Get Ready for Florida Hurricane Season

Posted at 1:10 PM, May. 29, 2008

Hurricane season is fast approaching for those of us living in Florida. With it comes the risk of heavy winds and floods that can do plenty of damage to our homes. It’s time to dust off disaster supply kits and make sure they’re full of all the supplies you might need, and make sure your family knows what to do in the event of a hurricane.

Your Family Disaster Plan

A disaster plan is simply an action plan that you’ll carry out if a hazard affects your home and family. It includes preparation activities you do before the hazard becomes a threat, and activities you might need to carry out during a storm or other emergency.

• Determine the types of hazards you might be affected by, and how your home is most vulnerable. Check out some ways in which you can minimize the risk of damage or safety threats during a storm.
• Check your insurance and make sure you’re covered for flood damage in some way (standard homeowner’s insurance rarely covers floods).
• Take classes in CPR, first aid, and disaster preparedness.
• Locate rooms or areas in your home which are safe from hurricane hazards. Generally this will be an interior room which has no windows.
• Determine escape routes from your home (these might vary depending on the hazard involved) and choose one or more meeting places where your family can gather if separated.
• Plan what to do with your pets if you have to evacuate your home.
• Choose a contact person—a friend or family member who lives out of state—that family members can contact if needed. Make sure you have at least two ways to contact that person (such as email, home phone, cell phone).
• Create and maintain a disaster supply kit, and make sure your family knows where it is and what it’s for.
• Check your disaster supply kit when a hurricane watch is issued and make sure you have all necessary supplies on hand.
• Discuss all of these issues with your family to make sure everyone understands what to do during a storm.

Creating a Disaster Supply Kit

A disaster supply kit is full of all the things you might need in the event of a storm doing enough damage that you lose your electricity supply or become isolated from the rest of the world.

When creating and maintaining disaster supply kit, it’s important to make sure that everything that goes in the kit stays in it. Don’t be tempted to remove items from the kit for any reason—it’s far too easy to forget to replace them. (Of course, you can use your own discretion when deciding whether or not to buy items such as blankets, pillows, and clothing especially for the kit.)

What should you include?

• Plenty of water—a good rule of thumb is one gallon per person per day, with at least three days’ worth for each person in the household.
• Enough food for three to seven days. Include only non-perishable food such as canned or dehydrated items, and also add some plastic utensils and paper plates, as well as a can opener and cooking implements.
• First aid kit
• Toiletries and personal care items
• Blankets and pillows
• Clothing
• Battery-operated flashlight and radio, and plenty of spare batteries
• Books and toys for you and the kids
• Important documents, including insurance policies, social security & bank account numbers, wedding and birth certificates. Keep these in a waterproof document sleeve.
• Tools (battery or hand-operated)
• Pet care items for any pets you own, including a leash and muzzle for dogs, and a cage or carrier for any small pets.

Some items, such as prescription medication and documents, won’t be a part of your disaster supply kit at all times, but you can gather these items when you hear of a hurricane watch and add them to the kit.

Store kit items in a safe and secure location, in water-tight boxes or bags, and make sure everyone in the family knows where your emergency supplies are located.

Some items may need to be replaced periodically even if you don’t use the kit—this includes batteries, and may include first aid and food items.

What should you do when a Hurricane Watch is Issued?

If a hurricane watch has been issued for your area, your actions will depend on whether or not you need to evacuate your home.

If you’re able to stay in your home, assemble your disaster supply kit and check for any items that need to be replaced. Stock up on any supplies you need, fill your car with gas, and grab some extra cash (in case ATMs and banks close). Carry out your pet plan, notify your contact person of the hurricane watch, and check up on your neighbors, too. If a hurricane does show up, gather your family in your home’s safe room, along with your disaster supply kit.

If you’ve been ordered to evacuate, or live in a vulnerable area, you’ll need to decide on a destination and inform family and friends (including your out-of-state contact) where you’re headed. Evacuate to the home of family members or friends in a safe area if possible, or try a motel or hotel in a safe location. Shelters will usually be a last resort, as these may be uncomfortable, and many don’t accept pets.

One of the worst feelings for family and friends is not being able to reach you and know that you are alright. Decide on one out of state contact and let your family and friends know ahead of time who that is and how to reach them.

Assemble your disaster supply kit, take care of your pets, grab extra cash, fill up your car’s tank, and secure your home. Before leaving, map out a route you’ll take to get to your destination—don’t get on the road until you know where you’re going and you have a safe route to get there. Be patient and leave as early as possible.

