I had an inspection done on my last year purchased 40 year old house.
The Inspector came up with the following observations :

a. Electrical Audit : He said that half of the wiring in the house originally was Aluminium and the other half ( the renovated one and the basement) was Copper. He was doubtful about the renovated electricals quality and standards maintained calling it a Mickey Mouse job and strongly insisted to get an Electrical Audit done by an
independent certified electrician ... This he said would also help in sending right info about electricals (Cu vs Al) to the Insurance Co. whom I had told Cu based on my realtor's advice .

Q - Can some recommend a known certified electrician who can do the above ? If yes, please advise ....

b. Independent Fire & Safety Audit : He recommended this as well to ensure that there were no fire safety hazards which could be corrected to ensure safety of tenants and us.

Q - Can anyone recommend an independent fire & safety auditor ...

c. Another thing he recommended was grading which we were also contemplating as the backyard and the sides have 2ft*2ft tiles which are uneven and either need to be pulled & levelled or replaced entirely with something else .... Wondering what kind of a tradesperson I need for that - landscape guy ?

d. I was also wishing to get a stairs from a bedroom balcony to the backyard ... What kind of a trades person I am looking at here ?

e. Planning to get a deck made over a sloping backyard pit ... Again what kind of a tradesperson am I seeking here ?



Please advise on the above - even briefly would be good as I would have some pointers to start with ..... Thanks a lot !!

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Fido.

You are 100% Correct with your requirements. I can provide you with a few of the references at a later date through the PM. (The Private Messaging System)

The properties of copper is it is malleable and it retains its properties over a very long period and hence provides a reliability factor in these wirings that are hidden behind the walls. There were a few builders that cut corners, when Aluminum wiring appeared on the scene. Even though it might still serve the purpose and might continue to provide the same service, when it ages, it gets brittle at a few of the stressed locations, where they were bent sharply or got snagged at a few locations while installation work was in progress. Hence the breakages and other hazards and is prone to discontinuity and sparking. It also becomes a FIRE HAZARD.

You may have to start with a NEW 200 AMP Circuit Breaker. Now at this time, please see, if you can suck the Government up with their hand outs for an AUTO Battery Recharge GRANT. If you are successful, then, the Main Breaker and the Installation might be partially paid for. But you will end up with a very heavy GARAGE with NO Electrical or Hybrid vehicle for its usage.

Please don't rely on the Old wiring and Go the full hog, if you are renting it. It is for the peace of mind.

The NEW regulation will call for a Hard Wired Fire and CO Detection system (Carbon Monoxide) and hence the Fire Hazard Kicks in, as there were No such detection units that were available 40 odd years ago. This is from my own experience.

To keep your expenses to a bare minimum and also bring things upto date, you will have to contact a BUILDING ARCHITECT, even a draftsman will do, to get things started. They will plan and provide the process and the Material specifications and its usage to comply with the Secondary Exits and the steps, hand rails and their spacings etc., to comply with the City Code.

It is apparent that you are not an Handy Man and would like some one to build a Deck etc., it will be appropriate to make it contiguous if you feel it is advantageous to your new and improved Decking that are looking for.

Who so ever is going along with the Landscaping improvements should be able to help you with the Landing and the Decking, or at the least provide you with the footings and the placements of the Cement Pavers. (Some of it might go under the Deck, So avoid the paving job and just use the old blocks where required.)

FH.

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Quote:

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Originally posted by Fido

I had an inspection done on my last year purchased 40 year old house.
The Inspector came up with the following observations :

a. Electrical Audit : He said that half of the wiring in the house originally was Aluminium and the other half ( the renovated one and the basement) was Copper. He was doubtful about the renovated electricals quality and standards maintained calling it a Mickey Mouse job and strongly insisted to get an Electrical Audit done by an
independent certified electrician ... This he said would also help in sending right info about electricals (Cu vs Al) to the Insurance Co. whom I had told Cu based on my realtor's advice .

Q - Can some recommend a known certified electrician who can do the above ? If yes, please advise ....

b. Independent Fire & Safety Audit : He recommended this as well to ensure that there were no fire safety hazards which could be corrected to ensure safety of tenants and us.

Q - Can anyone recommend an independent fire & safety auditor ...

c. Another thing he recommended was grading which we were also contemplating as the backyard and the sides have 2ft*2ft tiles which are uneven and either need to be pulled & levelled or replaced entirely with something else .... Wondering what kind of a tradesperson I need for that - landscape guy ?

d. I was also wishing to get a stairs from a bedroom balcony to the backyard ... What kind of a trades person I am looking at here ?

e. Planning to get a deck made over a sloping backyard pit ... Again what kind of a tradesperson am I seeking here ?



Please advise on the above - even briefly would be good as I would have some pointers to start with ..... Thanks a lot !!

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Thank You Very Much Full House Sir !

Appears I have 5 things on hand in the order of priority. The last 2 purely optional.

a. Get the wiring checked & fixed.

b. Get the fire related exits /railings and alarms - checked and fixed.

c. Grading and blocks re laid / leveled.
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d. Deck Extension / new deck.

e. Wood stairs from the balcony to the backyard.



