I just wanted to take the time to tell everyone “Happy New Year” and may you be blessed in the upcoming year.  My family and I spent a great deal of the holiday time with our family and we feel very thankful that we have both our parents so close by.  I always try an look back over the last year and really reflect on what I am grateful about.  I’ve got a loving wife, two great kids, I’m healthy, I own my own business and I was able to stay busy, I have great friends from church and other places.  I am a very blessed man. 

We are proud to offer our new FREE Home Concierge Services where one call does it all, Satellite, Internet, Cable TV, Home Security, and Phone.  Call 1-866-594-4871 and provide them with access code 1008126.  Call our Free Home Concierge Services to save time, save money and simplify life!
You can also schedule your own home inspection today online.

We create Peace of Mind ONE Home Inspection at a time. 

Also download our free report “How To Avoid The Blind Home Inspector” and a sample of our inspection report.

As the Atlanta home inspector I am always looking for information for the family.  My daughter is all into recycling and studying about “going green” so when I ran across the following I thought it would be an added benefit to all of us.  There’s no question that these days we are all more focused on green – both in terms of the environment and our pocketbooks. However, the holidays can often be a challenge for both with the abundance of parties, shopping and overall excess that accompanies this time of year. It is estimated that between Thanksgiving and the New Year, an extra million tons of waste are generated nationwide each week. According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, 38,000 miles of ribbon alone is thrown out each year — enough to tie a bow around the Earth!

Rather than waiting for the New Year to get your green efforts back on track, try following these tips and ideas to live, give and save green this holiday season.

Go with the Glow
The holidays wouldn’t be the same without the bright, twinkly glow that comes with strings of lights adorning rooftops, eaves and trees. But beautiful holiday lights can be a real drain on your energy bill. Want an easy fix? LED lights use less than 10 percent of the electricity consumed by filament bulbs and can save you close to 95 percent on your electricity bill, according to www.ChristmasLightsandDecorations.com.

Home for the Holidays
Save time, money and stress — plan to stay home for the holidays this year. The money and gas you will save adds up. In fact, www.use-less-stuff.com reports that if every American family reduced holiday gas consumption by just one gallon — about 20 miles — we would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one million tons. So sit back, relax and enjoy the holidays — at home.

That’s a Wrap
Most mass-produced wrapping paper you find in stores is not recyclable and ends up in landfills. Instead, here’s a great chance to get creative. Wrap presents with old maps, the comics section of a newspaper, or children’s artwork. According to the Sierra Club, if every family wrapped just three gifts this way, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.

The Gift of Giving
Planning to upgrade your electronics this holiday? Have toys and clothes that you and your family no longer use? Donate unwanted items to a local charity. In addition to ridding yourself of unwanted clutter and keeping extra waste out of landfills – you have the opportunity to make someone else’s holiday bright. Tighter budgets are sure to impact holiday spending this year and local thrift stores offer gently used goods at great prices. And, your donation is tax deductable, which means more green for you in the coming year.

As the Atlanta Home Inspector I am always looking for articles on safety issues to share with all the home owners that I have had the privilege to do a home inspection for.  I ran across the following information and thought you might enjoy it as well as I did.  May you have a blessed holiday season and wonderful time with family and friends.

ARA) - When do millions of families bring a prickly fire hazard into their homes and surround it with blinking orbs and open flames? The holidays are filled with traditional celebrations and decorations like Christmas trees and candles.

Unfortunately QBE Regional companies General Casualty and Unigard often see an increase in fire claims during the holiday season. Property insurance experts Cindy Woodford and Jon Farris have several tips for homeowners that can help prevent a fire from ruining your festivities.

Trimming the tree
Typically shorts in electric lights or open flames from candles or matches start tree fires. Farris, homeowners assistant vice president for General Casualty, notes that if your tree is fresh and well watered and hasn’t dried out, the chances of a fire are much slimmer. A fire-resistant artificial tree is an even safer choice.

Candles
Candle fires peak during the holiday season. Many fires start when a burning candle is left unattended or placed too close to combustible decorations, like greenery or wrapping paper.

To help reduce the threat of a candle fire, Woodford, homeowners vice president for Unigard and QBE Regional insurance companies, advises keeping candles at least one foot away from other materials. Only place them in holders that are nonflammable and heat-resistant.