Calum MacKenzie is Broker/Owner of Real Living Southern Homes a leading Tampa Bay real estate company serving the Wesley Chapel FL real estate and New Tampa FL real estate markets.

Florida Home Inspections: Common Issues

Posted at 6:30 AM, May. 29, 2008

What’s the most important consideration when buying a home? Price, location, size? Most people won’t ordinarily think a home inspection is particularly crucial—it’s something that most of us do, but we don’t necessarily stop to consider just how important it is. The home inspection gives you a complete idea of what problems are present in the home, and what’s needed to fix them, so it is a vital part of buying a home.

There are certain problems that are commonly found in home inspections that, if left undetected, could mean thousands of dollars worth of repairs for an unwary home-buyer. In addition there are issues that are unique to states such as Florida, due to our distinctive climate. These are definitely worth paying attention to, particularly if you’re relocating from out of state and haven’t considered the problems that a warm, moist climate can present.

Water Damage

The Florida climate is absolutely brutal in terms of the damage it can do to wood and wood-based products. Regular maintenance of paint and caulking will eliminate 90% of the potential problems, but for many homeowners that maintenance just doesn’t get done.

Wooden doors without rain protection, siding in contact with grade, and poorly protected trim or siding are all vulnerable to water damage. Even stucco homes are vulnerable if stucco begins to crack and allow water access to the frame beneath. The damage done to wood framing on stucco homes can be huge, because the stucco hides what’s going on in the wood.

Application and regular maintenance of caulk and paint will prevent these issues (or help prevent them worsening if the home you buy is affected by water damage). Alternatively, consider whether you’d be better off with a masonry-built home with aluminum, stucco, and other materials in place of wood siding, framing, and trim.

Electrical Issues

Electrical problems are often caused simply by aging, damaged wiring, but that’s not the biggest problem your home inspection might uncover. More problematic than an older wiring system is the damage that a homeowner can do if they hire a non-licensed electrician, or even worse, do the work themselves without prior experience or knowledge.

Common issues found in these situations include exposed wiring without the necessary conduit protection, outlets with reversed polarity, junction boxes left open in attics or behind walls, double-tapped circuits, unsafe exterior wiring, and badly-constructed GFI outlets. Often, such issues arise when a homeowner decides to remodel their kitchen or bathroom, but fail to check out current code requirements. The result is that the modifications may not be up to code (this is more likely for older homes, as electrical codes have changed significantly in the past couple of decades).

Plumbing Problems

Plumbing issues such as leaky faucets, water heaters, shower stalls, or toilets are common, but usually fixed fairly easily. A more significant problem occurs in the long term when water intrudes behind tiles, and shower or tub surrounds. These can be more costly to fix.

All these problems are easily avoided by sealing grout lines with grout or caulk, and repeating the application as needed. These simple measures can save thousands in unnecessary repairs and prevent the mold problems that often result, too.

Aging, Damaged, or Leaky Roofs

Florida’s climate and weather isn’t particularly friendly to roofing materials. Materials such as metal panels and concrete tiles will tolerate the weather as long as they’re installed properly and conform to manufacturer’s requirements. Shingles, however, are almost guaranteed to start taking damage soon after installation.

Harsh winds are part of the problem, but the main culprit is actually the hot Florida sun. In general, a shingle roof will last around fifteen years (even if it has a 20, 30, or even 40 year rating).

Roof failures are usually on the perimeters of the roof, or anywhere where the roof is penetrated, such as around chimneys, plumbing vents, or attic vents.

Air Conditioning Problems

Air conditioning issues might not be a big deal in all states, but people in Florida use their AC systems ten months out of the year—more than anywhere else in the country. Despite the fact that so many people rely on their AC so heavily, they don’t often get regular maintenance. In fact, the number one reason that AC systems experience problems is simply poor maintenance, rather than a mechanical failure.

Home inspections usually find leaking ductwork, dirty air handling coils or filters, and low refrigerant levels, any of which can lead to an inefficient, badly-running AC system. Changing filters regularly, plus annual servicing will keep your AC running well for a long time to come.

Problems in Low-traffic Areas

Those are the top five, but those aren’t the only issues a home inspector is likely to come across. Home inspectors don’t just take a tour of the most frequently-used areas of your home—they’ll want to look at attics, crawlspaces, and other hard-to-reach places that often get overlooked when it comes to maintenance. These unused places are all prime locations for termite and pest damage, water damage, plumbing, insulation, or electrical defects, structural damage, and HVAC problems.

Calum MacKenzie is Broker/Owner of Real Living Southern Homes a leading Tampa real estate company serving the Wesley Chapel real estate and New Tampa real estate markets.