Need a Home Inspector in Queens?

Balloon framed homes from the 1920's-30's are by far the most plentiful  type of home found, and many have been inspected by Meticulous Home Inspection all over Queens.

The picture on the right is one of the reasons why a balloon framed home has notable issues - no insulation behind the finished plaster walls which is normal for the times. The openings at the top of the concrete wall in the basement have openings that should be fire-blocked as well to help keep flame spread from floor to floor to a minimum.

What else we look for:

Sloped floors and staircases are common to these old homes, and many are too narrow compared to modern standards which are mentioned in our reports as this is a fire safety issue.  Modern building code states staircases must be at least 36 inches wide, landings at the top and bottom of staircases should also be 36 inches, as should the width of hallways.

Another related window issue is the fact that many of these homes still have single pane glass windows which are not thermally efficient, some usually are difficult to open or have cracked glass so we generally recommend updating to modern dual paned glass windows.

Antiquated and ungrounded wiring is also common for these homes, as well as fuseboxes instead of modern circuit breaker panels used in modern construction today.

When you see a two prong receptacle, it is ungrounded - even if you replace it with a modern 3 prong receptacle. Each prong connects to a wire and you need three wires (hot, neutral and ground) for maximum safety.

We also find asbestos floor tiles and if  a steam heat system often we find asbestos pipe insulation. If friable(can produce dust you can breathe in) it must be remediated by a properly licensed contractor.

This is just a small part of a home inspection, so if you need an experienced home inspector with hands-on background for a home inspection anywhere in Queens, Meticulous Home Inspection is quite familiar with this area, and all these issues, and more.



We are available 7 days a week, so don't be ridiculous, call Meticulous at 631 902 6761.