A step-by-step guide to putting in a versatile and stylish fixture

An eco-friendly floor that's also easy on the feet

Hanging the Stars and Stripes will give your house a nice seasonal touch of classic Americana. Here's how

Give your interior a new personality in just one weekend

Offer guests cocktails and brews by wheeling out this dedicated serving station

TOH reader Amy Paladino gets help making a tool bench for her garage from TOH general contractor Tom Silva

Layer stock lumber and moldings to produce this classic architectural element

Turn a worn-out wood floor into a warm cottage classic with a simple checkerboard pattern

Step-by-step instructions for installing wall tile around a bathtub

Add a touch of fancy to any living space

Ask the Inspector: Shingle fatigue
Leader-Telegram
Duerkop is a licensed home inspector and serves as president and education director of the Wisconsin Association of Home Inspectors for the central and northern Wisconsin chapters. To submit a question to him, call 866-715-8222 or email ...

Darien Home Inspector Finds Little Problems Before They Become Big Problems
Patch.com
Jeff Prince worked for 15 years as a bookbinder. He didn't plan to change careers. But as the printing industry shrunk, his job disappeared. Prince used this opportunity to take his career in a different direction, starting his own business in Darien ...

Seminar will introduce first-time buyers to real estate investment
The Daily Citizen
“We'll have two lenders there — Alliance National Bank and First Bank of Dalton — and a home inspector, Precise Home Inspections,” said Mike Maret, principal broker at Coldwell Banker/Kinard Realty. “So if anybody has any questions about home ...

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Home repairs: Which jobs come first?
CNN
"There's no homeowner's manual that tells you when to do what," says Naperville, Ill., home inspector and structural engineer Mark Waldman. Emergencies aside, the project that could cause the most damage and expense if left unfixed is the priority.

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Your Place: More about dampness in Shore home
Philadelphia Inquirer
Home inspector/engineer Harry Gross in Cherry Hill reminded me that we once talked about sealing off the crawl-space vents with vapor barrier and insulated walls as the best approach for this region. But when there is a lot of moisture, as there may be ...

For many years I lived in a historic home in Tennessee. Built in 1901, the home had a good share of problems, just as any house that has stood for over a century will. I knew I lived a charmed life in that house, but I didn’t realize just how fortunate I was until the first annual inspection of my 1950’s Georgia rambler.

Termites? Check.

Carpenter ants? You bet.

Powderpost beetles? Sure. (At this point, why not?)

I was completely puzzled by the fact that all of these infestations had rained down on my house over the past year. After all, both home inspections–the one that seller conducted and the one I had hired out myself–showed a clean record. The termite inspection had turned up nothing.

So where did these creatures come from, and how did they get to work so quickly? Most importantly, what did this mean for me?

An area ripe for ant damage. Image credit: OldHouseWeb

Not-so-fun adventures in pest control

The exterminator was pretty positive about getting rid of the termites. They hadn’t had much time to set up shop and besides, termite eradication has become very good in recent years as long as it is done thoroughly and diligently. Powderpost beetles damage wood very slowly, and getting rid of a small infestation is rather easy. Sure enough, treatment for each was done and over with in a few months.

The carpenter ants? Those turned out to be a nightmare.

The big difference between carpenter ants and the other pests found in the house is simple: Location, location, location. In this case, an astounding number of locations. Carpenter ants like to invest in serious real estate, both inside and outside the house. What I thought would be a simple job of finding the nest turned out to be a nightmare of finding dozens of nests spread throughout the walls of my home.

Typical do-it-yourself treatment involves watching where the carpenter ants go (assuming you can find them in the first place), then drilling holes underneath the baseboards and puffing boric acid into those holes. This will kill the nests and any ants who come into contact with it. It works wonders at first, but when you have a multitude of nests, it can be almost impossible to get them all this way. I worked diligently at the job for six months but recently gave up the fight and called in a professional contractor to handle the job.

Even so, there are no guarantees. Just as a termite infestation can take a long time to clear up, so can the issue of carpenter ants. In the meantime, they are happily gnawing away at the very structure of the home. It’s enough to make you cringe–and worse, enough to make you a little paranoid. I’ve had more than a few nightmares about ants who tried to get revenge.

I’m glad I chose to call in the annual inspection before I moved forward with plans for my new cabinet refacing. A contractor who started work on refacing the cabinets and then found an issue with pests would have to stop the work while I called in another contractor, and that means serious hassle and a project that immediately catapults way over budget.

I will repeat what I have heard dozens of times: no matter how much of a hassle annual inspections seem to be, they are worth the time and money. It is the best way to stop pests in their tracks and take back your home.

DILLHYON v. DUNN
Leagle.com
4 The inspection contingency of the Offer to Purchase provided that the offer was "contingent upon a Wisconsin registered home inspector performing a home inspection of the Property, and an inspection, by a qualified independent inspector, ...

This traditional kitchen topper is easy for a do-it-yourselfer to install

Kenmore, WA/Feb 1, 2012 by Mike O'Handley

Mike Holmes has added yet another twist to his vision of what a model home inspection firm should look like; he's now offering air miles to reward new home inspection clients for hiring his firm, Mike Holmes Inspections, and he's also rewarding clients w...

7 deadly sins of property investment
Moneyweb.co.za
However, it is always advisable to have a professional home inspector to take a look at the property. “A professional inspector will be able to spot any problems that may otherwise go unnoticed, such as the structural integrity of the property.

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