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What if I said you could cut your electric bill by 50 to 90 percent? Well, you can by installing a small, residential wind turbine on your property.

Improve Your Home With A Residential Wind Turbine

When you combine the cost of fossil fuels with the pollution and climate problems they create, it can all get a bit overwhelming. It is easy to find oneself wondering where to start when dealing with these problems. Given the state of fear attitude portrayed in most media, this is hardly a surprise. Surprisingly, the answers are fairly simple if you wade through the hype.

Wind power is a renewable energy source with a lot going for it. It produces electricity by converting the inherent energy in wind through a generator in a wind turbine. It produces no pollutants of any sort and will be available to us for as long as wind exists, to wit, a very long time. Given this fact, you are probably wondering if you are supposed to build a bunch of turbines in your yard. Nope!

As a conscientious person, you can do your part for the environment while saving some serious money on your utility bill. Residential wind turbines are the answer. Often given the nickname “small wind”, these turbines are designed to work on a per home basis. Given the right conditions, a residential turbine can produce all of the electricity you need and more. In fact, the generator will be hooked up to the utility grid and you can actually sell power to the utility if you produce more than you need.

Now, the word turbine can be a bit intimidating. When I think of a turbine, I picture something large and loud. In the case of small wind, this is not the case. The machinery makes a bit of noisy, but nothing substantial. Although sizes vary, your little power producer will be roughly three to five feet wide from the tip of one propeller to the other.

The one area where residential wind power may be a problem involves height. To make electricity, your turbine needs to get 10 miles an hour of wind. This may sound like a lot, but it often is not if you go 20 or 30 feet up in the air. To this end, you can do a search for small wind information to find out the statistics for your area.

Assuming wind power makes sense for your home, you should be able to greatly reduce or outright eliminate your electricity bill.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com Visit us to read more articles on wind power.

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THE BIG PICTURE

The first step in inspecting a home is to examine the big picture for the home. Notice the area the home is located in. Are there other homes of similar age and construction details relative to the home you are inspecting? A comparison will give you a general idea of the upkeep of the home. Have there been significant modifications to the exterior of the building and if so, how is the workmanship?

EXTERIOR

Start at the exterior front of the house and work your way around the house (clockwise or counter-clockwise) at a distance which allows you to view a complete face comfortably. On each face (front, sides, rear) start your visual inspection at the top of the structure and work your way down to the ground and lot area. As an example, you would start at the front and note the roof and chimneys, the gutters, fascia and soffits. Then, moving down the exterior wall coverings (brick, wood, aluminum), noting windows, doors, etc. Examine any porches or decks down to the foundation, then the grade or slope of the lot area, followed by any coverings, such as flower beds, walkways, interlocking brick, driveways, etc. Move closer to the house, to examine more closely any details which may have attracted your attention, without skipping any items. Having completed the front, move to the side of the house and start the same procedure (roof to ground).

INTERIOR

On the interior, begin your inspection in the basement and then follow the system throughout each floor in the house. The system for inspecting the interior is to begin with the floor, go to the walls and then the ceiling, and then consider any appliances or other items in the room. Move from room to room, always in the same direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise) so as to not miss any areas. If you see a door, open it!

In the utility room in the basement, first notice the floor, the walls (possibly the foundation walls are visible here), then the ceiling (floor joists may be visible), then go to the furnace, hot water heater, electrical panel, plumbing system, etc. When inspecting the floors, walls and ceilings, scan the entire area that is visible, not just one section.

In a finished room you would notice the floors, walls (including windows) and ceiling. Next look for the heat sources, electrical outlets and switches, fireplaces, closets etc. In bathroom or kitchen, notice the floor, walls and ceiling, then the plumbing fixtures.

CONDITION

While performing the inspection, whether at the exterior, the interior or one of the mechanical systems, note the system first, then its relative condition. For example, if you were inspecting a wall on the interior of the home you would first note that the wall is plaster, and then examine the wall for cracks and irregularities.

PROBLEMS

The following are some typical problems or occurances to look for in the major components and systems of the home.

ROOF

Is the ridge (peak) showing a sag, or is it straight and level?

Is the roof sagging between the rafters or trusses?

Are there any signs of deterioration of asphalt shingles, such as curling, wasping, broken edges, rounded corners or key holes (slits) becoming wider that normal?

Any loose flashings, at the chimney, roof-to-wall connection or elsewhere?
Does the wooden roof deck appear rotted or delaminated under the last row of shingles?

Are there any roof vents visible?

CHIMNEYS
Is the masonry cap cracked or broken?
Are any bricks flaking or missing? Mortar missing?
Is the chimney leaning?

