Do you go into a store and read the labels on a product? I read some product labels, but certainly not on everything I buy. Who has time for that!
Now when were talking about home inspections I'm a label hound. I look for a label on anything that is going to give me information on something in the house.
Some of these labels may not be apparent to the untrained eye. Yes indeed it takes a highly skilled professional such as myself to seek out these elusive bits of information.
One place to search for labels is in the bathroom. No I don't mean on the bottle of Sani-Flush. Everyone knows you aren't supposed to drink that stuff. Well maybe everyone except a certain squirrel.
Any how I look for labels on the windows. What's that you say; labels on the windows would be unsightly and block your view. Well I'm talking about very tiny labels in the corners of the glass panes.
When there is a tub or shower with windows, (who's idea was it to put windows in the shower or tub?) the window glass must be tempered. Tempered glass is often referred to as safety glass. The way you can tell its safety glass is by the tiny label etched in the corner. If the window has a stick on label, that is NO good. The label must be etched.
So now when you slip and fall in the tub, break through and fall out the window the glass will shatter in to tiny little pieces. Un-tempered glass breaks in to large knife like shards that will come plummeting down at you like a knife throwers daggers. This of course will create a big mess in the yard.
The next time you are sharing a tub with a friend look at those windows. Do you see a tiny label in the corner? If not you best be extra careful getting in and out of that tub.
James Quarello
SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:
| Learn more about our Infrared Thermal Imaging & Diagnostics services. | Learn more about our energy audits, the Home Energy Tune uP®. |
No this is not about dieting. I myself have been on a see food diet for ever, I see food I eat it.
The bulging I found in this case was in a chimney not my waist. The chimney was in an old multi family home. This ancient chimney has been used for about 100 years so a little bulging should not be that surprising.
Whether expect or not there is nothing good about bulging near the base of a chimney. The swelling is indicating that the chimney structure is failing.
The mortar joints were soft and powdery and could be scraped away easily with a screw driver. This is due to age and moisture.
If you look at the joints you will see larger gaps at the sides of the bricks from the middle up as compared to the very bottom. When looking at the chimney there was a perceptible amount of protuberance.
Some of this structural failing was probably in part caused by all the flue openings cut into the chimney over the years. I counted 7 holes on the four sides of this chimney. Not all were in use.
What was funny is the very top of the chimney at the roof looked to have been recently rebuilt. I have found beautiful new chimney tops many times on older homes only to find the rest of the chimney in poor condition.
Brick chimneys are often very problematic as they age. There is really no need for them any longer as a means of venting heating systems and water heaters. They simply become a crumbling and bulging liability.
James Quarello
SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:
| Learn more about our Infrared Thermal Imaging & Diagnostics services. | Learn more about our energy audits, the Home Energy Tune uP®. |
Once there were three attic vents; the gable vent, the ridge vent and the soffit vent. All three vents worked hard to move air through the attic. Each vent had its very specific place and job to perform.
Of the three vents Gable vent was probably the oldest and most experienced. Gable vents are found on many, many homes.
Soffit vent has been around a while as well, but did not work very well with Gable vent. Soffit vent found an ideal companion in ridge vent.
Ridge vent partner with soffit vent are a team that's hard to beat. They can vent an attic like no bodies business. They're a very efficient pair.
Ridge vent and soffit vent are an exclusive item. You might say they're married. They do not work well with any one else, especially gable vent.
Gable vent when put into an attic with soffit and ridge vent just mucks up the venting works. Air gets sucked in through gable vent choking off soffit vents air flow. Now soffit vent can hardly pull air into the attic. The marriage is stressed!
But you can't blame gable vent. A gable vents gonna do what a gable vents gonna do when it's installed in a gable. You see its big builder who decides which vents go into a new house. Unfortunately sometimes big builder isn't sensitive to ridge and soffit vents strong and exclusive working relationship. Big builder will go and install gable vent in an attic when ridge and soffit vent are already there doing the venting duties.
