North Shore Views

Archive for the 'Home improvement' Category

Greenbuild Chicago – Verve Living Systems

Last week I had an opportunity to spend a day at the Greenbuild show in Chicago. One of the main features of the show is a huge exhibition hall full of every type energy efficient and sustainable building material, equipment and gadget you can think of…and a lot you would never have thought of.  Many of the products were geared to commercial or industrial applications, but there were plenty of interesting things for use in residential construction.

One interesting product I saw that’s for either commercial or residential use was Verve Living Systems. Verve makes cost-efficient solutions for controlling energy usage without sacrificing comfort. It lets you control the lights and other systems via radio frequency energy harvesting technology. It eliminates any need for wires to be run between lights and switches. And the wireless switches harvest their own energy so they never need power or batteries.

Here’s a video where Verve President Dianne Pisarek explains the technology and how it works:

Tags: green building products, Verve Living Systems

Does Your North Shore Home Have Elevated Levels of Radioactive Gas?

Would you let your children watch television in your basement if you knew they were being exposed to dangerous levels of radioactive gas?  Would you work in your home office or let your teenager sleep in the basement knowing that you had unhealthful levels of radon gas in the basement?  Of course not. No one would knowingly expose loved ones to potentially fatal health risks that can be easily and inexpensively identified and remedied. But, if you don’t test you don’t know.

The State of Illinois passed the Illinois Radon Awareness Act in 2007.  The Radon Awareness Act “strongly recommends” that every homeowner and home buyer test their home for elevated levels of radon in the home, to protect the occupants from radon-induced lung cancer.

Radon is a radioactive soil gas that is drawn into the home through the cracks of your foundation, plumbing and electrical penetrations, floor drains, wall cavities, crawl spaces and sump pumps.  Radon gas is caused by the decay of uranium in the soil on which a home is built and you can’t see it, smell it, or taste it.

Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.  The U.S. Surgeon General estimates that 21,000 people in the United States die each year from radon-induced lung cancer. The EPA has determined that levels of 4 pC/L (picocurries per liter of air) or greater put a homeowner at risk of developing radon-induced lung cancer.

For years a myth has persisted that Chicago’s North and Northwest suburbs don’t have elevated levels of radon.  Validated statistics show there are elevated levels of radon throughout these communities and one home can have minimal levels of radon while a neighboring home has elevated levels.   While the number of homes with high levels is smaller in Evanston and Wilmette, the number grows as you move north and west. Here’s a sampling of those communities and the percentage of homes testing greater than 4 pC/L:  Glencoe – 17%; Highland Park – 23%;  Arlington Heights – 31%; and Glenview – 32%.

Don’t leave the health of your loved ones to chance.  The only way to know if your house has elevated levels of radon is to test it yourself or to have it tested by a radon measurement professional, licensed by the State of Illinois.  The cost is less than the services of a plumber for an hour.  If your home has elevated levels of radon (>4pCi/L) a mitigation system can be installed in less than a day at a surprisingly reasonable cost.

Mark McCaffrey is a licensed home inspector on Chicago’s North Shore. He also performs radon testing in the Northern and Northwest suburbs. For more information call 847-363-9733 or visit www.hominspect.com.

Related articles:

• Is Your Family Safe from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?
• How to Prevent Mold in Your Attic
• New Lead Paint Law

Tags: radon

Watch This Before You Leave on Vacation: Burglars Share Tips on Preventing Burglary

Affluent areas like Chicago’s North Shore can be magnets for burglars, especially in August when so many people are away on vacation.

So before you head out on your vacation, take a few minutes to watch this video from The Today Show, where Janice Lieberman shares tips from ex-cons on how to foil burglary attempts.

