Some home inspection companies make you wait for three to seven days to get the results of your inspection, but not LaRocca. You will receive a computer-generated on-site report from our home inspectors detailing both the positives and negatives — immediately after your home inspection.
Do you need a specific job done but you're not sure what kind of contractor would be appropriate? Feel free to ask us; we will do our best to direct you to the right company!
abatement: asbestos control beyond a special operations and maintenance program.
air ducts: pipes that carry warm and cold air to rooms and return back to the heating and cooling system.
air gap: the unobstructed vertical distance between the lowest opening of a faucet which supplies a plumbing fixture (such as tank or wash bowl) and the level at which the fixture will overflow.
anchorage: device used to anchor a wire, bar, rod during the curing of concrete.
asbestos: fine, flexible, noncombustible material. It can withstand high temperatures without change.
atmospheric: (HVAC) where a heater relies on the surrounding atmosphere for air supply. Air is not forced through unit, but is naturally draft vented.
cable: two or more insulated conductors wrapped in a metal or plastic cover .
casing: window and door trim.
caulking: a resilient material used to seal cracks, fill joints, prevent leakage, and/or provide water proofing.
central heating system: boiler or furnace flue connected and installed as an integral part of the structure and designed to supply heat adequately for the entire structure.
chimney: vertical masonry shaft of reinforced concrete or other approved noncombustible heat-resisting material enclosing one or more flues. The chimney removes the products of combustion from solid, liquid or gaseous fuel.
circuit: path of electrical flow from a power source through a fixture and return to ground or neutral.
circuit breaker: device that interrupts electrical flow automatically in case of an overload in the circuit. The circuit breaker can be reset by either a switch or push-button.
condensate line:drain line attached to the evaporative coil of an air conditioner to remove condensation.
condensation: change of water from vapor to liquid when warm, moisture-laden air comes in contact with a cold surface.
conductor: wire or some other material that will carry electrical charge.
containment: work area isolated from the rest of the building to prevent escape of asbestos fibers.
composite shingles: roofing material that is made in layers usually with one layer being tar and one being fiberglass for strength.
corrosion: the gradual wearing away by rusting or by action of chemicals.
cripple walls: less than full height walls that rest on the perimeter foundationwalls and support the floor(s) above.
damper: a device used to vary the volume of air passing through an air outlet, inlet, or duct; it does not significantly affect the shape of the delivery pattern.
double-tap: where two wires are attached to one circuit breaker that is approved for one wire only.
downspouts: pipe that leads water down from a gutter.
drain: (plumbing) any pipe that carries waste water or waterborne waste in a building drainage system. (roofing) device that allows for the flow of water from the roof area.
drip pan: (HVAC) pan-shaped panel or trough used to collect condensate from the evaporator coil.
dry rot: dry, crumbling decay in wood caused by various fungi.
eave: lower edge of a sloping roof projecting beyond the wall.
efflorescence: an encrustation of soluble salts, commonly white, deposited on the surface of stone, brick, plaster, or mortar; usually caused by free alkalis leached from mortar or adjacent concrete as moisture moves through it.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): agency of the U.S. government tasked with the responsibility for regulating, advising on and assisting in resolving environmental issues.
evaporator coil: (HVAC) device made of a coil of tubing that functions as a refrigerant evaporator that cools air when passed over it during the A/C function .
glazing: fitting glass into window frames and doors.
ground (grounding): (electrical) electricity always seeks the shortest path to earth. Neutral wires carry electricity to the ground in all circuits. An electrical panel must have a ground connected to either the copper cold water line or a rod driven in the ground.
ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI): safety device that senses any shock hazard and interrupts the flow of electricity in the circuit.
gutter: trough that gathers rainwater from a roof.
masonry: stone, brick, concrete, hollow tile or building units or materials, bonded together with mortar to form a wall, pier or similar mass.
mastic: A sealant with putty like properties that is usually tar based.
mitigation: to reduce the severity of.
molding: strip of decorative material with a planed or curved narrow surface prepared for ornamental applications; also used to hide wall imperfections.
piling: structural members driven in the ground and used to support vertical loads.
pitch: slope of roof.
pressure release valve: In a pressure tank for water storage, a pressure-actuated safety valve that is designed to open and relieve pressure automatically if the pressure within the tank exceeds the value for which it was designed to operate safely.
pyrolysis: (HVAC) deterioration of metal due to heating and cooling.
radiant heating system: a system for heating a room or space by means of heated surfaces (such as panels heated by the flow of hot water or electric current).
radon: naturally occurring, colorless, odorless, radioactive inert gaseous element formed by radioactive decay of radium atoms.
rafter: series of roof framing members.
refrigerant: substance circulated under pressure within a cooling system that produces the refrigerating effect.
reinforced concrete: concrete strengthened with metal bars or wire mesh.
retrofit: the addition of new building materials, building elements, and components, not provided in the original construction.
reverse polarity: where the hot (energized conductor) is reversed with the neutral conductor.
ridge: the line at the junction of the upper edges of two sloping roof surfaces of a roof.
ridge cap: any covering (such as metal, wood, shingle, etc.) used to cover the ridge of a roof.
roof covering: material placed on roof.
roofing: wood, asphalt, tile, slate, metal or waterproof materials that forms protection against weather on the uppermost portion of a house.
run-off: precipitation discharged into stream channels. Water that flows off the land surface with out sinking into the soil is surface run-off.
temperature relief valve: a temperature affected safety valve designed to open automatically when the temperature of the water being heated exceeds a preset value.
