New Hampshire

Welcome to Baker Home Inspection and Consulting Blog!

If a basement is unfinished does it still need foundation insulation ? Yes, unless the floor above is insulated. Even if used only for storage and heating and cooling equipment the basement is thermally connected to the rest of the house.

Is floor insulation above a basement or a crawl space an alternative to foundation insulation ? Yes, but keep in mind that pipes, ducts and HVAC equipment located in the basement would then need to be insulated to meet the MEC and to protect pipes from freezing. Sometimes these can be grouped in a small area with insulated walls while the floor above the rest of the basement is insulated.

Doesn't placing insulation on the exerior improve energy performance ? If the basement incorporates passive solar design with a significant amount of south facing windows, exterior insulation will be beneficial, provided the walls are exposed to solar gain. In a typical basement the energy savings are negligible.

Should the interior of foundation walls have vapor barriers ? Yes, if interior insulation is used. The concrete must be allowed to dry, but moist basement air typical of the Midwest summers should not be allowed to reach the cool wall where it can condense. Batt insulation specifically designed for the interior of foundation walls has a perforated poly facing that prevents air from circulating through the batt, but allows water vapor from the wall to escape.

My Website www.bakerhomeinspection.org

Many houses and apartments built before 1978 have paint that contains lead {Called lead-based paint}. Lead from paint, chips, and dust can pose serious health hazards if not taken care of properly. Federal law requires that individuals receive certain information before renting or buying a pre-1978 housing.

• Residential lead-based paint disclosure program

• Landlords have to disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before leases take effect. The leases must include a disclosure form about lead-based paint.
• Sellers have to disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before selling a house. Sales contracts must include a disclosure form about lead-based paint. Buyers have up to 10 days to check for lead hazards.
• Realtors are to give you a lead safety booklet.

Some States require only a Certified Lead Contractor can perform lead-based paint inspections. This is something you will want to look in to. Go to the Office of Community & Public Health website of your State to fined out.

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My Website www.bakerhomeinspection.org

Amherst Schools! To be built spacious 5BR by North View Homes including first floor master suite perfect for inlaw plus lg master on 2nd floor; vaulted family room w/ FP; C/A; walkout basement; custom trim pkg and more on large level lot in new nbhd w/ over 100 acres of conservation. Minutes to Rt 101 & shopping. Other plans or we'll price yours.

Dow Road, Mont Vernon Details

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Contact Rene Brin, Realtor at (603) 672-2727 for all of your Southern NH real estate needs; Southern New Hampshire land, new or existing homes, new construction and condos - Your Southern NH Real Estate expert. Serving Amherst, Hollis, Milford, Merrimack, Mont Vernon, Nashua and surrounding areas. http://www.brinrealty.com/

Brin Realty Group

108 Ponemah Rd

Amherst, NH 03031

Good News for New Hampshire Buyers, Sellers, Developers and those relocating to New Hampshire

All Aboard - Last Call ~~~ After 40 years without with a daily commuter rail service, it looks like passenger rail from Lowell Massachusetts to the Granite State is closer to becoming a reality.

Last Friday, Governor Lynch signed Senate Bill 75 which created an independent authority charged with restoring commuter rail service from Massachusetts to Nashua.

The New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority will consist of 27 members and is charged with bring mass transit to Nashua and other parts of the State. This is an important step in reducing the congestion on our highways and improving air pollution and fuel consumption. Rail stations with parking are planned first in Nashua and Manchester.

Funding has been the biggest hurdle to restoring commuter rail in the past. The New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled in 2004 that the New Hampshire constitution prohibited the state from tapping into the gas tax to pay for the project.

After the blow from the Supreme Court, the supporters of commuter rail went back to the drawing board and changed the focus from a transportation project to an economic development project, which included the building of stations.

Steven Williams, the executive director of the Nashua Regional Planning Commission and other concern citizens came up with a new motto to move forward with the new economic development focus ... "Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle"!

The focus on economic development was key to passage of SB 75. It is expected that the project will cost about $80 million. According to Steven Williams, the commuter rail project will start with 8 round trips per day, 950 round trip riders per day on opening day and increase to 3000 round trip riders per day in 20 years. Commuter rail will cut down on fuel consumption, relieve congestion and improve the environment.

Another remaining stumbling bloc is the issue of liability. Surrounding states have a liability cap for damages resulting for rail accidents. In order for the project to move forward it is necessary for New Hampshire to pass a similar liability cap, currently proposed at $75 million.

It is important for New Hampshire concerned citizens to let their legislators know they support commuter rail and the liability cap. Wayne Gagne, a proponent of commuter rain for the past 34 years is chairman of the Commuter Rail Advisory Committee. To find out more about the commuter rail project and how to contact your legislator, you can access information at the Commuter Rail Advisory Committee website. http://www.nhcommuterrail.com/.

NHAR Public Policy subchair

Disclaimer: Information herein may come from various sources, some of which may not be reliable and may change without any notice. Joan Whitebook does not guarantee or is any way responsible for the accuracy of the information in this blog and information provided is without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Information on this blog represents the opinions and ideas of the author; comments by others may not express the views of the author.
Copyright © 2007-2009 By Joan Whitebook, all rights reserved.*" Nashua New Hampshire - All Aboard!!! Last Call!!! "

I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but this was a first for me!

I was showing a home in Merrimack, New Hampshire to a young couple and their two year old son who were relocating to New Hampshire. We will call their son Kevin. The Buyers were interested in the home so we were there for a little over a half an hour. This was the first home on our list.

Kevin announced that he needed to make a pit stop so we decided to go the the McDonalds that had a play station as Kevin was also bored after spending so much time at the first house. We were going over the remaining listings for the day when Kevin announced that his skin was tickling. Then we all realized that we had tickling skin too! We all were covered with "hundreds" no exaggeration -- of FLEAS.

I called the listing agent to let her know what was going on. She said that the owners had decided to board their 5 dogs so that they would not have to be put away every time there was a showing. Unfortunately, with the dogs gone, the fleas had no where to go! So, they jumped on us! We all had fleas and flea bites all over our bodies!

Kevin announced that he didn't want to live in the FLEA HOUSE!

His parents still liked the house and made some calls to find out what could be done about the massive flea infestation. They were told by a couple of different companies that it would be very difficult to get rid of the fleas without using harsh chemicals -- they suggested completely ripping up the carpets and the pads.

Unfortunately, for the seller, they lost an interested buyer. The Sellers are now working on getting rid of the fleas and their pesky eggs.

Sellers will want to make sure that there ain't no bugs on the Buyers.

Please read comments added after this blog was posted to find out how to control fleas without harsh chemicals.

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Disclaimer: Information herein may come from various sources, some of which may not be reliable and may change without any notice. Joan Whitebook does not guarantee or is any way responsible for the accuracy of the information in this blog and information provided is without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Information on this blog represents the opinions and ideas of the author; comments by others may not express the views of the author. Copyright © 2007 By Joan Whitebook, all rights reserved.*There Ain't No Bugs on Me"