ALUMINUM WIRING
For those of you who own, or are considering owning, a house built between 1967 and 1976 you may have to deal with the issue of aluminum branch circuit wiring. During this period ALU was extensively used as a more cost effective means to wire a house – as opposed to copper. However, aluminum has certain properties which require greater care with installation. As a result, a greater number of flaws with installation are encountered with this type of material, to the extent that it has contributed to fires and damage in some homes.
One of the properties of aluminum is that it expands / contracts to a greater degree than copper does. As such, connections inside junction boxes, receptacles, switches, etc. which are poorly engaged to begin with can become loose over time causing electrical arcing and a risk of fire.
Another property of aluminum is that all other materials used on such circuits (switches, receptacles, etc.) should be rated for use with ALU. Using improperly rated materials can create resistance at our connection points. Resistance equals heat, and heat equals fire.
A third property of aluminum is that it naturally has slightly greater resistance than copper, which requires conductors to be of a larger gauge. For instance, where a 14 gauge copper conductor is needed on a circuit, a 12 gauge ALU conductor would be needed to do the same job.
It should be noted that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with aluminum wiring, as long as it is treated properly. Although it is no longer permitted to be installed in residential branch circuits, it is still routinely used in commercial wiring and as main supply conductors. Generally the approach to dealing with ALU wiring would be to “pigtail” connections. This involves treating ALL connection points with an anti-oxidant, then using a special ALU/CU connector to add a short length of copper to the wire end. This process would ensure that connections have good integrity today – and will remain so in the future.
Sean Duggan, RHI
Abode Inspection Services Inc.
21 Newcastle Ave.
Ottawa, Ontario, K2K 3B4
ph.: (613) 552-9842
www.abode.ca
abode@abode.ca
Solid June for Ottawa home sales
Ottawa, July 6, 2011 - Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,712 residential properties in June through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,543 in June 2010, an increase of 11 per cent. The five-year average for June sales is 1,695.
Of those sales, 378 were in the condominium property class, while 1,334 were in the residential property class. The condominium property class includes any property, regardless of style (i.e. detached, semi-detached, apartment, stacked etc.), which is registered as a condominium, as well as properties, which are co-operatives, life leases and timeshares. The residential property class includes all other residential properties.
“It’s obvious that the dream of home ownership is alive and well in Ottawa, with solid sales numbers like these. First-time buyers are out in the market in a big way, due to continued low interest rates, and after last year’s HST-affected spring, we’re seeing a return to what the June resale market usually looks like in Ottawa,” said Board President Joanne Tibbles.
The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in June in the Ottawa area was $353,560, an increase of 8 per cent over June 2010. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $275,996, an increase of 9.6 per cent over June 2010. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $375,539, an increase of 7.3 per cent over June 2010. The Board cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.
The Ottawa Real Estate Board is an industry association of 2,680 sales representatives and brokers in the Ottawa area, and in 2011 is celebrating 90 years of service to its members. Members of the Board are also members of the Canadian Real Estate Association.
Ottawa resale housing market remains in balance
June 3, 2011 - Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,659 residential properties in May through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,686 in May 2010, a decrease of 1.6 per cent.
Of those sales, 369 were in the condominium property class, while 1,290 were in the residential property class. The condominium property class includes any property, regardless of style (i.e. detached, semi-detached, apartment, stacked etc.), which is registered as a condominium, as well as properties, which are co-operatives, life leases and timeshares. The residential property class includes all other residential properties.
According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in their Spring 2011 Ottawa Housing Market Outlook, the Ottawa Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) transitioned from a seller’s market to a balanced market in 2010 and will remain in that territory in 2011. CMHC analysts define Ottawa’s resale housing market as balanced when between 35 and 55 per cent of the number of homes listed for sale (new listings) in a given month are sold.
“Sales numbers for May were virtually unchanged from 2010, but prices continued to rise at about the same rate as we have seen for the past few months, demonstrating solid demand for resale housing in our area,” said Board President Joanne Tibbles. “A balanced market offers no distinct advantage to either buyers or sellers, so I’d advise anyone thinking of buying or selling to work with a local REALTOR® to help them achieve their goals. There are different strategies for marketing a home or making an offer to purchase in a balanced market versus a buyer’s or seller’s market. An Ottawa REALTOR® can help make the process easier for consumers,” Tibbles added.
The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in May in the Ottawa area was $352,347, an increase of 5.6 per cent over May 2010. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $261,871, an increase of 6.4 per cent over May 2010. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $378,228, an increase of 6 per cent over May 2010. The Board cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.
