paul burrell

My HVAC guy says a stainless steel flex flue must be installed inside the chimney from metal furnace flue to top of chimney on any new furnace installation that vents into fireplace flue, that's the way it is in my area Metro Atlanta. Paul B.

I have seen energized wall receptacles inside showers on wall but this caps it all. Whatever happened to common sense or maybe there never was any. Oh well I guess it is good enough for government work since the municipal inspector passed it. Paul B.

Seven dust is good for same. Good flea treatment for cats and dogs and garden vegetable plants used sparingly. The clordane put in my house was liquid and it must still be active after 30 years because there are no termites and no treatment since it was installed. Paul B.

I had a bad experience with clordane. Bought a 1946 all wood cape cod home and re furbished it. All the rough hewn timber foundation sill plates were coated with a cresote petrolem black product and I was told this would repel all termites. I had the house treated with clordane any way even though there was no termite tunnels present. Bad mistake I was ill for six months and for years after could not stand smell of any toxic material such as gasoline, pesticides, etc. I was so ill I swore I would never have that house treated again, as far as I was concerned the termites could have the house. That was 30 years past and no treatment and no termite problems of any kind. The poor guy treating the basement and crawlspace came out every 10 minutes gasping for air and he surely must be dead or crippled long ago. Some people say they wish they could get some of the good old stuff (clordane). I would not use it if it was given to me with a promise to pay all my burial expenses. Paul B. Been there done that and ain't gonna do it again.

Be glad to my Wife does the chili thing so will have to get her to give it to me. I love matzo ball soup. When I lived in southern California I had a friend and his family cooked it and it was great. Paul B.

Twenty five years ago I installed a Fisher wood stove on carpet in front of my fireplace. I placed the stove on a 5/8" by 4'x4' sheet of asbestos. I bought a 4'x8' sheet of asbestos and cut it with a skill saw (I held my breath while cutting it). I never had a problem with fire and that stove would get so hot with the dampers wide open it would run you out of the room. That stove was great to cook a pot of beef stew or chili and beans on. I am not recommending anyone do this type installation on it is just what I did. Paul B.

Mike, I have found that the only to get a builder like yours to fix a problem is to show them the code section that is written clearly on what the specifications are. Of course all to many code sections are ambiguous and not precise. The County planning and zoning at your Courthouse will have it if it is to be had. Local codes trumps IRC on most issues. It appears the builder is not going to do anything unless forced. That means an attorney for big $$ and you may or may not win. In California Contractors have strict standards and must maintain a bond to cover their mistakes. Have you checked into the Az. licensing criteria? You seem to be stressed over this problem. I personally will not worry about material things and possibly get ill over them. I will simply get rid of the problem if I can't live with it. I will sell the problem, chalk it up to experience and never look back even with a moderate loss if necessary. If it is any consolation there are far to many buyers being raked over the coals by Builders. You are not alone. The way I see it is you can: 1- Sue, pay big attorney fees and you may or may not win. 2- Fix it yourself if it is fixable and won't destroy you bank account. 3- Live with it if you can stand it. If you can't. 4- Sell it and move on to bigger and better things and chalk it up to experience. My choice is definitely # 4 so as to eliminate the problem, accompanying stress and aggravation. However I am in no way telling or advising you what to do. You have to make that decision. Paul B. Been there done that and ain't gonna do it again if I can possibly help it.

Mike, We use rule of 1/2 inch per foot slope out to 10 feet from foundation for a total minium of 5 inches. In any event there should not be standing water in driveway especially at a new home. However the original problem started with the grading contractor and was exacerbated by the concrete contractor for pouring over improper grade slope. It also appears you have a trip hazard where the driveway meets the garage pour at the house side, probably caused by an attempt to achieve a proper slope that was not present in the grading work. So you have three entities to deal with in a lawsuit, the builder, cement contractor and the grading contractor. All three dropped the ball on your job. Small claims court limit is $5,000 here don't know about Az. Consult with an attorney for a few hundred dollars about the possibility of suing each, one at a time for their respective improper workmanship. Just my opinion which may not be worth much. Paul Burrell

Thanks Jim, Real Estate around here is moving pretty slow also. I don't believe the bottom will drop out but I do think we will see it stabilize as a buyers market for the next 2-3 years for sure. I also think that guy’s like yourself that are already established professionals won’t see to much of a change but fellers like myself are going to have to prove our worth pretty quick if we want to do this full time. Craig Craig, In my market area usually all you have to do to prove your worth is work cheap. Regards, Paul B. Serving Metro Atlanta

It is not legal to sell or give software to a third party RE: 3D systems. If an employee working out of your office the software can be licensed to that party for half price. However it is ok to sell or give your modified reports to a third party if they use the same 3D system that you do. Naturally if they don't have the same software the report will not load. Anyhow this is what my agreement says. Paul B.

I do on site computer reports 95+ percent of time. Sometimes when time is short for client they will ask me to fax it to them. I like to do report on site because every thing is fresh in my mind (what little I have left). Also if I need to re-check something I don't have to drive back to job. Paul B.

Recommending a contractor is sometimes a touchy proposition. If the contractor does a good job you are a hero, if they screw it up for your client you can wind up with a headache. I have nothing against contractors but they have been known to screw up, even the good ones every now and then. Sometimes it it may be because of circumstances beyond their control. Recommending contractors is something I don't do except on rare occasions because of past bad experiences. One example: I hired a fair weather friend a couple years ago to paint my home and he did a fairly good clean job. My Daughter and Son in law asked me if he could paint their house and I gave them his number. To make a short story long my Daughter called all upset and bent out of shape and said the guy was making a mess of her brick veneer walls and what should she do about it. I told her to have Mike (my soninlaw) run his @## off and he did. There were a few hard feelings because I recommended him. I think they believed he worked for me and I should have supervised him which was not the case. Like I said recommending contractors can be a headache.

