Barrie Home Inspector

Home Maintenance and Tips for Home Owners

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Repairing Rotting Wood Tips and Techniques

Exterior

Causes of Rotting Wood

Whenever wood has more than 20% moisture exposure it has the potential to deteriorate. It’s very important to keep up on caulking and painting with quality materials to prevent wood rot.

If you are at the point where you already have wood rot we recommend you do not use pine for rot replacement. Pine available on the market today tends to be new growth pine. Pine available today is not as dense as older growth pine and will rot in a very short period of time. So many home owners are so disappointed to find their new homes have extensive wood rot damage within the first five years.
window rot by Barrie Home Inspector

Painting and caulking are two of the home owners best materials that will help prevent wood rot. Caulking is one of the best defenses your home has against moisture. Home owners should be vigilante for the appearance of peeling or cracking paint and cracked or missing caulking. Either of these are indicators that your wood is now being attacked by moisture. As a home inspector I am always reminding my clients of the old but true adage that ” an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”


Repairing Areas of Wood Rot

Using a wood chisel, an electric drill with a spade bit, or another tool appropriate for the location to remove all of the wet, loose and decayed wood.
Probe the surrounding area with an awl. If it feels as solid as unaffected areas, drill numerous closely spaced holes of 1/8-inch (3-mm) diameter in the wood and inject a liquid wood hardener following the manufactures directions.

Mix two-part epoxy or polyester wood filler as directed. Mix only what you can apply and shape in a few minutes. Once the material hardens it is un-workable and must be thrown away.

Fill the hole or build up the affected area with the wood filler, using a putty knife or flexible plastic spreader. Press hard on knife to work the initial layer into the surface for a good bond.

Clean off the applicator and mixing container immediately

Use a rasp tool to roughly shape or level excess filler as soon as the filler sets up, but before it dries completely.
Use medium or coarse sandpaper to further shape and blend the patch when the filler is completely dry. On flat surfaces, use a rubber sanding block or power sander. On contoured surfaces, use wood dowels or other appropriate shapes to back the sandpaper.

Blow off the dust and apply freshly mixed filler to fill any remaining depressions or pinholes, or to build up more material as needed to attain the desired shape.

Use medium, then fine sandpaper to smooth the patch and feather it into the surrounding wood.

After completely dry prime and paint to suit.

Choosing Your Exterior Paints

For most exterior wood in reasonably good shape, pick a high-quality acrylic primer. It remains elastic and permeable so moisture can “breathe” through the paint skin. This will decrease the chance of the paint bubbling and peeling due to moisture in the walls.

Consider oil- or shellac-based primers for cedar or redwood. With these, you have to factor in problems with tannin staining. Tannin is a natural substance in the wood which will bleed through and cause yellow or brown stains in your finished paint job. It is water soluble, so it will bleed through any water based product. Oil and shellac primers will stop tannin from bleeding through. Some water-based primers claim to be able to stop tannin staining, although sometimes two or more coats will be necessary. Use your own judgment.

Ask at your paint store about breathable oil primers, which are formulated to allow passage of moisture from the house through the paint. (All water-based products, unless they are sold specifically as moisture-barriers, are breathable.) Breathable oil primers would be your best choice to help combat tannin staining some plywood materials, in addition to cedar, redwood.

Use oil-based primers for very punky, soft older wood. Oil-based primers penetrate much deeper into the wood fibers and create a more solid substrate to paint over.

This article is brought to you by Roger Frost, The Barrie Home Inspector, browse our Home Maintenance Tips Blog for more Money Saving Tips

Siding and Cladding for Your Home

Exterior

Siding and Cladding for Your Home.  Nothing will impact the appearance of your home more then the siding that’s on it. When shopping for siding you may want to consider what suits your lifestyle as well as the style of your home. Siding is the outer covering ( A.K.A. Cladding ) of a home meant to shed water and protect the home from the effects of weather but it may also act as a key element in the aesthetic beauty of the structure and directly influence its property value. Here are a few types of siding you may want to consider :

Stucco: Traditional stucco is cement combined with water and inert materials such as sand and lime but many homes built after the 50’s may resemble stucco but they actually use a variety of synthetic materials to achieve the same look. Stucco can be tinted to the colour you want and then the need to paint is gone forever. Synthetic stucco siding is lighter then the traditional and is more likely to suffer damage from a hard blow. It is often compromised of foam insulation board or cement panels screwed to the walls and the stucco is applied around it.