Some of the tips are obvious; some not so much, like these:

1. Don’t hide your valuables in the sock drawer. That’s the first place the crooks will look. Instead, hide them somewhere in your kids rooms.
2. Have a neighbor remove fliers from your mailbox. Burglars will leave fliers to see if they are picked up. If not, it means no one is home.
3. Don’t announce your vacation on Facebook and other social networking sites. And wait til you’re home again to post pictures of your vacation. Believe it or not, burglars are on Facebook too.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tags: preventing burglary

Spring is Here. Is your Sump Pump Ready?

Spring is here on Chicago’s North Shore, and as our thoughts turn to sunshine and baseball, we also know that the rains will come. Heavy rains. Basement flooding rains. And nothing can kill those good spring vibrations quicker than a flooded basement. And, if your basement is finished and converted to a rec room, home office or bedroom, then a flooded basement is more than an inconvenience.

If your house was built after 1950 you probably have a sump pump that takes the excess water from the rain storm and pumps it out of the sump pit and away from the house. But if the sump motor stops working during a heavy rain, then the water will overflow the sump pit and flood the basement.  As a homeowner you should consider doing an annual inspection of the sump pit and motor.

The modern sump motor is made of plastic and stainless steel and is more resistant to rust and corrosion. The sump motor is like any other motor. The older it gets, the more likely it is to break down. The estimated lifespan of a sump motor is much debated, ranging from 5 to 15 years. If it is over 10 years old, have a plumber evaluate it and replace it if necessary.

Lou Manfredi, of Mr. Fix-it fame, recommends that you have a plumber do an annual check of the sump motor. However, you can give it your own spring check-up and the only tools you need are a flashlight and a bucket, and about 10  minutes. A sump pump is a pretty simple operation. Most have a float switch and when the water rises the float activates the switch, which turns the motor on. The pump pulls the water out of the pit and sends it up through the PVC piping.

To inspect the pump:

First, unplug the sump pump (modern electric code calls for a GFCI outlet) from the outlet.

Next remove the sump cover (if your home has a radon mitigation system the sump cover needs to be removed by a professional).

Look into the sump pit. Look to see if there is a little oil slick on the water in the pit. If so the pump is releasing coolant and should be replaced.

Look to see if there is any debris in the pit and if so remove it. Find the water intake on the pump (a round hole with a screen) and remove any debris with your hand. Next examine the float switch and make sure no debris is interfering with the float going up and down.

Plug the sump motor back in, get a bucket of water and slowly poor it in the sump pit. Watch the float rise and the motor activate. The motor should run smoothly, in rhythm, and shouldn’t be noisy, or race, or sputter. If  it does race or sputter  you probably need a replacement. The motor should stop when the water is removed.

Finally, you should have a battery back-up in case of an electrical outage. The batteries come in a variety of strengths and are priced according to the protection they provide. Many people now have a 2^nd or back-up pump inserted in the sump pit. If the motor on the 1^st quits, the 2^nd will kick on, saving the basement from flooding.

Mark McCaffrey
McCaffrey’s Home Inspection
847-363-9733; www.hominspect.com

Tags: basement flooding, sump pumps

What’s Hot and What’s Not in Housing

My, how things have changed. A lot of those things that were all the rage just a few short years ago have fallen out of favor, thanks to the convergence of three major trends: the recession, the green movement and the aging of the baby boomers (and coming of age of the echo boomers).  Like Hummers, McMansions are now being shunned by many as crass and wasteful. Even the ubiquitous granite counter tops are losing their cache in favor of other materials like quartz, soapstone, slate and onyx.

Here’s my run-down of what’s hot and what’s not in housing and home design today:

What’s Hot: Bargain hunting for homes.
What’s Not: Over-paying with the expectation of continued appreciation

What’s Hot: House as home
What’s Not: House as investment

What’s Hot: Right-sizing
What’s Not: McMansions

What’s Hot: Pragmatic and flexible living spaces
What’s Not: Specialized rooms for each activity (media rooms, exercise rooms, etc.)

