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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:37 am 
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Note from client - Oct. 2013

Dan Drmanic wrote:
Andy just left our house after our one year inspection. He is phenomenal!

He checked everything, ensuring that our investment is protected for today and the foreseeable future.

He is thorough and explains everything so that the homeowner is aware of their responsibilities too.

Thanks Andy for all of your help, your services are well worth it. Drop by anytime :)

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For Home Inspection services call Andy Shaw at Halton Home Inspection Service. 905 876 4761


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 11:43 am 
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No COLD feet here.

Some builders install in-floor heating systems in bathrooms because bathrooms often have factors that contribute to make the whole room feel cold. These factors include ceramic floors that feel cool and building codes that allow for poorly located heat registers that may not always be below windows or even along exterior walls where they are needed. Installing in-floor heating systems in these rooms can not only make your feet feel warm and toasty, they also radiate heat into the whole room.

There is only one easy way to confirm that in-floor heating systems works and that it is installed where it should be, and that is with a quality infra red camera.

At Halton Home Inspection Service we always use Infra Red during inspections to help us evaluate homes. We don't feel it's appropriate to charge extra for this service as an option like some companies do.

Below - is a corner bathroom with in-floor heat that is working well and is installed in the appropriate areas on the bathroom floor.

ImageImage

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Last edited by Halton Home Inspector on Wed May 28, 2014 11:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 31, 2013 10:26 am 
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Get out the quilt.

The photos below are of a "tray" ceiling of a master bedroom in a one year old luxury home. Around the perimeter of "the tray" the ceiling is sloped. Because the ceiling is sloped the loose fill insulation in the attic will not stay in place. Code requires other materials be used to insulate areas like this. The dark area in the Infra Red photo shows that there is no insulation in the attic on the sloped area of this tray ceiling. These photos were taken on a cool early winter day. In the coldest part of winter the ceiling in this room will be close to freezing.

So what's the problem.....

Well,,, there are 3 problems.

1 - In the summer, temperatures rise dramatically in the attic and this ceiling area will become a very hot. No amount of air conditioning will cool this bedroom.

2 - In the winter this bedroom may also feel chilly but more serious, is that over time mould will grow on the ceiling at the cold areas. Just as condensation forms on the surface of a cold glass of water, it's also normal for warm air from the home to "condense" on this cold ceiling and while it's unlikely the water will drip, mould will inevitably form on the ceilings surface.

3 - Things like this can bite you at resale if discovered during a pre purchase inspection by a competent home inspector that uses Infra Red. There is no doubt in my mind that a buyer of this home will want this repaired by the owner or at least be compensated with a reduction on the price of this home. This reduction in price will far exceed the cost of this customers One Year New Home Warranty inspection.

ImageImage

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For Home Inspection services call Andy Shaw at Halton Home Inspection Service. 905 876 4761


Last edited by Halton Home Inspector on Wed May 28, 2014 11:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:12 am 
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Things looking up for mould removal businesses.

I have been seeing this allot lately in homes built by Mattamy during one year warranty inspections. The bathroom fan exhaust ducts are leaking warm moist air into the attics because they are not sealed properly. It appears that the "collar" that helps provide a good connection between the exterior roof vent and the duct is missing at many of these homes. Shame that a missing part that may only cost $12 can create a situation where an attic can fill with moisture that WILL lead to mould in the short term and rot and structural damage in the long term.

In the photo below - where the duct joins the underside of the roof, the wood sheathing is soaking wet and frost has built up on the wood sheathing. Over the winter, this will melt, frost over, melt, frost over, etc. etc. creating an ongoing chronic condition with moisture in the attic.


Image


It does not matter how good the products and materials are that are used in new home construction if builders decide to not use those products or not use them consistently. Below is a photo of the roof exhaust vents with the collar and a photo of the collar on it's own. The collar dramatically improves the duct connection to the roof vent. Instead, in some homes, Mattamy has not used the collar and instead does their best to "jerry-rig" the duct connection to the wood below the roof exhaust vent.

Either way, by definition - exhaust air must vent to the outside, and this is not always being done.


