Author: buildinginsights_vkv4y8

You never expect your home to flood, but it’s important to be prepared in the event that it does happen.  Here are a few things to keep in mind for the first day or two after a home flood.

First, turning off all electrical and water services to the home.  While a flood may be accompanied by power loss, it’s important to turn off all breakers and fuses to prevent electrocution in the case someone is inspecting the basement when power is restored.  When investigating damaged areas, waterproof boots and clothing should be worn in case the water is contaminated.  Even clear water could contain chemicals and may not be safe when exposed to your skin.

As soon as possible, and before making any repairs yourself, fully document the damage by taking pictures and videos and contact your insurance company to understand your policy coverage and next steps.

The causes of your flooding may be numerous, from a sewer backup, or extreme weather, to a broken sump pump or a burst pipe.  In the latter two cases, fixing the problem yourself may be possible, or you could arrange a contractor to make the repair on short notice.  Water can be removed in a variety of ways, such as bailing out large amounts of water manually with buckets, or using a hose to drain.  Smaller amounts of water can be sucked up with a wet vacuum.  When water is removed, your home’s air conditioner, portable fans, and dehumidifiers can help to remove the humidity that was added to your home.

Before completing repairs to walls and carpets, professionals should be contacted to look for mold growth, which could happen depending on the time that has passed since the flood.

Experiencing a flood in your home is never a pleasant experience, but with a quick and pragmatic approach, damage and inconvenience can be limited.

Windows in basements have many purposes, such as allowing natural light and providing an emergency escape route.  Basement windows at or below grade will have a window well surrounding it to facilitate this, and it’s important to maintain them.  Windows are designed to shed water, but they aren’t waterproof.  Window wells ensure proper drainage around the window to prevent as little water as possible from piling around the window’s seal.

In order for the window well to properly disperse water, the gravel in it should be loose.  To ensure this, regular inspection for debris in the well should be performed, along with the prompt removal.  Debris could be anything that the wind blows in, such as leaves, branches, weeds, or kids toys.   

The grade of the soil around the well should be lower than the top of the window well, and the seal around the well to the house should be completely solid as to not allow water or dirt into the well.  This should especially be inspected in the spring and fall, as the ground’s freezing and thawing can force the well to become disjoined from the house.  A build of up dirt in the window well will may cause the gravel to become cement-like, and prevent water from draining properly.  

With a properly maintained window well, you can keep water outside and your basement dry.

By: Andy Bauman – FlowSpec Engineering Ltd.

You’ve purchased a home in the country, outside of the City, congratulations! Your home purchase likely involves the appeal of more space, a larger yard and some fresh air. Something that’s not typically top of mind, but requires your attention, is whether your new home is on a septic system. Away from city sewers and municipal wastewater treatment plants, septic systems (or wastewater treatment systems) are the traditional way of treating wastewater from toilets, sinks, showers, laundry, etc. within your home. This, as well as a drinking water well, are important parts of your rural infrastructure. When things are working normally, you’ll hardly notice your septic system. Working in the background, your system efficiently treats the wastewater from your home and reintroduces the treated water back into the natural water cycle. In the event of a malfunction due to improper maintenance, equipment failure, or simply reaching the end of its expected service life, significant investment may be required to get the system back on track.

There are a wide variety of types of septic systems installed today. The common elements though, involve a tank (typically made of concrete or plastic) which collects the raw wastewater from your home and provides varying levels of treatment. Wastewater then travels to the “leaching bed” (series of perforated pipe buried beneath the earth and situated in native or imported soil) where final treatment occurs. The wastewater is reintroduced into the underlying soil and finally back to the natural water cycle. Additional tanks or pumps may be involved for enhanced treatment of the wastewater or to overcome gravity flow. 

It’s important to remember that septic systems rely on a biological process involving bacteria that consume or break down household waste as it works its way through the system. With this in mind, washing paint brushes in your sink or putting harmful chemicals into the system will have a negative impact and should be avoided.

