Garet

We have lots of whole house fans. They work well because we get hot during the day and cool off at night. I ran my air conditioner only 1 day last summer. As others have said, you have to open windows for them to work. You need sufficient attic ventilation in order to blow the air out of the attic without pressurizing it. Also, they're energy hogs in the winter because they have no insulation and leak air like a sieve. Dear Dumbass, thanks for enlightening me about another of pitfall of whole house fans. I always appreciate learning at someone else's expense.

Dave, This is a unique property for Denver, so a 'standard' pricing either won't be fair to you or won't be fair to the buyer. The level of effort will vary dramatically depending on condition and specifics, how it was built. Like some others, I'd probably give them an hourly price for time on site and an estimated range. I'd also tell them that the time could vary a lot. I'd plan to spend about a day and a half on site. Don't underestimate your past client's faith in your abilities, and don't undersell yourself. If they can afford this property then they can afford a fair fee to assess its condition. Good luck with it, sounds like fun. BTW, hope you enjoyed the program last night. I'd forgotten what a humorous and engaging speaker Diane is. We should have her back to talk about stucco. Hope to see you at future meetings.

Since Chapter 24 is the gas code, this provision wouldn't apply to anything other than the gas system. Too bad, it would be a nice addition to Chapter 3.

Consider the possibility of low-grade carbon monoxide. You can be affected by levels well below that which will trigger a consumer grade detector. Have an HVAC contractor perform a combustion analysis, including measuring draft pressures according to BPI protocols.

Like Kurt, I applaud anyone willing to be subject to intense review. It shows a willingness to improve which is sorely lacking in this profession. Kudos! With that being said, here are my thoughts. Check-boxes are a holdover from a bygone era of handwritten forms. Using a computer to generate a check-box report is like using a smartphone to send Morse Code. Sure you can do it, but why? Is it to prove that the inspector looked for things that are not checked (hint: it doesn't). All that extra, unused information certainly doesn't enhance the reader's experience. I suspect that this is simply antiquated software that hasn't been updated in well over a decade. Ditch it. Like others, I find the check-box style very difficult to read. In fact, I could only force myself to read one section. I chose Electrical. Here are the details from that section. Service Drop - If vegetation is touching the wires, shouldn't the vegetation be trimmed? Service Ground - Do you commonly see gas pipes used as a grounding electrode? See NEC 250.52((B) Panels - I assume you mean "Two of the cabinet fasteners are pointed". Most people wouldn't have a clue why this is important. Just a small issue, but I'd say "screws" not "fasteners". It's more precise and fewer characters makes it more readable. Minor electrical label #S 83418 for "New install" - I have no earthly idea what this means or why it's important. See Comments Below - Is there supposed to be a correlation between the blue dots in each section and the actual comments? If so I didn't find it. It's very confusing. If you need a comment in a particular section, say outlets or panels, then put the comment in that section. In some ways I like the arrows on the photos. It gives a personal feel that's lacking in the rest of the report. Glancing at Roofing the arrows seem to be over-used. Ditch the blue text and yellow highlighting. Especially ditch the blue text on yellow highlighting. Lots of people still print B/W in which case this emphasis will be lost. If you need to draw extra attention to some piece of information then use some other formatting (bold, italic, white space, a text box, etc). The highlighting would not be needed if you refrained from using bold, italic and text boxes were they're not needed.

The pieces popped off because the slab is settling. Unless the settlement is stopped there isn't a patch in the world that will hold up. FWIW, I've seen settlement like that continue for 30 years.

Yes, they're marked. But I wouldn't agree with the clearly part. I've had a hard time seeing the marking when holding one loose in my hands. It's hard to put much of a marking on such a tiny surface.

Could it be this... http://www.strongtie.com/products/connectors/SDS.asp They indicate it's approved for ledger attachment.

Is the stair off the deck an absolute requirement? The most simple solution would be to eliminate it. Lots of elevated decks like this don't have direct access to the yard.

Thanks. There was an electronic air cleaner, disconnected but not removed.

Any idea what this is? It was mounted next to the thermostat. Google search turned up limited info indicating it's related to the a/c system. 1972 house but a/c dates from 1999. Click to Enlarge 24.68 KB

Where is the air return grill located? Is there more than one return grill? Kurt has a good point: if it was intended for a separate living space on the lower level (levels?) then there should not be ductwork between the two. Did the renovator actually finish things out this way (legitimately, with permits?) or is he just planting an unrealistic dream in your head?

The IRC requires a guard at "open-sided walking surfaces". In my judgment, the right side of your photo doesn't meet that criteria. A guard would certainly make it safer (...but you already knew that). What's the height of the drop-off on the left side where the guard ends?

If they don't commonly build basements in that area, then there's probably a reason why.

Looks like Joe's roofer made the best of a bad situation.

I can't recall ever seeing it without brick veneer present.

My understanding... Brick is the driest (and smallest) the day it leaves the kiln. It expands slightly as it gains moisture. Concrete shrinks slightly as it cures, and it never completely stops curing. Thus, the brick wall gains length as the foundation gets shorter. Different rates of thermal expansion/contraction also play into it. Eventually, the immovable object meets the irresistible force. Then, cracks happen. Clients sometimes ask about it. Even if not, I talk about it to make sure they know I saw it and that it's not a big deal. It does not make it into the report. I'd go outside and take a picture of the cracks on my own house, but it's dark, I'm lazy and they wouldn't look any different than the one you posted. Sorry, but I can't help you with an authoritative source to save the $400. Appraisers should stick to appraising.

The one project I've seen with pervious concrete looked like pea gravel held together with cement paste, but little sand. It's been in for about 10 or 12 years now, and definitely shows some surface degradation. I can't imagine that it will have as long of a service life as traditional concrete, particularly with freeze-thaw effects.

Slab settlement is a near-epidemic problem in my area.

A mud-jacking contractor could easily fill a hole like that and it would support the footing just fine. That wouldn't add much cost if they were already there for other work.

You're assuming that they looked.

I wouldn't consider it a safety issue, but the drop ceiling will leak air like a sieve, taking heat with it no matter how much insulation is piled on top. Take out the drop ceiling and install drywall.

I thought it was so you could lock them in. (It's probably just as well that we don't have kids)

They do the same thing with aluminum siding and metal roofing. They're announcing to the bird community that this is their territory. Yep. Territorial marking or calling for a mate. I used to have one that would routinely rap on my wood stove flue pipe cap. Made a heck of a racket. If the house was quiet enough I could hear it land and had about 20 - 30 seconds before it started making noise. I would then smack the flue with a piece of wood and scare it off. Some behaviors can be un-learned. I've heard that shotguns and BB guns work well, too. (not that I know from personal experience)

2009 IRC requires 36" above "adjacent fixed seating". (don't shoot the messenger)