When you're in the market for a new house, every little detail counts. If you overlook an important flaw, you could be in for major repair or overhaul bills in your would-be dream home. Fortunately, you can avoid unexpected costs with some savvy when it comes to choosing your home inspector. Your house is likely the biggest investment you’ll ever make, so it's worth paying for a quality inspector to ensure that a home's systems are in good shape before committing to buy.

An Expensive Proposition

Even when a house's interior and exterior look great, there could be problems lurking within the walls. The HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems are invisible to the average consumer, but they play an essential role in your quality of living – not to mention your pocketbook.

There could be problems with sewer lines, decaying ducts or outdated electrical products like knob-and-tube wiring – issues that could cost tens of thousands of dollars to remedy. A home inspector is your best friend when it comes to rooting out these hidden costs.

Insist on the Best

You don't want to rely on just anyone when it comes to something this important, so follow these tips to make sure you get the most from your home inspector:

To Buy or not to Buy

When an inspection turns up major problems, you can bring them to the seller and ask them to do the repair work, or at least cover part of the cost. Or, if an issue is serious enough, you could walk away from the sale altogether.

Once you take the plunge and make the purchase, don't forget to call an expert home services professional to make follow-up inspections every few years so you can spot any future problems before they develop.

LED light bulbs and fixtures are the best alternatives for many reasons.

LED lights are available in several shades of white. These shades are referred to as a bulb’s correlated color temperature (National Institute of General Medical Sciences, states that, “Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment.”

According to writes, “Several studies have documented the importance of light in reducing depression, decreasing fatigue, improving alertness, modulating circadian rhythms, and treating conditions such as hyperbilirubinemia among infants. Further, the presence of windows in the workplace and access to daylight have been linked with increased satisfaction with the work environment.” Windows are the best method of accessing daylight, but cool white LED lights along with the right color temperatures at the right times, can have the same effect on the body.

Warmer color temperatures lead to the release of melatonin, which causes drowsiness. This is appropriate during bedtime hours, but causes problems for those who need to stay awake, such as overnight nurses and doctors. Introducing natural or cool white light to hallways, operating rooms, and nurse stations can help hospital staff, especially overnight workers, feel more alert and energetic.

EPA has a list of cleanup procedures, such as having everyone leave the room, opening a doors or windows, shutting off heat and air-conditioning systems, and other specific instructions.

Fluorescent and incandescent bulbs also emit low doses of UV radiation that can damage not only facility materials but can also damage skin and eyes. According to a CBSLA.com discusses the results of another study that had similar findings. In this article, it is said that, “. . . exposure to the (fluorescent) bulbs could lead to premature aging and cancer.”

Continued UV exposure is also harmful to the eyes. A LED lights won’t flicker or emit any color spikes. Color fluctuations and flicker can cause negative effects, such as headaches and dizziness. When used for hospital lighting, LED bulbs and fixtures can improve overall health and eliminate the possibility of additional health risks posed by fluorescent and incandescent bulbs.

Seeing colors as they truly are is critical in health care environments. Inaccurate color rendering of skin or blood could lead to a misdiagnosis or failure to see signs of infection or jaundice. The spectral graph below can be helpful in understanding the advantage of high-CRI light sources. Lights with a low CRI will show fewer colors while high-CRI lights cover more of the spectrum. A light source’s ability to show more colors increases its accuracy in revealing the true colors of people, objects, and surroundings.

FreemanWhite, a health-care-focused design firm reports, “. . .light fixtures with a high CRI . . .  help caregivers assess rashes, lesions, and skin pigmentation.” They go on to say, “In the interest of avoiding liability claims, better lighting quality can enhance a caregiver’s ability to diagnose correctly, identify reactions, prevent secondary infections, and minimize readmissions.” High-CRI LED lights can also help prevent medication errors.

Another method of LED hospital lighting control is the use of occupancy sensors. These sensors will save money beyond those that result from reduced energy consumption. Sensors will also extend the life span of bulbs and fixtures even further by turning them off when no one is in the area. These sensors are best suited for low-traffic areas.

