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Friday, 29 April 2016
Friday, 8 April 2016
How is Thermal Imaging used in a Home Inspection?
How is Thermal Imaging used in a Home Inspection?
The benefits of infrared technology in today's home inspections are numerous. A trained thermographer can spot anomalies that would not otherwise be visible. But first let's talk about what Thermal Imaging actually is so we can better understand its capabilities and its limitations.
Myth: Thermal imaging cameras can see through walls. This is false.
Fact: Thermal imaging cameras detect surface temperature only!
The basic principles of thermal imaging are as follows. All materials, which are above 0 degrees Kelvin (-273 degrees C), emit infrared energy. The infrared energy emitted from the object is converted into an electrical signal by an imaging sensor in the camera and displayed as a color or monochrome thermal image. Clear as mud right? Good. Now let's talk about how we use this to our advantage during a home inspection.
Let's say we are looking at an exterior wall from inside the home. We know that the wall is typically constructed of wood, insulation, and drywall. Normally we would not know if there was missing insulation or water damage inside the wall unless we cut a hole and looked. But, if we look at the same wall with a thermal imaging camera, we can now see the surface temperature of the drywall, which is the key in spotting irregularities within the wall assembly. Any missing insulation or water damage inside the wall for example, will change the surface temperature in that affected area and would then become visible in contrast to the unaffected area. The home inspector would identify the anomaly and further investigate.
What are other areas of the home inspection can the thermal imaging camera be used for?
- Visualize energy losses
- Detect missing or defective insulation
- Source air leaks
- Find moisture in insulation, in roofs and walls.
- Locate water ingress in flat roofs
- Detect framing issues
- Find faults in supply lines for in-floor heating
- Detect electrical faults
Check us out online for more information on Home Inspections!
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Friday, 25 March 2016
How Much Does A Calgary Home Inspection Cost?
How Much Does A Calgary Home Inspection Cost?
This is the most popular question we get asked by people inquiring about our services. The Inspection fee is based on a number of different factors. While there is no standard fee guide to regulate home inspection prices in Calgary, there is an industry standard which most companies will stay within in order to stay competitive. Inspection fees are typically base our fees on the following:
1) Square footage: This is the approximate size of the home (not including the basement). The basement still gets inspected, but it does not affect the price of the Home Inspection. As the size of the home gets bigger, there is more for the inspector to evaluate, and therefore the cost would increase accordingly.
2) Age of the home: As a home gets older, they can become more complicated to inspect. Years of "home owner repairs" can be quite time consuming to go through and make it hard to ensure a thorough Home Inspection. Typically, additional fees are applied to homes that are over 50 years old. So a home built in the 1950's would cost more to inspect than a home of the same size, built in the 1980's. Accordingly, a Century Home would cost more than a home built in the 1950's.
3) Additional Services: Some Home Inspection companies offer additional services that can be added to a home inspection. Mold inspection (air quality tests), Thermal Imaging, Radon testing, swimming pools & spas, etc. would all increase the price of the inspection.
The price of the Home Inspection also takes into consideration the Home Inspection report. After the inspection is complete, your inspector will write a report containing all the information gathered during the inspection and provide it to you. This report can easily add an hour or more to the inspection time. As a general rule of thumb, a standard Home Inspection in Calgary should be within the $400-$550 range, before any additional services.
Check us out online for more information on Home Inspections!
Tuesday, 1 March 2016
Why is a Pre-Listing Home Inspection necessary?
It's a common misconception that home inspections are only done for someone looking to purchase a home. However, almost everyone involved in the real estate transaction can benefit greatly from having a pre-listing inspection done, thus avoiding potential problems during purchase negotiations.
When is the Pre-Listing Inspection Done?
A pre-listing inspection is performed before the home is listed on the market. This gives the seller a heads up to any significant issues with the home, which can be addressed before a potential buyer discovers them during their own home inspection. Many conditional purchase offers fall through as a result of problems found during the home inspection, which is frustrating and time consuming for everyone involved.
What Are the Other Benefits of a Pre-Listing Inspection?
The benefits are numerous, but the following are typical positives of pre-listing inspections.
- Disclosing the condition of the home upfront will help to eliminate conditional offers, price reductions, or other issues with negotiations.
- Purchase offers dissolving because the buyer changed their mind, are greatly reduced. This in itself is extremely beneficial for everyone involved.
- The seller can leave the inspection report out for buyers to review. Buyers often remove the home inspection as a purchase condition once they see that it has already been done.
Additionally, if the home is found to be in better condition than originally thought, the listing price can reflect this. Everyone wins!
If you’re selling your home, we highly recommend considering a pre-listing inspection to make your sale as quick and easy as possible!
Check us out online for more information on Home Inspections!
Tuesday, 16 February 2016
Ever been scammed by a self-appointed Home "Inspector"?
Home Inspectors have had a bad rap for quite some time, and probably for good reason. Back in the good ol' days, anyone could stick a magnet with a logo on the side of their truck, tie a ladder to the roof, and call themselves a Home Inspector! Ta da! Everyone's probably heard of someone who's been "ripped off" by their Home Inspector. Blatantly obvious issues with a property are missed; Inspection reports are a mess, convoluted, and confusing. The buyer/seller has no real knowledge of the property after the $400+ Inspection fee, and feel taken advantage of because the Inspector was only on site for a short period of time. Trust me, even I have had a personal experience with this very situation before I got into the Home Inspection business, and it continues to happen today! And it's not just the client who's left out in the cold, the Realtor takes a big brunt of the fall out as well. You know the old saying, "one rotten apple to spoil the bunch", well that certainly holds true within our profession. And in doing so, the "rotten apples" really cast a shadow over everyone else in the industry who genuinely cares about what they are doing.
So what can we do about it?
In Alberta and B.C. Home Inspectors are now required to have a Government issued licence in order to legally work as a Home Inspector. In order to even be able to apply for government issued license you need all of the following:
- Proof of education training from an approved Home Inspection program
- Proctored test inspections
- Errors and Emissions Insurance
- Surety Bond
- An approved contract
That in itself is expensive and time consuming, and will hopefully deter the "Overnight Inspector" from tainting our industry any further. In addition to meeting these new requirements, most Inspectors will also be a member of a reputable association. These associations have their own list of requirements which the member must obtain to keep their membership in good standing. Continuing education credits being a big one.
Sounds like the "rotten apples" are taken care of.....right?
Any Home Inspector who is true to their craft will gladly do everything that is required of them in order to provide their clients with the best Inspection service possible. But, as usual there are still the entitled few, who think the rules don't apply to them. The reality is that there are still a large number of people working without a license. They may call themselves "Home Consultants" or "Building Experts" in order to cheat the system, but in the end it's the rest of us who are being cheated. It's very important to ask your Inspector to see a copy of their license, and you have every right to do so. The truth is, there are many excellent Inspectors who go above and beyond every day to provide the best service possible for their clients, and we consider ourselves to be among them, but there is an element of due diligence on the part of the client to ensure they are the victor, not the victim.
Check us out online for more information on Home Inspections!
Monday, 1 February 2016
What are the dangers of Carbon Monoxide?
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