Some people prefer the stately, old-world grandeur of older homes to the lifeless, unimaginative construction of modern houses.

If you’re one of these individuals, then congratulations on your sense of domicile style! But as you search for the vintage home of your dreams, be on the lookout for certain issues that are often found in houses of a certain age (and be prepared to shell out some cash to fix them). Here are five of the most common problems:

1. Lead-based paint.

Though it hasn’t been used for decades, the exterior paint on many homes once contained bits of lead. It cannot be absorbed through the skin; but if it flakes off and is ingested, it could harm you, your children, or your pets. It can also contaminate your soil. To get rid of it, the lead paint must be sandblasted away and the exterior repainted.

2. Lead pipes.

Pipes with lead in them were widely used in homes until the middle of the last century, and lead was also found in welding solder until the mid-1980s. If any of this lead rusts or flakes off the pipe, it can go straight into your water supply. There are two ways to approach this problem: replace the pipes that contain lead, or install a filtration system in your home which will keep the lead out of your water.

3. Roofs and gutters in disrepair.

Don’t downplay the dangers of a few loose shingles or a rusty gutter system. If the rainwater isn’t flowing away from your house, it can weaken your foundation or damage your attic or interior walls. Patch up roof holes and repair your gutter guards before you move in.

4. Cracked foundation.

Structures of all ages can have foundation issues; but the older the home, the greater the chances are of having problems with the house’s foundation. The cinderblock and cement materials used to build older homes tend to crack, allowing water to seep into walls, causing mold and mildew to form in ceilings. If you can’t seal foundation cracks from the inside, you may have to pay thousands of dollars to fix the foundation itself.

5. Radon.

Foundation cracks can also permit the formation of radon gas inside your home. This odorless, naturally-occurring gas is believed to be in 1 out of every 15 American homes and is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the nation. Testing for the presence of radon is easy; but finding the source and getting rid of the gas may be more expensive.

You shouldn’t let the possibility of these problems deter you from buying an older home. However, if you do have your eye on a certain vintage house, you should seek out experts to determine if these problems exist before you seal the deal. Though some of the fixes may be costly, you usually are able to get rid of these hazards once and for all. Then you can concentrate on moving into your fabulous one-of-a-kind home!

Most homeowners pay no attention to their gutter system – until there is a problem. . . and it usually takes a serious problem for people to direct their gaze upwards to check out what is going on above.

Next to the foundation and the roof, the gutter system comes in as the third most important system of the house.

Now the reader may ask?  “What is the purpose of the gutter and downspout system”
Here is a quick quiz:  What is the purpose of your gutter & downspout system?:

a. collect  tree debris that falls on the roof and then washes into the gutters when it rains.

b. direct tree debris (leaves/needles/twigs) to the downspout and block it up.

c. collect water, snow and ice, morph into frozen ice trays that can cause ice dams

d. collect and divert water away from the home foundation

Answer?   Well, if you answered yes to all of the above – you are correct.  It’s a bit of a trick question.  But if you think about it.  Gutters are designed to fail.  And they do regularly.

You have an open trough all around the the house that collects all the stuff that lands on your roof.  Debris from trees can include: leaves, needles, cones, seeds, pods, strings, helicopters.

Even if you have no trees your gutters are designed to catch and hold shingle granules and ice and snow that forms on the roof.

No wonder then, that people have so many problems with their gutter system.

Stay tuned to our Blog for more important information on how to get the most out of your gutter system…

As life slowly returns to the earth…

Its time for you to take your annual walkabout the house to learn what winter has done to your home – unbeknownst to you – over the winter!

Much can be learned from a visual inspection.  Your house is trying to talk to you…so open yours eyes and listen!

Trees.  Everybody loves their trees and loathe to cut them down or back, but keep in mind that trees and tree limbs should not overhang the house and branches should not touch the roof of the house in any way.  Damage will ensue to your shingles or siding materials when you disregard this immutable law of home ownership.

Gutters. Winter and Ice are very hard on gutters.  Look for burst seams in the gutter and leaking from standing water in the corners.  For those of you unfortunate to still have the spike & ferrule gutter attachment systems -  look for loose and missing spikes – which are sure signals – that your gutters are slowly being forced off of the house and will eventually fall to the ground – without your intervention.  The Spike & Ferrule Attachment system is an obsolete method of attachment which requires that your gutters be pierced in two places and causes fascia rot and water to be introduced into your house – every time it rains.

Downspouts.  Often overlooked – downspouts play an important role in keeping your basement or crawlspace dry.  Downs are often completely packed and blocked-up with last fall’s leaves/needles/dirt and debris.  Sometimes the only effective remedy is to dismantle a blocked downspout and clean out the elbows and pipe.  Check the downspout back seam to see that it is not burst from ice expansion and contraction.  Most downs should have a 3’ kicker – the part that touches the ground should stick out away from the house at least 3’.  Remember also, that you should have a positive grade so that water moves away from your foundation wall and not back towards it.  With a negative grade water has no where to go – but down.  Hydrostatic pressure can force water into and through your basement walls – even if they are sound!

Roof:  Stand back and visually inspect your roof.  Look for missing and cracked shingles – especially at the eaves.  Ice dams are generally the culprit.  When water gets up underneath the shingles it lifts the shingle when it freezes.  Freeze/thaw cycles are very hard on modern shingles which lack flexibility due to low oil content – become brittle and break easily.  Curling of shingles at the bottom edge is the first sign of impending roof failure and is caused by lack of ventilation and insulation in the attic.  If you notice long dark vertical streaks on your shingles – that is algae eating away at the limestone content in asphalt shingles. It is estimated that 80% of new roof jobs are the direct result of damage and or appearance problems caused algae growth.  Don’t go with any roofing contractor who does not include an attic inspection along with his price and evaluation.

