After all that is said and done, locating a termite infestation is sometimes challenging but always rewarding.  As you can see in the photo there is a brown colored clay material that is glued into place between sections of floor joists located in one area of a-the unfinished  basement. While checking the polarity of some electric receptacles I happened to look up and found the evidence of termites. With this much mud encased between the floor components, it was quite evident that termites had been here in the past and for a long time.

What is also interesting is that due to closed walls, the distinct possibility of additonal damage exists within the built up beam or girder.  I disclosed this termite evidence in both the home inspection report and also in the Wood Destroying Insect document.  I called for further evaluation of the built up beam/and the removal of some drywall material in order to do this.

Often time when doing my New Jersey home inspections, I come across work that has been inadequately repaired,  due to termite activity, and  not up to the proper building code standards.  In the photo that I took here, there has once been extensive termite damage to the floor joist system. The horizontal sillplate was repaired properly using wolmanized lumber and appears to be quite adequate, but the new floor  joists have not yet  been properly sistered/joined or supported to hold up the living space.

Merely nailing a short length of the new joist to an original joist does not constitute an adequate repair.  These joist will separate in due time, leaving the new joist doing absolutely nothing nad hanging in mid- air.  What should be done is to extend the new floor joist(s)  end to end so that both ends rest on two proper bearing points or plates (as they are called in the trade). In doing so the new joist(s) will  than be properly installed and ready to except the weight of the floor system and any live loads that will prevail during  normal everyday use.

When it is not possible to extend the new joists from plate to plate, I always recommend installing the longest length of joist possible and than sistering (joining together side by side)  the new floor joist to the original joist as securely as possible.  During any floor joist repair, I would definitely recommend the use of carriage bolts through both floor joists to ensure adequate repair.

You set your thermostat, your furnace comes on, and you feel warm air coming out of the registers.  All must be OK with the system, right?  Maybe not.

The furnace and the thermostat are only two of the elements in the system that heats and controls the warm air in your home. The third is the duct system, and even though it’s delivering warm air to the registers, there’s a pretty good chance that it’s not doing it at peak efficiency throughout the house.  And every bit of warm air you’re losing is causing the furnace to work harder than needed!

Whether you do this yourself or pay a home inspector or, better yet, a licensed HVAC contractor to do it for you, tuning up your duct system begins with a thorough inspection. You may be surprised to find what age and even damage has been done to your duct system over the years. It’s going to mean some effort, but it’s worth it.

Look and feel for areas where joints  and fittings may have come loose, or where there may be small gaps.  Also look for areas where support straps are missing, sagging, or otherwise not providing adequate support for the main ducts. This is especially important with flexible ducts, where large sags or kinks in attic ducts can slow air flow.  If there’s an unheated space, ducts that are not insulated will lose a tremendous amount of heat into the surrounding air.

Also inspect the plenum, which is the large sheet metal box attached to the top or bottom of the furnace from which all the ducts originate. You’ll want to check that the plenum is fully sealed all the way around to prevent air leaks, and that all of the ducts are well sealed at their connection points.

Remember, whenever a  furnace has to work unnecessarily hard, due to a lack of a proper tune-up or leaking ductwork, the efficiency that is lost will come directly out of your own pocket.

Stephen,  who has been inspecting homes in Central New Jersey since 1998, says he often goes the extra mile when inspecting attics. When necessary, I have taken clothes out of the closet myself or with the help of the home owner or real estate agent.  I usually put an old sheet or towel over the clothes and try to position my step ladder as best as possible so as to gain access thru the scuttle hole.  If there are two access points, I can climb over to the other side and get in that part of the attic anyway.

Gaining access into the attic is always an important  part of the home inspection process. There are many areas of concern, such as, plumbing venting pipes used in conjunction with bathroom exhaust and clothes dryer ducting, flue pipes that are connected to the homes heating system, fire separation walls, type and condition of installed insulation, possible animal infestation, possible mold and mildew, deficient structural conditions, attic ventilation and the possiblity roof leaks.

The most difficult problem I sometimes face is actually squeezing through the scuttle access hole itself, that can be severely undersized especially in older homes.  If I didn’t go in the attic or any other space for that matter, the lack of access is documented in the report . “Photos are always a plus.”

During a recent home inspection in Somerset, New Jersey, I noticed that a temporary hollow post was installed beneath and supporting a Steel I-beam located in the basement. As standard procedure, whenever a large beam is installed whether it be a built up wooden beam or steel I-beam, a solid steel concrete filled post is placed as support for the structural beam.

