Long Island Foundation Inspection

 Solid City Home Inspections Explains the Importance of a Foundation Inspection

When it comes to a sound foundation, there is no substitute for a professional home inspection.

Foundation Inspection

A home’s foundation is the most major structural component of a house—it supports the entire weight of the structure. Without going into heady engineering jargon, the construction of a house involves forces, sometimes opposing. Most concrete foundations and basements will eventually exhibit signs of wear and tear—illustrating these forces at work.

Foundation Cracks

Interestingly enough, there are benign foundation cracks and serious cracks. An experienced home inspector will be a walking encyclopedia of foundation cracks and be able to offer various diagnoses depending on the type. While an inspector is not a structural engineer, he might be suspicious enough to engage the expertise of an engineering consultant who will further diagnose and make recommendations.

For homebuyers, the foundation aspect of the home inspection should be taken very seriously. Foundation repairs often run many thousands of dollars and may involve heavy equipment and engineering consultants.

Wet Basements

In most instances, home sellers are required to disclose a “wet” basement. What is “damp” to one person may be downright soaking wet to another. How much water a basement takes on can affect your basic quality of life. Many basements provide extended living space for additional bathrooms, laundry facilities, and even workshops. Unfortunately water is the nemesis of electricity, meaning a water-logged basement can render this additional living space unusable.

Basement Mold and Mildew

And where there is water and moisture, you can bet there is mold and mildew. Mold and mildew not only break down foundation materials—they are a fungus—but they also pose varying degrees of health risks. Mold spores enter the indoor air that you breathe. Solid City Home Inspectors are trained in mold inspections. They provide detailed, experienced examination of a home’s foundation and basement.

Contact us today for more information 516-350-9200 or visit http://www.MyLongIslandHomeInspection.com

Long Island Roof Inspection

Solid City ROOF INSPECTION

Several situations precipitate the need for a roof inspection by a professionally licensed New York State Home Inspection Company. All too often, performance of the roof is taken for granted and forgotten about until it starts to fail. But if you are not evaluating your roof at least once a year, you risk prematurely devaluing one of your biggest assets. Ask us to perform a roof evaluation if you:

• Suspect or confirm leaks
• Need hard numbers to plan for future roof repairs or replacement
• Want a third party opinion of roof condition
• Need to keep in compliance with an existing warranty
• Want to start a preventative maintenance program

Roof inspections should only be carried out by a licensed professional equipped with a thermal imaging camera . A leak is usually a sign of multiple problems that have existed for a long time time so early detection can save a significant  amount of time and money.

 95-POINT ROOF INSPECTION

The 95- Point Roof Inspection takes industry standards to a new level. We incorporate all facets of every recommended program and take special consideration for the climate and geographical challenges particular to our customers here in New York. Extreme heat and cold present unique challenges that our roofs need to withstand.

Here is the outline of our comprehensive roof inspection:

SUPPORTING STRUCTURE

1. Exterior Walls

2. Interior Walls

3. Expansion/Contraction

4. Settlement Cracks

5. Deterioration

6. Moisture Stains

7. Physical Damage

8. interior Roof Deck

9. Exterior Roof Deck

10. Securement to Supports

11. Expansion/Contraction

12. Structural Deterioration

13. Water Stains

14. Physical Damage

15. Attachment of Felts/Ins.

ROOF CONDITION

1. General Appearance
2. Debris
3. Drainage
4. Physical Damage
5. General Condition
6. New Equipment/Alter.
7. Surface Condition
8. Bare Spots in Gravel
9. Coating Degradation
10. Cracking of Asphalt
11. Slippage
12. Membrane Condition
13. Blistering
14. Splitting
15. Ridging
16. Fish mouthing
17. Loose Laps
18. Punctures
19. Securement of Substrate
20. Fasteners

FLASHING CONDITION

1. Base Flashing
2. Punctures
3. Deterioration
4. Blistering
5. Open Laps
6. Attachment
7. Ridging or Wrinkling
8. Counter flashing
9. Open Laps
10. Punctures
11. Attachment
12. Rusting
13. Fasteners
14. Caulking
15. Coping
16. Open Laps
17. Punctures
18. Attachment
19. Rusting
20. Drainage
21. Fasteners
22. Caulking
23. Wall Separation
24. Mortar Joints
25. Spalling
26. Movement Cracks

ROOF EDGING/FACIA

1. General Appearance
2. Splitting
3. Securement
4. Rusting
5. Felt Deterioration
6. Fasteners
7. Punctures

ROOF PENETRATIONS

1. Equipment Base Flashing
2. Open Laps
3. Punctures
4. Attachment
5. Equipment & Housing
6. Counter flashing
7. Open Seams
8. Physical Damage
9. Caulking
10. Drainage
11. Equipment Operation
12. Discharge of Oil
13. Excessive Traffic Wear
14. Roof Jackets/Vents
15. Attachment
16. Physical Damage
17. Vents Operable

EXPANSION JOINT COVERS

1. General Appearance
2. Open Joints
3. Punctures/Splits
4. Securement
5. Rusting
6. Fasteners

PITCH PANS

1. General Appearance
2. Fill Material
3. Attachment

For More Information Visit http://www.MyLongIslandHomeInspection.com or call 516-350-9200

Long Island Generator Safety

Using a generator for hurricane Sandy? Here are some safety tips before you start. 