What’s Hot: Remodeling within home’s existing footprint
What’s Not: Huge additions

What’s Hot: Quality finishes
What’s Not: Wasted space

What’s Hot: Eco-friendly materials and building solutions
What’s Not: Over the top bathrooms with chromatherapy tubs, steam showers, gold fixtures

What’ s Hot: Authenticity
What’s Not: Faux

What’s Hot: Living closer to urban areas, with a smaller home, a shorter commutes and more free time
What’s Not: Living far out, with a huge house, a long commute and no free time

What’s Hot: Nine foot ceilings
What’s Not: Two story foyers and soaring cathedral ceilings

What’s Hot: Basement remodels
What’s Not: Oversized garages that dominate the facade of the house

What’s Hot: Outdoor rooms – Building decks and patios as an inexpensive way to add living space
What’s Not: Mixing multiple architectural styles in one house

So what do you think? Please feel free to disagree or add your own “what’s hot/what’s not” trends to this list.

Tags: home design trends, remodeling, what's hot and what's not in housing

New Lead Paint Law

Homeowners and contractors should be aware of the new federal lead paint removal regulations that will go into effect on April 22.

Contractors who work on homes, schools or daycare facilities built before 1978 and perform any work that disturbs painted surfaces (renovation, repairs or painting) need to get EPA-certified for lead paint removal by April 22 or face big fines (up to $32,500 per day).

They must also follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. Common activities like sanding, cutting and demolition can create lead hazards for both adults and children. The new federal law attempts to significantly reduce childhood lead poisoning that can cause problems such as birth defects, high blood pressure, kidney disease, decreased IQ and learning disabilities. In 2008 more than 5,300 Illinois children had elevated blood levels.

For more information visit the Illinois Department of Public Health or call the Illinois Lead Program at 217-782-3517.

Tags: home maintenance, painting your home, remodeling & renovation

How to Prevent Mold in Your Attic

by Mark McCaffrey, McCaffrey’s Home Inspection

Ventilation is the Key to Mold Prevention

The reality is that most people don’t spend much time in the attic.  Those with pull-down stairs may spend a few minutes a year lugging seasonal decorations up and down with barely a glance at the rest of the attic.  For those whose only access is a hatch needing a ladder for entry, they may never see the attic.   In the course of my inspections I come across mold in the attic fairly frequently, usually of the light or moderate variety, but on occasion I find heavy mold infestation.  The homeowners are invariably surprised by the finding of the mold.  If you’re going to sell the home and there is mold in the attic, any home inspector worth his salt is going to find it and in some fashion the mold will need to be dealt with.

The primary cause of mold in the attic is condensation from warm, moist air in the home convecting up into an attic that does not have adequate ventilation.  Ideally the roof is ventilated from the soffits at the eaves of the roof up through to the ridge vents at the top of the roof.  That air flow keeps the underside of the roof cool and dry so that the mold spores don’t have a chance to stick to a warm moist surface.

Besides a poorly ventilated roof a number of other factors can contribute to mold in the attic:

*       A poorly insulated attic floor including air gaps around lighting, fans, plumbing and the  attic entrance;

*     Vents from the bathrooms, kitchen, and clothes dryer venting directly into the attic;

*      Furnaces and uninsulated duct work located in the attic;

*      Leaks from the roof, chimney, plumbing vents etc…

The vast majority of  mold found in attics is of the light or moderate variety and can be self-remediated or can be removed by a handyman.   Check the EPA website for the proper clothing and cleaning supplies to remove the mold.

If you have heavy mold infestation on the underside of the roof call a couple of mold remediation firms for estimates.  This could be quite expensive and I know a few clients who have completely replaced the roof, including the plywood sheathing,  for less than the cost of the mold remediation.

Remember a well ventilated roof is the key to keeping the attic moisture free. If your home does not have soffit vents or is multi-peaked making it difficult to have an effective ridge vent consider adding powered vents.  Solar vents have been on the market now for a number of years and are easy to install, relatively cheap, need no electric power and last for about 20 years – a good alternative for keeping your attic moisture and mold free.

