ASHI Home Inspectors in Austin are familiar with what a safe stairway is & is not. Industry standards are very clear of the correct method of construction & fastening to make steps, balconies, etc for all home. Hiring the cheaper inspector may cost you more that a few bolts to repair, it may cost you your life. Put your life in our hands. We are ASHI & we speak house!

Step and Stair Inspections, Done to the ASHI Standards of Practice

According to the National Safety Council, 1,638 persons died from falls on or from steps and stairs in 2004 (the most recent year statistics available). This was greater than the combined number of deaths from bathtub and swimming pool drownings (1,027). Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control National Health reports that in 2001-2003 the annualized rate of fall injuries to adults aged 65 years and older on stairs, steps or escalators was estimated at 260,000. This was 15.5 percent of all fall injuries for this age group. ASHI Standards of Practice requires us to inspect exterior attached or adjacent decks, balconies, stoops, steps, porches and their associated railings. We are also required to inspect interior steps, stairways and railings.
Because we examine residences of all ages and styles, we must accurately report any adverse conditions found so that our clients can learn of conditions that pose the potential for fall injuries. (Our Standards require reporting a reason or explanation as to the nature of deficiencies reported that are not self-evident.) I refer to deficiencies as adverse conditions, which I define in my inspection glossary. Many adverse conditions found in or on steps and stairs meet the definition of UNSAFE listed in our Standards of Practice Glossary: “A condition in a readily accessible, installed system or component that is judged to be a significant risk of bodily injury during normal, day-to-day use; the risk may be due to damage, deterioration, improper installation, or a change in accepted residential construction standards.”Many of the recent changes in construction standards (building codes) involve changes in stair dimensions, but do not require changes in existing stairs and steps. Further, it is unlikely that rebuilding an interior stairs in a residence would be feasible from either a physical or cost-effective perspective. Therefore, while the ASHI inspector could report that an existing stairs does not meet new building code dimension (width, rise and run) requirements, s/he would be hard pressed to report a suitable recommendation to correct, as required by our Standards. Given this constraint, I believe it is most important to focus on adverse conditions that can be easily remedied.

Garage door openers seem to be very simple, but only prudent ASHI Home Inspectors know how to inspect them for safety.  A novice Home Inspector in Austin barely spends enough time to speak of anything specific about the home.  ASHI Home Inspectors in Austin care about their clients safety.  If the reverse tension is not functioning correctly it could cost your infant its life, damage your automobile or the door that could cost several hundred dollars to repair.  Why spend less on your next home inspection when it could cost you thousands after you move in.  Our reputation is in our name.  Give us a call & let us do you next home inspection in Austin.

Read the article below for more details of why garage door openers need to be inspected thoroughly.

by Sandy Bourseau Published August 2008 Paul King

Edward Robinson and Robert Gwaltney have more in common than their ASHI membership; all thought there was a lot more to be said about inspecting automatic garage door systems than what appeared in the June Viewpoint. Viewpoints are positions or perspectives from which something is considered or evaluated. “Testing Garage Doors: Are We Responsible?” took the position: “There is a reasonable expectation by homeowners that nothing done by a home inspector will damage their property. If a home inspector feels the need to properly test the contact reversal feature, the inspector has a duty to ask the owner for permission and to inform the owner of the risk of damage to the door.” While those who wrote us about garage doors did not comment on this position, they expressed opinions about the purpose of the reversal feature or suggested methods for testing automatic garage door systems and provided sources for their comments. Why is this a hot topic? For consumers, it’s a safety issue. ASHI Member Edward Robinson directed us to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). “According to a report received by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), approximately 60 children between the ages of 2 and 14 have been trapped and killed under the automatic garage doors since March 1982. This is approximately four such deaths per year. Other children have suffered brain damage or serious injuries when the closing door contacted them and failed to stop and reverse its direction.” (Source: CPSC Document #523) In response to this hazard, the “CPSC requires all garage door operators manufactured or imported after January 1, 1993, for sale in the United States be outfitted with an external entrapment protection system.” To educate consumers about the hazard and the need for the protection system, the CPSC joined forces with the National Safety Council and The Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association International (DASMA) to develop and publish “The Automatic Garage Door and Opener Safety & Maintenance Guide. For home inspectors, it’s a safety and inspection issue. According to the ASHI Standards of Practice (SOP) Committee, the ASHI Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics clearly requires that inspectors “inspect” garage doors and their openers. Where there may be some gray area is whether “testing” of safety features is required and/or how they are “tested.” This is a controversial issue among our membership, with some members arguing that you cannot inspect certain components unless you test them. Many inspectors test automatic door systems’ safety features even though it’s not specifically covered in the ASHI Standards of Practice. Many also are aware a garage door could be damaged during safety-feature testing. This was the issue raised in the June Viewpoint and is covered in the Standards of Practice by the following entry. “Inspectors are NOT required to: perform any procedure or operation that will, in the opinion of the inspector, likely be dangerous to the inspector or other persons or damage the property or its systems or components.