The chandelier used to mark your arrival. Clad in crystal, it met you in the foyer of a well-appointed home, then dazzled you from a power position over the dining room table.

Rarely did you find a chandelier in a starter home. To see them illuminating any room other than one used for entry or dining, more unusual still.

My, how times have changed!

Today chandeliers rate as a brilliant idea just about anywhere — from modest homes to magnificent mansions, contemporary digs to traditional houses. They dangle decorously in almost every room of the house.

Credit our bigger-is-better building boom. Taller ceilings and increased volume in today’s homes means chandeliers are less likely to crowd a room.

“Nine-and-10-foot ceilings almost demand something hanging to fill the space,” says Joe Rey-Barreau, educational consultant for the American Lighting Association (ALA) and assistant professor of interior design at the University of Kentucky. The ALA is a non-profit organization of leading manufacturers, retail lighting showrooms and sales representatives in the U.S. and Canada dedicated to expanding public knowledge about lighting.

Colorful chandeliers create drama in the kitchen. Mini ones provide elegance to powder rooms. Even walk-in closets go upscale when lit with a small chandelier.

“Beyond laundry rooms and garages, any room is an open target for hanging a chandelier,” adds Rey-Barreau. “More commonly, kitchens and bathrooms have become the popular locations for chandeliers.”

Chandeliers add twinkle to a boudier. “People are treating their bedroom suites as more luxurious personal spaces with elaborate bathroom areas, so it is not unreasonable to consider chandeliers there, either,” says Dan Blitzer, Director of Education for the ALA..

Many of us have considered underfloor heating, especially when we step into the bathroom during a harsh Des Moines winter. Today, our electricians will share many benefits to underfloor heating that you may not have considered. You may find that there is more to underfloor heating than simply a warmer bathroom floor (although that is nice).

Underfloor heating spreads evenly dispersed, rising heat throughout your room’s flooring; heat emanating from the floor warms the air, which then rises toward the ceiling before cooling and falling, only to encounter more warm, rising air. This creates a pocket of cool air stuck in the ceiling of your room, leaving the space from floor to head height a comfortable, warm temperature. Additionally, since the heat doesn’t come from a single source (vent, radiator, etc.), there are no hot or cool spots in the room, the entire space is even heated.

Each room that has an underfloor heating system installed will have its own corresponding thermostat, which effectively removes the need to heat each room to achieve a desired temperature in a single room. For instance, during the night, your home could be relatively cool, except in bedrooms; likewise, certain floors can be kept at a cooler temperature when not in use during daylight hours. This can heavily cut down on energy costs when compared to inefficient whole-house heating systems.

The homes of today are more open and airy than ever, with open-concept living dominating real estate markets across the country. Open spaces are notoriously difficult to heat with radiation or forced air systems, which can create undesirable warm and cool zones in the space. By contrast, underfloor heating works excellently in larger, more open spaces.

In addition to the better, steady stream of heat found in your rooms, you will enjoy a comfortable warming underfoot. While this may seem like a feeling reserved for luxury homes, many other countries use underfloor heaters almost exclusively in new construction for its comfort and efficiency. You will no longer have to hope and wait for the furnace or radiator to kick on for warmth to flood your room, instead you will enjoy a steady stream of warmth coming from beneath.

If you’ve ever renovated a home with radiator or ventilation heating, you’ve undoubtedly had to deal with relocating or working around existing HVAC lines. Unlike traditional heating systems, underfloor heating poses little-to-no issues when renovating or remodeling your rooms. Plus, since professionally installed underfloor heating is compatible with most flooring types, you won’t find yourself limited in choices for placing an all-new flooring over your heating system.

Underfloor heating may require a bit more planning and investment to install than fixing an old furnace system would, but the benefits you can gain by adding it to one or more rooms in your home are worth the effort. Be sure to consult one of our Des Moines electricians with your plans for underfloor heating prior to construction for best results, advice, and electrical installation.

Get in touch with our Des Moines electricians today!