Image
Image

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Last edited by Halton Home Inspector on Wed May 28, 2014 11:45 am, edited 4 times in total.

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PostPosted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 7:44 pm 
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UPDATE TO PREVIOUS POST.

:arrow: For me it is very irritating when people pay me hard earned money to do a proper and accurate new home warranty inspection where legitimate deficiencies and code violations are found, only to have the builder try to get out of doing the required repairs. I would imagine that this also damages the trust of the builder in the eyes of the new home owner. In Ontario, THE LAW requires that builders repair deficiencies and code violations when brought to their attention yet there are no fines or penalties when builders try to not do required repairs. This may explain why some builders, sometimes, try to get out of doing what they technically are required to do.

In this case the Mattamy warranty team tried to convince the owner of the home that the ducts obstructing the required height clearance above the stair landing area were not a problem and that they did not have to relocate the ducts. Sadly, Mattamy also tried to convince the owner that other issues were not covered. Significant effort needed to be made to have this builder do the right thing. The attempt to get out of doing the required repairs included sending the home owner irrelevant codes and verbal statements claiming the repairs were not required.

Obviously discouraged, the owner of this home contacted me for help and clarification regarding the issues and I assured her that the issues were legitimate. On her behalf I emailed Mattamy, the Town of Milton, and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in an attempt to get these things properly repaired. Once that was done, Mattamy promptly made the required repairs.

I received this email and letter today.


Quote:
Hi Andy,

Attached is a letter of reference. I was delighted to write it because you have been such a huge help; I honestly don't know what we would've done without you. I really can't recommend you highly enough!

Lindsay B.


Quote:
We hired Andy to inspect our brand new home in anticipation of submitting our one year warranty form and we could not be happier with the job he did and service he provided. Andy spent the greater portion of a day inspecting our house and patiently walking me through each of the issues he discovered, why they should concern me, which codes they may be in violation of and recommendations on how they should be fixed. He documented many of our home’s deficiencies with photographs and provided an extensively thorough explanation on each of them.

What really sets Andy apart is how much he cares about his clients. He doesn’t just inspect the home and leave it at that. Andy followed up to find out how the builder had received our one year form and what, if anything, they were doing to resolve the issues we put forth. When he found out that the builder was refusing the fix some of the larger problems, and the reasons behind their refusal, he took it upon himself to not only reach out to the builder, but involved the Town as well to ensure that the issues would be resolved. Because of this, the builder came back and repaired what they had formally neglected to do in the first place. If Andy had not crusaded on our behalf, this certainly wouldn’t have happened.

I cannot recommend Andy highly enough; not only for his thoroughness, but for the way in which he goes above and beyond for his clients.

Lindsay B.

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Last edited by Halton Home Inspector on Fri Oct 31, 2014 11:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 5:44 am 
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Email sent March 23 2014

Quote:
Andy was great in conducting his inspection ( of our new home ) in a timely manner. He's well educated and took the time to explain the building code for deviations I never thought existed. He inspected the whole house inside and out, and took the time to explain how to maintain certain parts of it. I highly recommend using his services and I guarantee you will be greatly satisfied."

Thanks again,


Eaman and Mohammed

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PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 6:26 pm 
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Image

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Good thing, "the Good" is actually a bad thing. Find out why. Read on,,,


1st - The Ugly - the photo below is a good sized pile of bird poop on the "Intake" duct for a Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) system. HRV's are supposed to bring "fresh" air into a home, so having the air vent into a home past a pile of bird poop can't be a good thing. In fact, having this bird poop in an HRV Intake, by definition, represents a bio-hazard. :shock:

Image

2nd - The Bad ( part 1 ) - the HRV manufacturer requires that laundry dryer exhaust vents be installed a minimum 6 feet away from HRV Intakes. In this case, the "Dual HRV tandem vent" is at the left of the dryer vent but it is much too close to the dryer vent. The odd looking HRV "dual" venting system is 2 vents in 1. When installed properly as required by the manufacturer, it's "intake vent" is at the bottom and the "exhaust" vents out the top.