As a building material, stucco is a durable, attractive, and weather-resistant wall covering. It was traditionally used as both an interior and exterior finish applied in one or two thin layers directly over a solid masonry, brick or stone surface. The finish coat usually contained an integral color and was typically textured for appearance.
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a coating for walls and ceilings and for decoration. Stucco may be used to cover less visually appealing construction materials such as concrete, cinder block, or clay brick and adobe.

Stone veneer siding: Stone veneer is used as a decorative and protective covering for both interior and exterior applications. Stones like granite , limestone, slate, etc… are not only beautiful and hardly affected by weather , there also really expensive. That’s why precast stone veneers and facings became popular , the can look genuine ( depending on the product) and are also much more affordable the the real thing. The veneer is typically no thicker then 1″ and must weigh no more then 15 lbs per square foot to be installed without additional structural supports. These veneers can be made from natural stone by cutting the stone into thinner pieces or can be manufactured to look like stone.

Vinyl siding: Vinyl siding is one of if not the most popular type of siding. Unlike wood , this durable plastic will not rot or flake. Vinyl is available in several colour and it is said that it will never have to be painted. Advertisements say that vinyl siding is permanent and although it will last a very long time, it is less durable then wood or masonry. Heavy winds have been known to lift panels from the wall and windblown debris and strong hail can puncture it. New technologies are making this material stronger but the sheets may still crack if struck by a lawnmower or snow blower and unfortunately panels cannot be patched, they can only be replaced.

Engineered wood siding: Engineered wood siding is made from wood products and other materials. The panels can be molded to resemble traditional clapboards although it does not exactly look like real wood due to the fact that it’s textured grain is uniform. It does however look more natural then vinyl or aluminium siding. The benefit of engineered wood siding is that it offers all the advantages of of regular wood siding but in addition, it’s termite resistant and it will not rot,crack or split.

Having a Professional Home Inspector inspect your home prior to purchase will allow your new homes cladding to be inspected by a Professional like the Barrie Home Inspector. He will inspect for cladding of siding failure or poor installation techniques. Having all the information available is paramount prior to purchasing real estate, whether for investment or for your new home.

 

Moisture and Your Home’s Bricks

Exterior

Moisture and Your Home’s Bricks.   Moisture can do a great amount of damage to your home.  This is especially true when you live in a climate where freezing occurs.  Water turns to ice which expands when frozen and this can cause quite a lot of damage to your bricks and concrete products in your home.

Bricks for building may be made from clay, shale, soft slate, calcium silicate, concrete, or shaped from quarried stone. However, true bricks are ceramic, and therefore created by the action of heat and cooling.
Clay is the most common material, with modern clay bricks formed in one of three processes – soft mud, dry press, or extruded.

As a Professional Home Inspector I come across many brick homes where the brick weeping holes have been filled, commonly with spray foam, this is not permitted as the weeping holes are very important to the maintenance of brick.  This weep holes should be spaced 600 mm apart or 24 inches.  Plastic or metal preformed weep holes can be utilized to keep our insects etc.

Poor workmanship is one of the main causes of brick failure.  Poor mortar mixing, allowing mortar to dry out, poor storage of masonry units, and unbonded mortar on joints all lead to potential for mortar cracking and the intrusion of moisture which causes deterioration and spalling.  The proper application of mortar will affect how well the bricks will repel rain and other moisture issues.

Brick walls are never waterproof. Bricks and mortar are able to absorb a great deal of moisture in multiple ways and must be able to breathe to eliminate this moisture. Sealing weeping holes eliminates the drainage of the space behind bricks which also allows for air movement in cavity.  Solar heat will drive moisture on surface of bricks through into the cavity adding to moisture content.

There are two common types of window sills, brick and concrete sills.  Both of these sills are susceptible to moisture damage in winter climates.  Any small crack or failure for mortar to bond to bricks provides an entry point for moisture.  The freezing cycle will continue to expand these tiny cracks until brick damage occurs.

