and a bad thing. On the one hand, houses do a great job of keeping out many harmful pollutants that can
Everyone has run into mold from time to time in their bathrooms, in their kitchens, or around leaking appliances. While mold can actually come in many different colors and varieties, the dark fuzzy spots that crop up inside homes are usually easy to take care of without much issue, especially when addressed quickly. However, when left unaddressed, mold can damage and permanently discolor materials that they’ve attached to, as well as negatively impact the health of anyone in the home. In fact, according to healthcare professionals over on Healthline, overexposure to mold can lead to infection, lung inflammation, and other symptoms. Mold thrives in dark, moist, and warm environments, which means that issues in certain lesser trafficked areas of the home can easily get out of hand. If you experience any of the following, schedule a mold inspection to find the root of the problem: Homeowners can keep mold at bay by reducing humidity in their homes, maintaining good ventilation, and cleaning spills quickly. In addition, check and clean out these areas to cover some of mold’s best hiding spots inside the home: Contact your local NPI home inspector to schedule a mold inspection!
As declared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, businesses and government organizations devote their attention every January to increasing public awareness of the very real and often overlooked dangers of radon gas. Per the CDC, radon is an odorless, colorless gas that finds its way into buildings through the breakdown process of natural materials within the soil. Today, radon is the second leading cause for lung cancer only behind smoking. The good news is that the effects of radon gas can be avoided first through effective testing and then through mitigation. Your family’s health is no joke, so if you haven’t already looked into radon levels in your home, your kids’ school, or your work, let this article be your sign to take action. Officials across the nation are taking notice of the dangers of radon, but most people are unaware of what their state is doing to combat radon, or how their state compares to the national average. The American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists offers a yearly report card, which dives further into things like whether radon testing professionals need to be credentialed, whether school testing is required, and what percentage of homes in the state are
Every year, people all around the world make resolutions to live a little more productively, pick up a healthier lifestyle, and maybe make smarter choices with their money. While many resolutions revolve around bettering their own lives in some way, most should consider whether they’ve been showing their homes the same amount of care and attention. The unfortunate truth is that many homes carry hazards that owners are completely unaware of, hazards that present a very real and persistent threat to their own health and the health of their families. Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that infiltrates homes through natural processes such as through miniscule cracks in the foundation or through drinking water. Homes everywhere are impacted by radon to a certain extent, but homeowners continue to be mostly unaware of the ever-present danger that this gas poses as the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US. According to the EPA, radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year, and 2,900 of those deaths were people who never smoked in their lives. January is known as National Radon Action Month, a time to bring awareness to the increased efforts each state is taking
As inspectors, our job is to help clients see beyond the paint and plaster, separating serious concerns from harmless imperfections. Some issues signal costly repairs ahead, while others are purely cosmetic and easy to fix.
Whether you’re buying your first home or just brushing up on the process, this guide covers everything you need to know: what a home inspection is, what inspectors look for, and what to do once you get the report.
Because attics are rarely used, homeowners often overlook them entirely. Many become cluttered storage spaces, making access difficult and sometimes even dangerous.
Despite our best efforts, some people’s homes just might be contributing to why they get so sick each winter. The good news is that there’s plenty that can be done to create a healthier environment at home.
Homeowners commonly find icicles hanging off of their roofs and gutters, but most aren’t aware of the serious hazards they pose to themselves and their homes.
The human being is known to have five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. While many might consider sight to be the most important sense for people in their everyday lives, scientists actually recognize smell as the “strongest sense.” This is because, as writers like Colleen Walsh at the Harvard Gazette acknowledge, smell is the sense that is most linked with emotion and memory. Have you ever smelled a favorite dish and were instantly transported to a memory of your childhood home or a trip to grandma’s house? The phenomena you’re experiencing is your olfactory senses doing what it does best by reaching through your limbic system (with a quick pit-stop by your amygdala and/or hippocampus) and tossing out one of those cozy core memories. Just as we enjoy these trips down memory lane, smells can also remind us of moments we might rather forget, whether from visiting the home of a frequent smoker, or a friend with a few too many cats. Houses can develop odor for many different reasons, so if you’ve found yours smelling a bit off lately, let’s discuss a few of the more common (and often misdiagnosed) causes. #1: Take Out the TrashThe first
In this day and age, new homeowners are more informed and mindful about their family’s health than ever. Between dangers like lead paint, asbestos, and carbon monoxide leaks, builders have come a very long way in eliminating harmful toxins within the home. Still, threatening elements continue to loom around the home, and although air pollution today is not as high as in the past, reducing indoor air contamination should be on every homeowner’s to-do list! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stresses that, although many visible forms of air pollution have died down since the 1970s, air pollution can be harmful even when it’s invisible. So, how can homeowners feel confident that their air is clean in a world full of smog and wildfires on top of some of the pollutants that are tougher to recognize? To find out, let’s discuss some common contaminants, and what people can do to keep their homes fresh. What are the dangers posed by outdoor air?Modern home design has led to houses being extremely closed off from outside elements, which is both a good and a bad thing. On the one hand, houses do a great job of keeping out many harmful pollutants that can
Everyone has run into mold from time to time in their bathrooms, in their kitchens, or around leaking appliances. While mold can actually come in many different colors and varieties, the dark fuzzy spots that crop up inside homes are usually easy to take care of without much issue, especially when addressed quickly. However, when left unaddressed, mold can damage and permanently discolor materials that they’ve attached to, as well as negatively impact the health of anyone in the home. In fact, according to healthcare professionals over on Healthline, overexposure to mold can lead to infection, lung inflammation, and other symptoms. Mold thrives in dark, moist, and warm environments, which means that issues in certain lesser trafficked areas of the home can easily get out of hand. If you experience any of the following, schedule a mold inspection to find the root of the problem: Homeowners can keep mold at bay by reducing humidity in their homes, maintaining good ventilation, and cleaning spills quickly. In addition, check and clean out these areas to cover some of mold’s best hiding spots inside the home: Contact your local NPI home inspector to schedule a mold inspection!
As declared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, businesses and government organizations devote their attention every January to increasing public awareness of the very real and often overlooked dangers of radon gas. Per the CDC, radon is an odorless, colorless gas that finds its way into buildings through the breakdown process of natural materials within the soil. Today, radon is the second leading cause for lung cancer only behind smoking. The good news is that the effects of radon gas can be avoided first through effective testing and then through mitigation. Your family’s health is no joke, so if you haven’t already looked into radon levels in your home, your kids’ school, or your work, let this article be your sign to take action. Officials across the nation are taking notice of the dangers of radon, but most people are unaware of what their state is doing to combat radon, or how their state compares to the national average. The American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists offers a yearly report card, which dives further into things like whether radon testing professionals need to be credentialed, whether school testing is required, and what percentage of homes in the state are
Every year, people all around the world make resolutions to live a little more productively, pick up a healthier lifestyle, and maybe make smarter choices with their money. While many resolutions revolve around bettering their own lives in some way, most should consider whether they’ve been showing their homes the same amount of care and attention. The unfortunate truth is that many homes carry hazards that owners are completely unaware of, hazards that present a very real and persistent threat to their own health and the health of their families. Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that infiltrates homes through natural processes such as through miniscule cracks in the foundation or through drinking water. Homes everywhere are impacted by radon to a certain extent, but homeowners continue to be mostly unaware of the ever-present danger that this gas poses as the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US. According to the EPA, radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year, and 2,900 of those deaths were people who never smoked in their lives. January is known as National Radon Action Month, a time to bring awareness to the increased efforts each state is taking
