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Your Home Should Be Safe!

2/5/2015

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Each day we leave our home, we take chances of having some kind of accident, either in a car, on a bike, or even walking/hiking. It’s never a guarantee that we will be safe. So when you are in your home, shouldn’t that be the one place that you know that you can be safe? Unfortunately, not all homes are as safe as they should be. There are an estimated 1 million home accidents each year, and approximately 17,000 result in deaths. Here’s a few things to check to make sure your home is as safe as it can be.

Stairway issues contribute to many accidents each year. The most common ones are: 
  • defective stairways
  • damaged stair rises
  • faulty steps
  • handrail/rail issues

If you have stairs in your home, use a tape measure to check some of these areas. First, measure the height of each step (riser) and the width of each step (tread). Are there some steps that are higher or wider than others? This can be the cause of a possible trip hazard, especially for older adults. Next, measure the distance between the rods or boards that hold up the stair rails. If they are wider than 4 1/2 inches, this could be a safety issue for young children. Finally, check to make sure your handrails are secure, and re-secure them if necessary. Go outside and check the same areas with your front porch and deck steps. 

Next, let’s take a look at your bathrooms. Half of the home injuries that occur each year are caused by bathtub falls. Make sure that you have some type of a non-slip surface in each bathtub/shower. Another safety feature that you should consider is a handhold that you can grab onto if you should start to slip and fall. This would be particularly important for older adults. 

You should make sure that your home is equipped with both smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors on each level. Check them on a regular basis to make sure they are functioning properly. There are approximately 430 deaths and thousands of visits to the hospital that occur each year due to carbon monoxide poisoning. It is now a law that your home be equipped with detectors. If you don’t have one, get one today. It could save a life. 

Another item I would like you to be aware of is the wiring in your home. Due to cost issues, most homes are now wired with aluminum wiring rather than copper. This meets the building codes; however, there are safety procedures that need to be followed when working with aluminum wiring. Statistically, there is a 50 times greater fire risk with the use of single strand aluminum wiring versus copper wiring, if these procedures are not followed. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has published a pamphlet outlining federal safety regulations and how to properly handle the issue of aluminum wiring. Most electricians carry anti-oxidant grease which, if properly applied around the connections, can prevent some issues such as sparking in the wires. 

There are other safety issues around your home that you can look for, but these are just a few that I thought were important, and that you can easily correct if you need to. 

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Location and Shingles... Yes, It Matters!

2/5/2015

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As you know, weather is not the same in every location. That’s why we live in Colorado Springs instead of Arizona or Florida. We moved away from Arizona, of course, to get away from the heat, but then in Florida, you always have the chance of those nasty hurricanes. With the exception of a few unpleasant winter days and one or two hail storms during the summer, our climate here is quite temperate, which we love. 

So, how does this all relate to roofs and shingles? You need to be properly dressed for the weather outside, so does your roof - from the shingles down to the sheathing board. If you live in a high wind/impact area that would affect your roof, it is important to start with a heavier sheathing board to help the nails stay embedded longer. Sheathing can be made of either OSB board or plywood. Both meet building standards, but I prefer plywood, as it tends to be more durable over time, especially if there is any water damage. 

Believe it or not, all roofs are not created the same. Some roofs are covered with cement or ceramic tiles, others have wooden shakes, some roofs are metal, while still others have various kinds and colors of asphalt, fiberglass, or architectural shingles. Some are designed for more temperate climates, while others are designed for high wind/impact areas. 

Shingles are rated according to their to their wind resistance - A through H, with A being the lowest at 60 mph and H being the highest at 150. If you are lucky enough to live in a costal area, builders are required to use a G (120 mph) or H (150 mph) rated shingle. Shingles with a high wind rating can cost up to 50% more than a standard shingle. It is also required that roofers use 6 nails vs. the standard 3 or 4. Staples should never be used in high wind/impact areas. They just aren’t strong enough. 

Back to the home front… even though here in Colorado Springs we seldom get really high winds, there are some areas further east out on the plains that do. High wind shingles are not required in these areas, so some builders will unfortunately use standard shingles on the roofs. It is my suggestion that if you live in an area that you know gets high winds, that you invest in better quality shingles. They will most likely need to be special ordered and will cost more, but they will be well worth the money. It has been my experience to see model and new homes that have had to be repaired only after a few months due to poor shingles and poor installation. 

The bright side to all of this… you should get discounts on your insurance rates if you have higher grade shingles. 

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Lifetime Shingles... a Memory of the Past

2/5/2015

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Years ago, when someone purchased a home, they generally stayed in the home for quite some time. Money was hard to come by. Homeownership was considered a privilege. People took care of their homes, their landscaping, and anything else connected with their home. 

Shingle manufacturers designed quality shingles back then that would last the lifetime of the home. After awhile, homeowners became leery of that guarantee, so manufacturers began designing lower quality shingles that had a 20 or 30 year warranty.  Unfortunately, not all companies are honest.  Some manufacturers claimed that their shingles would last for 30 years and charge a higher price, when in reality, they were the same shingles that were built to last for only 20 years.  When buyers caught on to to this scheme, they would of course purchase the lower cost shingles that had the 20 year warranty. The few homeowners who still purchased the shingles with the lifetime warranty found that the shingles actually lived up to their promise. However, the company eventually folded because of low sales. Any so-called "lifetime shingles" now have limited warranties attached.

Fast forward to today… larger companies saw a new way to boost profits by selling shingles with a 20 or 30 year warranty. Both shingles are about the same quality. The 30 year shingles just cost more. Homeowners that considered staying in their homes for 20 or so years would not want to have to re-shingle their home prior to selling it, so they would purchase the 30 year shingles. Therefore, these shingles were very popular for awhile. Today’s homeowners are not as likely to stay in their home as long.  It just makes sense to pay less for 20 year shingles, if they aren’t planning in staying in the home that long anyway. The lifetime shingles have just become a memory of the past.

While I was taking my home inspection training classes, our instructor took us to a 45 year old home with lifetime shingles. We were asked to guess how old the roof was. Most of the students guessed that it was 5 years or less; some even thought it was new. The house definitely showed its age, but the roof was fine. No one could believe that the roof was really that old, but we saw it with our own eyes. Seeing is believing. 

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    I am an independent home inspector in Colorado Springs.

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