Maintenance - Required but not sexy

RDH posts “Reaching” or “Extending” the Life of Assets: What’s the Primary Goal of Maintenance?"

David Albrice discusses how that while maintenance is hardly sexy, we need to do it if we want to reach or extent the expected lifespan of the asset.

SENWI Hiatus until Spring 2016

I would personally like to thank all our wonderful clients who have entrusted SENWI for your house inspections needs over the last 7 years.  You have made the job enjoyable and interesting.

I have decided to embark on a life long dream of building my own house and will be taking a hiatus from inspecting for the balance of 2014 and all of 2015.  SENWI will relaunch in the spring of 2016.

If you wish to follow my progress on the construction of this showcase house, please visit www.theEnclosure.ca

Should you require inspection services during our hiatus please contact me and I will refer you to other inspectors with the same passion for thorough and independent home inspections.

Once again, we thank you for your past business and look forward to working with you in the future.

Yours Truly,

Sean Wiens - President, SENWI House Inspections

Thought Leaky Condo's was behind us? - Think again

Port-Coquitlam risk loosing their homes

9V Batteries - One families close to death experience.

A friend recently forwarded a YouTube video series describing a families near death experience with a fire in their home caused by the 9V battery in their smoke detector.

The husband has tried to create a positive out of this terrible tragedy by creating a video series on fire safety.  There are 4 videos in the Kids and Character Series and I would like to recommend that you make it a priority to review these with your family ASAP.  Taking a few moments now can save your life.

I have personally been involved with extinguishing two substantial fires in my life and can attest to the ineffectiveness of a single fire extinguisher and the irrational thoughts that one has in the heat of the moment.  In both my cases, I had multiple extinguishers being supplied (6 or more 20lb units) by others and was able to extinguish the blaze, but in both cases I was at risk due to the confined quarters of the blase, or in the first case, by the fact that if I had been unable to extinguish the blaze, my path of escape would have been blocked.

I have known about the power of a 9V for some time because it is a common camping fire starter using just the battery and some steel wool.   I was horrified when I viewed these videos and decided to check out my own 'bag of batteries' and was very grateful I did.  As you can see in the photos below, I have several 9V batteries embroiled with the other batteries in the bag.  Fortunately none of them had yet shorted out, but as I would have added more batteries or placed something over top of the bag, who knows if the contact between the terminals of two of the 9V's could have occurred.

A bag of batteries can kill.  I looked at the bag of batteries I have in my own house only to discover 6 or more 9V batteries tossed in.

If you look close, you will see a 9V battery buried in the pile in an inverted position and resting against other batteries.  Good thing they had a plastic coating. But what happens when a 9V shorts out with the terminals on another 9 volt.  Watch the videos to find out.

So please stay safe and put a little time aside to watch the four videos and make the required changes in your life.  Especially look at the end of the second video discussing the need to replace the emergency release chord on your garage door with a chain.  Should you have any questions on how to do this, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I want to thank Dave for taking such a difficult step to document his personal tragedy.  You just may have saved a life or property at my house.

Depreciation Report Received! - But is it of value?

I have written about this before, but I am repeatedly reminded and angered that there is still so much going wrong with this process.

As most Strata are aware, as of Dec 13, 2013, all Strata should have had a Depreciation Report (also called 30yr Capital Planning Report) prepared.  They will need 75% of the owners to agree on an annual basis if they choose to not have this report prepared, but Strata that are going this route are finding it much more difficult to sell units in the complex because the buying public is demanding this information.

I was recently at a BCBEC seminar where Tony Gioventu of http://www.choa.bc.ca spoke on the subject.   Tony estimated that as many as 60% of Strata have not yet completed these reports AND have not officially opted out of the requirement to do so.  Many are just ignoring the requirement putting the Strata in violation of the law and opening up the Strata council to possible legal recriminations.

But of those that are proceeding and having this report generated, many are finding that not all reports are equal and many do not have the information needed to make informed decisions.  Many reports do not meet the requirements set out in the act.

