Announcements
Thank you to our clients for nominating us for a reader's choice award. Your approval of our services is very much appreciated, as we strive to be the best we home inspection company we can be.
EcoENERGY Retrofit – Homes Program.
The ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program provides grants up to $5,000 to help homeowners make their homes more energy-efficient and reduce the burden of high energy costs. The Government of Canada has renewed the program from June 6, 2011, until March 31, 2012.
Follow this link for more information.
Water Quality
Walking a roof on a home inspection.
The safety of our inspector and our clients is a priority for Nook 'n' Cranny Home Inspections.
Whether it's at work or at home, we all need to keep ourselves and others safe at all times. Slips, trips and falls are the #1 cause of injury or fatality around the home. As a home inspector, I'm always trying to spot the potential safety issues that could affect clients and their family when performing home inspections, such as broken walkways, uneven step heights, loose railings, improper building practices- such as decks, and so on.
Sometimes during a home inspection, a client will ask me if I'm going to walk on the roof. My answer is a polite 'NO'. I don't go up on roofs and walk around for many reasons, but safety is the number one reason I don't do this. Here are some specific reasons that I and many other home inspectors don't go up on roofs during home inspections. First of all, I have no idea what shape the roof framing or sheathing is in. It could be broken, rotten or even modified due to renovation, making it unsafe. Second, the weather and conditions of the roof are a factor for consideration. Very hot, wet, windy or cold days are poor conditions to be on a roof. Thirdly, there are rules enforced by the Ministry of labour that could see me receive a very high fine, considerably more than the inspection fee received, for not using the proper safety equipment and being tied off. Lastly, walking on roof shingles can damage them or even cause damage to the sheathing. Needless to say that setting up and removing a fall arrest system and performing a roof inspection to the correct safety standards would add a couple of hours and more cost to clients.
The bottom line: The fee we receive for a home inspection will not cover the potential cost of repairing a roof we just damaged, receiving a fine for not following proper safety prctices, or falling and injuring, maiming or even killing ourselves to tell you the condition of the roof. When in fact, we can do this from a ladder at the eavestroughs, from the ground with our eyes or binoculars and even using tools like the 'Eye Stick'™
Follow this link to Reliance home comfort blog to read more home safety articles: http://blog.reliancehomecomfort.com/
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Last Edited: 03/08/2011
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