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MY WORLD TRAVELS

Should a newly constructed home be inspected?

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No one can build something as large and complex as a house without committing a few errors at various stages of the process. Throughout my years of inspecting, I have learned that all new homes will have their defects of one kind or another, regardless of the quality of construction or the integrity of the builder. This is because human imperfection prevents anything as large and as complex as a home from being constructed flawlessly. The belief that any new product is free of defects and necessarily flawless runs contrary to common sense and experience. The return counter at any department store provides ample evidence of this fact. When applied to new homes, the belief that new means perfect can lead to very costly mistakes. Many home buyers feel that they do not need to employ a professional home inspector because municipal building inspectors regularly inspect new homes. Let me personally tell you that a municipal inspection is not enough. The purpose, scope, time allotment and ...
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My World Travels

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(Click map for larger view)   ARUBA - PHOTO ALBUM Baby Beach California Lighthouse California Dunes Colorado Point Guadirikiri Cave Manchebo Beach Natural Bridge - which is now destroyed Natural Pool Palm Beach San Nicolas Santa Cruz Yamonta Hill   AUSTRALIA Berrima Village and Wildlife - PHOTO ALBUM Koala Encounter - PHOTO ALBUM Sydney - PHOTO ALBUM   BAHAMAS PHOTO ALBUM - 2009 PHOTO ALBUM - 2019 Pig Beach - PHOTO ALBUM Swimming with the Sharks - PHOTO ALBUM Balmoral Island - PHOTO ALBUM Atlantis Compass Cay Exuma Nassau Paradise Island Staniel Cay   BELIZE - PHOTO ALBUM Belize City   BERMUDA PHOTO ALBUM - 2010 PHOTO ALBUM - 2018 Royal Navy Dockyard Church Bay St. George's Hamilton   BORA BORA - PHOTO ALBUM Aqua Safari Helmet Dive - PHOTO ALBUM   BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - PHOTO ALBUM Mostar   BRAZIL - Rio De Janeiro Boating in Brazil - PH...
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Optional Home Inspection Services

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  INFRARED (THERMAL) IMAGING This optional service is totally amazing. I basically utilize my infrared camera to detect hidden issues behind the finished surfaces of your building. If there are finished walls or ceilings in the living areas, basement or attic that are situated on the exterior shell of the structure, my IR camera can detect insulation voids or concealed issues that can be revealed without destroying or removing the wall/ceiling material. It’s simply an infrared imaging and measurement camera that can actually "see" and "measure" thermal energy emitted from an object. I can then map out and interpret these thermal readings which can reveal serious issues that cannot be seen by the naked eye or with any conventional or digital photography. Infrared Scanning - $150.00 an hour ($150.00 for a professional IR report )   DRUG TESTING Yes, you are reading this correctly. I can actually test your prospective home for drug residues with...
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KNOW YOUR HOME

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Many homeowners will always have questions regarding their new home, so I have dedicated this portion of my website to homeowners who simply want to "KNOW THEIR HOME". I also strive to keep all my home inspection clients fully informed on just about any concern that would typically arise during their home ownership. This comprehensive list of articles are also printed within my comprehensive Manual (Know Your Home), which every home inspection client will receive with their Home Inspection report. If you are unable to locate specific information pertaining to your home, please email me . I'll gladly research your concern and add the information to this web page. ALL OF MY TOPICS ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER AIR QUALITY ALUMINUM BRANCH WIRING ASBESTOS - WHAT IS IT ASBESTOS IN YOUR HOME ASBESTOS HAZARDS ASBESTOS - REMOVING IT ATTIC INSULATION UPGRADE ATTIC VENTILATION CARBON MONOXIDE CARING FOR YOUR HOM...
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LEAD PIPES AND LEAD PAINT

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Lead Paint New LEAD LAWS enacted on April 2nd, 2010 All building contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes built before 1978 must now be EPA certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination throughout your home. Before you hire any building contractor that will be distrurbing suspect lead paint, please have your home professionnally tested for lead paint. If your home  does have positive results of lead paint, your renovation contractor must be LEAD-SAFE Certified before touching anything in those areas that tested Positive. Simply look for the LEAD-SAFE CERTIFIED logo before you hire any renovation contractor ... LEAD - WHAT IS IT Lead has been mined, smelted, and compounded for thousands of years. Lead is a neurotoxin metallic element that was historically used in paints, gasoline and plumbing materials for many years. Lead was easy to work with for a variety of ...
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My Active Web Pages

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 Over the years that I've been in business, I have joined many social networking sites and designed many blogs for homeowners. Please check out these websites and let me know if you have any questions... ACTIVERAIN ACTIVERAIN BLOG BLOGGER DIY CHATROOM EREALESTATESOCIAL FACEBOOK Personal FACEBOOK Massachusetts Home Inspections FACEBOOK Massachusetts Infrared (Thermal) Imaging FACEBOOK Massachusetts Home Inspector HOME ENERGY PROS LINKED IN MERCHANT CIRCLE MYSPACE PLAXO THUMBTACK TRULIA TWITTER WORDPRESS WORDPRESS BLOG ZILLOW
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radiant heating, radiant piping

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radiant heating, radiant piping : "If you plan on renovating or remodeling on top of or in proximity of a radiant heating system, I highly recommend having your radiant piping completely examined and have all the buried pipes clearly marked out before you undertake any construction work. Without knowing where those radiant pipes are located, construction around a radiant area could become very expensive if one of those pipes all of the sudden becomes punctured. I’ve had many radiant heating inspections where I’ve detected irregular patterns in the embedded radiant lines with irregular spacing between the pipes themselves (See image below). These particular heating pipes were not properly secured in place while the initial contractors were pouring mortar over them. This caused them to be pushed out of position, permanently causing an oblique installation. It’s always nice to know exactly where those radiant pipes are laid out and if they are all spaced out in a perfectly straight s...
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Infrared (Thermal) Imaging Detects Missing/Defective Insulation

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It's that time of the year again. It's getting colder outside and Infrared imaging can now detect those insulation defects that the summer months didn't allow for a Delta T (difference in temperature). Most homeowners do not realize that a difference in temperature (cold on the exterior and warm on the interior or vise-versa in the Summer months with air conditioning) must be established in order for an IR camera to detect faults in their homes. It's now getting to the point where exterior temperatures are lowering and the heat is being turned up. That gives me the perfect setting to detect those insulation voids in your walls and ceilings. Check out the IR images I have captured in the past... This ceiling appears to be fine, but infrared detects missing insulation This wall appears fine, but my infrared camera detects settled insulation Thermal imaging detects cold air infiltrating the most outer portion of this wall Visually... you see an open window, but...
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