Image


3rd - The Bad ( part 2 )- In the photo below, it's pretty obvious that the required "screen" at the HRV Intake is missing which would explain how a bird has been getting into the duct. No nest has been found in there, just a neatly placed pile of poop. It looks like a bird found this convenient hide-out and would scurry in when a hawk or falcon flew by. Hard to tell, but mice and other vermin can easily climb brick walls so hopefully no other vermin has scurried in.

Image

4th - The Good news is the result of another HVAC installer mistake but it is good that it happened. At the HRV unit inside the home the "Exhaust Air from Home" and "Fresh Air to Home" ducts from the exterior "dual vent" were reversed at the unit. This HVAC Installer mistake is great news because the bird poop air was not being sucked into the home because the HRV was blowing air out that duct.

In summary - I know this is all complicated for some, but the good news for my client is that these problems and others that were identified during his one year warranty inspection will saving him grief at resale and will ensure that his equipment will finally be installed properly. Shame though, that the very obvious and required missing screen was not noticed by any Mattamy worker, PDI Rep, or supervisor before these problems developed, but then again, I am not surprised.

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Last edited by Halton Home Inspector on Wed May 28, 2014 6:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Thu Apr 17, 2014 12:39 pm 
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Overlooked for years - Stair handrails violate Ontario Building Code.

Unfortunately for this Georgetown builder of a large group of new 3 story townhomes, the posts in the middle of the stair rails violate Ontario's building Code. However, apparently many municipalities are asleep at the switch and not calling out these illegal rails. Because of this, these illegal rails have proliferated.

Here is the problem that I needed to list as a warranty issue -
Code Rule 9.8.7.5. Ergonomic Design of Handrails - sentence (2) - requires that - All handrails shall be constructed so as to be continually graspable along their entire length with no obstruction on or above them to break a handhold.

As a result, the handrails with the post in the middle of the rails, creates a situation where people need to "break their handhold". In the other photo, the handrails are all fine.

Below - Incorrect rails "break handhold" while going down the steps.

Image

Below - Correct new handrails.

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UPDATE - As a result of my clients warranty inspection the town of Georgetown also got involved. The stair handrails were replaced with proper rails at my clients home as well as at the other homes in that development.

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Last edited by Halton Home Inspector on Thu Jan 25, 2018 8:43 am, edited 3 times in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 10:07 am 
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:idea: PLEASE - Feel free to just phone me !!!!

Often I get emails or messages via this forum and the question(s) are -

:?: Hi, How much is an inspection for my new home? Should I get a 30 Day Inspection, a One Year, or both ? What do you look at during the inspection ? Do you leave us a report when you are finished ? Thanks, look forward to your answer.

Wow, That would require a very long answer that could take an hour or more to properly respond to BUT,,,,,,

:idea: :idea: I have a solution - and that is to PHONE ME or at least provide your phone number with your inquiry. This way I can provide you better information and more information in less time.

:arrow: Call me anytime at 905 876 4761

Andy

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For Home Inspection services call Andy Shaw at Halton Home Inspection Service. 905 876 4761


Last edited by Halton Home Inspector on Tue Oct 07, 2014 2:05 pm, edited 8 times in total.

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PostPosted: Thu May 22, 2014 3:20 pm 
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Electrical problems are common in new home construction.

Gone are the days when "Inspectors" lurked in every corner during the construction process identifying problems as they arise, and that's why code violations of every sort are found during new home warranty inspections.

Unfortunately many municipalities rely on builders to supervise their own work but often with some builders, supervisors are few and far between and many it appears are unqualified or not motivated to identify problems that are often right in front of them.

Take for example the laundry tub installed in front of the main electrical panel. While not easy to see in the photo, this tub clearly violates code clearance requirements in front of the panel. The panel itself was passed by ESA but that was obviously done prior to a plumber installing the laundry tub where it is not allowed. So, while this should have been caught by a supervisor of this builder but it was not. Unfortunately most PDI Reps will not have the knowledge to know this is a problem either.