You see big builder has been building houses for so long sometimes he misses out on building news. Being busy he may have missed the news item about ridge and soffit vents exclusive relationship.
Not to worry. Gable vent can stay, but his opening will be permanently sealed. He does look handsome sitting on the side of the home. Now ridge and soffit vent can do their jobs as efficiently as possible without gable vent getting between the pair.
The moral of the story; Read your installation instructions or attend an installation seminar so you don't get in between a good relationship.
James Quarello
SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:
| Learn more about our Infrared Thermal Imaging & Diagnostics services. | Learn more about our energy audits, the Home Energy Tune uP®. |
Some people like beards, I'm partially to them myself, and some don't. Getting rid of facial hair is a big industry. There seems to be a new and improved razor out every other month. Multi blade, lubricated, ergonomically designed beard scythes that make your face as smooth as an infants behind.
And that's just for the guys. The women have their own hair removal tools. Shaving, plucking and tweezing seem to occur on a routine basis. Not to mention some gals wax. OUCH! Of course if you're a European woman then hair removal may not be a major concern.
What got me thinking about hair removal was finding this little beard growing on a masonry block wall. It's a nice little beard, reminds me of a goatee.
This actually is a large crystalline growth of efflorescence. Efflorescence is common to see on cement surfaces and is usually white and powdery. Efflorescence is formed by salts that are left behind after water has pushed the salts in the cement to the surface and then evaporated.
Efflorescence may be unsightly, but is not detrimental to the wall. It also does not necessarily mean there is a water infiltration issue in the space.
The spot of my little beard was next to the basement bulk head stairs which were leaking. No doubt the extra moisture caused my friends whiskers to grow. He does seem quite pleased with his fuzzy face.
James Quarello
SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:
| Learn more about our Infrared Thermal Imaging & Diagnostics services. | Learn more about our energy audits, the Home Energy Tune uP®. |
It can be funny to come across a product or component from "back in the day". Seeing something that was state of the art at the time and now it seems so ridiculous in the modern light. Time marches on, knowledge increases and therefore change is as inevitable as the sunrise.
Here is an old and silly component I find from time to time. It's the copper sheet at the top of the block wall in the photo. This sheet is installed along the entire perimeter of home over the top of the foundation walls.
Can you guess its purpose?
James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:
| Learn more about our Infrared Thermal Imaging & Diagnostics services. | Learn more about our energy audits, the Home Energy Tune uP®. |
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Customer service focused, Connecticut licensed, ASHI certified home inspection company. We specialize in residential & small commercial building inspections, energy audits & infrared thermal imaging.
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC is a full service, CT licensed, ASHI certified home inspection company based in Wallingford, Connecticut. Our inspectors perform home inspections in Fairfield, Hartford, Middlesex, New Haven, Southern Litchfield and Western New London Connecticut Counties. All home inspections and reports provided by JRV Home Inspection Services meet the Connecticut Home Inspection Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics mandated by Connecticut State Regulation and overseen through the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.
JRV Home Inspection Services does not claim to adhere to other Standards of Practice put forth by every home inspection organization in existence today. Nor do we assert to follow a multiple list of Standards as other inspection companies' may proclaim. That would obviously be in direct conflict with the Connecticut Standards. In Connecticut there is only one Home Inspection Standard, any others are inconsequential.
Why use JRV Home Inspection Services? We will let our customers explain.
In our opinion our greatest asset is a satisfied customer. Because of our strong, continuing commitment to our customers, we reward them for their referrals.
Inspectors Profile
James Quarello, the founder of JRV Home Inspection Services, brings to the company an over 20 year background in industrial equipment installation engineering and home remodeling. Mr. Quarello is a graduate of The Home Inspection Institute of Americas' intensive Connecticut certified HI-100 Home Inspector training program. He is also a graduate of Inspection Training Associates (ITA) New Construction inspection program and has passed the National Home Inspectors Exam (NHIE). 