Lighting up the house
Holiday lights are another common cause of holiday fires. To reduce the chances of an electrical fire, only use lights that have been tested for safety and contain the label of an independent testing laboratory, such as the Underwriters Laboratories. Inspect old lights for cracks, broken sockets or exposed wires and either dispose of or repair them.

David Lelak, a Atlanta home inspector and owner of IHI Home Inspections serves Canton, Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Woodstock, Atlanta and all of North Georgia.  Call David today at 404-788-2581 to get your dream home inspected.

We are proud to offer our new FREE Home Concierge Services where one call does it all, Satellite, Internet, Cable TV, Home Security, and Phone.  Call 1-866-594-4871 and provide them with access code 1008126.  Call our Free Home Concierge Services to save time, save money and simplify life!
You can also schedule your own home inspection today online.

We create Peace of Mind ONE Home Inspection at a time. 

Also download our free report “How To Avoid The Blind Home Inspector” and a sample of our inspection report.

As an Atlanta home inspector I’m always cruising around on Activerain and I found this really great post by Judi Barrett talking about the way that we treat people.  I have often found that from the youngest to the oldest, we all still care about how people make us feel.  How people make us feel can be so life changing.  There is riffs in families, splits in churches, conflicts at work and fights on school buses (this one I should know all to well) all because of how someone makes us feel.  As Judy put it so well we are the ones that have a choice.  I choose to laugh today and live today full of joy and let the rest of life roll off my back like water off a ducks back.  And while I’m living I will chose to try and make someone else’s life a little brighter, a little funnier, or make someone else feel a little more special.  I’ve got a great start, my daughter just came in and told me good morning and I just told her “I have got to be the luckiest mom in the world!”  You should have seen her smile…. We’re off to a great day.

Another great way to make someone feel special today is to send an unexpected card to someone, want to try it, go ahead,  ”Send a Free Card Today.” The system will send a real card, with a real stamp and try it and see how you can make someones day today.

So many times we miss opportunities to say Thank You and if you’re not careful that will cause hard feelings.  Did you know that most business owners loss their clients because of the client feeling like it just doesn’t matter or you just don’t care.  A simple thank you card can change all of that.  It’s lets the customer know immediately that you truly do care and appreciate their business.  Who do you need to say Thank you to today?

You can send a FREE Thank You card on me today

As a home inspector I love sharing tips and information with home owners and I ran across an article that listed several of the top home improvements that could be done for less than five hundred dollars.  When you’re trying to sell your home one of the best things to check is your curb appeal. 

1. Wall paper just one wall in a room - this alone can change the appearance of a room dramatically and yet still be affordable. 

2. Kitchen roll outs - take out the out dated shelves and add kitchen roll outs.  This is one of the most satisfying upgrades you can do.  It brings everything that was tucked away into sight.  (Don’t tell my wife, I can just see this being added to my honey do list!)  They say this only takes 15 minutes per rollout, Let me know your opinion.

3. Track lighting - this is another addition to our home that my wife wants to add.  Track lighting lets you put the lighting exactly where you want it.  My wife has an island that she wants to add this to.  (I see my list growing.)

4. Closet organized - The name of this one says it all.  Wire shelving is inexpensive and easy to install.  Organization is the key to happiness. 

5. Add curb appeal - transform your front entrance with small accents and minor changes. 

There you go 5 top home improvements that you can do without a lot of hassle and it won’t take a fortune to do it.  Now that I’ve given you this list I had better go get started on my own.  For your pre listing inspections be sure to give your Atlanta Home inspector a call today at 404-788-2581. 

Now if you’re like my wife, if I did all five of these to get it ready for sell, we may be rethinking the idea.

David Lelak of IHI Home Inspections serves Canton, Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Woodstock,

Atlanta and all of North Georgia.  Call David today at 404-788-2581 to get your dream home

inspected.

We are proud to offer our new FREE Home Concierge Services where one call does it all,

Satellite, Internet, Cable TV, Home Security, and Phone.  Call 1-866-594-4871 and provide

them with access code 1008126.  Call our Free Home Concierge Services to save time, save

money and simplify life!

