No Pane No Gain

One thing most home inspectors will verify is the age and condition of the windows in a home.  Of course some money was likely spent on making the house look good – a lick of paint, a good cleaning and some flowers inside and out.  However, the real money (thousands of dollars) may not have been spent on replacing old leaky windows. 

My house in the Glebe needed new windows as it was over 100 years old.  No one likes putting up the winter/storm windows every fall and taking them down in the spring.  They were single pane windows and highly inefficient.  It cost approximately $12,000 to do the windows.  Overall I used an average of $1,000 per window – some far less and some far more plus installation on a three storey house.

If you are buying a house get to know how to date windows and understand the cost of replacing windows if they are close to the end of their usefulness.

Photo credit:  Old Window @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/doc-adams/3857296378/

Zingers #113 – Red River Blues

Before buying your house along the river find out the history of flooding on that section of the river.  Most rivers, with residential property on the banks, have a conservation authority that established building rules (such as proximity to the bank, type of construction and plantings).  Go to the Authority and find out the flooding history.

Don’t get sandbagged into buying the wrong property. 

Things Ottawa Buyers May Notice #36 – Popcorn Ceilings

Stippled or popcorn ceilings have been popular to builders for decades.  The drywaller or painter would be hired to tape off the dry walled ceiling and then, rather than do the fine sanding and make the joins invisible, stippling was added.  This covered any and all imperfections.  Once up, this application is a real bugger to remove. 

Times change and Buyers and Owners seem to hate stippled ceilings.  Removing stippled ceilings is not for the faint of heart.  You need a shower cap and cape, you need a lot of water to loosen the stippling and you need plastic sheet to cover everything in the room including you.  Wet – scrape – wet – scrape – wet – scrape.  This is followed by:  drywall – tape – sand – mud – sand – mud – paint.  Now you know why those stippled ceilings are still around.  If you consider this process also consider hiring someone to come in and do the ceilings professionally.  An alternative is to drywall right over the stippling / popcorn and start fresh. Using ceiling tiles in fancy material and patterns is another way to hide the stippling.  Whatever your decision on your ceilings, minimize the odd and bizarre. 

Be proud of the house you are selling.

The Ottawa House – Dehumidifier

Ottawa summers are very humid.  Just check the humidex and you will see that being located in a valley impacts the temperature and level of discomfort with June, July and August being the worst.  Now, if you are buying a house in Ottawa don’t be surprised to see a dehumidifier working non-stop in the basement.  In some houses, the owner has not run the line to the drain and there is a beeping sound because the tank is full.  On really hot days in summer, the tank can fill up overnight. Having a dehumidifier is essential.  Not using one can often lead to problems.

With moisture being a house buying issue, Buyers need to be aware that a running dehumidifier may be disguising problems that the owner has not be attending to over the past years.  Is there a musty smell?  Another sign is a lot of room deodorizers in the basement.  Can you see water forming on the windows?   Is there visible black mold in the corners of rooms or in the basement along the baseboards. Have the home inspector test for humidity levels.   If the level is above 45% and it is in the middle of winter then humidity is an issue resulting in bacteria, mold, mildew and wood rot. 

Watch and smell for all the warning signs of high humidity.

 Photo credit:  CIMG1106 @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcasimir/3709152335/in/photostream/

What the Ottawa Home Inspector Saw – Water Related Investigations

During a home inspection, you will be looking for evidence of water related problems with the house.  A look at the roof, a look at the slope of land away from the house, peeling of paint inside and outside the house, mould on the walls and in the basement, etc.  There are serious implications (cost and structural) to water damage. 

In addition to the obvious structural issues, there are many water related things to investigate.  Here are a few:

 The devil is in the details of your home inspection. 

 Photo credit:  lost thoughts @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/hawee/3469678953/

Zingers #92 – Toilet bowl cleaner in the sink

Are you trying to save money by using the toilet bowl cleaner to also clean the bathroom sink?  Many toilet bowl cleaners are highly corrosive.  Over time, the cleaner will eat away at the metal on your metal sink stopper.  Replacing the sink is going to cost much more than what you are savings by using the toilet cleaner for a dual purpose. 

Don’t let the cleaner eat away your savings.

Things Ottawa Buyers May Notice #32 – A Crawl Space in Need of Insulation

 While not the most common foundation type in Ottawa, there are homes with crawl spaces in lieu of full basements.  At a recent showing, the Buyer and I noticed that the living room and kitchen floors were really cold, even though the heat was on in the house.  This was an indication to take a good look in the basement.  After opening the trap door and crawling in, it was apparent that

  1. the crawl space had a dirt floor,
  2. the walls were not insulated and that,
  3. while there was some attempt several years earlier to put a little pink insulation between the joists, it was inadequate. 

All of this contributed to the cold in the house.  In addition, the heating ducts were not fully wrapped in insulation and they crossed the area.  When it is below zero outside, it is very cold in this type of uninsulated basement.  On the positive side, there was only a little indication of damp (some efflorescence) and the dirt was dry. The picture in this blog is not the exact basement but very close to what we saw. 

Structurally the house seemed solid.  For the comfort of the new owner and to reduce energy consumption (to heat the very cold rooms), I advise that additional insulation be added plus vapour barriers where possible.  At a minimum, the duct work needed to be protected from the cold. 

Photo credit:  Darwin repeater work 8-30-2008 @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/davef3138/2811740417/

Zingers #91 – Caulk it up to experience

Look at the caulking around your sinks and tubs.  Is the caulking discoloured, mildewed, missing and in bad shape?  There are tools to remove caulking.  Buy one and get started.  Replace the caulking.  Not only will it refresh the look around tubs and sinks but it will also improve the seal to keep water from leaking into the base.

Seal the deal.

Black Squirrels – Not so much a novelty when you live in Ottawa

 When we first moved to Ottawa, we were fascinated by the  black squirrels.  We initially moved to Old Ottawa South.  The first time I saw one of the squirrels (and there are millions), I mistook it for a small kitten running across the road.  Not so much. 

We moved to the Glebe.  In the first winter, we felt sorry for the squirrels and started feeding them nuts and seeds.  My guess is that the neighbours thought we were loco.  Who in their right mind wants more squirrels in the yard?  Well, people from the west who have never seen these little brats.  From time to time squirrels find a way into the attic of houses.  They will locate tulip bulbs and make a snack run ito your flower bed.  Sometimes in the spring, tulips will grow in new areas of the yard.  Why?  Because the squirrels have been carrying the bulbs around and dropping them when they are full or the bulbs too heavy. 

One time, when walking through Patterson Park, a squirrel missed a leap between two very tall trees and fell to the ground.  I was sure that was his end.  Hoover and Tulipe, being alert terriers, were ecstatic about the opportunity to go after the squirrel.  With an amazing 9 lives or more, the squirrel got up, shook itself and then raced back up one of the trees. 

When you move to Ottawa, don’t be surprised at the squirrels and never, never feed them.

 Photo credit:  Black Squirrel @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/2908075386/

The Glebe, Ottawa – Six Month Sales Comparison

What happened in the first six months of this year?  Based on MLS®statistics for  residential properties (not including condos), things in the Glebe have been pretty stable:

2008 – 66 units sold at an average price of $604,348 with average DOM of 33.

2009 – 50 units sold at an average price of $589,468 with average DOM of 36.

The Glebe:  Stable, mature and desirable.

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