In humid and damp climates a dehumidifier can pull as much as 50 pints of water from the air each day, depending on the size of the system. Keep your dehumidifier’s reservoir clean and dry; don’t let water spill over or stagnate when not in use. A dirty or...
Dealing with Mold After a Flood
Protect Yourself from Mold After natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, excess moisture and standing water contribute to the growth of mold in homes and other buildings. When returning to a home that has been flooded, be aware that mold may be present and may be a...
Pre-sale Home Inspections, Agents
Agents are unaware of the marketing power of having their listings pre-inspected. If I were an agent, I would require all my listings to have a seller’s home inspection. That way, other agents with buyers would know ahead of time that my listings are not going to have surprises...
Why a Home Energy Tune Up?
To reduce utility bills, the first step is to find out where you are wasting energy. In order to most-effectively reduce your utility bills you need a residential energy inspection—which should be done by a Certified Energy Inspector who has no financial interest in the improvements recommended. BK Home...
12 Easy Ways to Keep Your Basement Dry
You can avoid or solve most basement seepage problems by following these simple corrective steps, which are listed in order of priority. Keep gutters and downspouts clean and direct them away from the basement. Downspouts must be routed to a storm sewer or at least 6 feet away from...
Bob’s Top Picks
As a Certified Master Home Inspector, I am often asked by homeowners to refer them to other trusted professionals. Of course I do recommend before having any work done or contracting with any professional a homeowner should get at least 3 quotes, but here are a list of people...
Fireplace Facts
Purchasing a home with a fireplace or stove or adding one on to your existing home can provide tremendous benefit in heat efficiency as well as contribute to your home’s resale value. In fact, one of the top investments you can do to your home remodeling job is to...
Refrigerator Gasket
Replace your refrigerator gasket on your own. A cracked or worn refrigerator gasket wastes energy and it costs you a lot of money. But, replacing it is easy. Just follow these simple steps to replace yours. Write down your model number and purchase a new gasket at your local...
Radon
The EPA and organizations nationwide dedicate January as National Radon Action Month to encourage the public to test their homes for radon and get radon problems fixed. Did you know? Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for non smokers. Nearly 1 in 15 homes in the U.S....
Dryer Connection
As a Certified Master Inspector I get lots of questions from my clients. Here’s an example of a question I got just recently about dryers. Q. Bob, you did an inspection for me in Racine a month or so ago. I have question I hope you can help me...