When assessing an existing septic system, there are a lot of things to look for, much of it is underground, and out of sight. Working with a trusted and reputable professional, who is familiar with septic systems, is the best way to ensure your homes system is in good working order. Items to be looked at would include: age of the system (building code requirements have been updated or changed over the years, though some older systems continue to work well), construction paperwork (design, installation or permit approval documents), maintenance records (regular pump-outs, replacement parts), visible items including access lids or soggy areas around the leaching bed (an indication that the wastewater isn’t going where it’s intended). A more invasive approach involves digging up areas of the leaching bed to uncover additional information about the performance of the system you simply cannot see on the surface.

If you plan on renovating your home, an addition, building a pool or workshop or simply landscaping the yard, this process may trigger an assessment of the septic system. In these instances, the existing system may be required to meet today’s standards in the Ontario Building Code. This could involve upgraded components or even a complete replacement. Meeting with an industry professional will shed some light on the situation.

In summary, a properly designed, installed and maintained septic system may service a home for a generation or more. Outside of routine maintenance, the system should continue to efficiently operate “out of sight, and out of mind.” Understanding what you have underground on your property, what condition it is in and how it plays into any future construction/renovation plans you have is imperative to ensuring you don’t have any unwanted surprises with your new home.

If you live in the country or on the edge of a city where there is no water service, and instead get your water from your own well, it’s important to regularly maintain it to keep high water quality, and to prevent expensive repair bills.

You may start to notice an issue with water quality simply by a change of taste when drinking tap water, however, annual bacterial checks should be done as well. These can be easily done after purchasing a water test kit from a local hardware store.

At least once per year, the well cover should be checked to ensure it fits properly and that nothing can leak in from the surface. If a vented well cap is present, it should be free of debris, and in-tact in order to keep bugs and animals out. If the well is around new trees or shrubs, their roots should not have grown to within ten feet of the well. Finally, the well’s casing should be at least one foot above the ground.

While components of your well and water system can break down over time, common sense should also prevail, such as keeping hazardous chemicals, such as oil, lawn fertilizer, and paint away from your well. Do not insert hoses or pumps into the well to retrieve water; use your home’s water taps and faucets instead. Be careful when mowing the grass around the well as to not damage it. Finally, when doing any kind of landscaping or moving earth around the well, ensure that the ground slopes away from the well to prevent surface runoff, as should have been the case when the well was installed.

Keeping these tips front of mind when performing these activities can ensure accidental contamination of your water supply does not happen. With proper care, you can maintain your home’s well to live its full and expected lifetime.

If you want to improve your home and aren’t a “do-it-yourself-er,” hiring a contractor is likely the route you’ll use to make the changes you desire. As something you infrequently do, finding the right contractor to create your vision may be challenging. Here are some tips to find the right one for you.

Create a list of possible contractors that can perform the type of renovations you want, either from recommendations from friends or web searches. Do thorough research before contacting them, such as finding out their business ratings on sites like the Better Business Bureau, ensuring they are licensed, and finding any ratings they have from past clients on their web site, Google, or social media platforms.

When you’re ready to reach out to them, do so with a list of prepared questions: do they take on projects of your size and scope, do they have their own references they can provide, and how many projects do they have going on at the same time? If you receive satisfactory responses, meet in person where the job is to be completed so they can visually inspect the area and ask their own questions to get a true sense of the scope of the work.

Before the work starts, get quotes from the top two or three candidates for comparison. Their breakdown should include an itemized list of materials as well as expected labor costs. When you compare the quotes, don’t automatically go for the lowest bidder. The low bid may speak to the contractor’s experience or quality of their work. Be sure to ask questions about all quotes to ensure you know what exactly is and isn’t covered. After you’ve decided, sign a contract, which should state start date, milestone dates, end date, and payment schedule (some money up front, the rest spread throughout the duration of the work, or the end).

By following these basic tips, you should have a successful renovation by a qualified home improvement contractor!