SOFFITS AND FASCIA
Note whether the soffits and fascia are wood, aluminum or plastic
Any loose or missing sections?
If wood, are there any paint problems? Any visible rot?

GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS
Ensure gutters slope down toward downspouts
Any rust or peeling paint?
Apparent leaks or loose/sagging sections?
Are the downspouts extended away from the foundations?

WALL COVERINGS
Look for missing mortar
Are the bricks flaking or cracking?
Look for loose, missing or rotted siding, deteriorated paint.
Does the siding appear new? Does it hide the foundation wall?
Exterior walls bowed, bulged or leaning?

WINDOWS AND DOORS
Look for problems with paint or caulking, and rotted wood components.
Are the windows new or older? Are they the original windows? How old are they?

PORCHES AND DECKS
Cracking or flaking masonry?
Check for paint problems, rotted wood, and wood-earth contact.
Note any settlement or separation from the house.
Inspect the underside, if accessible.

FOUNDATIONS
Check for cracks, flaking or damaged masonry.
Note any water markings and effluorescence (whitish, chalky substance)
Any bowing, buldging or other irregularities?
Soft mortar?

LOT AREA
Does the grade slope away from the house?
Any settled/low areas next to the foundation, or cracked walks/driveway?
Is the property lower than the street or neighboring properties?

BASEMENT
Note any evidence of water penetration (stains, mildew/odors, effluorescence, loose tiles etc.)

FLOORS
Check for deteriorated coverings or cracked ceramics.
Any water staining or other damage?
Sloping or sagging?

WALLS
Randomly sample to check that the windows and doors work.
Are the walls straight vertically and horizontally?
Look for cracked or loose plaster.
Look for stains, physical damage or previous repair evidence.
Any drywall seams or nails showing?

CEILINGS
Check for cracks in the plaster or loose, sagging plaster.
Look for stains, mechanical damage or evidence of previous repair.
Seams or nails showing?

BATHROOMS AND KITCHENS
Check that all fixtures are secure.
Are there any cracks in the fixtures?
Note the conditon of the tiles and caulking in the tub/shower area.
Are the faucets working? Do they leak? Sufficient water pressure?
Look for staining and rot under the counter-tops
Randomly sample the operation of the cabinet doors and drawers.

ELECTRO-MECHANICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Type, style and age of heating & cooling systems. When were they last inspected or serviced?
Type of water supply piping and drains - any visible rust and corrosion?

Size and age of electical service - are the outlets grounded?
Visible wiring in good condtion?
Have there been any upgrades?

Copyright Gil Strachan - All rights reserved.

Gil Strachan is a professional home inspector, representing Electrospec Home Inspection Services in east-central Ontario, Canada since 1994. Visit http://www.allaroundthehouse.com to learn more about home inspections.

“The Home Reference Book”
You can probably find a home inspection for a little less than what we ask, but you probably won’t find the Home Reference Book. A $60 value, this solutions-oriented reference tool comes free with every inspection we perform.
It’s the first tool you should have around the house!

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When it comes to adding some intense style and elegance to your home the best course of action is to install your own bamboo wood flooring. This flooring is going to both open up the look of any room as well as brighten it as if you have just opened the shutters.

There are some things that you need to do before you start to install the actual floorboards. It is vital that you not skip over any of these things because they are all important to the end result of this project. If you fail to do any of them you could end up with flooring that needs to be redone very soon and at a significant cost to you and your family.

Here are some of the tips that you can use to make sure that your bamboo wood flooring installation goes as smoothly as possible:

Get rid of any shoe moldings:

By getting rid of these you will be able to get to work on your flooring much sooner and you will run into so many less problems this way.

Make sure that the floor is all even and flat:

Your floors need to be totally even and flat. This may require some sanding on your part and even some filling. It is your responsibility to make sure that there are no lumps or dips in the sub floor. If there are any this can lead to the boards of the flooring cracking when weight is put on them. You can use filling putty and any kind of sander to get the floor in shape.

Make sure that the floor is dry

The floor needs to be dry before you start to lay down any of the bamboo wood flooring. If they are wet or even damp this can lead to the floorboards soaking up this moisture. The wood can swell when this happens leading to problems such as edge crush. Once boards swell they do not usually go back to their original shape.

These are just a few of the top tips that you can use to make your bamboo wood flooring installation go easy and fast. These floors are going to change the way you feel when you walk in the door.

Ted has over 20 years of experience in interior decorating and has also spent months on his own home projects as a hobby of keeping up with the latest designs and techniques. He has written a book, “Home Renovations: The Floor”, on replacing your flooring; which in his opinion, is an essential starting point for any home renovation projects. For free illustrations and guides on how to refinish wood floor, please visit http://www.itisservices.com

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