The Ottawa Real Estate Board is an industry association of 2,680 sales representatives and brokers in the Ottawa area. Members of the Board are also members of the Canadian Real Estate Association.
Air Conditioning
June 1, 2011: We’ve recently been treated to some genuine summer time heat, and across the city the city the familiar drone of air conditioners is being heard more frequently. As such it seems appropriate to pass on some basic information to help keep this building system running efficiently, and hopefully save a few dollars on energy costs. You will probably notice that this information would also apply to increasing heating efficiency in cold seasons.
Just as during heating season, we should be regularly changing our furnace filters. Using dirty filters will reduce air flow through the evaporator portion of the A/C (the portion contained inside the house’s ductwork). Reduced air flow will of course mean less cold air being distributed, and increase the amount of energy needed to maintain the home at a consistent temperature. In extreme cases dirty filters will cause freezing of the evaporator, resulting in a potentially costly repair.
Where they are easily accessible, seams and connections in ductwork should be sealed using foil tape (ironically duct tape should be avoided – it tends to dry out and fall off over time). This will help to reduce air seepage into non-critical areas like floor and wall cavities, and increase the amount of air getting to the living space of the house where it is needed.
The distribution system should be “balanced” in the house. Most branch supply ducts will contain louvers (a circular metal flap) which can be opened or closed to adjust how much air is flowing at the register. These louvers can be adjusted throughout the house, allowing the home owner to customize how much air flow is needed where (eg. they are generally partially or completely closed off in basements, where air conditioning is less needed).
On a final note, those of you who use ceiling fans should ensure they are rotating in a direction which draws cool air upwards. The rotation would then be reversed during heating season, to push warm air downwards.
Sean Duggan, RHI
Abode Inspection Services Inc.
21 Newcastle Ave.
Ottawa, Ontario, K2K 3B4
ph.: (613) 552-9842
www.abode.ca
abode@abode.ca
Exterior Caulking
May 13, 2011: Spring is in full swing now, and we're finally getting warm enough days to enjoy what that entails - camping, BBQ's, gardening, and of course caulking!
As part of the routine examination of our houses, we should be paying attention to the sealant around our doors and windows - but not just these areas. Ideally, all penetrations though a home's siding and foundation should be sealed to deter water entry into the underlying materials. This would include vent covers, light fixtures, electrical receptacle covers, hose bibs, flashings, siding seams, and probably a couple of dozen other places that you hadn't thought of before.
The caulking used on the side walls of your house would normally be latex based, and have an approximate life span of 7 to 10 years. Sealant used on top of the house for attic vents, flashings and such would be a tar based caulk, and normally would last 10 to 15 years. However, don't worry about trying to remember the composition of the sealant since most caulking manufacturers will clearly state on the label the appropriate applications for the product. As far as determining whether you need to recaulk, many times it will be visually apparent that the caulking has split, and an avenue for water entry is present. You can also test the caulking by pressing it with your fingernail. If the sealant is hard as a rock, it has lost its elasticity and resealing is needed.
Things to bear in mind when caulking are that while the product is curing it's important to stay within the temperature and humidity range specified by the manufacturer. Caulking which doesn't cure properly will have a dramatically shortened life span, and ideally we don't want to repeat this job every year. Also, and I get asked this a lot, although it looks better aesthetically you needn’t remove every trace of old caulking before resealing (removing old caulking from masonry can be quite a chore). You can remove just enough of the old caulk to expose the seam it is sealing, and provide a clean surface to apply the new caulk to."
Sean Duggan, RHI
Abode Inspection Services Inc.
21 Newcastle Ave.
Ottawa, Ontario, K2K 3B4
ph.: (613) 552-9842
www.abode.ca
abode@abode.ca
April sales return to pre-HST levels
May 4, 2011: Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,536 residential properties in April through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,814 in April 2010, a decrease of 15.3 per cent. The five-year average for home sales in April is 1,612.
Of those sales, 316 were in the condominium property class, while 1,220 were in the residential property class. The condominium property class includes any property, regardless of style (i.e. detached, semi-detached, apartment, stacked etc.), which is registered as a condominium, as well as properties, which are co-operatives, life leases and timeshares. The residential property class includes all other residential properties.
