mgbinspect

Well, if I had a point, it might have been that imagining women to be simple, honest, and holding propriety is imagining.

Or, comparing women to anything other than themselves violates the primary rule of engagement.

And to elaborate, I've never encountered a house that was needy, jealous, and manipulative.

And, it's outa here!... with the bases loaded ladies and gentleman... [:-thumbu]

I've found the Kindle to have a single benefit; if you're on the road, it's a great way to take a bunch of books with you. I think they're amazingly cool, I love it, but not necessarily outside the travel thing.

Reference material is readily available on my laptop in greater profusion than a Kindle can accommodate, and I can cut and paste it.

If I'm not traveling, I like books, I like holding them, smelling them, grabbing favorites and opening them to the middle, and when not touching them, simply admiring them.

I do know what you mean. It's going to be tough getting my copy of Architectural Graphics Standards on a Kindle. But, for me, I think it's going to work, since I don't use my laptop on site.

I like holding them, smelling them, grabbing favorites and opening them to the middle, and when not touching them, simply admiring them

Were you daydreaming about something else when you wrote this?

[:-thumbu]

Dunno about you, My Friend, but I prefer the look of a chase to a couple of tubes coming up out of the roof that look like they belong on the deck of a ship.

But then I also happen to believe that all women look better without makeup . . .

I'll second that. Makup is a definite turnoff. [:-thumbu]

I'll be interested to hear about your experience of actually using it. I have an older Kindle (the original model) that my wife gave me when she upgraded to the latest fancy version. It's fine for reading books but it seems like it would be clumsy to use as a reference tool.

I've got my laptop with me during the inspection. It's loaded with all of my reference materials. Why would I want to use another machine for reference stuff?

I understand, I don't use my laptop on site anymore. My software is on a tiny PDA, which is pretty convenient, so the kindle might work for me as a be all reference tool.

I will keep you all posted.

I've just loaded it with a lot of good PDFs and Word Docs to take with me.

I thought you, might be especially interested with that text to speach feature for reading (listening) on the road?

At this point when I'm trying to become skilled at finding references in the IRC, I find it better to have the physical book itself in my hands. I often go rapidly back and forth from the TOC to the rest of the book. Can't do that to my satisfaction with electronic means.

I do have the 06' International family of code books on my hard drive but that's mostly for copy/pasting into a report or for posting.

Marc

Well, I just picked one up and now I'm even MORE PUMPED than I already was. It just gets better:

YO RANDY AND JIM K - You guys might find this of particular interest to you, from a previous thread of mine; It turns out that the Kindle has a "text to speach" feature. Any book you have on your Kindle can be READ TO YOU WHILE YOU DRIVE! Nice!!!! No doubt, it won't be Peter Greaves or some other celebrity reading it to you, but I don't care. A robotic voice is endurable. [:-tophat]

I've been kicking this around for about three weeks, and I think I'm about to jump: I'm thinking VERY SERIOUSLY that the Kindle might be the ultimate reference resource for a home inpsector.

I see where there are even a couple of Code Checks available for Kindle. I think they're not legit copies, but no doubt, soon the entire Code Check series, along with the IRC, the NHBA Residential Construction Performance Guidelines, etc. will all be available for Kindle. So, you can have an entire book shelf of references and files (PDFs and Word Docs like our serial number charts) at your fingertips, with: no bootup time; a 3000 book or file capacity; wifi to download and install stuff in seconds; and an average battery life of a MONTH (unbelievable). Not to mention that there are over 300,000 books available for the Kindle and tons of them are FREE (Classics).

You can, apparently even bookmark and highlight text. Books are indexed for easy searching. Kindle is apparently the best of the bunch, for a number of reasons: readability in any light is a big one for us if we're going to use it outside.

At any rate, for a mere $149.00, I'm not coming up with a downside. I think it's going to be the gift to my business that keeps on giving, as I find more and more stuff to cram into it and access in seconds on a piece of equipment 6" x 9" and about the thickness of a pencil and 5.8 oz in weight - mind boggling...

I think today might be the day to give this a try.