Jim is a certified member of The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) and is active in the local Southern New England Chapter (SNEC-ASHI) where he currently serves as chapter President. He has also served in the dual capacity of Director and Education Committee Chairman. Jim holds Connecticut Home Inspector license # HOI 394.
Jims' qualifications include:
Articles Mr. James Quarello has written or been featured as a source. Mr. Quarello was highlighted in a local newspaper article titled, High-Tech Home Inspection, on using an infrared thermal imaging camera during home inspections and energy audits. Jim's article, Home Inspection 101, on choosing a qualified home inspector was published in the American Society for Quality Inspection Division newsletter. His article New Construction Progress Inspections was published on Ezine Articles earning expert author status and also in the September/October issue of the American Society for Quality newsletter. This article; Keep Your House Clean or Else, Jim was the primary source of information for this piece on Quinnipiac University student housing.
JRV Home Inspection Services conducts a thorough, 3 hours or more, home inspection consisting of a roof to basement evaluation of the readily accessible areas of the interior and exterior of the home and its mechanical systems. We spend all the time necessary to be sure you understand and are aware of the actual condition of the home prior to your purchase.
We are an experienced, professional, CT licensed, ASHI certified home inspection company serving Fairfield, Hartford, Middlesex, New Haven, Southern Litchfield and Western New London CT counties.
We present the finished inspection report immediately upon completion of the home inspection! Included with every home inspection is a Termite / Wood Destroying Insect inspection and separate report, and a 62 page home maintenance guide.
We will also include with your report additional information on radon, radon mitigation systems, well flow, lead paint, or septic systems if relative to your particular home. We also offer a wide choice of additional inspection services that many home buyers today require.
JRV provides these additional home inspection and environmental services
Termite/Wood Destroying Insect Inspection We include a CT certified termite inspection with every home inspection.
Radon Testing We conduct EPA & State approved continuous monitor radon testing in air. We can also sample your well water for radon. Our inspectors are CT DPH trained radon testing provides.
Water Quality Testing We are able to perform a wide variety of water quality sampling for certified laboratory testing.
Mold Sampling We strongly suggest reading the information contained on our mold page before deciding to have any mold sampling and testing performed.
Infrared (IR) Thermal Imaging or Thermography: We are currently among a very small minority of home inspection companies in Connecticut that can provide this state of the art inspection technology.
New Construction Consultation & Progress Inspection Service If you are building a new home or having an addition or large renovation done on your existing home, we can provide comprehensive project oversight.
Energy Audits-Home Tune uP: We can provide an energy efficeincy assessment of the home utilizing state of the art energy efficiency software to provide a detailed, itemized list of all available cost saving upgrades.
Septic Systems We strongly encourage hiring a professional, certified septic installer to inspect the tank and system thoroughly before closing. It is also advisable to obtain all records from the current owners to determine if problems may exist.
Lead Paint We do not perform lead paint inspections. We recommend hiring a State certified lead inspector from the current list of certified lead contractors or contact the Connecticut Department of Public Health Lead Program. Any individual or company performing lead testing not on the State list is operating illegally and putting you and your family's health at risk!
Because servicing our customers many needs is important to us we gladly accept most major credit cards.
