Let your ASHI home inspector help you know the condition of asbestos siding & the health risk involved before you purchase your next home. Do you own or soon to own a home built in the 1960’s or earlier. Then there is the possibility that the home has asbestos siding panels. If so then the home has a great fire retardant. However, if you plan to remove the asbestos siding & replace it with another cladding, then you should read this article first. If you are not aware of what asbestos is or the health risk that the dust can cause when removing, then don’t risk it, hire a professional. You also look at the EPA website & download their recommendations for remediation or removing asbestos panels. Asbestos must be treated & handled correctly. The health defects caused by asbestos inside a pregnant mother can pass these same defects onto her unborn child. Don’t risk your life to save a few bucks. Your life & the unborn are priceless & cannot be replaced, the house can.

Hire an ASHI home inspector to help you before you purchase the older home.

Your only legal options in having asbestos removed from your home are to hire a certified asbestos abatement contractor or do the work yourself. The law prohibits you from hiring anyone other than a certified asbestos abatement contractor to perform asbestos removal work. Family members and friends may participate, provided they do so on a voluntary, no-pay basis. Be advised that the removal procedures described in this publication are intended to help homeowners minimize health risks associated with “do-it-yourself” asbestos removals. However, it should be understood that removing asbestos from your home can be dangerous. Some release of asbestos fibers into the air is unavoidable and there are no known safe levels of asbestos exposure. However, common sense dictates that unique and particularly challenging asbestos projects should not be undertaken by the home owner. In such cases, it would be prudent to avoid the possibility of asbestos contamination by abandoning the “do-it- yourself” approach and hiring a certified asbestos abatement contractor.

If your siding contains asbestos, are you sure you really want to remove it? Remember, asbestos is a problem only if fibers are released to the air. Unless cement asbestos board siding is being disturbed, it will not release asbestos fibers. Hence, the safest, easiest and least expensive option may be to leave it alone. Sometimes, it is possible to work around asbestos without removing it. However, if asbestos-containing siding must be disturbed as part of a remodeling project, then removal may be your only option. However, common sense dictates that unique and particularly challenging asbestos projects should not be undertaken by the home owner. In such cases, it would be prudent to avoid the possibility of asbestos contamination by abandoning the “do-it- yourself” approach and hiring a certified asbestos abatement contractor.

■ Breathing through a respirator is more difficult than normal breathing and places an additional stress on your heart and lungs.
■ Protective clothing can become hot and uncomfortable.
■ Work can involve ladders and high spaces.
■ Eye protection often results in reduced visibility.
■ Caution must be taken with wiring and electrical power because of all the water being used to wet the asbestos.

Words of Caution
The work will be difficult.  It is important to note that even under the best of circumstances, homeowner-performed asbestos projects can be physically demanding and potentially dangerous.

Buying or living in a manufactured home.  You need to know safety tips that may save your life or someone in your family.  Your home inspector cannot inform you of all the safety tips available, but he can refer you to good websites that will guide you to your answer. Take advantage of free material & protect your most valuable asset, your family.  Don’t forget to call your ASHI home inspector next time you buy your next home.  His knowledge may help save your life. Read the specifications below to know how your manufactured home should be inspected.

Manufactured Home Inspections
Once you obtain a Manufactured Home installation permit, installation must begin within 180 days and an inspection must be approved. If no inspection is approved the permit will expire. Once an inspection is approved the permit will be active for an additional 180 days. A manufactured home must be anchored per the manufacturer’s installation instructions. If the instructions are not available then WAC 296-150M allows you to use American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A225.1, 1994 edition instead. These are available from The National Fire Protection Agency 1-800-344-3555.
Or you may obtain the services of an engineer licensed in the state of Washington.

Runners/footing inspection
• Manufactured home installation instructions must be on site for all inspections.
• If Manufactured Home tie-downs are being anchored in runners, a concrete slab or continuous footings, an inspection of the forms and reinforcing steel shall be made and approved prior to pouring concrete. Please provide manufacturers installation instructions on site for tie-downs.

Blocking/Tie Down inspection
• Prior to calling for blocking inspection, the Manufactured home anchoring verification card must be completed by the installer and left for the building inspector.
• All Utilities Must be connected for Blocking/tie-down inspection prior to skirting and final inspections being ordered.

Skirting inspection
• Skirting must be installed. When using wood skirting, use pressure treated wood if skirting comes in contact with the ground or is within 4” of the ground
• Under floor ventilation must be provided. Provide one square foot of ventilation for each 150 sq. ft. of floor area. * For homes in flood plain contact the Permit Center as different requirements will apply.
• Dryer Duct must be installed and must go to the exterior of skirting. Use 4” smoothwall metal duct. Only use an approved material (such as duct tape) to fasten joints. Support pipe adequately and provide a dampered cap at duct termination.
• Run pressure/temp. relief line from hot water tank to the exterior of the skirting. Install a 90° elbow pointing down on end of the line. The termination needs to be between 6” to 24″ from the ground.

