Friday, March 2, 2018

Doors and screwdrivers

In a previous blog I mentioned various items that I inspect in a home. Doors are one of them and are an important part of your home. Without properly operating doors you could have the neighbors dog sitting on your couch at 4 in the morning. Your electric bill may be higher because of a faulty piece of weather stripping. Doors give you privacy while in the bedroom or sitting on the throne. A faulty door knob could be a headache while trying to enter the house with a bag full of groceries on a rainy day. Doors, like windows, come in all shapes and sizes as well. Interior doors; panel, flush, French, pocket, bypass, and bifold. Exterior doors; panel, storm, sliding, French, garage, and patio, just to name a few. The doors can be made from wood, steel, aluminum, fiberglass or a composite. The doors can also have glass installed that may be fixed or operable. Each door comes in a variety of sizes as well. Standard widths are 15 to 36 inches and heights are 80 to 96 inches. Doors can also be custom ordered in any size you desire, for a custom price of course!
During an inspection I check the doors for proper operation. The door should open and close smoothly and securely. Wide gaps let the weather in and cut down on privacy. The most common defect for a door is what I will refer to as “dragging”. You may have one in your home right now. It hits the frame and drags across it as you shut the door, wearing the paint off in that spot. The repair for this is usually just tightening up a hinge but it may be more extensive. The door may have been installed incorrectly. The hinge side of the door is fastened to the framing by using shims and screws or nails. Sometimes the shims were not installed correctly or the fasteners have failed. Either of these will cause the door to sag. To fix this requires a little more than a Phillips screwdriver. That is why I will refer the defect to a licensed general contractor. I cannot tell why the door is dragging unless I pull some trim off of the wall. (Why do I refer you to consult with a licensed general contractor? I will leave the answer to that in another blog.)
Part of the door inspection is checking the operation of the door handle. It does not happen often but sometimes when you turn the knob the latch doesn’t retract. No big deal..... unless you are on the wrong side of the door! I have a tool bag that I carry into the home with me. Screwdriver, pliers, GFCI tester, mirror, moisture meter, flashlight, CO detector, digital thermometer and a probe to check for rot. Not a complete list of items but it’s more than I can put in my pocket. I usually have the flashlight and screwdriver in my back pocket.
Now to my story.... when I entered a room, I would grab the door knob and close the door as I walked through the doorway. If it closed smoothly, I would continue inspecting the room I entered. When I was finished in the room I would open the door and give it a good look checking for cracks, rot and loose hardware. I still do all of the above except for the first part. I was in the middle of nowhere in a basement bathroom. I followed the above routine and when I turned the door knob to leave, I found myself still standing in the bathroom with a closed door. Wiggle, wiggle, tug, turn, tug... nothing. I am locked in a basement bathroom in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service. I wasn’t worried about dying in the basement before someone found me, I was worried about the consequences of using force to free myself. Broken door jamb, trim and or door. Money out the window because of my own stupidity. Then I remembered the screwdriver in my pocket. With a little luck and some careful prying with the screwdriver I was able to free myself from my bathroom tomb.
Lesson learned... check the door knob for proper operation from the outside of the room.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Wasps and windows....

It that time of year when wasps are waking up. They gather in the corners of windows to take in the heat from the sun. I have always wondered where they spend the winter. There must be a little Motel 6 somewhere in the house. When I inspect a home I check everything that I can access. Doors, windows, light fixtures, switches, receptacles and faucets just to name a few. Windows come in all shapes and sizes. Transom, double hung, single hung, picture, garden, jalousie, hopper, awning, slider, casement, bow and bay. (I'll admit... I had to look up the spelling of jalousie!). Double hung windows, for those that don't know, are windows where both sashes slide up and down. Double hung windows are dangerous!
Disclaimer..... Double hung windows that are working properly are just fine. I don`t want to hear a rumor going around saying "Skip said double hung windows are dangerous and we can't buy this house because of them!"
Let me explain..... When I inspect a window I check for rot, proper operation, broken panes, and blown gas seals.
I have learned a thing or two about windows during my inspection career. When unlocking an unfamiliar double hung window be sure to hold the upper sash as you do it. I have had the pleasure of having the tips of my fingers smashed by the upper sash slamming down on them. Once was enough for me to learn my lesson. If you have never had this type of injury consider yourself blessed. Electrical shock waves all the way to your toes. If you are lucky, you will get to keep your purple fingernail that matches your purple finger tip.
Some double hung windows have a tilt lock feature. This enables you to tilt the window inward in order to clean it. They come in handy on the second floor. No ladders! I check this feature by sliding the locks and tilting the window in. On rare occasions they won't tilt and I will note that defect in the report. I do not want Mrs. Smith calling me on a Saturday morning telling me that her windows won't tilt in and I didn't let her know about it. Usually when they will not tilt it means that they have been installed too tight. Windows are installed with shims and sometimes the installer puts a few more in than needed. It could also be a broken tilt lock mechanism.
Anyway...... back to my story. I inspected a window the other day when the weather was a little chilly. I had my trusty denim jacket on. Check for broken panes, check for rot, check for blown gas seals, (if a gas seal is blown, the window has a cloudy look and no amount of cleaning will help) and check for proper operation. Ahhh... this window has a tilt lock. When you tilt the window in, in order to close it you have to use a small amount of force to put it back in its upright position. Depending on the size of the window, this can cause the window to shake slightly. The window in question was rather large and in order to put it back, I had to fully extend my arms over my head. Remember the wasps???..... When you raise your hands over your head, instinct is to look upward which is what I did. As the window shut it shook slightly and I felt something drop into my sleeve. It was then that I noticed a single wasp in the corner of the window. It could have been any number of things that dropped into my sleeve. A piece of wood, a large dust bunny but the flapping of tiny wings against my arm made me realize that it wasn't either of those things. A second ago, the lone wasp in the corner had a buddy and now his buddy is in the sleeve of my jacket. Thankfully the buyers and their realtor had just left moments ago. I'm not sure how they would have reacted from seeing their home inspector screaming like a little girl running through the house stripping down as he went. Thankfully, the wasp was still in a stupor from winter and did not sting me.
Double hung windows are dangerous!
The picture below was taken after the above. He had more buddies!