One particular are of concern that Tony elaborated on was the complicated nature of air parcels and how they divvy up the responsibility and cost of maintaining and repairing the Strata's assets.  Many times, these agreements are complex enough to require legal interpretation of who the various parties are and what will be their responsibilities.

Tony also went on to say that he hoped the market will flush out those providing sub-standard reports and that is what my primary concern is.  As a home inspector, I have now read a dozen or so of these reports.  Some have been prepared by world class building envelope firms and some have been prepared by second rate engineering houses or even worse BY A FELLOW HOME INSPECTORS.

As a very well trained home inspector, I know more than many in my industry when it comes to building envelope construction and maintenance.  I would still never dream of going into the field of providing these depreciation reports to Strata and feel it is also totally inappropriate that any fellow home inspector would provide these services as well. 

A conversation at my table reinforced this conviction in spades.  I was at the table with several old timers from the now defunct BCIPI organization I used to belong to.  But there was also a relatively new ASTTBC certified inspector at the table who had the newly created ASTTBC RRFA (L) certification as well.  He was certified and encourage by ASTTBC to provide depreciation reports on unsuspecting Strata. 

At one point, this individual (who is on a Strata Council) started to slander one of the world class engineering firms I recommend to all my multi-family clients. His Strata had hired this company and received a report from them.  He was claiming that the report was missing assets (doors on an upper deck level) and also had lifespans for wall assemblies that he felt were in error stating that the report had a longer life span for a face sealed stucco assembly compared to a rains-screened stucco assembly.

I was sufficiently shocked and upset by his claims, that I investigated them with the company he was slandering.  It took only minutes to get a response on the specifics of the 'dispute' even though I had not provided the name of the inspector, addresses, or even the city of the Strata (because I did not know any of this information at the time).  Turns out that the doors, because they were in a protected environment, were in a different section of the report that had a different renew schedule compared to more exposed assets, and the stucco wall 'discrepancy' was because some of the complex had been recently remediated and other parts had not.  Obviously recently remediated walls (whether rain-screened or not) would have a longer life span than assemblies that were much older and at the end of their useful life.

But here is an individual Certified by ASTTBC as a RRFA (L) who does not even know how to read a professionally created report, what do you think are the chances that he can write one?  A look at the RRFA (L) requirements on the ASTTBC website sheds some light on the real issue - lack of training.  After completing just one 72 hour course, the ASTTBC home inspectors are authorized to prepare these reports on all Strata up to 2 stories.  This could even include Strata with hundreds of townhouses.  The large engineering companies typically use BCIT trained Building Envelope Technologists to prepare these reports.  The technologists have multiple years of full time schooling and even then, they are under the supervision of more experienced engineers as they prepare these reports.

Who do you think prepares the better reports?  Who should you insists on hiring for your next reporting needs? 

Those interested can contact me through my website, and I will provide a list of the top firms for your report needs.

Further information on depreciation reports may be found on these links provided on the http://www.choa.bc.ca website.

Depreciation Reports

The B.C. provincial government has introduced new regulations making depreciation reports mandatory for strata corporations in B.C. Strata corporations of less than 5 units will be exempt from the requirements, plus a strata corporation may consider exempting itself by passing a 3/4 vote resolution. Changes to the Form B, Information Certificate were also introduced.

• "What to know about Depreciation Reports" – a CHOA information guide
• A copy of the CHOA News Release may be found here
• A copy of the regulations may be found here
• A copy of Tony Gioventu's Condo Smarts column re: Depreciation Reports and Form B changes may be found here
• Additional information is available at the B.C. Government's Strata Property website
• A copy of the Strata Property Act Form B (as of March 1, 2012) may be found here (PDF) or here (Word doc).
• A copy of a Depreciation Report Request For Proposal may be found here (PDF) or here (Word doc).
• A copy of the OIC pertaining to 1) how long a strata corporation must maintain depreciation report records, and 2) when a strata corporation that was formed after December 14, 2011 must obtain a depreciation report is available here (PDF).
• Letter to Minister Coleman: Depreciation Reports and Reserve Fund Studies, July 5, 2010 (PDF)

Civil Resolution Tribunal Act

On May 7th the provincial government introduced legislation, Bill 44 the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act, for justice reform that included a new alternative dispute resolution option for strata corporations in British Columbia. This is the first step in creating a low-cost, efficient, effective, alternative dispute resolution tribunal for BC's strata corporations. Bill 44 passed third reading on May 30, 2012.

