I have a new listing coming on the market the fist week of June located at 6800 Colton Blvd in the Oakland Hills -  Montclair neighborhood.   There will be a full photo website showing all of the terrific features of this 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom home for sale.  Homes for sale in the Montclair district of Oakland CA are highly sought after and there are not very many homes in the area that have large level lots.  Montclair is centrally located and in close proximity to many transportation options.  Feel free to contact me if you would like more information on this wonderfull home for sale. 

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About Brian Santilena, Realtor

Brian Santilena sells real estate in Oakland – Piedmont – Berkeley, CA – Department of real estate 01244612.  Brian Santilena is one of the top real estate agents in the Oakland – Piedmont – Berkeley markets.  He is a member of the Oakland Board of Realtors, the California Association of Realtors and the National Board of Realtors.  Brian practices real estate in Oakland – Piedmont and Berkeley CA since 1998.  He aggressively helps home buyers and home sellers who are looking to buy or sell real estate and Oakland homes, Piedmont homes and Berkley homes.  See what some of his home selling and home buying clients have to say about working with Brian.  He is with Pacific Union Real Estate at 1900 Mountain Blvd. Oakland CA 94611.  He works in many neighborhoods in addition to Piedmont, Montclair, Rockridge, Upper Rockridge, Glenview, Trestle Glen, Crocker Highlands and many more areas and homes for sale.  Brian is a licensed contractor and is listed on Real-Estate-Agents.com .  If you are specifically interested in homes for sale in Rockridge and homes in Upper Rockridge, please take a look at Brian’s Homes In Upper Rockridge  

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1. Montclair, Oakland Homes for sale
2. Homes for sale in Oakland CA real estate magazine
3. Homes sold in Oakland’s Upper Rockridge during Q4 2010

Pest control reports, damaged wood behind stucco and stucco hole testing.

Stucco is one of the most durable exterior wall finishes available.  If applied properly it will protect your home from the harsh elements for decades.  Stucco is used on the exterior of all types of homes.  From entry level bungalows to Piedmont estate properties.  Stucco is made from sand, cement and lime all mixed together then applied to a surface in stages.  It can be worked into many different textures and finishes.  It takes 21 days for stucco to reach its maximum strength and once it is fully cured it will last for years.

Here is the typical process of a stucco application.  A wall is framed with wood studs.  Another layer of wood is fastened to the studs.  Back in the day a 1 by material was used.  Newer construction now calls for plywood.  Plywood is lighter, less expensive and also gives additional seismic strength.  A heavy paper is rolled over the sheathing and stapled to the surface.  It is this paper layer that provides the moisture barrier protecting the wood from becoming wet and damaged over time.  Heavy gage wire called “lath” is then fastened over the paper.  The stucco layer is then applied in stages as wet mud and is pressed into the lath.  A fist layer is called a scratch coat, the second is the brown coat and then finish or texture coat is applied.  Over time the paper layer can break down and begin to let water get underneath it.  The only way to determine if there is damage to the wood below the paper is to have the pest inspector do what is called a stucco hole test.  Starting low, the inspector hammers small holes in the stucco and then pokes around to see if the wood is damaged and how deep the damage extends.

Homes built with parapet walls at the edge of the roofline are notorious for allowing water entry.  The susceptible spot is the flat area on top of the parapet.  Over time the sun bakes the top of the parapet and allows rain water to enter behind the stucco paper.  Any property with this type of detail should have a stucco hole test performed.  As a home owner, at a minimum you should have the parapet checked annually for water tightness or better yet hire a roofer install a solid metal flashing cap over the top of the parapet.

Related posts:

1. Pest Control Reports and Faulty Grade Conditions
2. Understanding Pest Control Reports
3. Pest Control Inspections

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Watch Next Video: Part 2

I’m Brian Santilena and I’m a real estate agent in the markets of Oakland, Piedmont and Berkeley California.  Because of my background as a contractor I have a special interest in educating my buyers and sellers about the condition of the home they’re looking to buy or sell.    I have to put out a liability disclaimer here.  I am NOT claiming to be an inspector.  That’s not my job.  I’m a real estate agent, I help people buy and sell homes.  I recommend that you hire a reputable, local and licensed service provider to investigate any property you’re buying or preparing for the market. 

The term Pest Inspection typically conjures up images of bugs!  While termites, carpenter ants and wood boring beetles all create damage to homes, water against wood leads to dry rot and fungus damage and are also huge issues. Pest Control Inspections assess the overall integrity and condition of the wood components of a structure.  In this series of videos I am going to go over the basics of a Pest Control report and give you some things to look for before you get into contract. 

Let’s start with inspection companies in general.  All inspectors should be licensed by the California Structural Pest Control Board (licensees can be checked at www.pestboard.ca.gov).  I have found that even though all inspectors are supposed to be following the same inspection guidelines there can be huge variations in the amount of their findings.  I’ve seen upwards of a $40,000 dollar difference between 2 different companies.  My best advice is that you use licensed, reputable and local company.    The last thing you want is to pay for what you think is a good inspection and later come face to face with potentially expensive re-negotiations.