The house does seem to have a newer tip off circuit breaker as opposed to the older glass fuses. Not sure if the AUTO Battery Recharge GRANT refers to something else .

Is it an Architect / Draftsman or a non city independent Fire Inspector who can help with the fire related modifications at the better price ?

The last 3 are Landscaping & Paving guy related ... Started making some findings there yesterday on kiiji and beyond ...

Electricians I am still to start on ...

If anyone has any recommendation for an electrician or a landscaping guy, please share.

Thanks

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Fido.

For D and E, call your city to know if there is any specific building code your city have or not. In Brampton, if the height of the deck is over 18 inch or so, there is a building code and the deck should be made as per the code.

https://www.brampton.ca/EN/residents/Building-Permits/Documents/Homeowners/Deck%20Package.pdf

I think for the wood stairs you need to follow the building code. Better call city to enquire.

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A Delhite in Toronto

a. It will cost you twice as much if you have to remove the OLD AL wiring. So, they just trim the ends and cap it, there by isolate it all together. It seems there was a Copper based system initially, then there was an add on, which I believe is AL wiring. The OLD COPPER is still good as GOLD, and now to the renovations, if you want to cut corners you can just ISOLATE and Lay new Copper wires, one circuit at a time and bring it up to Specs. Now you can space the Plug Points, every eight feet and if you DON'T need the lights, except for a chandelier, you can totally eliminate a few of the circuits. Please discuss the same with the Electricians.

An year or two ago I found out that they were giving grants for those who bought EV's and the grants were substantial, Then they brought in the hurdles and the loops and the hoops and I have yet to explore them. But some of the Electrical Contractors are on top of it and good to get to know the details from them.

Knowing that there are NO HOMES there in T'TO which costs less than a MIL, I thought I will suggest that to you, to get a grant and get to know all about it from you, PLUS, those who might have ordered one such EV to go with their home or perchance you might have slated to get one for your own usage, as they have been slow in coming out of the production lines, might be a great idea for you to place an order and to explore all of the avenues at this time to get the GRANT to go and get on top of it.

You can always sell off the EV any time, and currently they are in great demand too. If you succeed, then the whole project might become free!!

The city Fire Department will provide you with all of their requirements to bring it all upto date, considering that it is currently rented as separate units.

b. When you mention a landing in the upper area, it will call for a proper attachment to the existing beams and structures, OR alternately it could be built from base up wards, externally and covered up to blend in with the exterior of the building, is also a possibility. But it still needs to get a cursory attachment to the upper level some where. Then a LANDING enters the picture and the steps leading from it to the lower level for a quick exit. (I would not suggest a BAT POLE!!) Not knowing the topography and the rear of the building, I will leave it entirely upto you and the repair person who will build it for you. It will certainly call for a quick closing door to seal the exit after some one leaves the top floor. It might also call for proper illumination and extinguishing equipment too.

The lower leg of the stairs needs to be anchored or placed over a proper footing for the people who exit the top level, to firmly set foot on to the ground. Now, would that be
proper to link it to the Deck that you are contemplating or the backyard renders it to its linking and to make it contiguous, are all of this is possible in the realm of things, are there for you to explore, when you tackle the same.

Since these are necessary and becomes a requirement for renting, your expenses are considered essential and could be priced in with the cost of the building and/or could be totally written off within a very short period, if you find that it is advantageous to your accounting system. Some of these items need to be discussed further to derive the benefits now.

c. d. and e. are partially covered in the last para and see if you can swing it in your favour and to your advantage.

When you apply for a building permit, if you are breaking into the older structure for attachment, then it might call for an ARCHITECT. If it has an Exit system and you are just adding a landing, then a proper door and an external Steel structure or poles etc., are also the alternatives. A Draftsman can do it and get it approved by the buiding planner. Please discuss with the contractor and with the City Planning Department too get an O.K., prior to getting started.

Unless you are getting a guy who has done such a service for some one here on CD, it will be worth doing your own DD and find some one who will quote a price that suits your pockets. That will be my suggestion to you.

Good Luck.


FH.

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Quote:

---

Originally posted by Fido

Thank You Very Much Full House Sir !

Appears I have 5 things on hand in the order of priority. The last 2 purely optional.

a. Get the wiring checked & fixed.

b. Get the fire related exits /railings and alarms - checked and fixed.

c. Grading and blocks re laid / leveled.
---------------------------------------------------
d. Deck Extension / new deck.

e. Wood stairs from the balcony to the backyard.



The house does seem to have a newer tip off circuit breaker as opposed to the older glass fuses. Not sure if the AUTO Battery Recharge GRANT refers to something else .

Is it an Architect / Draftsman or a non city independent Fire Inspector who can help with the fire related modifications at the better price ?

The last 3 are Landscaping & Paving guy related ... Started making some findings there yesterday on kiiji and beyond ...

Electricians I am still to start on ...

If anyone has any recommendation for an electrician or a landscaping guy, please share.

Thanks

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Thanks a lot FH Sir.

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Fido.

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