The Barrie Home Inspector routinely comes across this problem at the early stages of mortar cracking and routinely points out to his clients the benefits of maintenance in preventing more severe damage.  The old adage of “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure” is especially true in the maintenance of your brick window sills.

Home Inspection And Your Furnace

Heating, Home Inspection

Home Inspection And Your Furnace.  Typical Methods of inspecting your gas furnace by qualified inspectors will save you needless expenses and repairs. Home inspectors usually find either high efficiency or standard efficiency furnaces in most homes.  Up-draft furnaces are common while down-draft types are rarely seen.

Over the last 20 years, a new generation of higherefficiency gas furnaces and boilers has come to market. Anessential difference in the design of these units is howthey are vented, eliminating the need for dilution air. Thecombustion of gas produces certain by-products, includingwater vapour and carbon dioxide.

Eliminating the need for a chimney is the primary method of energy savings in high efficiency furnaces.  Heat loss and products of combustion through the chimney is significant.  Newer furnaces have an AFUE rating which is based on estimated energy consumption of unit for one year.  This is expressed as a percentage.

The newer designs have been modified to reduce the amount of heated air that escapes during the on and off cycles and by extracting more of the heat contained in the combustionby-products before they are vented.
Natural Gas Furnace Components which are inspected during home inspection or service call.  The typical Natural Gas furnaces are comprised of a cabinet, distribution system, heat exchanger, fan and controls and a thermostat.  There are many additions that can be added to a gas furnace which include, humidifiers, air cleaners and HRV’s.
Standard Inspection Steps performed by a Typical HomeInspector will include these four basic inspection steps:

1. Remove burner and fan cover with power turned off.
2. Check the heat exchanger.
3. Start the furnace and inspecting flame, exhaust system.
4. Check the duct system and air flow through ducts andreturn air systems.

Gas Furnace Age and Life Expectancy

Most gas furnaces are expected to last from 20 to 25 years. The heat exchanger is usually guaranteed for 20 years. Failure of heat exchanger usually means replacement of furnace.
Having your furnace regularly serviced by a trainedtechnician can greatly enhance its life expectency.

 
Learn more about Barrie HomeInspections.  Stop by Roger Frost’s site where you can find out all about Home Maintenance and Tips and what it can do for you.

Resale housing forecast revised

Real Estate

Resale housing forecast revised.   OTTAWA – July 30, 2010 – The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) revised its forecast downward for home sales activity via the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) Systems of Canadian real estate Boards and Associations, and elevated its average price forecast.

Weaker than anticipated sales activity during the crucial spring home buying season in Canada’s four most active provincial markets prompted the revision. The decline is consistent with the exhaustion of pent-up demand from deferred purchases during the economic recession, and sales having been pulled forward into early 2010 due to changes in mortgage regulations.

National sales activity is forecast to reach 459,600 units in 2010, representing an annual decline of 1.2 per cent. Additional expected interest rate increases will keep homebuyers in a cautious mood, with sales activity expected to continue easing over the second half of the year as a result. In 2011, weaker economic growth and consumer spending will contribute to a decline in national sales activity of 7.3 per cent, with annual sales totaling 426,100 units.

“The Bank of Canada recognizes that inflation remains well contained and that economic growth will soften, so interest rates will rise slowly and at a measured pace, which will keep home financing within reach for many homebuyers,” said Georges Pahud, CREA President.  “While the jump in national sales activity earlier this year likely borrowed from the future, local markets trends are not necessarily in sync with national trends, so buyers and sellers would do well to consult with their local REALTOR® to best understand the outlook in their market.”

Average price trends have remained stable as new listings began to shrink in the last two months of the second quarter. Supply is expected to continue to adjust to lower demand, keeping the resale housing market balanced on a national basis and in most provinces.

The national average home price is forecast to rise 3.5 per cent in 2010 to $331,600, with increases in all provinces.

“Slowing first-time home buying activity means lower- and mid-priced homes are making a smaller contribution to the average price calculation, causing the average price to be skewed upward as a result,” said Gregory Klump, CREA Chief Economist. “It also means pricing momentum will lose steam due to rising competition among current homeowners looking to trade up.”

