The Importance of Location

In my younger years, one of my favorite hobbies was playing hockey 3-4 nights a week. While I still occasionally strap on the skates as a forward, for 13 years I was a full-time goalie and played all over the Halifax area. I remember once hearing a hockey play by play announcer say, “Goaltending. If you think it’s easy, go ahead and try it” and I could not agree more. On the surface, it looks pretty simple: put your body in front of a puck. However, there’s a LOT more to it than that! Probably the most important skill for a goaltender outside of mental toughness is the ability to read and react to plays and always being situationally aware of where players on both teams are, even if they are nowhere near the puck.

At this point, you’re probably asking what on Earth does this have to do with homes?

That's me before becoming a Professional Home Inspector.

​While admittedly this is not something generally covered in a standard home inspection, one of the most important aspects of buying home is being aware of its surrounding location. The recent wildfires in the Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains areas have alerted a lot of homeowners to dangers they might not have thought about before. I am certain most of the  homes that were a complete loss were structurally sound, well cared for and it would have been easy to inspect many of them. However, none of that mattered: despite the best efforts of our firefighters there’s simply no way to stop a wildfire raging out of control. 

The lesson to be taken from this tragedy is the importance of proper wildfire mitigation: while a homeowner can't install fire hydrants or build evacuation routes, they can make what's known as a defensible space around their home. While a house in the forest is no doubt picturesque, by removing trees and branches within 6 feet of a home you can greatly reduce the opportunity for fire to jump from a tree to the structure. This has the added bonus of protecting a home's foundation from damage due to tree roots or clogged rain gutters. 

Other things that a homeowner can do are shown below: 

• Reduce density of surrounding forest. 
• Keep grass short and watered.
• Stack firewood away from the home. 

Another important thing to remember about homes is that water is the #1 enemy of homes. While a home by the water is beautiful on a clear summer day, it definitely isn't when rivers are overflowing! Be cautious when looking at homes located near rivers, in areas on floodplains or homes constructed at the bottom of hills or slopes.  The Government of Nova Scotia (or your local government) publishes information on 20 and 100 year flood zones and you want to avoid building in either location as much as possible.

Being a home inspector is a rewarding career, but it comes with the responsibility of offering words of caution about dangers that may not be immediately obvious to otherwise excited new homeowners.