Brian Ross of Details Home Inspections in Vancouver Washington recently earned his certification as a U.S. Department of Energy Home Energy Score Assessor for Washington and Oregon. This means that he is not only fully qualified to perform professional home inspections for those interested in buying or selling a home in Washington but that he also can assess a home and provide an official Home Energy Score on homes in Washington and Oregon.

You might be wondering what exactly that means? What is a Home Energy Score?

The U.S. Department of Energy's Home Energy Score provides home owners, buyers, and renters directly comparable and reliable information regarding the home's energy use. The Home Energy Score was developed by the U.S. Department of Energy and implemented in 2012 in order to standardize a means of measuring and comparing a home's energy use across the housing market. The Home Energy Score is comparable to the miles-per-gallon rating on a car and is an incredibly useful tool in the decision process for home buyers. 

There are four key features of a Home Energy Score Report:

• The energy efficiency score based on the homes 'envelope'- the foundation, roof, walls, insulation, and windows, and the heating, cooling, and hot water systems.

• An energy use estimate including a breakdown of estimated energy use dependent on type of fuel used, assuming average use.

• Recommendations for improvements and associated estimated cost savings when implemented. 

• A theoretical 'score with improvements' indicating the expected Home Energy Score once recommended improvements are completed.

If you're looking to buy or sell a home in the near future, or if you're interested in learning how your current house scores and would like to see the recommendations for improvement and cost-savings, contact Brian Ross with Details Home Inspections in Vancouver Washington. Remember that Brian is certified to perform Home Energy Score Assessments in Oregon and Washington, and can also provide professional home inspections for Washington.

For more information and current topics, visit the Details Home Inspections Facebook Page. 

For more information on the Home Energy Score provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, click here. 

Water heaters are a marvel of modern technology. One could argue that without the invention of water heaters and the availability of hot water on demand, humans may still be living in the stone age. Do you have an older model water heater that you'd like to have inspected for safety? Are you purchasing a home and need a full inspection, including an assessment of the water heater? 

Water heater inspection is one of the services provided by Brian Ross, certified professional home inspector with Details Home Inspections LLC in Vancouver WA. 

Maybe you're considering replacing your old water heating unit and aren't sure the options available now? Take a moment and read through this article to learn a bit about the different options and the pros and cons of each. 

There are four basic types of water heaters: solar, heat pump, tankless, and tank-style. 

Solar Water Heaters use energy from the sun to heat water. There are active and passive styles of solar water heaters, depending on the type of pump system that they use. A major benefit of purchasing a solar water heater is that they're long-lived, often lasting upwards of 20 years. A downside of a solar unit is that you'll likely need a backup option for days without adequate sunshine. Additionally, solar units are usually quite expensive and difficult and complicated to set up. 

Heat Pump Water Heaters move heat rather than actually generating it. The unit pulls heat from the surrounding air and dumps it into the tank of water. Because they do not have to generate the heat themselves, these types of water heaters are 2-3x more efficient than gas or electric water heaters. The cost of these types of units is also very high and they're very dependent on location and installation expertise. Additionally, heat pump units can create a large added demand on your HVAC system. 

Tankless Water Heaters use modern technology to heat water directly on demand, without storing large quantities of hot water in a tank. These units are significantly smaller than traditional tank-style water heaters and have a long lifespan of approximately 20 years. This style water heater is generally 3-5 times as expensive as a traditional tank-style water heater and requires an expert installation. 

Tank-Style Water Heaters are the most common and get their name from having a tank, usually 30-50 gallons, of water that the unit keeps constantly hot for ready use in the home. These come in two styles: electric or natural gas. Tank-style water heaters are cheaper to purchase and install than other options, but use a fair amount of energy to keep the water constantly hot and suffer from standby heat loss.

Depending on the type of water heater that you've got, its lifespan can vary greatly. If you're purchasing a home and aren't sure the age of the water heater, consider giving us a call at Details Home Inspections at 360-823-3034. We can perform a full home inspection and provide a detailed and unbiased report so that you can know what to expect in regard to maintenance and/or repair needs for the home, including the water heater.

Don't wait until your old water heater springs a leak and floods your garage. If your water heater is a decade old or more, or you're not sure its age, contact us today at Details Home Inspections. We'll be happy to pay you a visit and give our professional opinion on your water heater in Vancouver Washington. Like and follow our Facebook Page for more tips and up to date information.

*This article is indebted to the Pacific Heating & Cooling Blog.

If you're starting to think about selling your home, you'll want to be proactive in your preparations for getting the house ready so that you can get top dollar for your investment. You can count on the potential buyer to have a professional inspection done on the home, so plan ahead and address these top 10 issues before you even put the house on the market. 

These things won't hit your wallet hard if you take care of them in advance, but they are the types of issues that fuel negotiations and lower selling prices when found on buyer inspection reports!

1. Smoke Detectors: Be sure that the home has functioning smoke detectors installed in all of the important places! You'll need one in every bedroom and each hallway or access point into every bedroom or sleeping area. It is recommended that you have at least one smoke detector on every level of the home. These should usually be installed on the ceiling of the room or hallway.

2. Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Similar to smoke detectors, you will need a functioning carbon monoxide, or CO, detector outside each sleeping area. You must have one on every level of the home. Unlike smoke from a fire which rises, carbon monoxide mixes with air and can behave in a manner almost like pooling water, creating a pocket of toxic gas in a specific room or area of the house. There are various theories in regard to placement of a CO detector in a room, but most seem to agree that placing your CO detector three to five feet off the floor, and away from any furniture obstructions, is best. 

3. Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter: You will want to have Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) units installed in all bathrooms, the kitchen, outside receptacles, and garage receptacles. These devices help protect against electrocution by monitoring the electrical current flow and cutting it off if triggered. 

4. Window Screens: You will want to be sure that all window screens are securely installed.

5. Nail Heads: You will want to caulk all nail heads on roof vents, plumbing vents, and roof flashing to prevent moisture intrusion. 

6. Water Heater: Be sure that your home's water heater has seismic straps properly installed to protect against damage in the event of an earthquake. 

7. Outdoor Vegetation: Trim all outside vegetation away from contacting the sides of the house.

8. Clearance to Major Systems/Spaces: Be sure that there is safe and proper access clearance to your electrical panel, water heater, furnace, and into the attic and/or crawlspace. 

9. Aesthetics: Be sure to repair any areas of chipped or peeling paint, trim work, the deck, etc. These may seem trivial, but will be noted in a professional home inspection and would likely become a point for the buyer to negotiate on price. 

10. Windows: Repair or replace any fogged or failed/broken windows. Again, these can easily become a point for lowering the purchase price on a home.

Details Home Inspections in Vancouver Washington provides sellers with peace of mind through Pre-Listing Seller's Inspections. 

If you're preparing to sell your home, consider giving Brian a call at 360-823-3034 or contact him online to schedule an appointment. Brian is a certified professional home inspector with Details Home Inspections and is highly experienced. You'll receive a detailed and unbiased report of all inspection findings which can help you prepare your home to sell at the best price possible! 

Details Home Inspections is a Vancouver Washington home inspection company providing quality inspections to Vancouver, Battle Ground, Camas, Washougal, Ridgefield, Woodland, and all of Clark County WA. We provide home buyer inspections, pre-listing/seller inspections, new construction and phase inspections, multi-family dwelling inspections, warranty inspections on new construction homes, and radon testing. In this blog post, we're going to focus on 11th Month Builder's Warranty Inspections.

Most home builders offer a one year warranty on new construction homes. Many home owners make the mistake of becoming complacent and trusting that their newly built home is settling well when this may not be the case. It's worth a professional 'second look'. 

One area of specialty for Details Home Inspections is the 11th Month Builder's Warranty Home Inspection. Schedule an 11th month inspection with us and we'll come perform a full inspection before the builder's warranty expires.

Our home inspections are non-invasive and observations will be made of the visible and apparent condition of the interior and exterior of the structure, including major systems and all components. Most home inspections last approximately 2.5 to 4 hours. You are not required to be present but we encourage your attendance as the inspector will happily relay information to you about any concerns and can even give advice on potential costs and/or avenues of repair or replacement and things to watch out for when dealing with your home builder. 

This is a great opportunity to really get to know your house, inside and out, and learn its strengths and weaknesses in order to manage proper and proactive home maintenance for years to come.

Upon conclusion of the inspection, you'll receive a full report including photos and information on any material defect within the structure at the time of inspection. Armed with this information, you will be able to contact your home builder to have them manage the repair or replacement of any necessary flaws or defects while the home is still under the builder's warranty.

If you'd like to schedule your 11th Month Builder's Warranty Home Inspection, contact us today! You can find our contact info here, or give us a call at 360-823-3034. We take pride in the services we offer and hope that we can help you out by providing a professional home inspection in Vancouver WA or Clark County.

Details Home Inspections in Vancouver WA is frequently asked about lead-based paint. It’s one of the things we know we don’t want in our home even if we don’t quite know what it is or what it does.

What exactly is lead?

Lead is a naturally occurring element that’s found just about everywhere. It possesses many qualities that make it ideal for the construction industry.

There’s only one problem. Lead is a neurotoxin. It’s very bad for humans and animals. It’s especially dangerous to children and pregnant women.

If it’s so toxic why is it in paint?

Lead’s toxicity wasn’t really known until the 19th century. It was used in paint because it’s opaque and water resistant.

Does the paint in my house have lead?

If your home was built after 1978 it probably doesn’t have lead-based paint. The older the home the greater chance it has of containing lead-based paint.

Lead-based paint isn’t necessarily going to make your family sick. Problems arise when lead-based paint begins to deteriorate. When that happens, dust is created. The dust, which contains lead, is inhaled and that’s when people get sick.

Young children tend to put things in their mouths and/or bite things. So, any place covered in lead-based paint that a child might bite, for example, a window sill or door frame, can also be hazardous.

If you think your home may have lead-based paint, contact Details Home Inspections in Vancouver WA to have the professionals check it out!