Indoor Air Quality - Common Pollutants & Tips for Safer Spaces

Indoor air pollutants can cause health problems ranging from allergies to asthma, and many pollutants are hard to detect. Fortunately, you can take several steps to eliminate sources of indoor air pollution or reduce their effects.

When you think about air pollution, you probably think about the air you breathe when you’re outside. But because we spend 90 percent of our time indoors — and indoor contaminants are usually more highly concentrated — it’s actually indoor air quality that more often affects us.

In fact, a growing body of research indicates that the air inside homes and office buildings is often dirtier than the air in some of the largest and most industrialized cities in the world, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In other words, indoor air quality is an important environmental health issue.

Click here for more information on Air Quality from ConsumerNotice.org

House hunters, be wary: 7 seemingly small flaws may point to a money pit

When Annemarie Kill and her husband, John Duffy, bought their first house in Chicago’s Galewood neighborhood in 2003, the duo knew it needed some cosmetic work — in fact, they were excited to redo the bathrooms and kitchen to make the home their own.

Little did they realize that the back of the house had been sinking for the last 75 years, and they would spend hundreds of thousands on unexpected construction. Their inspector hadn’t uncovered the rotting wood posts supporting the back of the house; the couple had no idea they’d eventually have to pour in new concrete to fix the issue, or that they’d have to replace the posts and jack up the back of the house a bit each week, causing the new windows and tile floors they’d installed to crack.

So when Kill and Duffy — along with their two children, now 11 and 14 — were house hunting in Oak Park in 2014, Kill said, they were determined not to land another money pit.

Read More of this article from Chicago Tribune

Home Inspection Focus Areas

For some families, the dream of homeownership can turn into a nightmare when they find out their new home is in serious disrepair. A home inspection by Ken Osborne, an experienced, licensed professional home inspector, can help save you from having to pay thousands of dollars in repairs after buying your home.

Electrical

If we find something off with the home’s electrical system, an electrician can be called in to help. Maybe the electrical box is so old that it does not comply with city code. An electrician can recommend brands to replace the box and tell you how much it will cost.

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Seasonal Home Maintenance

Your home is an investment that requires ongoing maintenance to stay in tiptop shape. If you neglect annual and quarterly tasks, you risk overlooking potential issues that could lead to expensive repairs down the road. Stay on top of preventive maintenance tasks with this seasonal checklist.

Winter - To prevent pipes from bursting, drain and insulate exposed outdoor pipes and leave the water dripping inside on cold nights. Also check your boiler's water level every now and again to make sure it doesn't get too low.

Spring - Winter can leave a layer of grit on your home's exterior. Get it ready for spring by cleaning windows, doors and siding with a garden hose or power washer. And while the weather is mild, have your HVAC systems serviced by a professional to keep them running at optimal efficiency.

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How Insulation Works in Your Home

To understand how insulation works it helps to understand heat flow, which involves three basic mechanisms -- conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction is the way heat moves through materials, such as when a spoon placed in a hot cup of coffee conducts heat through its handle to your hand. Convection is the way heat circulates through liquids and gases, and is why lighter, warmer air rises, and cooler, denser air sinks in your home. Radiant heat travels in a straight line and heats anything solid in its path that absorbs its energy.

Most common insulation materials work by slowing conductive heat flow and--to a lesser extent--convective heat flow. Radiant barriers and reflective insulation systems work by reducing radiant heat gain. To be effective, the reflective surface must face an air space.

Read more: How Insulation Works in Your Home

Top Home Inspector believes Job is Essential

Published by The Columbus Dispatch

As America’s chief home inspector, Tim Buell wants consumers to understand one thing: Inspectors aren’t clairvoyant.

“People think we should find things that are hidden, but that’s not what we do,” said Buell, a 68-year-old retired home inspector in Marysville, Ohio.

As the new president of the 8,000-member American Society of Home Inspectors, Buell’s job is to explain what inspectors do and what they don’t do.

In today’s world, that’s not always easy. As homes and technology have changed, so too has the role of home inspectors.

Much of what home inspectors have traditionally done is right before our eyes — checking framing, foundations and roofs, for example. But many of today’s biggest concerns about homes are less obvious. Radon and mold in particular have become huge worries for homebuyers.

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Common Mistakes Buyers Shouldn't Make During a Home Inspection

The home inspection is one of the most crucial steps for buying a home, and it shouldn't be overlooked or rushed. In fact, the inspection process has the potential to be just as nerve-racking for the buyer as it is for the seller. What if you've fallen in love with a beautiful home that has major problems lurking beneath the surface?

That's why it's extremely important to pay attention during this process, and take steps to avoid common pitfalls. How can you possibly screw it up? We're here to tell you.

Stay clear of these mistakes when you get an inspection on your dream home.

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Frost in Your Attic? What you should know.

With the cold spell this January here in southern Indiana some homeowners may be seeing frost inside their attic. The best way to prevent frost from accumulating in an attic is to seal off attic air leaks. Small air leaks may not seem to be important, these can add up to a lot of frost accumulation in the attic. It's important to seal all attic air leaks; not just the big ones. Once every little air leak has been perfectly sealed, the attic will be frost free. The only problem with doing all of this air sealing is that the air leaks are located underneath the attic insulation, and it can be very difficult to find every air leak without completely removing the attic insulation. For this reason, it's nice to start with the easier stuff first.

Click here for a helpful guide on Attic Air Sealing