Get Tested

Hello my Homeowner friend.

 

So that you know…

 

Radon is a silent home danger in a lot of homes in the Atlanta Metro area.  Unless the home has been tested, most homeowners don’t realize that their homes have elevated levels of radon gas.  You cannot smell, taste, or see radon gas.  The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths.  Lung cancer is the only known effect on human health from exposure to radon in the air.

 

Homes built on crawlspaces are more likely to test high for radon because there is no barrier to prevent the gas coming from the ground into the home. 

 

During the home inspection process, more home buyers are opting to have a radon gas test performed.  Call a home inspector for more information, and to schedule a home test.  Bill Garwood of Edifice Home Inspections ( 770-594-2222 ) or Bob McDonough of National Property Inspections ( 770-656-2209 ) can help.  If you are more of a do-it-yourselfer, radon test kits can be purchased at your local hardware store or home renovation outlets for about $10. 

 

If your radon test results are at 4 pCi/L or higher, a radon mitigation system is recommended.  Even though the mitigation system is warranted to work, once the mitigation system is in place, you’ll have another test performed by a third party testing company.  For more details on the mitigation process, call Paul Sather at Metro Atlanta Radon Mitigation.  404-549-8700.

 

See the following governmental link for more information. 

http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/hmbyguid.html

 

Be Safe and Enjoy your home.

 

Norm.

July is National Pick-a-Project Month

I declare that July is National Pick-a-Project Month.

Every homeowner, and home renter, has a list of projects, things to be done around the house.  ( and, for some reason, the list never shrinks, it only expands. )  When people buy a home, they usually get a home inspection done prior to the closing.  The home inspector provides a list of things that should be either repaired or replaced; this becomes the homeowners to-do list.  But too often that report is filed away in a drawer and never seen again until the owner decides to sell the home.

Most of the time, homeowners simply procrastinate until something happens, and sometimes something bad happens.   So start with the safety issues first.

Repair the deck stairs or handrail, replace the defective GFCI outlet in the kitchen, replace an old, outdated bathroom light fixture, replace an old ceiling fan that no longer works, change out the brown outlets in the living room for the ivory-colored ones, clean the dryer exhaust vent, re-paint the dining room, add new shelving inside a closet, replace a very old toilet with with a new high-efficiency one, power-wash the exterior of the house, re-caulk the bathroom tub, or add light fixtures in the crawl space.

If you need help changing the doorlocks on your home, call Matt Lankford at Realty Locksmith; 770.778.7621.

If you want help with some electrical projects, call Jack Richardson at Brookhaven Electrical Services; 404.843.9711.

If you have some roof leaks, call Aaron Morrison at Arison Exteriors; 678.333.4805.

And, you’ll sleep better each night knowing that all of your projects have been completed.

All the best throughout the rest of 2014.

Norm.

ps:  I do have lists of resource people to help; plumbers, roofers, electricians and more.   A lot of them are listed on my website at HomesAboveTheNorm.com

Just let me know what you need.  Thanks.

October is National Home Safety Month – Inspect Your Home

Which Inspections Are Most Important… and Why

1)  Definitely, do the general home inspection when buying a home.  The five big areas inspected are the roof, the foundation, the plumbing, the electric, and the HVAC.  These are the most important because they are the most-costly to repair or replace.  The home inspection company will supply a checklist of the items found highlighting the critical, important, and incidental items.  The safety hazards need to be addressed immediately.  The Seller should be willing to fix these items because they will be found by any inspector and any buyer.  They don’t just go away.

2)  A termite inspection is important on an older home, especially if it has not been maintained under a Termite Bond or treatment plan.  Termites are very prevalent in Atlanta, and over time, they can do some major damage.  The industry saying goes like this:  There are two kinds of homes in GA, those that have termites, and those that are going to get termites.  For the do-it-yourselfers, save yourself about $800 by getting the detection kits at the big-box stores.

3)  If the house was built prior to 1978, it most definitely has lead-based paint on the walls and ceilings.  The danger with this paint occurs when the paint is disturbed.  Even the dust from sanding lead-based paint is dangerous.  Assume that there is lead-based paint on the wall, and proceed with caution when making any kind of interior home repairs.  Major projects may legally require permits to modify or replace any items containing lead-based paint.

4)  A home can also be inspected for Mold by a remediation company, especially if someone in the family is mold-sensitive.  This one is the culprit for a lot of allergies.  Water and heat are the catalysts for this one.  That’s another good reason to have the general home inspection done before buying a home.

5)  A lot of Atlanta neighborhoods, mostly in the suburbs, have higher than average Radon gas.  It’s worth the money to know for sure.  The test can be performed by a testing company, or, many of the home renovations companies sell the testing kits for the do-it-yourself tester. 

Please, for your family’s safety, install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.  If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you by your local fire department.  They’re free.  And, put yourself on a safety calendar by changing the batteries in your detectors in the Spring and the Autumn when we change time.  It’s an easy reminder.  Yes, maybe the batteries are still working, but they’re cheap compared to the loss of a human life.  And change the battery in your thermostat at the same time.