Gulf Coast Inspection Services, LLC

05/22/2019

Quick tip for anyone with an access to your attic that is inside your home. This is a picture of an uninsulated and hollow access door that's missing weatherstripping. Your air conditioning return system will draw air from wherever it can, it doesn't discriminate. That mean gaps in doors, windows, floors (especially if you live in a pier and beam house) and attic access doors, pop ups and drop down stair systems. Be sure to weatherstrip any air gaps and have a solid and insulation backed access installed to minimize the potential for hot attic air to be drawn into you HVAC return air system...your air conditioner and your family will thank you!






"You Can't Expect What You Don't Inspect"

02/06/2019

You'd be surprised to know how many Acadiana attics have subbed as a bar room at one time or another!

02/25/2018

Acadiana is blessed with some of the sharpest home inspection professionals in the industry and we are humbled to be included among them. Please consider nominating Gulf Coast Inspection Services in this year's Best Of readers poll ~ just click the link below. ✌️

Many, many thanks!

Nominate your favorite people, places and businesses in Acadiana to be honored as the Best Of in Acadiana. Nominations end on March 8 at 11:59pm.

12/09/2017

Sky art can’t be beat...neither can the artist.

10/09/2017

08/19/2017

It’s the little things...and little things become big things.

08/18/2017

Sometimes it's a 700 square foot cottage and sometimes it's a 77,000 sq ft industrial complex ~ if it's got walls and a roof, chances are, we'll inspect it!

Commercial or residential, if finding the “dirt” on a property you’re looking to buy is your mission, let us take you there!

"You Can't EXPECT What You Don't INSPECT"

08/08/2017

Great general information right here for anyone thinking about buying a home!

We can answer any questions you have about homes, home inspections and the discovery process. Send us a message or call us at 337.781.0966.

Home inspections are an essential and critical element in the home buying process.  The things that can be discovered can save you a lot of time and money in the long run.  It’s important not to confuse a home appraisal and a home inspection, they are two different things.

08/03/2017

This temperature was taken two days ago in the attic of a four year old home. The home was well insulated and built to current construction standards, but one thing was keeping this attic hot enough to be the ready temperature of a medium well cooked steak ~ lack of attic ventilation. This home had turbine vents, or "whirly birds", a common form of attic ventilation in this region. However, the vents were seized, not allowing the turbine to turn and draw out hot attic air. And 152° is definitely too hot for any attic.

In hot climates, the primary purpose of attic or roof ventilation is to expel solar heated hot air from the attic to lessen the building cooling load, putting less strain on the air conditioner. Whereas in a cold climate, the main objective of ventilation is to maintain a cold roof temperature to avoid ice dams created by melting snow and to vent any moisture that moves from the conditioned living space to the attic.

Here's a few tips to help your interior ambient air stay cool:

* Avoid storing to many personal belongings
in the attic. Attic spaces can be used for
storage, but building elevated storage
spaces is the way to go.

* If you have an attic access located in the
interior of your home, make sure it is sealed
well to minimize the potential for attic air to
be drawn into the HVAC system.

* Limit the number of holes in interior ceilings,
and if you have canned or recessed lighting,
insure that all air gaps are sealed.

* If your home is a little older, blow in extra
attic ventilation. Floor insulation should
achieve an R-30 value, roughly 12-15
inches of blown-in fiberglass insulation.
This is probably the most cost effective way
to keep attic temperatures from affecting
the interior ambient temperature of your
home.

From turbine venting to ridge venting to gable venting or electric assisted ventilation, attic ventilation has evolved into a science. And now, with the introduction of open and closed cell foam insulation, a new level of attic insulation is giving consumers even more choices. Look, all attics are warm in the south ~ why not do everything you can to stay cool. Periodic inspection of your attic space is vital if you want to expect a lot from your home. Here's a link to more great information

http://www.ashireporter.org/homeinspection/articles/attic-ventilation/1889

And remember...

"You Can't EXPECT what you don't INSPECT "

07/27/2017

Relax: |rī-lăks’| - v. to reduce in intensity: slacken; to relieve from effort or strain; to take one's ease: REST; to become less formal or tense.

We are becoming less formal and tense this week! See you all next week.

07/20/2017

Do you know what this is? If your air-conditioner is inside your home, chances are you have one of these too ~ we can only hope that yours doesn't look like this. This is an evaporator coil - what air passes through, over and around so that cold air can fill your house. What you see on this set of coils is microbial growth, or mold, and the effects can be problematic. It destroys what it grows on, damages furnishings, restricts air flow, creates indoor air quality problems and can be a health risk to your family.

You're asking what you can do to avoid this problem, right? The answer lies more in "controlling" the problem. Mold is everywhere, even in the cleanest house. What an efficiently running air-conditioner will do is limit the amount of microbial growth in your home, and it does that by controlling the humidity and removing the proper amount of moisture from a home (and you thought air conditioners were there only to blow cold air). Humidity in any home should be kept below 55%, between 30% and 50% actually. Three things that a good HVAC technician will look for are:

~ an overcharged system
~ restricted air flow
~ an undercharged system

There should never be microbial growth on a properly maintained air-conditioner. Have your entire HVAC system serviced by a licensed and insured HVAC professional twice a year and maybe we won't have to take a picture like this at an inspection of your house...and enjoy your cool home!

"You can't EXPECT what you don't INSPECT "

07/18/2017

Most of the homes we inspect are beautiful, but we get our share of "troubled houses". If you see a picture and you're not quite sure whats going on, send us a message right here on our page and we'll try to shed a little light on the photo!