• A copy of the CHOA Press Release can be found here (PDF).
• The Government of British Columbia News Release may be found here.
• Information on the Ministry of Justice website may be found here.
• Information on the Housing Policy Branch website may be found here.
• Bill 44, the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act may be found here.
• A copy of Tony Gioventu's Condo Smarts column "Civil Resolution Tribunal Act" may be found here

Increase Public Safety and stop the recognition of inadequate trained 'electricians'. Sign the petition today!

Recently the BC Safety Authority announced that they were undermining the Canadian Electrical Apprenticeship and Electrical Red Seal Endorsement system by allowing inadequately trained ASTTBC individuals to conduct limited regulated work.

This is a gross violation of Public Trust and is likely to lead to increased dangers to the public AND the ASTTBC individuals participating in this practice.The actions of ASTTBC have never been about 'Public Protection' and in fact are nothing more than Empire Building.

Review the official response from the Electrical Inspectors Association of BC www.senwi.ca/Misc/EIALettertoPremier.pdf and then sign the permit.

Sign the Petition Today: http://www.protectredsealtrades.ca/actions.asp

For more information about the Red Seal program visit http://www.protectredsealtrades.ca/

New players in the electrical business, but is the public safe?

ASTTBC now has approval to provide 'semi-skilled' labour to perform limited fields of work, like testing, servicing and repairing of electrical, electronic and biomedical equipment.

Per this Tyee article,  this move has the electrical professionals fearful of public safety and welfare.

ASTTBC continues to move into industries that are already well served by others certification.  This leads to competing certifications and confusion in the industries and needless bureaucracy to manage duel systems.

It became clear to this inspector well over a year ago, that ASTTBC does not appear to have ever been about public safety, and instead appears to be about building an empire.

But at who's expense and risk?

BC Safety Authority warns of CO dangers caused by Air Conditioning

Air Conditioners, like exhaust fans and range hoods, can depressurize a home and suck exhaust gases out of chimneys.  This can introduce CO into the home - a silent killer.

See the recommendations from BC Safety Authority

Cooking with gas? You may have air quality that would be ilegal if found outside!

Energy Department’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory finds that "interior air quality in homes that cook with a gas stove can reach pollutant levels that would be illegal if found outdoors."

Full Article

Contaminates include nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide.


My inspection reports always stress that in all homes with gas cook-top or ovens, the occupant needs to run the range hood during the entire cooking period and for at least 1 minutes after the burners have shut down.  However, the above mentioned article also touches on range hood effectiveness:

"Previous studies have found that range hoods vary widely in their effectiveness at removing pollutants. In a laboratory study of seven models ranging from $40 to $650, Singer found capture efficiencies ranging from 15 to 98 percent, and also found that a higher price did not guarantee better performance."

So it is important that the range hood stays on long enough after the cooking period to adequately remove the contaminants.  A better option is to have never installed the gas appliance in the first place.

SENWI is committed to the environment and converts its vehicle to burn WVO

In a move to significantly reduce our carbon impact, we have converted our inspection vehicle to burn Waste Vegetable Oil.  For more details please visit our story of  1250 Kms on a single 50 litre tank of Diesel!

Home Inspector Association issues another Propaganda Rant

One of the home inspection associations in BC have issued yet another propaganda rant that is far from accurate, in an effort to boost their reputation in the BC marketplace.