Choosing the right time to buy a home is always tricky.  Although the market has softened a little in our area this year compared to last, it is still a strong market, which can make what is likely the biggest purchase you’ll make in your life a stressful one.  If you haven’t purchased a home in the past few years, here are a few things you should know about our current market.

Both variable rate and fixed rate mortgages have increased in the past year. Variable rate mortgages are primarily indexed against the Bank of Canada’s prime lending rate, which has increased twice by 25 basis points this year to 1.5%. Most or all variable mortgage rates will be higher than that, with many hovering slightly under 3.0% for a 5-year rate.

While longer (5-year) term variable mortgages offer lower rates, in the fixed rate mortgage world, shorter terms (1- or 2-year) on fixed rate mortgages tend to be lower than their long-term counterparts, at the cost of less long-term certainty.

You can often qualify for lower rates depending on your credit rating. A local mortgage broker can also help you navigate the world of mortgages and explain all the options to find the product that’s best for you. In addition, they are often able to get preferred rates from mortgage lenders.

In the first half of 2018, the Kitchener-Waterloo area sold 19.1% less homes compared to the same period in 2017, and in the early part of this year in Guelph, 15.5% less homed were listed in 2018 compared to 2017. 24.9% less units were sold in the first half of 2018 compared to 2017. But that doesn’t mean we are trending to a “buyer’s market.”  There were less homes listed for sale from January to June this year, and June 2018 had 40.1% less homes listed than 10-year June average of 1,728.  The homes that were listed and sold did sell for slightly more than last year.  Still, with the rate of selling decreasing, this year’s buyers likely will not be pressured to issue unconditional offers, which can give you the time to schedule a home inspection and get to know your new home before fully committing.

Mold can often be apparent in many areas of your home, however, there is one place it can build up that most homeowners do not often check: the attic.  Silently growing toxic attic mold can spread through the air of your entire home and, in the worst cases, cause otherwise unexplained colds or flus.  Regular inspection for attic mold is important. 

Early formations of mold can appear as a light powdery coating or skin in small splotches or speckles in one of many colors – white, green, brown, or black – on the surface of your attic’s wood or insulation.  In whatever form it appears, mold forms in damp environments where condensation forms, and not from roof leaks. Most roof leaks drip into the living area of your home, and as such, are typically noticed and fixed immediately. Rather, attic mold growth from condensation occurs when the air in the attic is 100% saturated and cannot hold any additional water molecules.  When this happens, condensation forms on anything that is less saturated, such as the house’s roof framing.

If attic mold and condensation does not come from roof leaks, where does it come from?  Sometimes it comes from a poorly sealed ceiling when there is excessive moisture from the living space below the attic, such as steam from the kitchen, or hot showers in the bathroom.  It can also be caused by insufficient ventilation in the attic, such as improperly installed ventilation components that allow air from the home to be vented into the attic instead of outside.  In either case, the warm, moist air condenses on the cold roof sheathing, creating the perfect condition for mold growth. These air leaks also make your home less energy efficient, putting more strain on your home’s furnace or air conditioning.

Attic inspections are just one of many aspects of a home inspection with Building Insights. And, don’t forget to regularly inspect your attic after you’ve moved in to catch mold growth early, improve air quality, and keep your home energy efficient!

You might be asking yourself, “How does lead get into our drinking water?” The answer is simple, but not always easy to detect. Lead enters drinking water during the corrosive process that happens to metal fixtures, particularly if the water is highly acidic, or has a low mineral content. The most common culprit is brass or chrome-plated fixtures that have lead soldering.

Lead pipes are most common in homes that were constructed before the late 1980s, at which time, safer alternatives were used in construction, and lead pipes were discontinued.

There is no safe amount of lead to ingest, as it’s an extremely toxic metal and can build in your body over time. Behavioural issues are known to occur when children, infants, and fetuses are exposed to lead, so it’s important to take the proper steps in determining whether your home has lead pipes.