Chris, To me safety issues are a part of the inspection and just as important or sometimes more so than code issues. You were right to write it up. I always tell the "zoids" that it is a safety issue and code smode who cares. Always think of safety first especially for children they cannot for see these hazards so it is our job to do it for them. When documenting a hazardous or safety issue I always put at the end of paragraph in bold caps DANGER. It works for me. Paul B.

Had a couple that was retired from New York and relocating to the good old South near my area. The new home they bought was nice except for the exterior wall cladding was a mess. The house cost over $300,000. The builder was no help and lied to them about the bad condition. They were very stressed about the situation. Anyway to make a short story longer I furnished them with diagnosis of problem and code details to give the builder. The buyer came by my office a couple weeks later to thank me and said the builder was removing the defective siding and replacing it. He gave me a $50 gift certificate to a nice restaurant and a thank you card that said "we have been praying for God to help us and he sent us you". Needless to say on that day I felt like I was in a profession that means something. Paul B. PS: They did not get a home inspection before moving in and closing.

Had a customer call me back after four months because a tree on the back of his lot fell down during high winds and did damage to his neighbors fence. I asked Him why he did not file a home owners insurance claim and he said because his deduction was to high? $1,000. Of course that was my fault also. Anyway the Realtor and I met at the house with customer and we decided to give Him $500 between both of us just to get rid of him. Sometimes I think people just want something for nothing.[:-censore Paul B.

Fact is if we as inspectors tell a home owner or buyer how to repair something we are departing from our job description as "inspector" and creating possible liability for ourselves. Documenting a problem and telling them to hire a licensed qualified contractor for repairs as needed is adequate and is all our job description requires us to do. Been doing it for years and it works for me. Paul B.

I get the same call occasionally. I have a stock answer. If you hired a Contractor that has to ask someone else how to fix it you have hired the wrong Contractor. Paul B.

Sorry Mike my computer has been acting up as in odd lately. I think I will either call a geek out to fix it or most likely get a new one. I have McAfee but it will not operate like it should either. My computer is an HP 2000 ME so it is a victim of planned oblesence. Paul B.

Phillip, The last time I used a laptop and printer at the dining room table was an adventure to say the least. I started typing the report and the seller home owner told me She was in a hurry to leave and could I hurry and finish. Five minutes later She started running a vacum around the dining room where I was trying to finish the report. The dining room floors were hardwood and the noise was bad to say the least. Somehow I finished and outside the buyers Realtor apologized to me several times and thanked me for being so tolerant of the situation. She also invited me out for coffee. [^]I did not go for coffee but I thought it was nice of her to ask. Anyway that was the last time I did a report inside a sellers home which was approximately 10 years ago. From that day forward I do reports in my van or at office and fax it. Paul B.

Phillip, The last time I used a laptop and printer at the dining room table was an adventure to say the least. I started typing the report and the seller home owner told me She was in a hurry to leave and could I hurry and finish. Five minutes later She started running a vacum around the dining room where I was trying to finish the report. The dining room floors were hardwood and the noise was bad to say the least. Somehow I finished and outside the buyers Realtor apologized to me several times and thanked me for being so tolerant of the situation. She also invited me out for coffee. [^] Anyway that was the last time I did a report inside a sellers home which was approximately 10 years ago. From that day forward I do reports in my van or at office and fax it. Paul B.

I taught my wife years ago how to use a hand gun then years later when she would get really really mad at me I wondered if I may have made a mistake. Woops. [:-bigeyes Paul B.

Had a client ask me same thing one time. I told him no which was the truth. He looked a little spooked. However there are certain areas in metro Atlanta that I do carry a concealed weapon and I do have a permit to carry. Some people tell me they are afraid to work in these bad areas but I will not be deterred by thugs from working anywhere I have a job. Paul Burrell

I think we may have the same attorney as I have a statement in my contract that is basically the same as above. I personally do not spend a lot of time worrying about being sued. I do the job as best I can and maintain a good relationship with my client which includes telling them to call me anytime if they have any questions. This makes them feel they are not abandoned after I take their fee for the job and leave. I can honestly say I have never been sued in my 15 years in the inspection business and another 25 in the construction and real estate trades and Of course I am vigorously knocking on wood as I say this.[^] Just my 2 cents worth which sometimes is not worth much. Paul Burrell.

Purchase a batch of full page flyers from a professional flyer company. When you visit Realtor offices ask the receptionist if she would mind if you can stuff their mail boxes with your flyers. There may be 50 or 150 agent boxes. Place a flyer in all of them. If you are lucky two or three may call you and if you are lucky one of them may be honest enough to work with. Do all Realtor offices in your area until some calls start coming in. Just remember one thing what is included in your report is on you no matter what the agent tells you. Don't be picky on cosmetics that is not part of inspectors job. cosmetics belong to new homes not older homes that have ordinary wear and tear. Paul B.

I seldom if ever see building wrap under vinyl siding in my area. I wonder if this is a local thing or is included in 2006 IRC? I have 2003 and 2000 IRC but not 2006 IRC. My area uses 2000 IRC with local up dates. I am going to research this item but someone out there may know the answer. Thanks, Paul B.