RIVER CITY INSPECTIONS, LLC

Serving Missoula, MT, and the surrounding area

406-555-1212

406-555-1212

406-555-1212

RIVER CITY INSPECTIONS, LLC

406-240-7940

Serving Missoula, MT, and the surrounding area

Gabe Semenza

Certified professional inspector

Gabe Semenza River City Inspections Missoula home inspection home inpecto

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Electrical safety

Sep 4, 2018
6 min

Electrical safety

Electricity is an essential part of our lives. However, it has the potential to cause great harm. Electrical systems will function almost indefinitely, if properly installed and not overloaded or physically abused. Electrical fires in our homes claim the lives of 485 Americans each year and injure 2,305 more. Some of these fires are caused by electrical system failures and appliance defects, but many more are caused by the misuse and poor maintenance of electrical appliances,

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Choosing the right home inspector

Aug 29, 2018
3 min

Choosing the right home inspector

Buying a home? It's probably the most expensive purchase you'll ever make. This is no time to shop for a cheap inspection. The cost of a home inspection is very small relative to the value of the home being inspected. The cost of hiring an InterNACHI-Certified Professional Inspector® is almost insignificant. You have recently been crunching the numbers, negotiating offers, adding up closing costs, shopping for mortgages, and trying to get the best deals. Don't stop now.

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Check your HVAC systems before they check out on you

Aug 21, 2018
4 min

Check your HVAC systems before they check out on you

By Fran J. Donegan for The Home Depot Have you ever woken up in the middle of a winter night, shivering under the blankets and able to see your breath? Or have you ever watched the thermostat creep into the upper 80s during a record-setting heat wave, realizing you haven't heard the air conditioner kick on? If so, your heating or cooling system was on the fritz—and (of course), it happened at the worst possible time. These systems not only fail when you need them the most, bu

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Build a home

Aug 20, 2018
15 min

Build a home

If you want to build a new home, there are things you need to know before you begin. Learn about construction standards and about buying land, so you know your rights. MPS Supplementing Model Building Codes The Minimum Property Standards (MPS) establish certain minimum standards for buildings constructed under HUD housing programs. This includes new single-family homes, multi-family housing and healthcare-type facilities. HUD Minimum Property Standards and How They Suppleme

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Choosing a Manufactured Home

Aug 14, 2018
4 min

Choosing a Manufactured Home

Manufactured homes no longer have to be the simple, rectangular, boxy trailer homes of the past. Depending on the size of your home site, you can choose from single-section or multi-section designs. Homes range in size from 900 to 2,500 square feet and can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Here are some important questions to consider when choosing your manufactured home. What features are available? The interior design of your home can include many of the cu

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Electricity: Origins, Consumption and Costs

Aug 9, 2018
3 min

Electricity: Origins, Consumption and Costs

By Nick Gromicko, founder of InterNACHI Electricity -- the flow of electrical power or charge -- is a basic product of nature and one of the most widely used forms of energy in homes. It is generated from energy sources found in the environment, such as sunlight, coal and wind. Houses themselves are, in effect, electrical devices, fed directly from utilities to power almost all appliances, from heaters to hair dryers. It is thus valuable to have some understanding of where el

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Asbestos: Facts and Tips for Homeowners

Aug 8, 2018
11 min

Asbestos: Facts and Tips for Homeowners

What Is Asbestos? Asbestos is a mineral fiber that can be positively identified only with a special type of microscope. There are several types of asbestos fibers. In the past, asbestos was added to a variety of products to strengthen them and to provide heat insulation and fire resistance. InterNACHI inspectors can supplement their knowledge with the information offered in this guide. How Can Asbestos Affect Human Health? From studies of people who were exposed to asbestos i

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10 Easy Ways to Save Money & Energy in Your Home

Aug 6, 2018
8 min

10 Easy Ways to Save Money & Energy in Your Home

By Nick Gromicko, Ben Gromicko, and Kenton Shepard of InterNACHI Most people don’t know how easy it is to make their homes run on less energy, and here at InterNACHI, we want to change that. Drastic reductions in heating, cooling and electricity costs can be accomplished through very simple changes, most of which homeowners can do themselves. Of course, for homeowners who want to take advantage of the most up-to-date knowledge and systems in home energy efficiency, InterNACH