You can also schedule your own home inspection today online.

We create Peace of Mind ONE Home Inspection at a time. 

Also download our free report “How To Avoid The Blind Home Inspector” and a sample of our

inspection report.

Most people only hire home inspectors to inspect resale properties; however, many new homes have hidden trouble spots and should be inspected also. That’s why it’s important to know about hidden problems before those problems cost you money, perhaps thousands of dollars.

Don’t take for granted that a city inspector will examine your home. According to Dan Stewart, “Municipal inspectors don’t look at every home, particularly in some larger community developments. At best, they do a representative sampling of the houses being constructed.”

Here are five of the common defects a professional home inspector you hire might find:

1. An improperly installed roof, this is one area where you want quality workmanship.  I have been amazed at how many homes have roof issues.  I always recommend that folks get a thorough roof inspection done by someone who is going to walk the entire roof.

2. Framing that interfers with the installation of pipes. I have seen many instances where the framing may be put in, in such a way that a plumber has difficulty installing pipes, causing the plumber to cut the framing to accommodate plumbing. This leaves the house in a weakened condition.

3. The property hasn’t been graded properly. The grading job around the property may be inadequately completed and the water may be draining towards the interior of the home.

4. Inadequate roof flashing. Flashing details on a roof are often poorly done. A pipe might be coming out of it, or the flashing may change directions at the valley of the roof.

5. Work that hasn’t been done right. Lack of attention to detail is often the cause of this. Ductwork may be loose; joints may not match; doors or cabinets may not open easily; floors could be crooked. The overall integrity of the home is compromised when the workmanship is poor.

Just because a home is new does not mean it doesn’t need inspecting. You would be amazed at what home inspectors find on new homes as well as old homes.  A friend of mine, Michael Thorton does home inspections in the Tennessee area and he is all the time finding humorous photos where Bubba did the job and when you really think about it, these are funny pictures until it turns out to be your dream home turned nightmare.  

If you’re in the process of buying a new home or you are coming up on your 11 month builders warranty inspection time, I have one piece of advice “Get it Inspected.”  Call David today at 404-788-2581.

David Lelak of IHI Home Inspections serves Canton, Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Woodstock,

Atlanta and all of North Georgia.  Call David today at 404-788-2581 to get your dream home

inspected.

We are proud to offer our new FREE Home Concierge Services where one call does it all,

Satellite, Internet, Cable TV, Home Security, and Phone.  Call 1-866-594-4871 and provide

them with access code 1008126.  Call our Free Home Concierge Services to save time, save

money and simplify life!

  David Lelak of IHI Home Inspections serves Canton, Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Woodstock,

You can also schedule your own home inspection today online.

We create Peace of Mind ONE Home Inspection at a time. 

Also download our free report “How To Avoid The Blind Home Inspector” and a sample of our

inspection report.

Atlanta and all of North Georgia.

We are proud to offer our new FREE Home Concierge Services where one call does it all,

Satellite, Internet, Cable TV, Home Security, and Phone. Call 1-866-594-4871 and provide

them with access code 1008126. Call our Free Home Concierge Services to save time, save

money and simplify life!

You can also schedule your own home inspection today online.

We create Peace of Mind ONE Home Inspection at a time.

Also download our free report “How To Avoid The Blind Home Inspector” and a sample of our

inspection report.

As the Atlanta Home Inspector I am constantly looking for home owner tips to help out new and old home owners alike.  I ran across this one from a guy by the name of Kent Keith from Fort Worth Texas. It was called cheap wall paper remover and is definately one of those things that I have never heard of. You use old fashioned windshield washer fluid, check out the rest of his Kent Keith’s blog for more information.

David Lelak of IHI Home Inspections serves Canton, Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Woodstock, Atlanta and all of North Georgia. Call him today at 404-788-2581 to get your dream home inspected.

We are proud to offer our new FREE Home Concierge Services where one call does it all, Satellite, Internet, Cable TV, Home Security, and Phone. Call 1-866-594-4871 and provide them with access code 1008126. Call our Free Home Concierge Services to save time, save money and simplify life!

You can also schedule your own home inspection today online.

We create Peace of Mind ONE Home Inspection at a time.

Also download our free report “Ho