“Sales in April 2010 soared well above average in advance of the implementation of the Harmonized Sales Tax in Ontario last July. Normally in Ottawa, we see a brisker sales period beginning at the end of April or early May, but last year’s spring market started earlier by about three months due to the HST. That surge in sales pushed April’s five-year average up significantly; it’s not out of the ordinary for about 1,500 homes to be sold in April in our market,” said Board President Joanne Tibbles.
“Home prices still continued to rise at the usual moderate rate last month, demonstrating a solid demand for resale homes in Ottawa. Re-sale housing inventory is up 17.2 per cent from this time last year, indicating that Ottawa is clearly in a healthy, balanced market,” Tibbles added.
The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in April in the Ottawa area was $351,226, an increase of 5.4 per cent over April 2010. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $255,232, an increase of 2.1 per cent over April 2010. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $376,090, an increase of 5.4 per cent over April 2010. The Board cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.
Do you need a new roof?
April 13, 2011: The roof cover of a house forms a major part of the system which prevents the elements getting into a building and causing untold amounts of damage (what we in the biz call the “building envelope”). The overwhelming majority of residential roof covers in our region are comprised of asphalt based shingles, so this article will focus on this material. As homeowners we should, of course, be routinely examining this part of the house to determine if maintenance is needed, and hopefully how much time we have before the shingles need replacement. Determining remaining life span takes a bit of practice, and can be more of an art form then a science even for a professional, but below I’ll discuss some of the characteristics you can look for.
One major factor affecting the life span of asphalt shingles is exposure to ultra violet rays. Therefore, in most cases, the roof slope which receives the most sunlight (ie. The South slope) will wear out fastest. Another major factor is the shingle’s exposure to water. Water flow will wash away the stone embedded in a shingle, causing more and more bitumen to be exposed as the shingle ages. As such, wear on a particular roof slope will generally start at the lower edge and gradually creep higher and higher. By combining these two points together, if we see advanced aging in the shingles at our South roof slope, extending up the slope approximately ¼ of the way to the top, we know that a new roof is needed soon. Signs of advanced wear would be loss of surface stones (exposing the under lying bitumen and/or felt), spaces between shingles which have a pronounced “V” pattern (instead of straight lines as with a new roof), extensive curling, and of course damaged / torn shingles. Other factors which will affect the rate at which a roof cover will wear are colour of the shingle, angle of the slope, design of the roof, ventilation in the attic, shingle composition, and several others.
Physical examination aside, we can also get an approximate idea of how much life span is remaining in a roof cover by its chronological age. All of the variables mentioned above would come into play, but the average realistic life span in most asphalt shingles in our environment is 17 to 20 years (regardless of the rating on the package).
TIP: If you’re due for a new roof cover, take a look at some of your neighbours’ roofs as well. You can sometimes save money by arranging several contracts at the same time.
Sean Duggan, RHI
Abode Inspection Services Inc.
21 Newcastle Ave.
Ottawa, Ontario, K2K 3B4
ph.: (613) 552-9842
www.abode.ca
abode@abode.ca
March sales back to normal after HST-fueled 2010
April 5, 2011: Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,232 residential properties in March through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,495 in March 2010, a decrease of 17.6per cent. The five-year average for home sales in March is 1,256.
Of those sales, 296 were in the condominium property class, while 936 were in the residential property class. The condominium property class includes any property, regardless of style (i.e. detached, semi-detached, apartment, stacked etc.) which is registered as a condominium, as well as properties which are co-operatives, life leases and timeshares. The residential property class includes all other residential properties.
“As you can see, last month was an extremely average one in terms of resale home sales, in a way that 2010 was certainly not. The effects of the introduction of the Harmonized Sales Tax in July were already being felt in March as buyers leapt into the market to try to avoid taxes on the services associated with a real estate transaction,” said Board President Joanne Tibbles. “Years in which there are unusual market forces, such as the HST in 2010, tend to create skewed comparisons with subsequent years. Ottawa’s housing market is ticking along much as it usually does in early spring,” Tibbles added.
The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in March in the Ottawa area was $346,148, an increase of 4.9 per cent over March 2010. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $253,763, an increase of 6.5 per cent over March 2010. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $375,364, an increase of 5.6 per cent over March 2010. The Board cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.
The Ottawa Real Estate Board is an industry association of 2,640 sales representatives and brokers in the Ottawa area. Members of the Board are also members of the Canadian Real Estate Association.