General:   Look for algae and mildew growth on your siding.   Sometimes it’s a good idea to power wash your house for general cleaning principles but especially before you paint.  Don’t go with any paint contractor who does not intend to power wash your home (and use detergent) before he starts to paint!

Many homeowners are experiencing large ice dams and icicles along the eaves right now and if questioned on it – most would be hard pressed to explain what is going on and why it is happening.

Many homeowners blame their gutters which are full of ice and have become ice trays and they may be right or partially right – although you can have icicles and ice dams and not have gutters on the house.

There are three main reasons that contribute to ice and ice dam formation on the eaves of residential homes.

1. Home Design. The way we design and build homes in this country does not allow adequate space at the eave area to insulate and ventilate . The triangle formed from the intersection of the roof line and attic floor line is too constricted to insert enough insulation to yield an R-60 (17”) which is what the Federal requirement for Michigan Attics.
2. Gutters. Gutters are designed to fail and do so with striking regularity. When they are not cleaned often enough leaves and debris will occlude the downspouts, which will contribute to clogged gutters and standing water which will freeze in winter and will then build up upon itself filling the gutters and then back up upon the eave and shingles.
3. Lack of Insulation and Ventilation contributes to heat loss, manifested by the presence of icicles, ice dams and shingles visible through snow melt on the roof.

Contributing Factors

There are a number of factors at work that contribute to the formation of ice and dams.

Here are some of them.

• Direction the House Faces
• Direction of prevailing Winds
• color and type of shingle or roof material
• type and size of overhang
• type and amount of soffit ventilation (intake)
• type and amount of ventilation (exhaust)
• type and amount of insulation
• sources of heat loss into the attic from living quarters
• size and condition of gutters and downspouts
• presence of lack of ice and water shield

Potential Serious Problems

Here is a short list of potential problems caused by ice and icicles at the eave.

• damage to gutters and downspouts as ice expands and contracts
• damage to shingles with ice working up under and over them causing cracks
• roof leaks when ice builds in gutters and works its way up underneath the drip edge and melts
• roof leaks when ice melts forming pools of trapped water behind the ice dam
• safety issues to occupants and visitors

Solutions

1. Re-designing and rebuilding the eave area and pulling up the roof to add insulation in cathedral or vaulted ceilings are solutions but impractical.
2. Adding Heated Helmet electric wire to gutters and Gutter Helmet will substantially Reduce ice and ice dam formation at the eave.
3. Adding insulation and or ventilation is the quickest, easiest and most cost effective means to deal with the heat loss issues which contribute to icicle and ice dam issues.

So you’re thinking about a major home improvement? Congratulations! When done properly, a home renovation project will make your home more enjoyable and increase its value over time. Unfortunately, we’ve all heard the horror stories of home improvement gone bad – unfinished projects, shoddy workmanship, longer than expected project durations and final bills that come in higher than the quote. So there is no wonder that the average homeowner does not know who to have do the work or who to trust. Yes, there are some good companies out there, but unfortunately that is more the exception than the rule. Consider these industry stats:

• #1 in consumer dissatisfaction (up to 70%)
• #1 in written complaints (according to BBB)
• #1 in bankruptcies (non-food industries) according to the SBA

Now it is nice to be number one, but not for those reasons! To make matters worse, it is estimated that about 96% of all new home improvement companies will fail within the first 3-5 years. It is amazing that a $300 billion industry is fraught with so many problems. So how can you protect yourself? There are some basic “DOs and DON’Ts” the average homeowner can follow to ensure they navigate the maze of contractors to a successful finished project.

Top 3 Homeowner “DOs”

1) DO your research before you set an appointment

In today’s world of information there are lots of ways a homeowner can search about a local contractor – especially online. If you have a difficult time finding information about a company you are considering…beware! There should be lots of third party information, such as the Better Business Bureau, that can help give you a better feel for who you will be doing business with.

2) DO look for a company who have been in business for a good length of time

Obviously the longer the better, but usually a company who has made it past ten years is doing something right and is much less likely to go out of business. Ask yourself if the company looks stable or are they “fly by night”.

3) DO look for a company who is fully insured and has its own employees

In this day and age it is a lot cheaper to do business without insurance and many contractors take advantage of this fact. Don’t just take their word for it – ask to see the actual documents and make sure they are correctly dated. In general you can expect more professional workmanship from an employee. Many companies opt for subcontractors in order to save money, often at a sacrifice for quality work.

Top 3 Homeowner “DON’Ts”

1) DON’T look for the best price

This is one of the most common mistakes made by a homeowner. You cannot get a quality product that is professionally installed and also expect great service – all at the cheapest price – because it doesn’t exist! Generally in life it is true that “you get what you pay for”. Instead look for the company with the best value for what you are getting so you only have to do the project once.

2) DON’T hire a friend or family member to do the work

This often sounds like a no brainer because a homeowner is promised a “great price”. The problem is what happens if there is a problem? Usually the homeowner feels guilty asking for service because they know they got “a deal” and the person who did the work feels angry because they thought they were doing “a favor”.

3) DON’T get a least 3 quotes

Really? Well, people have been saying “get at least 3 quotes” for years and the industry is still ranked #1 in consumer dissatisfaction – so it hasn’t worked! There is no evidence to show that a customer who spends the time interviewing 3 or more contractors has any better luck. In fact, many homeowners get confused and end up going with the cheapest bid. The best solution is to do as much research ahead of time as you can. If you find the right company you won’t need other bids.