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Inspect your AC and keep it running efficiently

Aug 1, 2018
3 min

Inspect your AC and keep it running efficiently

By Nick Gromicko of InterNACHI A building's central air-conditioning system must be periodically inspected and maintained in order to function properly. While an annual inspection performed by a trained professional is recommended, homeowners can do a lot of the work themselves by following the tips offered in this guide. Clean the Exterior Condenser Unit and Components The exterior condenser unit is the large box located on the side of the building that is designed to push h

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In-depth look: Pollutants in your home

Jul 31, 2018
23 min

In-depth look: Pollutants in your home

Biological pollutants Outdoor air pollution in cities is a major health problem. Much effort and money continue to be spent cleaning up pollution in the outdoor air. But air pollution can be a problem where you least expect it, in the place you may have thought was safest -- your home. Many ordinary activities, such as cooking, heating, cooling, cleaning and redecorating, can cause the release and spread of indoor pollutants at home. Studies have shown that the air in our hom

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Attached Garage Fire Hazards

Jul 30, 2018
3 min

Attached Garage Fire Hazards

By Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard, of InterNACHI The purpose of this article is twofold. First, at InterNACHI, we’d like you to take measures to keep your garage free from fire. Fortunately, there are ways this can be done, some of which are described below. Secondly, garage fires do happen, and we’d like you to make sure that a fire cannot not easily spread to the rest of your house. While you can perform many of the recommendations in this article yourself, it is a good i

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Childproof your home: 12 safety devices to protect your kiddos

Jul 26, 2018
5 min

Childproof your home: 12 safety devices to protect your kiddos

By Nick Gromicko and Kate Tarasenko, of InterNACHI About 2.5 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home each year. The good news is that many of these incidents can be prevented by using simple child-safety devices on the market today. Any safety device you buy should be sturdy enough to prevent injury to your child, yet easy for you to use. It's important to follow installation instructions carefully. In addition, if you have older children in the house,

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Here's what I inspect (and don't inspect)

Jul 25, 2018
2 min

Here's what I inspect (and don't inspect)

As a certified professional inspector, I'm required to inspect homes to a certain standard. If you've ever wondered what that standard is, I can help. I'm certified through the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, or InterNACHI. As such, I'm required to inspect homes to InterNACHI's standards. The inspector trade association's full standards can be found by clicking here. This link will show the full list of items we must inspect, as well as items that woul

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15 tools every homeowner should own

Jul 23, 2018
3 min

15 tools every homeowner should own

By Nick Gromicko and Ben Gromicko, of InterNACHI The following items are essential tools, but this list is by no means exhaustive. Feel free to ask an InterNACHI inspector during your next inspection about other tools that you might find useful. 1. Plunger A clogged sink or toilet is one of the most inconvenient household problems that you will face. With a plunger on hand, however, you can usually remedy these plumbing issues relatively quickly. It is best to have two plung

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Double-lugging: A hidden concern inside your home's electrical panel

Jul 20, 2018
1 min

Double-lugging: A hidden concern inside your home's electrical panel

Based on the age of the home, I can regularly predict the type of electrical deficiencies I'll find inside its electrical panel(s). Not always, but commonly. One of those common deficiencies is double-lugging. Some professionals use the term double-tapping to describe it. Double-lugging occurs when two or more wires are connected to a breaker that is only rated for one wire. These two photos show you what the deficiency looks like. Note the bottom breaker in each photo. Two w

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$100 off Missoula home inspection, radon test

Jul 11, 2018
2 min

$100 off Missoula home inspection, radon test

Need a home inspection and radon test? I'm offering $100 off the total price for a home inspection and radon test. To redeem the offer just mention this blog post or, if you are a real estate agent, please have your customer refer to it. The offer is valid until August 31, 2018. The only restrictions are: the home must be located in Missoula and you must hire me to perform a home inspection and radon test . My typical home inspection and radon test price for any Missoula home

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