Drainage Patterns
March 7, 2011: As we move into spring we will be experiencing melting snow and accompanying rains. It seems appropriate then that we should address a topic which will be affecting nearly every home owner reading this article, that of drainage patterns around the house. Those of you who have purchased a home inspection in the past have likely heard your inspector preaching about the benefits of “good drainage”. I personally have had the privilege of boring thousands of clients with this excruciatingly dull subject matter - and will likely continue to do so for many years to come, and for good reason. Although the effects of poor drainage are less visually dramatic than, say, fire damage, in the long term they can be no less profound. Fortunately correcting poor drainage patterns is in most cases a relatively cheap, easy and effective way to deter moisture related problems in the house.
As water gravitates deeper into the soil close to a house’s foundation it will press against the concrete with greater and greater pressure, eventually causing excessive moisture to migrate through the wall into our living space. The increased dampness can affect the house by creating the risk of mould formation, reducing the life span of wood components, weakening the bonding agent in concrete, and a number of other ways – none of which are good. In most cases the majority of water pressing against our foundation originates from water falling off the roof, and water falling on the ground. As such we want to create a good drainage pattern, that is to say create a system which will collect water near the house and carry it away to a safe area. First, eavestroughing should be installed at the lower edge of all our roof slopes. I know there are many who say that gutters can aggravate the effects of ice damming on a roof, and these people have a valid concern; however, it’s my opinion that in most cases the benefit of eavestroughing out-weighs the detriment. It is important to note that a common mistake in eavestroughing installation is having downspouts discharge too close to our foundation wall. They should be extended to drain 6 to 8 feet from the house, or they will simply concentrate collected water in one spot – essentially negating the purpose of having them (FYI - downspouts should also never be permitted to drain on to lower roof covers!). Secondly, we want our grade (the soil abutting our foundation) to slope away from the house. The amount of slope is variable but, when compacted, the soil should minimally drop 6 inches for every ten feet away from the building. Things to remember here are: 1) A minimum of 6 inches clearance should be present between your soil and any type of siding, in order to avoid moisture migrating into our wood frame. 2) I mention soil here but any type of material which diverts water away from the house can be used. Impermeable materials like interlocking brick or concrete slabs will also enhance drainage, and can be installed using a less pronounced slope. Other materials will allow water to pass though them in the same way as a coffee filter, and should be avoided (eg. crushed stone, river stone, sand).
That’s it – simple right? Or at least it is in principal. Regrading is relatively simple, but back breaking work. You may also encounter design restrictions with your particular property; however, many alternative materials and techniques exist to allow you to achieve your goal of good drainage. A professional landscaper or eavestroughing installer can inform you on all options available – as long as we stay true to the concept of getting water away from the building. A number of other variables will also affect the quantity and rate of moisture migration into a basement such as foundation material, porosity of concrete used, state of the weeping tile (if present), geological conditions, etc.; however, maintaining an effective drainage pattern around the house will be the front line defence for reducing moisture migration into your basement, whether the building is a new construction or a century home.
For more information, please contact:
Sean Duggan, RHI
Abode Inspection Services Inc.
21 Newcastle Ave.
Ottawa, Ontario, K2K 3B4
ph.: (613) 552-9842
www.abode.ca
abode@abode.ca
Resale homes sold more quickly in February
March 3, 2011: Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 936 residential properties in February through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,030 in February 2010, a decrease of 9.1 per cent.
Of those sales, 213 were in the condominium property class, while 723 were in the residential property class. The condominium property class includes any property, regardless of style (i.e. detached, semi-detached, apartment, stacked etc.) which is registered as a condominium, as well as properties which are co-operatives, life leases and timeshares. The residential property class includes all other residential properties.
“Once again we’re seeing sales numbers very close to the five-year average for February, which is 962 sales. It’s important to note that the homes that sold last month did so far more quickly than in January, spending an average of just 33 days on the market. As well, prices rose slightly more than they had in the previous two months which indicate we still have a very steady market here in Ottawa,” said Board President Joanne Tibbles. “This tells us that there is a demand for resale homes in Ottawa, and that when buyers see the home they want, they’re going after it, perhaps even going up against other bidders,” Tibbles added.
The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in February in the Ottawa area was $338,408, an increase of 6.7 per cent over February 2010. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $260,112, an increase of 6 per cent over February 2010. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $361,475, an increase of 6.9 per cent over February 2010. The Board cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.
The Ottawa Real Estate Board is an industry association of 2,600 sales representatives and brokers in the Ottawa area. Members of the Board are also members of the Canadian Real Estate Association.