JRV Home Inspection Services proudly offers our client testimonials as proof of our skill and dedication to providing the best, most comprehensive Connecticut home inspection available. We are more than happy to provide contact information for our past clients if you would like to speak with them directly about our home inspection services. Comments from our clients about JRV Home Inspection Services home and condo inspections... The inspection conducted by JRV more than met our expectations. An extremely thorough and professional job. The inspector, Jim Quarello, proved to be quite knowledgeable about the various systems in the home; and he gave us a comprehensive education of all facets of the home and the inspection process. For us, the purpose of the home inspection is to be sure that the home you are considering purchasing is a worthwhile investment. Jim's thorough work left us with a great sense of comfort. After watching Jim conduct the investigation and explain the results, we knew that, if anything in the house were not up to speed, he would've uncovered it. We enthusiastically recommend Jim's services. Bruce & Eileen Seeliger I would like to highly recommend JRV Home Inspections for your next purchase. I am an active real estate investor and recently had the privilege of working with Jim and his team. He inspected a seven unit building for me. I was most impressed with his systematic approach to the building as well as his tedious attention to detail. Although most of the units in the building were identical, he approached each one as if for the first time taking nothing for granted. He was extremely knowledgeable and did an excellent job of explaining any concerns or defects that had arisen. I enjoyed his professionalism and thought that his follow up in the days and weeks after the inspection were refreshing. I will be utilizing his services on all of my future purchases and will recommend his company to anyone I know purchasing a property. Tony D'Agostino I hired James Quarello to inspect a home I was looking to buy after friends of mine referred him to me. My friends recommended Mr. Quarello after he had inspected a home for them and they said he was very detailed and professional. They were dead on. Mr. Quarello showed up early, before my realtor and I arrived, was very thorough in his inspection of the house I was looking to buy, was patient, answered all my questions, knowledgeable on every aspect of home structure, repair, maintenance, and inspections. Overall I was impressed and relieved to have hired Mr. Quarello to inspect the home. I would definitely use him in the future and recommend him to anyone who is looking to have a home inspected in the future as well! Brian B. Dear Mr. Quarello, My wife and I would like to say thank you again for the detailed inspection you conducted at our future home. When buying a new home, the consumer is always worried that the inspector will run through the home overlooking the items that will later cost a fortune to repair. I myself being a carpenter am aware of a lot of the little things that should be carefully inspected. You took around four hours (and god knows most inspectors after 2 or 3 hours just want to pack it up!) and still were willing to stick around to make sure we were fully aware of the things we needed to know!! In a world where customer service is pretty much shot, its GREAT to see someone take such pride in the work they provide for the consumer, and explain everything we were not so sure about in such great detail to us was more than we were expecting. Thanks to you we now know our investment inside and out!, and that's priceless! Sincerely, Christopher S. Metzger Jim, We would like to thank you for your knowledge and professionalism during our home inspection. We found your performance impeccable and commendable, and this from two prior homeowners who never experienced such a systematic and thorough attention to detail. We walked away confident in our selection of inspectors and secure in knowing we were given full disclosure of inspection findings written and verbally as well as additional reading material for new homeowners. Later that day we found ourselves already speaking highly of your company and we plan on continuing to do just that at any opportunity which presents itself. Thanks again for making the process of buying a home that much easier for us. We will be recommending you to our family, friends and acquaintances. Sincerely, Jim & Tina I was very pleased with the excellent home inspection I received from JRV Home Inspection. They spent hours inspecting my home, individually met with me and answered every question I had, and enabled me to purchase an older home that was safe for my four year old even though I know nothing about building. Thank you so much for conducting our home inspection on our very first home. We were very pleased that you were able to accommodate our scheduling needs. We were even more pleased when you conducted our home inspection with such expertise. Thank you so much for your attention to detail & your ability to convey your findings with us. Since your visit we have been able resolve your finding with our seller, we feel confident that by recommending you to our friends & family they too will be pleased!. We look forward to our closing that is scheduled later this week! Kind regards and happy holidays, Lionel Bonilla, Tamara Laskey & Kids Dear Jim, We would like to thank you for your excellant inspection of our new home,our closing is one week from today. Buying a home is a very stressful process,but you helped to make things alot easier for us. We were pleased with the completely thorough inspection. You pointed out things we did not know about and made suggestions of repairs to be made, you eased our minds. Thank you for your help, we would highly recommend you to anyone purchasing a home. Warmest wishes!! Tim, Maria and Jaimi-Lynn Anderson
Fairfield, CT
Innovative Home Solutions
Hamden CT
Hamden, CT
Wallingford, CT
Wallingford, CT
Dr. John Pagano
Meriden, CT
Wallingford, CT
East Haven, CT
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