Fred Hernden's Blog

I can't tell you how many times I have recommended that gutters be installed on a house. They are so important and is really a part of a system that controls water run off of your roof and away from the structure and foundation of the house. The house I inspected the other day had a full set of g...

So you and wifey bought your first brand new home! Some people do not get Home Inspections on new construction because it's "new", and it was constructed by "the builder"... everything is perfect! Well, I think we all know that's not true, but you do get a one year warranty for defects and crafts...

Graywater systems are designed to re-use water that has no waste in it for watering plants, trees, etc. The use of graywater systems can be very beneficial. It can lower fresh water usage, reduce the amount of chemicals and energy at water treatment plants, it's less of a strain on septic tanks, ...

Is your attic access door inside the heated area of your house? Is it insulated? Most attic access doors are merely a piece of plywood or a piece of drywall pulled over the hole. What happens to the "R" value weighted average of your insulation if that small access door is not insulated? It reduc...

I hope everybody had a great New Years, mine was great! Back to the grind now...I have written about water heater TPR valves and drain lines more than once, and probably every Home Inspector here on Active Rain has as well. But we keep running into these crazy installations! And even some of the ...

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my friends here on Active Rain a very Merry Christmas and a very, very Happy New Year!!!I would especially like to thank all my friends here in Albuquerque for allowing me to be a part of this awesome community and showing me the support and trust...

A good majority of homes have attached garages these days. People use them for everything! Modern garages have evolved to the point that a recent straw poll indicates a mere one quarter of homeowners are able to park a vehicle in their garages. About half say they can squeeze one car in, and the ...

If you have a water heater in your house... you have a TPR valve. What is a TPR valve? TPR stands for Temperature Pressure Relief. They are installed on every type of water heater, gas or electric. They are even on tank-less systems. Why? The water in your water heater gets really hot! What happe...

I did an Inspection the other day in the Los Ranchos, it's an extension of the Albuquerque area. This home was built in 2000 and is part of a nice little subdivision. This subdivision has similar type homes throughout the subdivision. The first thing I noticed about this house was it had little t...

Evaporative Coolers, or Swamp Coolers as they are called here are on a very large percentage of homes here. They are not being used right now, most of them have been shut down, drained, covered in canvas and winterized. But during the summertime, they are used for cooling homes. They are found pr...