Inspecting New Construction – When to Schedule
When a client calls into the office they often are unclear on when to schedule inspections during the construction process of their home or building. This is daunting to consider and unfortunately is often an afterthought when they think they see something going...
City of Houston Announces Adoption of 2021 Construction Codes
The City of Houston has announced that effective January 1, 2024 they will be recognizing the 2021 ICC construction codes as part of their code modernization program for construction in Houston. This includes: 2021 International Building Code 2021 International...
Gutter Maintenance – Spring Cleaning
Gutter Maintenance The flowers are starting to bloom, and spring has sprung (March 1-May 31) with all the maintenance the comes with it. One often overlooked maintenance item is cleaning of gutter systems and doing any necessary repairs to ensure they are functioning...
How to Get Ready for a Home Inspection
Get Ready for a Home Inspection As a homeowner, selling your home is one of the most difficult decisions you will ever make. That’s because, for most of us, our homes hold sentimental value, and selling them means letting go of the places where we have built precious...
Proper Drainage After Foundation Repairs
Drainage is an Issue Do you ever think about the drainage conditions around your foundation and how they might affect the performance of your foundation? Poor soil grading at repair piers can cause foundation settlement. Prevention of poor drainage allowing water to...
Getting a C.L.U.E….. Report
Information on Your Home Is Available I receive a lot of advertising emails daily and one I recently received was selling access to historical property condition information on homes assumably to be used by a potential buyer. I don’t know anything about the company...
Poor Tape Flashing Application
Poor tape flashing application is common in residential window installation in new construction, and this can result in water entry. In the video water entry was found to be occurring even during framing stage because it rained pretty hard during the inspection. ...
Nail Holes In New Construction Roof Systems are Common
Nail holes in a new construction roof system are common. They most commonly occur where scaffolding anchors or toe boards are nailed through the roof system to apply siding at or above the roof. They can be difficult to detect during inspection and are often...
Tensioning Residential Foundation Cable Late
Most of the home foundation construction in the Houston area today is post tensioned slab on grade foundations. This type of foundation is not reinforced with conventional reinforcing steel bar but is reinforced using tendons that compress the concrete in two...
Knob and Tube Wiring
During inspection of older homes in the Houston area it is not uncommon to find Knob and Tube (K&T) wiring. In Houston this type of wiring is typically found in buildings constructed in the 1940s and before. Knob and tube wiring was an early standardization of...