The facts are that all 4 inspection organizations approved by BC Consumer Protection have basically identical entrance requirements and ongoing education requirements.  All of the organizations require formal education followed by field training and then field assessments.  On paper there is very little difference between the organizations.  As an inspector who moved from ASTTBC to CanNACHI, I can assure you it took some effort to provide all of the paperwork I needed to show that my original certification through ASTTBC met all of the entrance requirements set out by CanNACHI.  It was far from a cake walk.

Here are some of the inaccuracies contained within the CAHPI news release.

1) CAHPI actually fought against licensing at times during the process leading up to licensing because they were afraid ASTTBC would be named the sole licensing body (something that the ASTTBC certified inspectors at the time were not even in favour of). ASTTBC and the now defunct BCIPI were the only organizations to consistently work towards licensing.

2) Prior to licensing, the ASTTBC certifying process was the ONLY organization to require field training and assessment BEFORE allowing the inspector to offer services to the public. Organizations like CAHPI did not require field training prior to allowing their inspectors to 'Practice' on the public.

3) The CanNACHI entrance requirements have no similarity to the American InterNACHI entrance requirements.  You cannot enter CanNACHI after taking only a internet based exam. (see entrance requirements here).

4) CanNACHI applicants must complete 50 hours of field training BEFORE being granted an Associate Membership level and being able to provide services to the public.  They are not able to 'promise' that they will complete this at a later time and start practising immediately.

5) CAHPI indicates in their article that they are advocating for 300 hours of education yet still only require 150 hours for their new inspectors (which is less than other organizations requirements including CanNACHI, that require 200 min.)

6) The Standards of Inspection from all 4 organizations are virtually identical.  This is in a large part due to the fact that the standards have more to do with insurance limitations than what we as inspectors should be inspecting to provide a suitable level of protection to the public.

If we as an inspection industry are ever to become a profession, then we need to change some fundamental aspects of home inspection:

A) Remove certification of inspectors from inspector associations. 

I have heard horror stories about the certification process within each organization.  Inspectors appear to sometimes get through too easily and the requirements to pass do not seem to be consistent even within the same organization.

I firmly believe that BC Consumer Protection should take over the certification of inspectors as a neutral third party.

The inspection associations would then only be responsible for training, marketing, and providing social/networking events to their inspectors.  They could also provide seminar opportunities, but I believe that a much higher level of seminars education is available in the marketplace by attending events hosted by professionals.  Organizations like TECA, BCBEC, HPO, RCI, & BCSCA all host regular seminars taught by experts.

With the certification removed from the four existing organizations, their is a chance the existing organizations would become obsolete (a needed step) and a new single organization could be created to provide training and social interaction.

B) Remove the ability of agents to recommend home inspectors.

This is by far, the biggest barrier to the BC Consumer being protected during the purchase process.  It is estimated that over 90% of all inspectors rely on agent referrals for their livelihood. Organizations like CAHPI are very efficient at developing relationships between their inspectors and Real Estate agents.  This was one of the key reasons I decided to not pursue a membership with them when I left ASTTBC.

The home inspector is in a direct conflict of interest with the Real Estate agent.  The agents are primarily trying to sell a home and we as inspectors are advising whether that purchase makes sense from a liability standpoint.  The agents are looking for inspectors that are quick (under 3 hours for a house and 1 hour for a condo), provide a report on site (so a checklist or computer generated report that provides little in-depth knowledge to the buyer regarding the dwelling), and finally be non-alarming (in the agent's opinion).  This agent preferred inspector profile is not conducive to truly understanding the current conditions of a dwelling and leads to a purchaser making uninformed decisions.

Until agent based referrals are stopped, very little will change in the industry and consumers will continue making uninformed decisions.

Depreciation Reports - Choose the providing company wisely

Back in May I discussed my concerns regarding the lack of training and building science knowledge I feel most Strata Property Mangers posses.  At the end of the article I mentioned that Bill 8 of the Strata Property Act may be the solution we need in order to ensure Strata councils have the information they need to properly maintain their buildings in the future.