Reports are broken down into a few main Categories.  Section 1, Section 2, Further Inspection recommended.

Section 1 indicates that damage to wood has already occurred.

Section 2 means that if you do not take some sort of preventive measure, damage to wood will likely occur.  An example of this may be calking that’s missing around a bath tub or sink.  No damage yet but without the calking water will likely trickle in and lead to future wood rot.

Further Inspection means that the inspector couldn’t get a good look at the area due to inaccessibility.  It could be to much stuff in a garage, or perhaps the crawl space was to small for the inspector to fit in. 

While it isn’t always possible If you see “Further Inspection” on a report you really should do whatever you can to gain access to the area or might be adopting an expensive repair.

There are a lot of ways for the wood to become damaged in a structure, and this isn’t meant to give you every possible one, but there are a few leading causes that seem to come up regularly.  In this series we will look at some of the leaders. 

Related posts:

1. Pest Control Inspections
2. Pest Control Reports and Damaged Wood Behind Stucco
3. Pest Control Reports and Faulty Grade Conditions

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Watch Next Video: Part 3

Faulty grade conditions relate to the height of soil in relation to the wood lying on top of the foundation.  So let me start with the different parts of a foundation.
There are lots of different types of foundations but since many of the homes in my selling area were built between the 1920’s to 60’s I’m focusing on a raised perimeter foundation style.  Here a contractor would dig a trench along what will be the perimeter of the structure.  He would put form boards above ground to hold the concrete in place until it hardened.  A piece of lumber was placed on the top of the formed concrete called the MUD SILL.  This is the piece of wood that the remainder of home gets built up on.  Over time, moist soil can build up along the foundation.  When the soil gets up to the mud sill you have what is called a “faulty grade condition.” 
A faulty grade condition can be fixed by taking the soil back down but if dry rot damage to the mud sill has already occurred then the only thing to do is to have the mud sill replaced

Related posts:

1. Pest Control Reports and Damaged Wood Behind Stucco
2. Understanding Pest Control Reports
3. Pest Control Inspections

This video covers homes sold in Oakland California’s Upper Rockridge neighborhood during the 4th Quarter of 2010.

If you would like more information about Upper Rockridge please feel free to get in touch with me directly.

Related posts:

1. Homes Sold in Upper Rockridge Q1 2010
2. Upper Rockridge sales in third quarter 2010
3. Upper Rockridge Q4 2009 Homes that have Sold

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12  BUENA VISTA PLACE 3/2 2215 $775,000
68  TEMPLAR PL 2/2 1657 $778,000
5556  MASONIC AVE 3/2 1766 $829,000
47  TRUITT LANE 4/3 2589 $905,000
5125  HARBORD DRIVE 3/2 2106 $959,000
5389  HILLTOP CRESCENT 4/4 2730 $995,000
5  BUENA VISTA PLACE 4/3 2463 $1,040,000
130  HERMOSA AVE 4/3 2485 $1,095,000
5450  MASONIC AVE 4/3 $1,116,000
6310  Contra Costa 3/3 2326 $1,175,000
5330  ESTATES DR 5/4 2938 $1,210,765
39  YORKSHIRE DR 3/3 2500 $1,250,000
5550  MAXWELTON ROAD 4/3 3305 $1,295,000
6122  OCEAN VIEW DR 4/4 $1,305,000
6067  ROCKRIDGE BLVD 4/2 2590 $1,320,000
6189  CONTRA COSTA RD 5/4 3130 $1,430,000
5622  Maxwelton 4/2 $1,460,000
96  SHERIDAN RD 5/4 4461 $1,500,000
6031  ACACIA AVE 5/4 $1,650,000
101  ALPINE TERRACE 4/3 3815 $1,650,000
6130  OCEAN VIEW DR 4/3 4382 $1,750,000
6206  CONTRA COSTA RD 3/3 3086 $1,800,000

Related posts:

1. Homes sold in Oakland’s Upper Rockridge during Q4 2010
2. Upper Rockridge Q4 2009 Homes that have Sold
3. Homes Sold in Upper Rockridge Q1 2010

Hello.  I’m Brian Santilena

Realtor and Residential Specialist with Pacific Union Real Estate The San Francisco Bays exclusive affiliate for Christies Great Estates.

As a career real estate agent born in the area I serve the communities of Oakland Piedmont and Berkeley California and I’ve been doing so since 1998.  If you’re considering purchasing or selling a piece of local real estate and you’d like more information about the process, the local neighborhoods or what your property may be worth in today’s market, please feel free get in touch with me directly.

Related posts:

1. Conforming loan limits and their affects in Oakland and Berkeley Hills real estate
2. If purchasing an Oakland, Berkeley or Piedmont home look at the furnace
3. Oakland Real Estate Market 10/13/09

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I’m Brian Santilena Realtor with Pacific Union Real Estate in Oakland, Piedmont and Berkeley CA.  I offer homes for sale in Oakland, Piedmont and Berkeley CA and have been doing so since 1998.  If you would like more information about this terrfic view home or you’d like to know about other homes in the Oakland, Piedmont and Berkeley real estate market please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. 

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