Child Safety

A home needs to be safe. With Home Depots popping up all over the country, many home owners are doing repairs that are not safe. A home inspector can point out many potential safety hazards. The list of safety hazards is endless.
 
Common hazards include:
-Do windows stay up? Windows can slam down on children’s fingers.
-Has the fireplace been maintained and cleaned? Heavy creosote build-up can catch fire inside a chimney liner.
-Is the hot water temperature under 125 degrees? Small children’s can be scolded.
-Does the garage door opener have a safety reverse built in the system? Small children, pets, cars and other objects can be crushed.
-Do steps have handrails?
-Can a child fall between balusters on a deck?
-Does the furnace leak carbon monoxide?
-Is the electric circuit breaker correctly sized to the wire size?
-Are circuit breakers corroded? Corrosion prevents circuit breakers from tripping when they are overloaded.

A home inspection is not a building code inspection. Building Codes change yearly and every municipality have their own building codes. A home built in 2000 may not pass 2001 building codes. Homes are grandfathered into the year they were built.