Now that it has been reported on the One Year Warranty Report the builder will need to relocate the laundry tub and all the plumbing to and from the tub.

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Last edited by Halton Home Inspector on Thu Jan 25, 2018 9:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 6:28 am 
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Hot Topic !!

All furnaces, more or less look the same. It's the input and output that counts. But more important, it's the inspection that counts.


WRX04 wrote:
I want to thank Andy again for his thorough inspection which revealed that the furnace installed in our home is insufficient for the size of our home (BTU wise)... After Andy's follow up with Mattamy, they looked into it and agreed with his findings and we are getting the furnace replaced with a “BTU suitable” one... :D

It was a great news to hear this morning as it could have cost us big $$ in the future… Such an amazing result for an amazing inspection done by Andy. :D

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Last edited by Halton Home Inspector on Mon Sep 01, 2014 1:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 1:33 pm 
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Quote:
Thanks ( for the inspection report ) Andy ..... we truly appreciated your thoroughness and professionalism ... and would not hesitate to recommend you .... as we have opportunity to do so.

Thank you .... Kurt


Oh the irony, and what's the moral of the story,,,,

,,,,,,,,, as I was hired to inspect a 3 year old home that was owned by one of the builders warranty managers.

My inspection revealed a number of warranty issues that are now beyond coverage by Tarion - including insulation issues, roofing deficiencies, venting issues, and some electrical code violations, plus a number of other difficult issues that the new home buyer will need to eventually resolve. I'm quite positive that my inspection saved my client at least a few thousand dollars on the purchase price on the home.

:idea: Well, I guess that builders warranty manager should have hired me to do a new home warranty inspection instead of losing much more money at resale. Then he could have presented the house as it should be - a new built home with no problems.

But then again, this happens all the time. People go to sell their newer home only to be presented with a number of requests from the buyers to either fix or pay for issues that the builder should have done in the first place.

The moral of the story is that my warranty inspections often save money for clients when they sell their homes and they do not need to worry that things may come up during the home inspection process that also often lower the selling price of the home.

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For Home Inspection services call Andy Shaw at Halton Home Inspection Service. 905 876 4761


Last edited by Halton Home Inspector on Thu Dec 31, 2015 11:39 am, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:08 pm 
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WHITE EXHAUST VENTS above the garage door are WRONG, WRONG, and WRONG !!!!

Homes are more then just structure, siding materials, counter tops and cabinets.

They also breath through ducts, have exhaust vents and have heating, AC and HRV ventilation systems.

New home buyers are often not equipped with the knowledge required to know if the home is breathing and venting the way it should. After all, there are clearance requirements, manufacturers requirements, code standards, and workmanship issues that all need to be evaluated.

Take for example the 3 white vents above the driveway of this three story townhome. Most people would assume that they function and do the job that they are supposed but,,, NOT ONE of these vents are performing properly or as intended. The result is a HRV ventilation system that is useless, an unsafe dryer exhaust, and all three are so poorly installed that none of them work properly. The good news for my client is that he will have all these things fixed. The bad news is that many people will not even know their home functional "systems" do not work properly. Calling me, Andy Shaw, to evaluate your new home is the best investment you may ever make.

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Last edited by Halton Home Inspector on Thu Jan 25, 2018 8:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 3:23 pm 
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Fred D wrote:

Andy is the man. Fair and honest, and has probably done more New Home PDIs, 30 day, and 1 yr inspections than any other inspector I know.

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 27, 2014 6:09 pm 
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San & Jov wrote:
We just had Andy do our 30-day inspection last week and needless to say, we were very satisfied with the service and advice he provided. We are first-time homebuyers so we really appreciated the fact that Andy took his time in explaining and showing us how to maintain various parts of our new home. Although none of the issues were major (besides a malfunctioning HRV), he pointed out several items which would have gone unnoticed if he hadn’t done the inspection.

Andy was punctual, friendly, and above all very informative. I would definitely recommend him to anyone I know!

Thanks Andy!

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For Home Inspection services call Andy Shaw at Halton Home Inspection Service. 905 876 4761


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