1) Never use a generator indoors or inside a attached garage.

A portable generator is a gasoline engine that exhausts a deadly gas called carbon monoxide it is odorless and colorless. You can be overcome by these fumes if the generator is indoors and it will kill you.

Make sure you place the generator outside where exhaust fumes will not enter into the house. There has to be a minimum of ten feet between the generator and any windows or doors. Only operate a generator outdoors in a well-ventilated, dry area, away from air intakes to the home. The generator should be protected from direct exposure to rain and snow.

2) Don’t connect your generator directly to your home’s wiring.

Connecting a portable electric generator directly to your household wiring can be deadly. A generator that is directly connected to your home’s wiring can ‘back feed’ into the power lines connected to your home.

Utility transformers can then increase this lower electrical voltage to thousands of volts. That’s more than enough to kill a utility lineman making outage repairs many miles away. You could also cause expensive damage to utility equipment and your generator.

If you wish to hard-wire a generator to your home, it should be installed by a licensed electrician with an approved transfer switch that will disconnect the home from the power grid when the generator is being used.

3) Don’t overload the generator.

All generators have a power rating. they should be used only when necessary and only to power a limited number of appliances or equipment.

The total wattage used by the appliances should be less than the output rating of the generator. If you put too many appliances on the generator, it could seriously damage the appliances and electronics. Overloading the generator could also cause fires in the power cord

4) Do not store gasoline for the generator indoors. Keep Away

Gasoline should be stored in approved safety containers.

Don’t store gasoline in a garage if there’s a water heater or other fuel-burning appliance in the garage. Vapor from gasoline is heavier than air and can travel along the floor. It could be ignited by a pilot light or other source of flame, such as an electric spark.

Shut off the generator before refueling and turn off all equipment powered by the generator before shutting it down.

Always have a fully charged, approved fire extinguisher located near the generator.

5) Keep Away

Many generator parts are hot enough to burn you during operation. Stay away from the muffler and other hot areas.

Keep children away from portable electric generators at all times.

For more information visit http://www.MyLongIslandHomeInspection.com

Long Island - Queens Post Hurricane Home Inspection

Hopefully you and your house made it through Hurricane Sandy unscathed and without much more inconvenience than losing power for a couple of days. But before you try to get back to your normal lives you should take a careful look at your house and hopefully  catch some subtle damage such as a few missing shingles or some missing siding. 

The first thing you should do is perform a visual inspection of the roof and work your way down. If the roof is steep or to high use binoculars to perform your inspection. If it’s shallow and you’re comfortable with heights try and get up there for a closer look. Look carefully at the valleys and where roof planes intersect. Check anything that penetrates through the roof, such as vent pipes and skylights. Look at the chimney cap as well as all the flashings. Look for anything loose or missing. If you do see that some material has blown away roofing cement and other materials can provide a temporary repair to prevent leaks but you’ll need to hire a professional roofer to repair loose or missing shingles before winter comes.

Have a look at the dryer vent. If its plugged with debris that flew in during the storm you must clean it out or this could cause a fire hazard. If it is necessary get on a ladder and look inside the vent with a bright flashlight to see if there's anything that needs to be removed. The louvers on the vent plate should open easily and freely. When the dryer is running there should be a steady stream of warm moist air coming out. 

The same goes for your home’s furnace or boiler vents if they run directly through the wall make sure they are not clogged. Check the vents opening for damage and look inside to make sure it's not plugged by debris, especially leaves that have been blown  into it by hurricane force winds. 

Look at your home’s electrical service entrance. It should look like it did before the hurricane. If it’s sagging or leaning it could be a serious safety hazard. Contact LIPA immediately! 

Check  the gutters and downspouts they may have come loose in the wind. If you can, have a look from a ladder. A gutter that has been loosened by high wind will eventually swing loose. It can do some real damage when it finally breaks free, such as breaking a window or flying off the house and onto a car parked in your driveway. If you think you have loose gutters call a roofing and gutter company immediately. 

Fences commonly get damaged from storm force winds. Take a walk down your fence and push against it to check for weakened areas. Also  check house-mounted flag pole brackets, which could be hanging by a thread after the storm. 

Finally, if you’ve got large trees on your property this may be the time to reconsider them. The bigger they are the harder they fall. Think twice about whether you even want those big trees anymore. In the post-Sandy world, big trees are as likely to devalue your property as they were to contribute to it. 

For more information visit http://www.MyLongIslandHomeInspection.com