Tom Breslawski

I've been inside Chad's home a couple times. Words and photos don't do it justice. This is a cool article and a well deserved award.

Funny because it's true. Pretty sure I know what firm you're talking about Chad.

Hey, I'm a Tom!

Who's the guy in the picture? Who is on the inspection team? Where do you do business?

Dirt in the vent hose?

1/4 inch hardware cloth.

Holy crap. I can't believe anyone would write that. It's just a bunch of poorly articulated thoughts about insulation. Textbook definition of "bad boilerplate."

Link added to signature.....

A tandem breaker is one throw. Do you have a picture of the panel with the cover off?

There was no fire suppression system. The CMU wall separates the units but doesn't extend into the attic. Doesn't look like there was a sprinkler system. There may have been a payoff though......

I inspected this townhouse today (6 units, the one I inspected was an end unit). There was no fire wall or fire separating in the attic. I've never seen this before. Is it ok? Building was built in 1974. 6 units all share a common attic.

We bought a house last year. The insurance inspector contacted me three times by email (no phone call, no letter, just email). I deleted the first two emails because they were one poorly written, non-punctuated sentence asking for an inspection. No mention of the company or any credentials. Turns out the barely literate inspector was being paid a whopping $27 to come and "inspect" our house. He promptly reported that we have two unlisted wood stoves in the house and flagged our policy for cancellation. One phone call and two pictures of the data plates on our brand new, permitted wood stoves solved that problem. Long story short; if that's what they're paying, it's no wonder the inspector was so bad. I'd rather flip burgers than be associated with that type of work.

I have the same Fenix flashlight that Chad has and have been using it for the past 5 years with no problems. Just recently added a Craftsman headlamp that I use in basements and crawlspaces. It's rechargeable, 500 lumens and keeps my hands free.

Having a wife who is "gainfully employed" will be critical to your venture. Get the Electrical Inspections of Existing Dwellings book, the code check books, read this forum, inspect houses of family members or friends to get a little practice at the beginning and keep reading and learning. The learning curve in this business is huge and most of the learning you'll do is not in a traditional class room. Try to find someone who will let you ride along with them and/or let you learn from them and don't be afraid to ask questions even if you think they are stupid.

I wouldn't use that thing as an extension ladder. Too worn out. Just replace it for a couple hundred bucks and save yourself the broken back/leg/hip. I use a 13' Werner and 22' Werner and wouldn't use them if they were worn like that.

I take 400 or so pictures at each inspection too. Sometimes I like to take several different angles of a particular problem so that it can be better explained. Many of them make the report, but nowhere near all. I use the hand signals and establishing photo as my notes as well. It costs nothing extra and takes very little time. I'd rather have too many pictures instead of too few.

The wall is fiberglass, not foam. The foam was sprayed in the penetrations only. I told them to remove the foam inside the enclosure. Thanks.

My guts says "no." Can I get a confirmation? Thanks!

I ha e the Fenix UC35 too. Purchased with Chad's discount. It's never failed to get me through an inspection. Great flashlight.

I wondered if it was some kind of antenna. Our antenna was stationary, so I've never seen one like this. Thanks for the info!

I found this in the attic of a 1955 built cape cod. Snow all over the roof so I couldn't get up there and see what (if anything) penetrates through. Any idea what this is? Thanks!

Dryden Mutual, same cost as Chad.

I would never have written such a letter. Tell the AHJ to do his job.

Thank you Marc, I appreciate that compliment.

I once had a client who was an investment banker. Nice guy, but when I explained to him that he wasn't good that the deck was built with nails (and ONLY nails), he looked at me with confusion. As I pointed to a nail, he looked at me and said, "so that's a nail? ...... how am I going to explain what you just said to my wife." I knew right there that this report was going to have to be extra descriptive and simplified. They didn't buy the house, but loved the report and hired me a year later to inspect the next house, which they did end up buying.