Rob Lanoue Home Inspection

https://www.barriersciences.com/home-efficiency-rebate

IMPORTANT ADVICE FOR LOOKING AFTER YOUR HOME Home maintenance is an important responsibility. It protects your investment, extends life expectancy, and helps avoid significant expenses. This document is an integral part of the report and will help you avoid many common problems and reduce costs. Priority Maintenance and Home Set-Up The Home Set-Up and Maintenance chapter in the Home Reference Book provides important information regarding things that are done once when movi...Continue reading

Looking for something to do during this time of stay at home. Well if you have a sliding glass door that sticks or just hard to open this can certainly be annoying and sometimes even dangerous. Now often it's possible to correct a problem like this with a simple adjustment. You can remove many but not all sliding doors by lifting them straight up. The top of the door will go into the channel in the top of the frame and the bottom will swing free of the track. Sometimes the ...solution is as simple as adjusting the bottom track wheel by turning the screw on the sides. These track wheels can wear out though. If that's the case, remove it, take the old wheel with you to the window manufacturer, home improvement center or hardware store, get an exact match and reinstall it. Before replacing the door, lubricate the glide wheels, cleaning the bottom track and applying a coat of paste wax to the track. Now once the door is back up, you may have to make some minor adjustments to those guide wheels, but after that, you'll have once again a sliding or even gliding glass door. from ronhazelton.com

If you need EMERGENCY work done to your home! As news of COVID-19 continues to be shared, it is important we all take the necessary steps to keep each other safe and healthy. While this is an uncertain time, life still happens. During this time of isolation, you may still need work done to your home. Whether it’s an emergency repair or a project you need to finish, you may still need to interact with pros. Follow these tips to hire safely, if necessary, during COVID-19. Utili...ze Technology to Connect with Pros Luckily, these days there are many ways to stay connected through technology. We recommend not taking in-person meetings at this time and utilizing technology instead. In addition, use your smartphone to take calls or even video chat to show the pros your project. We live in a digital age that helps us feel connected even when we’re not. Use the technology available to you to limit in-person contact and still get things done. Ask About Extra Precautions Everyone will be taking extra safety precautions at this time. If you’re having a pro come to your home, ask them about the specific extra precautions they’re taking. Are they sanitizing their equipment more? Washing hands thoroughly? Wearing masks? Limiting the number of people working on your project? Be sure to ask so you know they are taking your safety seriously. Make Special Arrangements Whenever possible, make special arrangements with the company so as little human contact as possible takes place. Ask if the job can be done without contact at all. If you are having exterior work done, perhaps it’s possible for the company to complete it and communicate with you over the phone if they need anything. Remember to practice social distancing if they do need to come over. Do not shake hands or come in close physical contact. While this might feel impolite, it’s for the health and safety of everyone. Postpone or Reschedule This is a very important tip. If you or anyone in your home is not feeling well, do not let a pro into your home. This is to protect them and the rest of the community. If the project can wait, ask the company about its rescheduling policy. Companies will understand and should be making special arrangements for situations like this. If you can wait to have your project done, consider postponing or rescheduling. While we are all doing our best to remain safe and healthy during these trying times, we understand life still happens. A pipe may burst or your toilet may overflow and you will need the help of a pro. If you do need to hire a pro, be sure to take advantage of technology and practice social distancing when interacting. We all play a part in keeping each other safe, so be sure to follow these tips to hire safely if necessary. Original post from Home Star

It's cold outside and the mice want to stay warm! Many of the inspections I'm doing have evidence of mice in garages, in attics and even in the house. So here is some tips to help prevent and or solve the problem. https://www.familyhandyman.com//11-things-mice-dont-want/

When the weather turns cooler, it’s time to turn up the heat to keep your home cozy. Part of your maintenance checklist should include checking doors and windows for drafts. If you can see cracks of light or feel air moving, it only takes a moment to fix. By applying some simple weather stripping, you can save plenty of money by heating your home more efficiently and keeping the cold air out. You can apply a more secure but ultimately temporary seal to windows since you won’t need to open them during the colder seasons. This removable weatherstripping can easily be peeled off once spring returns with warmer weather.

The snow is nice but it can and will cause many problems. Other then your driveway and sidewalks being covered with snow melting and turning to ice (slip and fall) look at your roof. Ice damming can be a very big problem as specially if your roof is old. The heat from your house escapes through the ceiling, heats up the under side of the roof and causing the snow to melt. When that water goes beyond the exterior wall it freezes and start to build up causing the dam that preve...nts the water from draining and it could find its way into the attic and then into the wall / ceiling. Now you have problems! Ways to help prevent this is 1- increase air circulation in the attic space to get that warm air away from the underside of the roof 2- increase ceiling insulation 3- use a roof rake to remove the snow Hope this helps and take you time removing that heavy snow.

Sorry, but its that time of the year again to get ready for the cold and snow. Here are a few things you should check / do. 1- clean your gutters and cut back any branches from the roof 2- have your furnace serviced and protect your A/C from the winter elements 3- shut off and drain your outside hose bibb 4- check and repair the caulking at windows, doors and where two different materials meet

Sunday the temperature is going up and I'm sure some people are going to want to start their air conditioner. That is great but make sure the winter cover is off and the fins are clean.

With all this rain we are getting you may want to make sure of a few things. 1- make sure the gutters are clean and slopping properly to the downspouts 2- make sure the downspouts are not clogged 3- if the downspouts are draining on the ground make sure they drain at least 5 feet from your foundation walls 4- if the downspouts drain underground you may want to thinks about changing them to drain above ground, this will prevent all that rain water from going down into the sewe...r system 5- make sure your sump pump is running properly and your backup system is also Have a great long weekend!

It's spring and the birds are having fun making their nest so keep your eyes and ears open. Careful as to where they build their little homes. It could be a fire hazard.