Final Inspection
All corrections from previous inspections must be completed for final inspection.
• Address must be posted and clearly visible from road accessing property.
• Provide a landing with a minimum size of 3’ x 3’ outside all exterior doors. Locate this landing flush with or within 8” of top of door threshold. If door swings out over landing, landing surface needs to be flush with or within 1” of the top of the door threshold. If landings or decks are over 30” above grade, guardrails are required around them and on both sides of any stairs accessing these landings. Guardrails must be a minimum of 36” tall measured from the deck surface. Follow details in Thurston County figure 24.
• Slope finished grade away from manufactured home for a minimum distance of 5 ft. Provide site drainage away from the home to prevent water problems.
• Provide drainage for roof on site.
• Any exterior hose bibs not installed by the manufacturer must be an anti-siphon type or have an anti-siphon device installed.
• All water supply lines under home must be insulated.
• Minimum 6 mil/black visqueen installed under home.
Note: Since each manufactured home is different, this list should be used as a guide and not be construed as being inclusive of everything that may be inspected. The above items are the most common items required for inspections.

Being a home inspector in Austin for 15 years, I have found that many realtors don’t protect their clients during the home inspection. You are preparing to make the largest investment of your lifetime, do you care who handles your real estate transaction?   Important items that need repair get down played or swept away by the realtor so the house can be sold & they get their commission & go to the next house. 

The opposite is true for the Lisa Goldin team at Re/Max.  I have worked with their buyers agents for over 5 years & can attest to their professional ethics & integrity at the home inspection.  If something is unclear they will have the client call later for clarification.  If the house is a dog, they don’t try to force them in to closing.  When shopping for a realtor, look at the Lisa Goldin Re/Max Team.

This is general guide for the home inspector when inspecting an EIFS home. The consumer can also benefit from reading it. The consumer should be very careful when buying a stucco house, but even more careful when buying EIFS. The problems can be many & the cost enormous. You can trust your ASHI inspector to tell you about stucco & EIFS upon your next home inspection.

EIFS is “Exterior Insulation Finish System”. It is basically an insulation board glued to the framing & covered with cement plaster. How appealing does the EIFS sound to you now? You need to know the facts behind EIFS because your savings account may reduce & insurance premiums rise the longer you live in the EIFS house. EIFS is prone to allowing moisture in then retaining it into the wood substrate & framing causing a very expensive & smelly repair. Most of the time the home owner does not know they have a problem until the damage is well established. What starts as a little water stain quickly accelerates into soft wood trim, spongy walls & then bad odors.

Most of the time when water enters through the EIFS cladding, it ends further down the wall due to following the glue line that holds the EPS board onto the framed wall. Therefore, identifying the exact source of the leak in the wall can be finding the needle in the hay stack.

Can you afford these problems? My company specializes in discovering the problem before it becomes your problem. Call us today to evaluate your EIFS or stucco house before the bad news begins.

Here is another article about EIFS that may help you determine to “reclad or repair”

Reclad or Repair?

One of the most difficult choices facing owners of synthetic stucco homes is deciding whether to attempt repairs or, instead, to strip the system and reclad with another siding. There is sharp disagreement on this point.

The EIFS manufacturers and many builders contend that repair of EIFS is sufficient to restore the systems’ reliability. Such repairs include installing missing or inadequate flashing, applying sealant around windows, doors and other terminations and, where the stucco extends to the ground, removing the system a sufficient distance from grade. Proponents of repair argue that actual damage to the sheathing and framing of most synthetic houses is below 10%, and can be addressed without total replacement. They also point to the substantial cost differences between repairs and replacement.

Even among those who advocate repairs, however, there is disagreement. For example, some experts advise against installing sealant joints around windows, doors and system penetrations. Others insist that sealant joints are absolutely necessary. In fact, a New Hanover County task force assigned to formulate a “definitive” repair protocol has been unable to reach agreement on this issue.

Many engineers and construction specialists have concluded that the only way to absolutely insure against long term EIFS failure and damage caused by resulting moisture intrusion is to replace the EIFS entirely. In support of this position, these experts point out the effects of defective insulation may not be seen for several years, possibly at a time when the homeowner’s legal rights have been extinguished. They also point to the inherent unreliability of moisture intrusion tests. This camp contends that the realities of residential construction and the extreme maintenance requirements of EIFS render all EIFS homes vulnerable to moisture intrusion. They further argue that, given the inevitability of moisture intrusion, it is absolutely necessary to have a weather resistant barrier on the sheathing of the structure. The only way to incorporate such a feature is to reclad the home. Finally, these experts, recognizing the wide differences of opinion about what constitutes appropriate repair, note that potential purchasers significantly discount homes with EIFS repairs, as opposed to dwellings which have been reclad.

Is mold the problem that the industry scare has hyped?  According to Jeff May who wrote for the ASHI Reporter says yes.  Whether in Austin or Dallas, Texas we all have water that when leaks into a concealed space can create mold spores.  Most home inspectors are not licensed to inspect for mold.  The consumer should be very careful when selecting their contractor to test for mold.  I personally would not recommend a home inspector testing for mold & identifying the spores because it requires extensive education that home inspectors do not invest in.  The week end training classes to obtain a license to inspect for mold is like a weekend class to become a mechanic.  If your home inspector has requested that you hire a mold expert for further evaluation, do not hire the same inspector to test for mold.