Safety Guidelines for Home Pools Memorial Day is approaching, it signals the beginning of summer, and opening of pools. Weather you own a pool or a friend owns one, this is good information. share it with friends and family members who have pools. If you still do not have a pool you can hire fibreglass [...]

 In Rhode Island, we have many old homes. I often see Knob and Tube Wiring, and am typically asked about it. Here's some information about knob and tube wiring that should address all your concerns and answer your questions. Knob-and-tube (K&T) wiring was an early standardized method of electrical wiring in buildings, in common use [...]

 I see adjustable steel columns in many homes. In Rhode Island we have homes hundreds of years old, that have settled. These are common place and generally not a major concern. There are items that I look at when I find them. Adjustable steel columns, also known as screw jacks and beam jacks, are hollow steel [...]

15 Tools Every Homeowner Should Own     The following items are essential tools, but this list is by no means exhaustive. Feel free to ask an InterNACHI inspector during your next inspection about other tools that you might find useful.   1.  Plunger A clogged sink or toilet is one of the most inconvenient [...]

I get asked every winter about inspecting houses in the snow especially when it comes to their roofing. There are often concerns about what the snow may hide from me. As I get ready to head out in the newest batch of snow, I'll hit some of these areas to shed some light on it [...]

10 Easy Ways to Save Energy in Your Home by Nick Gromicko, Ben Gromicko, and Kenton Shepard Most people don’t know how easy it is to make their homes run on less energy, and here at InterNACHI, we want to change that. Drastic reductions from  appliances, cooling and electricity costs can be accomplished through [...]

      Home Repair Rip-Offs Homeowners have more to worry about than being ripped off by shady  contractors in this lagging economy, but such a climate brings desperation --  and with it, sadly, fraud. Of course, the majority of tradesmen are  generally honest professionals, but there is a large number of unscrupulous  contractors who will fix items that [...]

  Hello Friends, When most people think about the home inspection, they imagine the buyer hiring me to inspect the home they may purchase to give them all the info possible about the house. That is true, I do that. What most folks don’t consider is this idea: Inspect the house BEFORE YOU SELL IT. [...]

I've heard recently, by RI real estate agents things like: the inspection doesn't matter, the home is as is. you don't need a home inspection, the seller isn't fixing anything why get a home inspection the seller will not move on the price anyway etc... These statements are completely false!The purpose of my inspection and [...]

I came across this article, and it seems prudent to add this info here (with permission, original author below). Fire Safety for the Home by Nick Gromicko and Kate Tarasenko The U.S. Fire Administration reports that more than 403,000 home fires occurred in the U.S. in 2008, causing 2,780 deaths and more than 13,500 injuries, [...]