A Northern Virginia Home Inspector's Perspective

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Home Inspector - Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - 3380-000723
RECENT BLOG POSTS
Carbon monoxide detector placement.That title surrounds a question I get a lot during home inspections.  And this one -Is carbon monoxide lighter or heavier than air?Of course, any time you have gas appliances or a wood-burning fireplace, you should have at least one carbon monoxide (CO) detector...
10/08/2018
New construction - $1M+ - you'd think they'd do better.Everything was high end - materials, appliances, and there was an elevator to all four floors.The HVAC professional drew an arrow to attempt to inform the buyer which way the air was flowing.This is so an air filter can be put in with the air...
09/15/2018
This is a true thermal image juxtaposition.What you see is a thermal image of a praying mantis.A praying mantis is an invertebrate, so it is cold blooded.In this image it is on the outside of a window screen, warming in the sun.You can see from the gage on the right that it is a little over 90F. ...
09/07/2018
I have the tendency to notice things about a house I am to inspect when I am driving up to it.  When pulling up to this seven year old house I noticed even before I got into the driveway that the front porch roof seemed to incline toward the house.  Looking closer I determined that it did!That is...
08/09/2018
How to tell if an EPDM roof is wet.EPDM (Ethylene Polypropylene Diene Monomer) is a synthetic rubber roofing surface, produced by Firestone, and if installed properly will last 15 - 20 years depending on the amount of direct sunshine it gets.Key words:  installed properly.Like any product, if a r...
07/29/2018
So I ask - is it possible to break disposal blades?  Let's hear an answer!Disposal blades are called "impeller blades."They are designed in different shapes to attempt to cut and chop debris in the disposal.The smaller it is chopped, the easier garbage is to wash away.  The larger the motor (buil...
07/20/2018
How to identify poison ivy from the fakes.Well, it's summer and that means, please sing along, 'tis the season, for poison ivy.  People often take walks in the woods in summer.  So, look out! Poison ivy is the bane of every Boy Scoutmaster and scout camp in history!  It's also the bane of hikers ...
07/06/2018
This is a head's up - beware the cheap LED light fixture!We have a 20 year old house, which we built.  It was time to upgrade the fluorescent kitchen light fixture.  I wanted LED.Looking around I wanted one that provided good light, lots of lumens.Watts measure the amount of energy a light bulb u...
06/07/2018
Unprofessional Roofing 101, and how this home inspector  could tell.  It took him about 5 minutes.The house information said, "New roof!"And from the street it looked great, roof and gutters.But a home inspection is to try to take a close look at things.So this home inspector  did look closely.Ev...
03/15/2018
The basement floor slab in this new home is a problem!What's going on with this floor?  It is only four months old.The homeowners have been in the house for one month.The basement is the indoor play zone for three small children.  There is a lot going on down there!A week or so prior to this phot...
03/03/2018
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Jay Markanich

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia
local_phone(703) 330-6388
smartphone(703) 585-7560
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An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.