Well, it looks like this wish was a bit too premature as Bill 8 will not be the magic bullet I and many others were hoping for.  You see, Bill 8 does not limit who can provide the Depreciation Study and what qualifications they require.  You do not even need to be an engineer and there are now organizations and individuals clambering over each other to cash in on this new windfall.  One organization in particular has even gone so far as to create a new ‘certification’ (Reserve Fund Analysts – RRFA) targeted at its home inspectors to provide opportunities in this field of work.  This new direction was one of several factors that helped cement my decision to leave the organization.  It has become clear to me that it was no longer about “protecting the public” and was more about increasing membership and their ability to make money.

Depreciation studies are crucial planning tools for Strata that require input from many disciplines (engineers, plumbers, electricians, roofers, etc.), but specifically should be organized and presented by Professional Engineers with a focus on Building Science.  There is no way a home inspector should ever be providing this type of service.  They just do not have the right skill set and experience to do so and the limited number of courses that organizations are requiring their home or property inspectors to complete before becoming ‘certified’ just does not get them there.  If it did, the individual would have a P. Eng. and MASc designation and would be performing the Studies under these Professional designations and not a CPI or RRFA.

When choosing a firm to represent your Strata’s best interest, choose wisely.  I only recommend the best firms to my clients and advise that this is not an area to try to go cheap.  The information and maintenance instructions given out by firms like RDH, Morrison Hershfield, or Read Jones Christoffersen when completing their Depreciation Studies is well worth the investment and will usually save you money in the long run. 

Isn’t the financial future of your Strata worth hiring a Pro?

OtterBox Cell Phone Cases

Every so often you come across a product that actually does what it says it will do and OtterBox cell phone cases do just that.

As a home inspector, I often find myself squeezing through tight places and have quite regularly knocked my phone out of its case or just ripped the case of my belt.  The end result was often damage to my phone or my case.  When I upgraded to a Blackberry last fall I decided to invest in an OtterBox Defender case which cost me more than the phone but boy does it represent a good value when you look at how it and the company behind the case have performed.

My first of several close calls took place on a job site where I was volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.  I rubbed by a stud and dropped the phone down 1.5 stories.  That would have been sure death right?  But no, even though the phone was knocked out of its ‘holder’, the balance of the OtterBox rubber and rigid plastic wrapping kept the phone safe and secure.

Similar scenarios happened several times in the months ahead until one day I really did it.  While getting into my truck, the case caught on the doorframe and went ‘snap’.  The rivet holding the belt clip onto the holder had snapped into three pieces.  Now on previous cases I had purchased and performed a similar manoeuvre to similar outcomes, I had always been SOL with the retailer saying sorry ‘but’… 

I decided to contact OtterBox through their website and take a chance.

Miracle #1: They Responded – Quickly!

Miracle #2: They were willing to replace!

Miracle #3: I did not have to jump through hoops to get the replacement and it would cost me $0!

They asked I send them a photo of the damage and that I put next to the case in the photo a piece of paper with my Name and the Date.  That was it.  I submitted this info and a couple of hours later I get an email informing me my new case was on the way.  I received excellent and prompt support which is rare these days (Thank-you John).

In the last 6 months they have sent me 5 cases – What can I say, I am a big guy fitting through a lot of tiny spaces. And to provide full disclosure, one arrived broken and one was the wrong model.  But even these provided me with parts that I have been able to use to ‘repair’ my case from time to time.  Each time, the same thing, just send them an email with a photo and the new case was on its way with no grief.

The cases are extremely durable; I am just VERY HARD ON THEM.  For a normal person, these would probably last many years without any problems.  And even when you do rip them off your belt and they go bounding down to what ever hard surface greets them below – you phone will survive!

The OtterBox cell phone case is well worth the extra investment in my view!

Building Design - Is it missing building science?

Lunacy of 'Green Building' Design

A short discussion about the disconnect that exists in the architectural world from good building science. 

Are Strata Properties being properly Maintained?