Mark McCaffrey
McCaffrey’s Home Inspection
847-363-9733

Tags: causes of mold in attic, mold, preventing mold

Is Your Family Safe from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?

Have you tested your carbon monoxide detector lately?

Do you even have one?

If you don’t, please, please, please go buy one RIGHT NOW. It could save your life.

This is the time of year when reports of carbon monoxide poisoning increase dramatically. People are indoors, houses are closed up tight against winter drafts. Furnaces, wood stoves and fireplaces are going full tilt. According to the CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission) around 200 people die accidentally and thousands more are injured from carbon monoxide poisoning each year. It is caused by defective functioning of gas furnaces, water heaters and fireplaces, or by using gas grills, snowblowers, generators or other fuel burning machines in an enclosed area. And it is exacerbated by new weatherization programs that seal houses against heat loss but , as a result,  also increase carbon monoxide concentration.

Carbon monoxide is created from the combustion (burning) of fuel. It is a colorless and odorless gas, which makes it especially dangerous, because you can be poisoned without knowing it. Symptoms like headache, dizziness and nausea can be a tip-off, but not if you’re sleeping, which is when most deaths occur.

To protect your family against carbon monoxide poisoning, you need to do two things:

1. Have your furnace, water heater and other gas burning appliances checked yearly by a qualified technician to make sure they are functioning properly.
2. Buy and install a carbon monoxide detector on each floor of the house as well as in the area where the furnace and water heater are, for early detection of a CO leak. You can buy them at any hardware store for $25-45 apiece.

Here’s a one-page fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about carbon monoxide poisoning.

Tags: carbon monoxide detectors, CO poisoning

Keep the Critters out in the Cold

by Mark McCaffrey, McCaffrey’s Home Inspection

When the cold winds of winter blow, our thoughts turn to hearth, home and hot chocolate.   It’s time to settle in with a good book or a family meal.   Nothing can upset the harmony of the home more than the spotting of a mouse.  Married men must go on high alert devoting all available resources to the removal of the mice.  Warm-blooded furry little (and not so little) critters will poke and prod at our sanctuaries in their desire to escape the cold and enjoy civilized living powered by gas.  Mice, squirrels, possums, skunks and raccoons are hoping you’ll extend your hospitality by letting them ride out the cold winds of Lake Michigan under your porches or in your soffits, attics and crawl spaces.

Critters are scavengers and freeloaders.  They’ll gladly take the freebies from an open trash can and will gnaw through or knock the trash can over for a taste of your leftovers.  From the trash can they’ll check out the garage for bird and grass seed – a sack of grass seed can feed a mouse family for generations.   Nothing is sweeter for a critter than to feed at the family pets’ trough, feed and water the pets inside the house.  Finally if you have apple or other fruit trees the critters will camp out in your yard and when the cold comes they’ll look to your house for warmth and comfort.  Remove food sources and most likely the critters will go elsewhere for their sustenance and winter lodging.

Critters will try to find a way into your home.  Mice need a hole the diameter of a pencil to get in your basement, squirrels and raccoons will chew and claw open fascia boards to get in your attic, skunks and possums will dig under your deck lattice work to get good and comfy in a nest close to the warmth of your home.  You’ve got to be vigilant, critters in and around the house pose health threats, can be very destructive, and generally creep you out while they are in residence.  So take a good close look at your house, inspect it, make sure your house is closed off to the critters:

* look for any unfilled holes caused by utilities in the siding and foundation;

* check for digging around porches and decks;

* check gable vents in the attic;

* inspect the soffits and fascias just under the eaves;

* keep the tree limbs off your house;

* make sure there’s a critter guard on the chimney.

Critters are going to eat and keep warm whether it’s at your property or someone else’s.  So keep them moving and let them enjoy the someone else’s hospitality, so that you can enjoy the warmth of your home with loved ones and your invited guests.

Tags: home inspection, home maintenance, pest control