Resonant Homes, LLC

08/25/2026

Masonry Chimneys: A New England Love Story, and Why Yours Might Be Failing

Masonry chimneys are near and dear to my heart, and also something of a scourge to my existence as a home inspector....

A home inspector's take on New England's masonry chimneys — why they were built the way they were, and the defects that show up most on inspections.

07/30/2026

Technically, a home inspection report is just a collection of data. What makes it useful is what the inspector understands about that data—and how they put it into context.

https://resonanthomesnh.com/prioritizing-home-maintenance-repairs-in-nh-vt-resonant-homes/

07/30/2026

How to Prioritize Home Maintenance When Everything Can’t Be Fixed at Once

Every house comes with a list. Things that could be repaired, replaced, painted, sealed, serviced, or upgraded....

https://resonanthomesnh.com/prioritizing-home-maintenance-repairs-in-nh-vt-resonant-homes/

07/26/2026

This is a funny but very helpful demo of floor systems, how they succeed and fail.

07/22/2026

Quick question I get asked constantly on older homes: "Is knob-and-tube wiring going to keep me from getting insurance?"

Short answer: maybe. Longer answer: it depends on a lot more than most quick answers online let on — and so does aluminum wiring, bootleg grounds, and half a dozen other things I run into in NH and VT's older housing.

I wrote up what I actually look for, why a two-prong outlet is more honest than the three-prong one somebody swapped in without grounding it, and why even a thorough inspection only sees a fraction of what's actually back there behind the walls.

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Knob-and-tube and aluminum wiring in an older NH or VT home: what it means for safety and insurance, from a builder and inspector who's seen plenty of it.

07/19/2026

Most inspectors tell you what they catch. I wanted to be straight about the other side of it — what a home inspection can't see, and why that matters just as much.

A home inspection is a visual, non-destructive look at a house. I don't open walls, pull siding, or lift finished floors, so a lot stays hidden on inspection day.

After a career building homes across NH and VT, I know better than most what's back there — and I'd rather tell you the honest limits than sell you x-ray vision I don't have.

The post walks through the real story behind something as simple as a water stain, why I won't hand you a made-up repair number, and what an inspection genuinely is good for.

Give it a read.

Plenty gets missed in any home inspection, and I'd rather you hear why from me. A builder on what an inspection can and can't actually tell you about a house.

07/14/2026

One question I get asked constantly on older homes: "Is knob-and-tube wiring going to keep me from getting insurance?"
Short answer: maybe. Longer answer: it depends on a lot more than most people (or most quick answers online) let on.
I wrote up what I actually look for when I find it in an old New Hampshire or Vermont home — what matters, what doesn't, and why a shiny new electrical panel doesn't always mean the wiring behind it got updated too.

Buying an older home in NH or VT? Here's what knob-and-tube wiring really means for safety and insurance, from a builder who's worked with plenty of it.

07/05/2026

This is a common question, with a complex answer.

https://resonanthomesnh.com/what-fails-a-home-inspection/

This is an important question. The answer might surprise you. A 20+ year veteran contractor-home inspector breaks it down.

07/02/2026

Somewhere along the way, the real estate and home inspection industry decided every home purchase needed the same warning label: “This is the biggest financial decision of your life.” I understand the impulse. It sounds serious. It sounds like someone cares. Mostly, it sounds like a sentence nobody bothered to think about before they said it.

"Biggest financial decision of your life"? I don't assume that about you. I ask. Here's why that changes your entire inspection.

07/01/2026

Energy Efficiency in Older Homes

In the course of a home inspection, one of the things I'm looking at is the envelope of the building and its many facets — interior wall coverings and finishes, the framing, sheathing, roof, siding, flashing, windows, and both interior and exterior trim....

An experienced builder explains insulation options for old homes in NH & VT — and what buyers should know about methods and costs before they commit.