I was reviewing the news storey regarding the Sussex Square residents’ dispute with their leaseholders Westsea Construction and Capital Construction Supplies. At the heart of this dispute is the fact that the buildings they live in have $10M worth of repairs required to a leaky building envelope.  The residents feel that they should not have to pay because in their opinion, the building was not adequately maintained (or designed and built, but I am going to concentrate on maintained), and it is this lack of maintenance that caused the building enclosure to fail.

Is this a valid argument?  I know that most home warranty programs have clauses stating that if you do not maintain your home and damage occurs due to the lack of maintenance, they will not cover you.  Is this case not the same thing?  The leaseholders had a responsibility for the maintenance of the buildings.  If it can be shown that the damage was a result due to the lack of maintenance, should they not be responsible for the repair?  Why should the residents (who are in this case acting as the ‘insurance funders’) have to pay for this work.

This leads me to another question.  Do most building managers have the skills to properly manage the maintenance of the buildings in their portfolio?  I do not believe so. 

Back in the 90’s the rules changed making it mandatory that all Strata managers become licensed by the Real Estate Council in BC.  This was a good step as it started to ensure that the public could expect a level playing field with all managers meeting a minimal level of training.  It also requires all managers to complete ongoing education in two year cycles. But is this enough? 

Looking through the initial training course, there is only 2 out of 25 chapters that deal with Buildings (building design and construction & controls, maintenance, and energy conservation).  The rest is administrative type topics (the paperwork portion of the job) or the CYA topics (the Law and ethics).  Only two weeks out of the suggested 25 weeks is dedicated to gaining knowledge that would allow you to properly manage the maintenance of the buildings.

Next looking at the list of approved ongoing education courses, not one of them deal with the maintenance of the building and in fact a majority of them deal with topics that the average manager will never need, like selling real estate, time shares, and marketing, topics suitable for Real Estate agents but probably not for property managers.

I have met a lot of building managers in my job.  The vast majority of them appear to have a good handle on the day to day administration portion of the job, but few have exhibited any significant degree of building knowledge and appear particularly ignorant to building enclosure science.  The goods ones are out there; during the 10 year period of time that I owned a Condo and was on the Strata, we worked with an excellent manager who did realize the importance of proactive maintenance and the savings achieved by spending a little bit more up front to do it right.  In fact, his practices had a lasting effect on how I approach maintenance and repairs to this day.  But unfortunately, he appears to be one of the few exceptions as opposed to the rule.

So if a Strata relies on a property manager for advice on maintaining their building stock, and the manager does not have the skills related to construction, building maintenance, or building enclosure science, what is the chances that the building will have the proper proactive maintenance performed?  

The one saving grace related to this discussion is that the new Bill 8 will require all Strata (unless they opt out) to perform professional engineering reviews of their Building Enclosure on a regular cycle.  This should gradually transform all Strata building stock into well maintained structures.

Maintenance Matters: Below-Grade Assemblies in Multi-Unit Residential Buildings

This Home Owner Protection video identifies the responsibility to maintain below grade assemblies.

A water leak is never a good thing.  If water is coming into your parkade or underground facilities, notify your Strata immediately.  Repairs should be performed ASAP as ongoing water movement can start to rust the embedded reinforcing concrete leading to much more costly repairs.

Annual inspections of your underground facilities should be performed annually and SENWI can assist in this matter.

Maintenance Matters: Exposed Wood Structures in Multi-Unit Residential Buildings

This Home Protection Office Video discusses the need for ongoing maintenance to exterior wood surfaces.

It is important to ensure that all wood surfaces remain well sealed with paint, stain, or sealer.  All surfaces should also be slopped so that water does not sit on their surfaces.  Annual inspections are recommended and SENWI can assist in this regard.

Communication is key when using contractors

While I may disagree with the volume of contractors that provide a less-than-ideal service and product, this article from Shell Busey is none-the-less great advise.

Paying too little for an inspection

I recently came across this quote by John Ruskin (1819-1900) and felt it really addressed the home inspection industry and the common consumer who shops by price alone.

There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey. It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money — that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot — it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.