10 Easy Ways to Save Money & Energy in Your Home

The Home Inspection Defined A general home inspection is a visual inspection for system and major accessible component defects and safety issues. The inspection is not technically exhaustive. A "general home inspection" and a "home inspection" are the same thing. A home inspection is designed to reflect, as accurately as possible, the visible condition of the home at the time of the inspection. Conditions at a home for sale can change radically in only a day or two, so a home inspection is not meant to guarantee what condition a home will be in when the transaction closes. It’s not uncommon for conditions to change between the time of the inspection and the closing date. Above:  an overloaded outlet with no cover It’s a Visual Inspection A “visual” inspection means that a home inspection report is limited to describing conditions in those parts of a home that an inspector can see during the inspection. Obviously, parts of the home that are perma...

Before the year 1800, the existence of the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum wasn't even suspected. The original significance of the infrared spectrum (or simply “infrared,” as it’s often called) as a form of heat radiation is perhaps less obvious today than it was at the time of its discovery in 1800 by Sir William Herschel during his search for a new optical material. www.HomeBossInspection.com   Sir William Herschel (1738-1822), Royal Astronomer to King George III of England – and already famous for his discovery of the planet Uranus – was searching for an optical filter material to reduce the brightness of the Sun’s image in telescopes during solar observations.   While testing different samples of colored glass that gave similar reductions in brightness, he was intrigued to find that some of the samples passed very little of the Sun’s heat, while others passed so much heat that he risked eye damage after only a few seconds’ observation. Her...

The term "stucco" is used to describe a type of exterior plaster applied as a two- or three-part coating directly onto masonry, or applied over wood or metal lath to a log or wood frame structure. Stucco is found in many forms on historic structures throughout the United States. It is so common, in fact, that it frequently goes unnoticed, and is often disguised or used to imitate another material. Historic stucco is also sometimes incorrectly viewed as a sacrificial coating, and consequently removed to reveal stone, brick or logs that historically were never intended to be exposed. Age and lack of maintenance hasten the deterioration of many historic stucco buildings. Like most historic building materials, stucco is at the mercy of the elements, and even though it is a protective coating, it is particularly susceptible to water damage. Stucco is a material of deceptive simplicity; in most cases, its repair should not be undertaken by a property owner unfamiliar with the art o...

The time period during which concrete was first invented depends on how one interprets the term “concrete.”  Ancient materials were crude cements made by crushing and burning gypsum or limestone. Lime also refers to crushed, burned limestone. When sand and water were added to these cements, they became mortar, which was a plaster-like material used to adhere stones to each other.  Over thousands of years, these materials were improved upon, combined with other materials and, ultimately, morphed into modern concrete.  www.HomeBossInspection.com Today’s concrete is made using Portland cement, coarse and fine aggregates of stone and sand, and water.  Admixtures are chemicals added to the concrete mix to control its setting properties and are used primarily when placing concrete during environmental extremes, such as high or low temperatures, windy conditions, etc.  The precursor to concrete was invented in about 1300 BC when Middle Eastern builders found tha...