Check with your local municipality or utility provider to see if they offer lead testing, such as this one offered by the City of Waterloo. These programs should always meet the Ministry of the Environment’s requirements for lead sampling of drinking water systems.

If you are concerned you have lead pipes, be sure to get a test as quickly as possible, but in the meantime, you can follow the below precautions:

1. Flush the line for several minutes before consuming or cooking with the water
2. Only use water that has sat in the pipes for 6+ hours for bathing (human skin does not absorb led, so it’s safe to wash with), or for watering plants.
3. Only drink water from cold water taps.

Remember, if lead is found in your drinking water, it is the responsibility of the property owner to pay for all costs associated with the replacement of the water system.

Mold, a fungus which can grow on building materials, can cause some serious problems within your home. If not dealt with, mold can grow to become a significant health hazard. These symptoms can include coughing, phlegm build-up, wheezing, shortness of breath, and more.

Causes of Mold

Once spores are present in your home, mold only needs a few things to start growing. A dark, humid environment will allow mold to grow along with a food source which can be wood, drywall, or other organic materials. It does not take long for mold to grow. Under the right conditions, most mold can begin to grow within 48 hours.

If you have a water leak, mold can begin to form if not attended to quickly. Leaks can be tricky as they may not always be in sight. Leaking pipes, for example, often go undetected as they are hidden inside a wall. This means by the time you reach it, chances are mold is already present. Other causes for mold may include condensation, poor ventilation, wet clothes and flooding.

Remedies for Mold

While it may not seem very dangerous, mold can be toxic. It is best practice to hire a professional rather than removing the mold yourself.

However, if you have mold in your home that is not toxic, it can be possible to do it yourself. This is only if the area is smaller than a 3 by 3 foot area. If you choose to do it yourself, be sure to wear protective equipment like a respirator, googles, gloves and a full body protective suit while doing so. Bleach, borax, vinegar and ammonia can all work in removing mold spores. You will also need to contain these spores in order to ensure they do not spread around your house. The best way to do this is to seal off the room you will be working in as well as use plastic sheets to cover openings like vents and doorways. Ensure they are sealed well with duct tape!

Preventing Mold

Mould needs organic compounds in order to grow, which can be easily found within a home. However the biggest factor is preventing excess water within the home including moisture, water leaks, humidity and condensation.

If you find a room in your home is feeling damp, it is a good idea to purchase a dehumidifier. This will help circulate the air so it does not stagnate while removing excess moisture.

Now that summer is here, many of us have the urge to make some changes. Whether it is the bright sunshine or the longer days, we all get the motivation to spruce up our lives. While home renovations can seem daunting, they do not have to be. Take a look at these 6 ideas to revamp your home that you and your bank account will love.

Add a Doormat
An easy way to spruce up the entrance to your home is a doormat. Whether you opt for one before you enter or just as you step foot in the door is up to you. Inside it also serves as a protector of hardwood flooring!

Upgrade Your Mailbox
Who said your mailbox had to only be for letters and flyers? Use your mailbox to add a pop of colour to your home’s façade. Opting for an ornate mailbox can add a touch of elegance to the front of your house. 

Get Creative with Your Shelving
Who says you have to use a standalone shelving unit? Try adding some wall-mount shelves instead of a bookcase. It will free up some floor space while making the room look larger. This is also a great option to help de-clutter a countertop in areas like your kitchen.

Add Some Mood Lighting
Ditch the traditional on/off light switch for a dimmer in rooms like your dining room or family room. This can add some extra mood lighting for a romantic dinner or help create a theatre experience when watching a movie with your family.

Wallpaper a Door
Do you have some wallpaper left from an older renovation? Put it to use! Cut it to size and paste it over door panels to add some extra flair to a room. 

Closet? How About a Home Office?
Time to lose the hanging rods! Fit the space with a large shelf to use as a desk. Then all you need is a chair and a table lamp. You can add some shelving above as well for more storage space. Want to divide the office from your home? An accordion style door is a great way to hide your business when you want to focus on pleasure.