Home Inspection

2 articles

Homebuyer carefully inspecting a wooden deck for structural integrity, focusing on railings and stairs.

Trades

Buying a house with a deck: Key considerations for buyers

A deck can look pristine, yet hide critical issues: corroded fasteners, loose ledger boards, or sagging framing.

Rick Donovan·June 15, 2026

A cross-section view of a balloon-framed wall in an old house, showing a dangerous gap between floor joists and the wall, with faint smoke indicating fire risk.

Trades

What is balloon framing in construction and its fire risks?

In a 1910 two-story home in eastern Massachusetts, a balloon-framed wall silently separated from the floor joists, creating a two-inch gap at the second floor bedrooms without a single visible crack i

Rick Donovan·June 1, 2026