Roof leaks are associated with problems in the roof covering, but we have various vents disrupting this surface. Plumbing vents are one of those penetrations. Older lead flashing on plumbing vents are giving way to the new plastic vents, which may not be so great.

You need to upgrade part of your electrical system, and the electrician tells you that the job will be bigger than expected. Or your home inspector tells the wiring is wrong, but the seller says it works, and no one had a problem before.

Guest post exploring ways to protect your home and contents include installing a security door, having a high wall and front gate and installing a security alarm.

I examine many houses, so I take things for granted. A home inspector needs to stop at times, and consider if their clients understand why their house has certain items, like two light switches. A builder does not put these in without a reason.

A further question to ask is should I insulate a home built the 1920s? There are different schools of thought to this question, so let us explore the reasoning behind why you will hear different contractors make various suggestions.

Your air conditioner was working fine, but then it stopped without notice. One reason may lie with the evaporator coil and its drain lines.

The following is a guest post about when building a kit home handy skills to have include being able to follow detailed plans, having some knowledge of construction and being able to ask for help when you need it.

Older furnaces can cost you money, so find out what you need to know when buying a new furnace.

Window manufacturers are always making slight improvements that we may not notice. Drainage holes for windows is one such innovation. But why do we need them?

Most sheds are where we store gardening equipment, but for some of us, this becomes a workspace. We look for ways to power are tools, or we want power for that window air conditioner. We need those electrical outlets, so we run power to the shed.

Commercial equipment in residential buildings happens. In fact most innovations begin in commercial buildings, but we may want to consider if we really want them in our homes. A toilet may be an example of this idea.

Do you think about fire safety? Do you practice escape routes out of the home with your family? None of us want or expect a fire, but not being prepared can lead to awful consequences.

We all want more space. Garages are turned into rooms. Porches are also converted into rooms. However, this may not be a wise idea.

Why do rafters crack? Relating the story of what a client heard that caused them concern, and how the idea behind the cause was developed.

Keeping wall joints and wall penetrations caulked keep moisture problems down, and caulking helps with energy efficiency. If you caulk once, do you need to caulk again?

Do you hear a gulping noise coming from your plumbing? You may think that this is a clogged drain, but it may be something in the opposite direction.

Having access to water through a hose bib is a convenience, so adding a water faucet in an extra location can help.

As people are becoming more concerned with energy efficiency, they are paying attention to how the air conditioning is behaving in each room. So why is that room seem to be getting the cool air is a question I am hearing more often.

Some people prefer gas water heaters, but when the unit is coming into the house, we have to be concerned with the burner, so most installations indoors choose the electric water heater. You can use a gas water heater if you follow certain precautions.

During my home inspections, there are consistent findings which a homeowner could fix or at least have fixed, so here is a list to help you out.

Have you seen holes appearing in your walls? Holes in other doors? A simple doorstop can prevent so much damage, and yet we forget to maintain them.

When obtaining insurance, or even a loan, you may need pictures of your home. Here are some examples and tips.

When looking at a foreclosure, or at a home where the appliances have not been switched out, I find signs of grease fires. Often these may not be dangerous, but you can take steps to avoid them, since these fires can go out of control.

Lawn sprinklers can be of great use to the homeowner. You can set your watering schedule, and not have to worry about your yard; however, there a few common problems which can be easily remedied by the homeowner.

A guest post posing the idea that during the winter, it may be better to have your HVAC serviced, instead of waiting till the heat of summer.

A pipe is leaking, spewing out water into your home, and you need to know where to go to shut off the water to the home.

There is a struggle for space in your attic, outside of your home, the utility room, and the garage. It may not seem important to you now, but not having enough workspace can make jobs more difficult.

Stucco may look nice, but you do have to be careful with this wall covering.

To have better energy efficiency we need insulation. For design reasons, we want a recessed light. These two things do not always go together.

A look at what could be happening to a faucet that has a low flow of water

We want bigger homes. To improve the square footage of an older home, we add onto the space with new rooms that require new roofs.

A popular retrofit for older homes is new windows, but you may not be installing them correctly. Proper flashing is one concern.

Home inspections do not go into design choices, but inspectors are frequently asked about design choices as they might relate to the concerns of my reports.

Diverting water away from your home is important, because of the damage water can cause. Splashguards are a common method to achieve this goal.

Concerned about energy efficiency? Being concerned with the parts of your air conditioning system can be a first step.

At what stage does a roof need to be fixed? Are there roofs so bad that they cannot be repaired?

A few photographs at the plumbing in the bathroom when fixtures, like the toilet and sink, are not in place.

When homes are being built, buyers forget that they have to choose each detail they want, or they do not realize why one detail is important. Gutters frequently are not standard on the rear of homes, so you have to choose them.

Brick exteriors are quite popular, but did you builder take the time to consider leak problems with brick window sills?

One problem that can be seen often on water heaters is the corrosion that occurs around the water inlet and outlet fittings.