If you ask me, I think the hollow steel post had been put in temporarily and forgotten about; the hollow post is not rated to for such a heavy load as a house structure.  These steel I-beams were not connected together in anyway. Luckily it appears that the existing concrete posts were installed over solid concrete footings. Since the only thing that is needed is an additional post, the existing footing will be sufficient.  I always advise to install (4) four inch solid steel concrete posts under all types of beams.

I’m wondering how the Somerset County, NJ municipal code official missed this? Quite obvious during the rough framing inspection I would imagine. The house has been like this for quite some time. Luckily there was no structural damage, only the lack of a proper structure support.

Is something missing from this picture, of the roof overhang? While everything looks in good order at the soffit area of this home located in Middlesex County, NJ  there is one element that is missing and should be a concern to every homeowner. The rain water gutter system .

The gutter system’s main purpose is to divert water away from the house.  And having a proper gutter drainage system installed and maintained will also keep water from entering a basement as well as from running down the walls of the house and penetrating  the exterior walls and windows.

While inspecting this home in Middlesex County, New Jersey,  I noticed the water drained down from the roof and spilled directly on the ground at the rear, uphill elevation of the house.  When water is allowed to spill directly on the ground, and it is on the uphill side of the house, it has no where else to go but under the floor slab, continuing it’s down ward path dictated by gravity to the other side of the house.

Water traveling under a house can eventually cause settlement and cracking of a concrete floor slab. Any cracks that may develop can be the source of future insect infestation, as well as an area for dampness to enter, create uneven floors and possible damage to the walls of the home if left unattended.

When water travels up against a house or sideways, it can have a devastating effect too. One of the most common areas of concern that I find regularly is where water splashes against an exterior door. This will almost always rot the door trim and frame and the wall around it.  When gutters are installed and maintained, this doesn’t happen.

A disconnected/and damaged gas dryer duct was found while inspecting a house the other day. The clothes washing appliances were located in  utilty room connected to the main house.  At first, it was a little difficult to see the damage because the duct was pushed behind the dryer appliance.  As soon as I started the gas dryer appliance did the extent of the defect become noticeable.  Lint debris was blowing into the air. 

Since this was a gas dryer, fossil fuel must be combusted along with deadly oderless carbon monoxide gas. And expelled, in this case, into the living space of the home causing a very hazardous condition. The house had only been vacant for a month. The service person that did the installation just didn’t do  a good job. Luckily the duct ruptured when I started the appliance.  Even a small hole in the duct would be very dangerous to anyone living in the house that could cause headaches and also be life threatening. Carbon monoxide is colorless and oderless and it doesn’t take very much to harm an individual. The hole is located where the gas pipe and shut-off valve are situated.

For the last fifteen years one of the easiest ways  of insulating attics in Central,  New Jersey  was to  use loose-fill blown insulation – either cellulose or fiberglass.  An improvement over traditional  fiberglass  batt insulation because  batts tend to loosen up from the ceiling joist cavities (after being pushed into place when first installed) developing air spaces . Plus batts cost more to install.  For insulation to be effective, it needs to be installed in a “closed air space”.  Even though fiberglass batts in attics are less easier to install, I still find the installation. What most people do, later on, is to add more insulation going the opposite direction, that makes a big improvement.

But what to do above the the attic access panel, where  about 75 % of the homes that I inspect lack proper insulation. This is one of the most important areas to provide adequate insulation because it can serve as the weakest link in you ceiling insulation system.  That’s an insulation fact.

When using a fiberglass batts to insulate the scuttle hole, it needs to fill the entire space and be in contact with all four sides of the wood frame. When the insulation piece is too small, it doesn’t touch all four sides and allows for heat loss because insulation must be installed in a “closed air space” to be effective.  When I enter the attic during an inspection, either the batts loose inside the frames, they’re too large, too small or missing.

When the fiberglass insulation above the attic access panel doesn’t get installed properly, the home experiences unnecessary heat loss here.  There are a few solutions:  One is to have the panel re-insulated with rigid foam boards that fit the attic scuttle hole snugly.  Another solution I’ve found is to use a fiberglass batt that’s slightly too large glued to multiple pieces of scuttle board. This makes the panel fall down in to place, pulling the insulation down . Using a blue/or grey not so sticky tape where the panel makes contact with the finished opening frame can be done right before it get cold to make sure there is no air escaping upwards, along with the heat in your room.  Don’t forget heat rises.