​Who doesn’t love summer time, relaxing by the pool.  Children in particular are happy to spend hours swimming and playing in the pool.  However, if you have a swimming pool in your backyard, how can you ensure the safety of any children who will be using it?  
 
Too many small children perish each year from drowning.  Those at greatest risk are children under 5yrs of age.  Why? Because a child can drown so quickly, in any body of water and usually silently.  This means a child could have drowned before anyone realizes they are even missing.  So, what are some safety measures that must be taken to protect children?
 
Pool barriers are an important safety factor if you have a swimming pool on your property.  Whether it’s some kind of fence or wall, a pool barrier must meet specific guidelines provided for pool barriers.  They must be of adequate height to prevent a child from climbing over.  If the barrier is a fence, there should be the correct amount of spacing so as to prevent a small child from squeezing through and it should not be possible for a child to be able to get under it.
 
Even in the case of above ground pools, hot tubs and spas, there must be some safety measure in place to prevent a child accessing the water when no one is around.
 
If the walls of the home act as the pool barrier, make sure any doors that have direct access to the pool are fitted with an alarm that will sound when the doors are opened.  It is best for the alarm sound to be distinguishable from any other sound heard in the house and loud enough to be heard throughout the home.  In this way it will be easy to detect when someone has opened the doors.
 
We know you’ll agree that nothing is more important than a child’s safety and by following the regulations for pool barriers you will help protect your precious family members.

​Do you need to have some work done on your home?  Perhaps you are looking to hire someone for the job but are worried about whether or not they will be honest.  How can you find a trades person that is trustworthy?  Here are a few tips on what to look for in an honest worker:
 
While you may need to pay a small deposit for the work up front, you should not be asked to pay for the whole job or even a large deposit before the work has even started.
 
The job should be the same price whether you live in a wealthy neighborhood or a not so wealthy neighborhood.  Sometimes people living in wealthier areas are quoted a higher price than others.  If you are calling around for quotes, try to avoid giving out your address before you get the price.
 
Be wary of being charged for “unforeseen extras” with a job.  The best thing to do is to get a fixed price ahead of time for the whole job and have it all written down in a contract.
 
An honest tradesperson will not mind producing their credentials.  You want to make sure the person is qualified and insured for the job you are hiring them to do.
 
Scam artists like to prey on those most vulnerable, such as elderly ones.  Be careful of tradespeople who are too pushy and try to convince you to have the work done there and then.  Ask them for their address and ask for details about their previous jobs and the locations of these.  If the person is honest, they will have no problem giving the information you require and will not try to get you to make a decision about the job straight away.
 
You can find good, honest workers out there and by following some of these suggestions, you can avoid those who are not so honest.

​It’s a wonderful feeling to move into your brand-new home and be the first people to live there.  You also have the added benefit that most builders provide with their new construction, and that’s a 1-year warranty that will cover you for any issues that may come up.  What happens, though, if there is a problem with the house that you are not aware of and may not be until after the warranty expires?
 
An 11-month home inspection is an ideal way to find out any problems with the home before the warranty expires.  The highlighted video will help you to see the benefits of getting this type of inspection performed.  You may save a lot of money in the long run.
 
We are here to help you with all your home inspection needs so please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. 
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​Perhaps you have seen properties on the market for sale “as is” and wondered if it is a good idea to purchase a home in this way.  Let’s look at some of the ways you can be successful when purchasing a property like this.
 
Very often a seller will want to sell a property this way so as to avoid being liable for any potential defects or because they don’t want the expense of fixing it up to sell.  If the price is right for you, this could be a great investment but there are some things you should do before you hand over your hard-earned cash.
 
Hire a home inspector to take a look at the property.  Although it comes “as is” its good to know exactly what your letting yourself in for and, while you will be able to see the obvious problems, you will need a more thorough inspection to see those hidden issues.
 
But what about those States that require a seller to give you a written disclosure which shows the condition of the home?  Surely its not necessary to have the home inspected as well is it?  Very often, a seller will omit important information regarding the condition of the property so, even if you receive a written disclosure, it might not be all you need.  A home inspector will find out if anything has been left out of the disclosure.  If you find this to be the case, you might want to walk away from the deal.
 
Yes, buying a property “as is” can be a great option but, be cautious, have a home inspection performed first.  Although it may seem like a needless expense, it could end up saving you thousands.

​Due to the below grade positioning of basements, they are the most likely place to experience damp and flooding in the home.  As we know all too well, this can lead to a variety of issues such as poor air quality and mold problems, even rotting of the foundations.  Although there are many reasons why a basement could be damp (some of which are harder to treat) what are some ways we can prevent water from entering a basement? 
 
Pooling water around the homes foundation is a major reason that basements become damp.  This pooling is often caused by leaking gutters and downspouts.  Check that they are properly installed and that gutters are cleaned out regularly.  It’s important that water is diverted away from the foundation, so downspouts need to be positioned to drain away from the house in order to prevent pooling, 10 feet away is best.
 
Another reason for water to pool around the foundation is if there is an uneven or inadequate grade (or slope).  To fix this problem, you may need to even out some of the uneven areas.
 
