Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR:How to find a legitimate home inspector
QUESTION: I am a realtor in Ottawa and I have a hard time differentiating between many different credentials for home inspectors. If this issue is difficult for real-estate professionals, how can consumers figure out who is legitimate?
Paul Dalgleish, Ottawa
ANSWER: This question was posed to me during a recent trip to the nation's capital for some home inspection committee work I was involved with. I was surprised to find that several realtors that I talked to during the trip were not well-informed about the difference between legitimate credentials and worthless "certifications". I will be more than happy to enlighten you on this topic and suggest possible methods for your clients' education about what to look for when hiring a home inspector.
The first issue to address is why real-estate professionals like you are not well-educated in knowing the difference between qualified inspectors and pretenders in your area. Much of the blame for this falls squarely on the shoulders of local home inspectors, the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors (CAHPI), and your provincial CAHPI member, the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors (OAHI/CAHPI-ON).
These associations have not been successful in developing adequate educational programs for many individuals involved in the real-estate industry. That list includes lawyers, lenders, insurance brokers and realtors. While several organizations like the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) have developed informational materials available for the general public and others, little direct education has come from several of the provincial CAHPI associations.
As discussed in this column many times in the past, there currently exists almost no government regulation or licensing for home inspectors in most areas in Canada. The only province to enact licensing is British Columbia, which came into effect just this year! After many years of promotion and lobbying by CAHPI-BC, the government announced the details of licensing requirements this past winter. These new requirements will help me answer your question.
In B.C., any home inspector who wishes to obtain a licence to practise must have one of three credentials. They must be either a member of CAHPI-BC, accredited through the National Certification Program (NCP), or a member of BCIPI. The last group are inspectors who fall under the umbrella of the Professional Engineers of B.C., which may not have equivalent groups in many other provinces, so their credentials will not be relevant for this discussion.
The other two credentials, which are Registered Home Inspector (RHI) for CAHPI-ON and National Certificate Holder for the NCP, are very relevant in Ontario and all other provinces. One or both of these credentials, which hundreds of inspectors have achieved across the country, are the only true credentials outside of B.C. The RHI is achieved only after successful completion of comprehensive exams and education along with a minimum of 200 to 250 inspections done to CAHPI standards as well as other requirements.
National Certificate Holders must have performed a minimum of 150 inspections, have completed education at an accredited college or institution, and successfully completed a test inspection with peer review (TIPR). The TIPR is a unique test that simulates a typical home inspection performed in front of experienced examiners who are also National Certificate Holders.
The term 'certified' is bandied about like fly balls at the recent Major League Baseball home-run derby. It means nothing, as any fly-by-night inspection company, franchise or Internet marketing group can hand out "certifications". There is even an American-based online marketing group that hands out bogus "certifications" after completing a non-proctored, 30-minute exam where anyone can miraculously achieve the 80-per-cent pass rate. That and a few hundred dollars charged to your credit card will get you an instant certification. I'm not making this up.
Until more provincial governments see the need to get involved in the regulation and licensing of the home-inspection industry, care must be taken to ensure that your are recommending only skilled inspectors for your clients' protection. Most homebuyers have heard horror-stories about friends and family members who have been faced with major repairs bills after possession of homes inspected by unaccredited inspectors.
To sum up, and to answer your question very directly, homebuyers should only be asking about two credentials when booking home inspections. Hiring an RHI, a National Certificate Holder, or preferably an individual that is both, will ensure the highest quality of home inspection possible.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the President of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors - Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be e-mailed or sent to: Ask The Inspector, P. O. Box 69021, #110-2025 Corydon Ave., Winnipeg, MB. R3P 2G9. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
SOLUTIONS: Very bad hair day: Can't wash out tree pitch
QUESTION: I hope you can help me with a sticky problem. My hair got dripped on by a big old fir tree and now it is standing straight up at the back. The pitch just won't wash out with shampoo. I hesitate to try coal oil, which I think is an old remedy. It would probably be effective but burn my scalp in the process. Help, help!
-- Anne, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Mayonnaise is your best bet. Rub it into your hair, wait about 20 minutes and rinse. Not only will this help with the sticky mess but it will condition your hair at the same time.
QUESTION: I have a wooden curtain rod on which the wooden curtain rings stick and "shudder" when pulling the curtains open or closed (I've actually pulled the curtains off the end rings by the yanking they require). How can I best get these non-compliant rings to move smoothly over the curtain rod? Is WD-40 an option or will it become sticky over time?
