About the House
Shorts on fire
Whether you have a new home or an old house, it’s important that you know the condition of the electrical system. Simple problems can cause electrical...
Is your roof ready for winter?
Will my roof leak this winter? That’s a question that some Okanagan homeowners are pondering right about now. I can tell you that after inspecting...
Crawl space protects house
By taking good care of your crawl space, it will take care of your whole house. The true purpose of a crawl space is to have easy access to the mechanical and...
Using space heaters
When things get cold, the cold turn up the heat As the cold winds of winter approach, it's time to turn up the heat. For most of us, turning up the heat...
A house to love
There is a certain irresistible charm about a century-old home and, in many cases, ends up as love at first sight. There is certain timeliness about heritage...
Beat the heat
The best thing you can do to keep your air-conditioning system running properly is to perform preventative maintenance on the system at the outset of the...
Homebuyers unprotected
Homebuyers are going unprotected The quick pace of B.C.’s hot real-estate market in the Lower Mainland has been mirrored by record activity in the...
Down the hatch
Flooding in your crawlspace? If you have a crawlspace, this is the best time of year to pop your head down the hatch and have a gander. At the end of the snow...
My god! They're all naked!
There are two kinds of people, those who have a fear of public speaking and those who don’t. If you don’t have any fear of speaking in public, good...
The home inspector broke it
Dear Hugh: I am a realtor, and during the home inspection of one of my listings, damage was caused. The inspector was inspecting the attic from inside a closet...
You're alive. Remember?
Usually when a commercial airs on TV from a North American big box store they show how wonderful they are at helping. It’s all smiles and shiny packaging,...
No spig in my spigot
Sadly, I have no spig in my spigot. I have no turn in my quarter turn hose bib. And I'm feeling man tears coming soon. I fell in love with my new hose bib...
Detect the defect
Defects overlooked during building inspections Dear Hugh: We are so happy to have moved to the Okanagan. We recently bought a brand new home, and the builder...
Confidence for homebuyers
A milestone in improving the home inspection industry and the confidence of homebuyers was announced last week by Minster Responsible for Housing, Rich Coleman....
Stop bugging me
Q - I was showing a property in Vernon early this afternoon and came across these guys. I don’t know what they are, and if it had been just one or two, I...
Speed-wobble-shimmy
On Wednesday night I got a call for a short notice job at Sun Peaks, and thought, what a great opportunity to take my lovely wife for a overnight trip away from...
Your house of glass
Mmmm, open the windows, let that sweet fresh breeze blow through! Windows. Partly practical, partly aesthetic, they are an integral part of your home. What is...
It paints me to tell you this
Anticipation of spring is in the air, and many homeowners are looking forward to spring projects to add some pow to their homes. Some home projects are handled...
Honey, is the roof leaking?
Q. Our roof is looking old. We are wondering, when is the best time to replace it? Thank you, Leslie. A. Hi Leslie, most homeowners replace their roof covering...
Light my fire
Q. When we were growing up, our dad burned a lot of fires during the winter to keep us warm. He took care of everything, and other than watching the fire we...