Although modest average price gains are forecast in 2011 in most provinces, the national average price is forecast to ease by 0.9 per cent to $328,600.

“The hangover from accelerated home purchases earlier this year is expected to persist over the rest of the year, but positive economic and job market trends bode well for home price stability,” said Klump. “Sales activity and new supply are both expected to continue to ease, so inventories are unlikely to pile up the way they did during the recession.

“Transitory factors that resulted in big swings in housing supply and demand may now be largely in the rearview mirror, so while resale housing activity is expected to ease, the pace of declines should begin to slow,” he added. “Homebuyers will no doubt welcome a more relaxed housing market in places where there was a shortage of supply earlier in the year.“

http://www.crea.ca/public/news_stats/pdfs/media_july30rpt_en.pdf

Home sales continue to cool in June

Real Estate

Home sales continue to cool in June.  Statistics released by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) show that the number of newly listed homes and sales activity declined in June 2010.

Seasonally adjusted national home sales activity via the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) Systems of Canadian real estate Boards receded 8.2 per cent in June from the previous month. Led by lower activity in Toronto and Calgary, sales declined in almost 70 per cent of local markets.

Tightened mortgage regulations and anticipated interest rate increases cooled sales activity throughout the second quarter, resulting in a decline of 13.3 per cent from near-record levels in the first quarter. As expected, these two national factors contributed to a widespread decline in activity, with transactions down in all but a dozen or so smaller markets.

Actual (not seasonally adjusted) national sales activity was 19.7 per cent lower in June 2010 compared to last year, when activity almost reached a new record for the month. Actual sales activity in the second quarter stood 2.8 per cent below levels reported in the second quarter of 2009. For the year-to-date, transactions are up 13.6 per cent compared to the first-six months of last year. This gap is expected to shrink as the year progresses, since activity trended upward over the second half of last year and is forecast to continue easing over the second half of 2010.

The number of newly listed homes on Canadian MLS® Systems in June 2010 declined by 6.8 per cent from the previous month, following a monthly decline of 4.8 per cent in May. A declining trend in new listings will help maintain the balance between supply and demand, and temper home price volatility.

The national average price of homes sold via Canadian MLS® Systems rose 4.9 per cent on a year-over-year basis in June to $342,662.

The national average price can be skewed by changes in provincial sales activity. The national weighted average price compensates for this by taking into account provincial proportions of privately owned housing stock. It climbed 6.3 per cent on a year-over-year basis in June 2010. Similarly, the residential average price in Canada’s major markets was up 5.7 per cent year-over-year in June, while the weighted major market average price rose 8.7 per cent.

The number of months of inventory represents the number of months it would take to sell current inventories at the current rate of sales activity, and measures the balance between housing supply and demand. It stood at 5.7 months at the end of June 2010 on a national basis. This is up from 4.2 months one year ago, when it fell to its lowest level since the economic recovery began. The rise in the number of months of inventory was widespread, with increases from year-ago levels in all provinces, except Manitoba and Prince Edward Island.

The seasonally adjusted number of months of inventory stood at 6.9 months at the end of June on a national basis, the highest level since March 2009. It may rise further as sales activity trends lower over the second half of 2010, but an expected decline in the number of new listings should stabilize the balance between supply and demand.

“The housing market is becoming more challenging for sellers,” said CREA President Georges Pahud. “Buyers are in less of a hurry, so sellers should consult with their local REALTOR® on how to best price and present their home to attract purchase offers.”

“National home sales activity is easing due to fewer and more cautious first-time home buyers,” said Chief Economist Gregory Klump. “With interest rates on the rise, housing affordability and home sales activity are expected to continue to erode over the second half of 2010. While the pricing environment is becoming more challenging, a recovering economy and job market will provide support for housing activity and prices.”

PLEASE NOTE: The information contained in this news release combines both major market and national MLS® sales information from the previous month.

CREA cautions that average price information can be useful in establishing trends over time, but does not indicate actual prices in centres comprised of widely divergent neighborhoods or account for price differential between geographic areas. Statistical information contained in this report includes all housing types.