Margaux, Benito
ANSWER: Rub a bit of furniture polish on clothing rods so that hangers slide easily. Candle or paraffin wax will have the same effect but are more difficult to apply. Although I don't think that WD-40 will become gummy, it will smell for a while, and you don't want that odour on your clothes.
QUESTION: I listened to you on the radio and recall you giving a tip on how to clean BBQ grease stains from a wooden deck. Can you send me an environmentally friendly way to do this?
Greg, (Selkirk)
ANSWER: In terms of grease stains on a deck, if the deck is not sealed the grease may be impossible to remove (unless the deck is sanded down and refinished). If the deck is sealed, your best bet is to clean the area with one of the following: TSP (trisodium phosphate), washing soda or a commercial deck cleaner (powder is more effective than liquid). Or on a sunny day, make a paste of baking soda and rubbing alcohol (test on an inconspicuous area). Apply to the grease stain. Cover with a black piece of sheet metal. Leave in direct sun for 90 minutes. Lift the metal and remove the dried paste; wash with vinegar and water. Wash again with detergent and water; rinse. If the stain remains, sand and re-stain. Taken from Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets.
QUESTION: In one of your books I came across the recipe for your 'Super Smelly Jelly' and was wondering if this would work well as an air freshener in my living room and bedroom? Currently, I purchase air fresheners and as you know, they are incredibly expensive and last only 30 days. I know things must stop smelling nice eventually but I have six mobile air fresheners in our place so it is an expense and I want to explore a better cost-effective solution that will provide the same results. What are your thoughts on this?
Barbara, Winnipeg
ANSWER: The 'Super Smelly Jelly' recipe is great for small areas such as bathrooms, lockers and cupboards. The most effective way to keep your air smelling fresh is to purchase an air purifier. Research Consumer Reports before making a selection. You may be happiest with an air purifier that does not have a filter but instead a carbonized screen. Setting out rose bowls filled with vinegar and floating candles is a tricky yet effective way of absorbing odours. As well, a bowl of unused charcoal briquettes also absorbs odours. Or use cat litter to absorb smells, put it in a decorative vase or a candleholder. One of my absolute favourite solutions is to find a small piece of corrugated cardboard (you can just rip it off of a box). Sprinkle the cardboard with your favourite essential oil, i.e. cinnamon or tea tree oil or lavender. Leave it in a room; it smells great and if you do choose cinnamon, people will think that you just baked!
You might also check out purchasing a diffuser that you can plug into the wall and add some really nice-smelling essential oils. Essential oils are very therapeutic and make great homemade spritzers. You can make up several different scents to keep on hand for different areas of your home. Just use one part oil to at least four parts water.
Fabulous Tips of the Week:
Devilled Egg Delight! Put cooked egg yolks in a sealed zip lock bag. Mash until smooth. Cut off the corner tip of the bag and squeeze mixture into cut egg white halves. Discard bag when finished.
If you can't eat grapes fast enough after purchasing them, freeze them. First wash and air-dry (not you, the grapes); lay them neatly on a cookie sheet (not touching each other). Place the tray in the freezer. When the grapes are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container. Store in the freezer and just take out what you need. Eat them as is or add them to things such as yogurt, smoothies and ice cream.
I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming!
Reena Nerbas is the author of the national bestsellers, Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions, Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets and the BRAND-NEW Household Solutions 3 with Green Alternatives available online and in stores across Canada.
Check out my website! www.householdsolutions.org
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR: Moisture problems in fibreglass insulation?
QUESTION: About 10 years ago, a sunroom was attached to the back of my house, with access from the back door. The floor level of the room is about 12 inches from ground level. The floor was insulated with yellow fibreglass batts. The walls and ceiling have been finished and now we want to install vinyl flooring to make it complete. Before we install flooring, I was wondering if we should be changing the insulation to something rigid or if the fibreglass is fine. My concern is with the fibreglass getting wet and causing problems in years to come. If we need to change the insulation, how would we go about doing it, as we can't work from underneath?
Thanks,
Diane Nichol, email
ANSWER: Fibreglass batt insulation will not rot or deteriorate when it gets damp, as it can hold a considerable amount of moisture, due to the large amount of airspace between the strands. But if the batts remain wet for long periods of time, it can accelerate rot of the floor joists.
The first thing to consider is whether the sunroom is to be heated or not. If you don't plan to use the room in the winter, the insulation under the floor should provide little concern, or benefit. If the building is not heated and the underside of the floor joists is open to the air year-round, there should be little chance of the insulation becoming wet from condensation.