If your home is situated at the base of a hill or incline, water may need to be diverted away from the house.  One way of doing this is with small ditches known as swales.  These swales ideally need to be about 10 to 15 feet away from the house in order to prevent water runoff from getting to the houses foundation
 
While there are many options for treating water damage in a basement, doing whatever we can to prevent it is the best kind of treatment.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions or if you would like to schedule an inspection of your basement.

​Most of the time we don’t even think twice about the doors in our home.  While much care and attention are taken when installing and inspecting an exterior door, there is not as much notice taken to the interior doors.  This is probably because interior doors are usually not considered as serving much of a purpose other than privacy. 

But, what is some red flags we can look at with regard to interior doors, that could lead to a valid concern in a house? Well to start off, you should look, not at the doors of the house but the foundation.  If there has been movement in the house or the floor are uneven this usually means that the door frames will not be square or even, which means the doors will have a challenging time closing or opening.

 It is also important to take notice of the quality of the doors and the installation.  If installed improperly, it could affect the energy costs and the sound containment.  Other aspects that will be affected without proper installation would be the shape of the door, it could be warped, or the hardware is not functioning properly. 

Another concern to be aware of is to ensure that all areas of the door are properly finished.  If one of the edges is not painted or varnished (which happens often with the top of the door) this would affect the moisture intake and could warp the door over time. Another factor that raises a red flag with interior doors are the safety issues that could arise.  Especially if you have kids, it would be a good idea to have pinch protection hardware installed on some of the doors in order to prevent accidents.  It is also important to ensure that all doors can be easily opened and walked through, in case of an emergency.

​These are some red flags that are often overlooked with interior doors.

​Do you currently have your home on the market?  Perhaps you are about to sell it.  When selling your home, you have to be prepared for a lot of work, and sometimes inconvenience.  What happens then, when you have a potential buyer for your home?  They will, no doubt, be arranging to have a home buyer’s inspection performed on your property.  How can you make sure you are thoroughly prepared for this?
 
Please enjoy the following short video which will guide you through the steps you need to take to prepare for the home buyers inspection.  Remember that the easier it is for the home inspector, the easy it will be for you.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

We are fast approaching the end of the year and doubtless you have thought of which home improvements will need doing next year.  If you have well water, have you thought about getting it tested?  This may be something often overlooked, but the reality is, it is a vital step to the health and well being of you and your household.


Please watch this brief video that highlights the reasons why it is crucial that you have your well water tested.  It also lets you know how often this should be done.


We want you all to stay safe in your homes, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Those of us who have moved house are all too aware that it is one of the most stressful things to go through. There seems to be an unlimited amount of things we need to do. Even when we think we have planned everything well, on the day of the move we often end up putting everything we can into random boxes or even throwing a lot of things in the garbage. In a stressful environment like this, being aware of the effect we're having on the environment isn't always our top priority. How can we prepare to move and at the same time be conscious of the impact we're possibly having on the environment?


Sorting out our things long before we relocate is a key step to successful moving. Even if you are not planning to move in the foreseeable future, you may find that by putting some of these steps into practice, your life can feel a lot more organized.


Its an obvious statement but, the less we have, the less we will have to move when the time comes. Think about whether you really need an item and where to put it before you buy it. Take time to occasionally go through the things you no longer use. This is the best time to think about what to do with them because you have time to think carefully about it. On a stressful moving day, items like that, could just end up in a box that you wont unpack for months, or they could just end up in the trash.


A great way to be environmentally conscious is to recycle. Try to recycle all your unwanted items. Sorting thing out that you no longer use and put into piles, some for recycling and some for a yard sale. If you can do this far in advance of a move, you will reduce the stress later on.


There are so many environmental hazards in our homes and garages. On moving day it may seem like the easiest thing to throw them in the garbage to save time. Again, take time beforehand to dispose of possible hazards in a responsible manner, for example light bulbs, unwanted electronics, chemicals, paint cans, batteries etc should all be disposed of properly. There are a lot of locations nowadays where you can take these types of unwanted items. You can call your local environmental agency who can tell you the appropriate way to dispose of them.


So, while moving can be a terribly stressful experience, simplifying in advance will help you to alleviate some of the stress, and at the same time protect the environment.

A home gym is a perfect way to keep fit, from the privacy of your own home. What can you learn about the risks and dangers associated with exercise equipment?

Did you know that injuries from exercise equipment are responsible for thousands of injuries in children each year? And about 8,700 of those injured children are under the age of 5. It might also surprise you to learn that many of these injuries are actually friction burns. Adults are not immune either to injuries from this type of equipment. What are some things you can do to reduce these risks of injury?

Treadmills come with a safety key. This is designed to be clipped to the person while using it. In this way the treadmill will automatically switch off if there is a problem. Make sure to always keep this clipped to you while using it. Don't leave it hanging or wrapped around something else. Keep it well out of the way of children.

Make sure any weights that are used are stored in a safe and stable area. Barbells can be especially dangerous.

Get to know your treadmills features before stepping on it. Make sure that acceleration and deceleration is done gradually to prevent injury.

If you are deep into a exercise session and have music or the television blasting, it could become very difficult to know if your child has wondered in the room. Position equipment so that you are able to observe clearly your surroundings.

If you are able, keep the room you use for a gym locked, in order to prevent children getting in. Always make sure your gym equipment is in the correct storage position, and locked in place. One practice that could be life saving to a child is to unplug all equipment so that a child doesn't accidentally switch it on.