MLS® is a co-operative marketing system used only by Canada’s real estate Boards to ensure maximum exposure of properties listed for sale.

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is one of Canada’s largest single-industry trade associations, representing more than 99,000 REALTORS® working through more than 100 real estate Boards and Associations.

Further information can be found at http://www.crea.ca/public/news_stats/pdfs/media_july15rpt_e.pdf

For more information, please contact:

Spencer Callaghan, Communications Officer
The Canadian Real Estate Association
P: 613-237-7111
E: [email protected]

May brings lower homes sales and fewer new listings

Real Estate

May brings lower homes sales and fewer new listings.  OTTAWA – June 16th, 2010 – Statistics released by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) show that home sales activity and new listings in Canada declined in May.

Seasonally adjusted home sales activity via the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) Systems of Canadian real estate Boards declined nationally by 9.5 per cent in May from near-record level activity the previous month. While activity declined in more than 70 per cent of local markets, the lower national figure resulted largely from fewer sales in Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa.

Actual (not seasonally adjusted) national sales activity was down 4.3 per cent in May from the same month last year. In a departure from the normal seasonal pattern, national activity levels in May were also down from April levels. This suggests that the combination of changes to mortgage regulations and rising mortgage rates pulled forward a number of sales into April that would have otherwise taken place at a later date.

“May was the first full month in which sales activity was affected by these changes,” said CREA President Georges Pahud. “An accompanying decline in new listings and housing starts means these changes are also affecting the supply side, which will keep the market balanced and Canadian home prices stable.”

The seasonally adjusted number of homes that were new listings on Canadian MLS® Systems in May 2010 declined by four per cent from the previous month. This marks the first monthly decline in new listings in eight months. New listings had been climbing sharply, rising from a four-year low last September to the second highest level ever last month.

The number of homes listed for sale on Boards’ MLS® Systems at the end of May was up 5.4 per cent from levels at the same time last year, when the supply of homes for sale on the market had started declining.

The national average price of homes sold via Canadian MLS® Systems rose 8.5 per cent in May from a year ago. This is a smaller increase compared to those recorded over the past nine months.

“Supply and demand has become more balanced in a number of major markets,” said CREA Chief Economist Gregory Klump. “Homebuyers now have more choice and are likely be in less of a rush to purchase than they were recently, so the amount of time it takes to sell a home is expected to rise in the coming months.”

With last year’s string of downwardly skewed average price values having now mostly passed, year-over-year national average price comparisons are coming back into line with changes in the national weighted average price.

The weighted average price compensates for changes in provincial sales activity by taking into account provincial proportions of privately owned housing stock. It climbed 8.4 per cent on a year-over-year basis in May 2010. Similarly, the residential average price in Canada’s major markets was up 9.8 per cent year-over-year in May, while the weighted major market average price rose 10.7 per cent.

The actual (not seasonally adjusted) number of months of inventory stood at 5.3 months in May 2010. This is up from 4.8 months at the same time last year. The number of months of inventory is the number of months it would take to sell current inventories at the current rate of sales activity.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, months of inventory stood at 6.1 months in May, the highest level since last April.

“The number of months of inventory may rise further in response to easing sales activity and a further rise in the number of active listings,” said Klump. “However, the number of newly listed homes will ultimately retreat in response to a more competitive sales and pricing environment in a number of local markets. The outlooks for the Canadian economy, employment, and mortgage market trends remain upbeat, so supply and demand will remain balanced on a national basis. Canada will avoid a U.S.-style home price correction.”

PLEASE NOTE: The information contained in this news release combines both major market and national MLS® sales information from the previous month.

CREA cautions that average price information can be useful in establishing trends over time, but does not indicate actual prices in centres comprised of widely divergent neighborhoods or account for price differential between geographic areas. Statistical information contained in this report includes all housing types.

MLS® is a co-operative marketing system used only by Canada’s real estate Boards to ensure maximum exposure of properties listed for sale.

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is one of Canada’s largest single-industry trade associations, representing more than 96,000 REALTORS® working through more than 100 real estate Boards and Associations.

Further information can be found at

http://www.crea.ca/public/news_stats/pdfs/Media_May10rpt_e.pdf

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