There is some possibility it will get wet from contact with melting snow that blows under the area in the winter, but that should easily be controlled. Removing excess snow around the sunroom in the early spring or putting up temporary skirting to prevent blowing snow may eliminate that issue. Be sure to remove the skirting after the snow melt to allow the damp soil under the area to dry. In that case, leaving the batts where they are should not create a problem, except to provide a possible haven for mice or insects.
If the sunroom is to be used in the colder months and heaters are installed to make it habitable, then heating the room above the crawlspace may cause the flooring to become considerably warmer than the outside air. Insulating this floor with fibreglass batts will not prevent warm-air loss to the underside of the sheathing, but will slow it down, unless a really well-sealed air/vapour barrier was installed. This warm air may condense inside the insulation, as it cools, creating a moisture and frost problem when the weather warms.
This may or not be a big issue, depending on the amount of heating and the air leakage in the rest of the addition, but could cause premature rot in the floor joists and sheathing, if they are not pressure-treated. If this matches your usage, replacement with foam insulation may be warranted.
Another item to address is the need for floor insulation, in the first place. Whether you heat the addition or not, insulation in between the floor joists will do little to make the room more comfortable and will not prevent much heat loss. Because of the fact that warm air rises, even a well-insulated floor may be uncomfortably cold in a situation like yours. This cannot be solved simply by adding or changing the floor insulation.
The solution to this is to remove the insulation from the underside of the floor and replace it with well-insulated skirting around the perimeter of the crawlspace. After that is done and a good air/vapour barrier is installed over the insulation and soil at the bottom of the crawlspace, adding heat to the crawlspace will complete the job. In that situation, heating the crawlspace will warm the underside of the floor sheathing and the insulated skirt will prevent cold-air infiltration, which would make the floor feel even colder in your current configuration.
It may indeed be difficult to complete any work under the floor due to the limited space available. Because you have not installed floor covering in this area, it may be possible to pull up some sections of floor sheathing to allow access to the crawlspace and the dirt floor below. This will be easier if the sheathing was screwed down, as the screws may be backed out using a power drill or drywall gun. Once the underside is exposed, much of the insulation and air-sealing work could be completed after the perimeter skirting is installed from the exterior.
I would suggest leaving the floor alone unless you plan to heat the building for cold weather use. In that case, a complete renovation of the underside, including insulated skirting and heat, will be the way to go.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors -- Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed or sent to: Ask The Inspector, P.O. Box 69021, #110-2025 Corydon Ave., Winnipeg, MB. R3P 2G9. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Are you involved in a thermo-spat? Here's how to chill out
"Don't open that window! I'm cold."
"If you're cold, put on a sweater. It's warm and stuffy in here. I need some air."
Sound familiar?
Nearly half of all Canadians report domestic discontent over the temperatures in their homes, according to a recent Angus Reid survey conducted for Direct Energy. And, is it a coincidence, the company asks with a little levity, that the divorce rate in Canada is 44 per cent?
The conflicts may be rooted in the fact that 63 per cent of male respondents reported that they were in charge of the thermostat in their home, while 67 per cent of women reported the same finding.
Talk about potential for a cold war.
Thermo-spats, as the Direct Energy survey calls them, can be avoided in a few ways.
One way, suggests Dave Walton, director of home ideas, is to sit the entire family down to discuss the cost of heating and cooling, and to come to an agreement on a constant temperature everyone can live with.
So much the better if you can agree on ways to make your energy consumption habits more energy efficient, something 86 per cent of respondents said they were motivated to do to save money.
Some of Walton tricks are pretty simple.
"If they do little things, like caulking around windows, homeowners, over the course of the year, can save 20 to 30 per cent," Walton says.
Walton is also a big proponent of getting an energy audit, something for which homeowners can get a portion rebated from the government.
"And, you'll recoup your outlay when you make the changes suggested," he says. There are further rebates for some of the work that will be suggested. He says you should consider getting an energy-efficient air conditioning unit -- more rebates available -- as well as having your central air conditioner checked.
"Equally important, from a maintenance perspective, are the little things like keeping curtains and toys from blocking the registers and using blinds to keep the heat out," he says.
Direct Energy also advocates ceiling fans, which are a good way of keeping a particular room cool, and programmable thermostats. With the latter, you can program your unit to be off when everyone's at school and work, and have it come on as you're driving home.
Walton also suggests turning the air conditioning off, or temperature up, at night. Even a five-degree difference can save 10 per cent on the energy bill.
For more information visit www.directenergy.com.
-- Canwest News Service