Ask The Raleigh Home Inspector

The EPA has recently published a guide to mold in your home and I have found it to be extremely useful in providing answers to the questions I am most often asked about mold and what to do when it is found in a home. The guide answers such questions as: 

• Why is mold growing in my home?
• Can mold cause health problems?
• How do I get rid of mold?
• Who should do the cleanup?
• How do I know when the remediation or cleanup is finished?

 The guide also provides guidelines on mold cleanup and what to wear when cleaning moldy areas, as well as 

• Moisture and mold prevention and control tips.
• Actions that will help to reduce humidity.
• Actions that will help prevent condensation.
• Testing or sampling for mold.
• Hidden Mold
• Cleanup and Biocides
• and other additional resources

 Click here to read the EPA publication: 

 A Brief Guide to Mold Moisture and Your Home

In this new Raleigh home we found an area where the roof flashing was completely missing! This home was ready for the new owner and the builder didn’t even know this area was unfinished. Missing flashing will allow water to enter the wall and roof structure and if left unfound would have led to serious deteroiration of the home. After the builder’s warranty expires the home owner would have been responsible for the thousands of dollars it would have taken to repair the damage. Don’t let this happen to you! Have a Raleigh home inspector inspect your new home.

This new Raleigh home inspection found a condensate line not connected and plumbed to the exterior. Instead it allowed condensate to drain into the crawlspace where it would pool up and cause high moisture content, deterioration to the wood framing and could lead to mold growth and poor indoor air quality. Always have a professional home inspector inspect your new home.

This new home has defects with two fireplace flue pipes. They are improperly installed and will allow water, insects or birds to enter the home. We find defects like this every day in new homes in Raleigh. Be sure to have your new home inspected to avoid getting stuck with costly repair bills down the road.

This crawlspace had all of it’s vents improperly installed and if left unrepaired can lead to high moisture levels, mold and deterioration of the wood framing.  If this home buyer did not have a home inspection serious damage would have resulted to this home. We find defects like this everyday in new homes.

This new home had the test caps still installed in the plumbing vents. Without a home inspection the owner may have dealt with slow or noisy drains for along time before this defect was discovered.