Gee... As I survey the original photos (laying my passion for flashing and counter-flashing asided, umm.. where's the step-flashing at the roof junction? What a mess... Glad we could help, Rachel

Dunno about you, My Friend, but I prefer the look of a chase to a couple of tubes coming up out of the roof that look like they belong on the deck of a ship.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

The pressure is always on here in Richmond, being so close to Williamsburg, to build stuff that looks old - Colonial. So, builders, being cheap, often do the wood framed brick veneered chases with metal flashed and capped chases to resemble an old Colonial chimney. They perform just fine. (Of course, they're not sitting on a wood framed wall, which is one of the original concerns of this thread.)

And, I suppose the REAL bottom line here is that this false chimney COULD have been just fine and outlasted us all, if it was properly laid up with flashing everywhere appropriate.

Unfortunately, it seems that everyone that had a part in the construction and inspection process dropped the ball, or worse yet looked the other way on this one, and now it's a problem.

I wonder if the local building department could be pressured to become an advocate in getting this disaster addressed? Surely, the whole gang involved in constructing it is still around and applying for building permits.

I still cannot believe it is built on wood beams starting in the attic.

It's really a perception deal - unconventional. But, if you think about it, the average home, according to the manufactured home industry, weighs somewhere between 50,000 to 120,000 pounds. If a home is two stories with a walkout basement, a little less than a third of that weight is resting on a wood frame outer wall (the walk-out basement wall). [This would assume that the center beam is carrying the greates weight, but that is offset by the fact that all of the roof framing weight is on the outer walls.] Does that put things in perspective? We don't think twice about a wood frame wall supporting the lions share of the weight of a home, but suporting BRICK???!!!!! Suddenly we experience a mental disconnect, mostly because it's not what we're used to seeing.

That's not to say I like this arrangement, because I definitely don't.

Are you saying that from the point that brickwork rests on the wood framing, the masonry goes up twenty-five feet? That hardly seems likely.

At any rate, brick are, on average, about four to five pounds a piece, and you can figure about 6.75 bricks per square feet. If you do the math, you'll realize that it's probably not as heavy as you are tempted to think.

We are left to assume that someone calculated the loads, when they ran it through the building inspection process?

In the mid 70's strict requirements, regarding the absorption rate of bricks were imposed, which put some brick manufacturers out of business, or at least made them truck in material necessary to keep going. Since then, water rarely penetrates the entire thickness of a brick. Unfortunately, if the brick veneer was installed badly (not full head and bed mortar joints), the system will readily take on water.

From your pictures, it does look like the majorority of your problem might be flashing and cap.

I've seen situations like this where folks actually had to resort to a drip tray and drain to manage the moisture intrusion.

Whew! That condensing unit is working overtime trying to get anything done in that cramped space - ouch!

Ive had a few on fireplace dampers. I could feel it was there by the weight, so i let it be.

Me too. I had one peer over the damper right at me, as if to say, "Can I help you?" By the time I got out onto the front porch, it was popping out of the chimney.

Originally posted by Chad Fabry

I rally hate people that steal stuff- it's infuriating

Took the words right out of my mouth (including the spelling, Chad. I suspect you did that just to make me feel more at home around here. Thanks, bro - always thinking of others.) [:-thumbu]

It's impossible to identify with anyone willing to violate another's space. It's shocking that one in twenty-five folks on the planet is actually a sociopath (no conscience and no capacity to empathize with anyone.

I lost my favorite mountain bike last season to just such creeps, and my son-in-law had his truck window busted out and two laptops taken, while he was on a cruise.

This crap's on the rise right now, which really stinks.

Sorry that happened to you, Les.

That's pretty much the rule here. It's been about four years ago. Maybe they hadn't written one yet. It was an abandoned 100 plus year old home on some property in really rough shape - salvageable, but not for what she was bringing.

Truth be told, with all the above facts in hand, I just wasn't in the mood to write 'War and Peace' for nothing.

Brian, From the moment I met you at ITA, it was clear you are one of a kind.

I'll second that. It's why I was bummed out when I realized you weren't hanging out here, upon my return.

YOU KNOW you can stop in anytime, home inspector or not, and everyone here's going to be thrilled to hear from you, as they are right now. Please stay in touch.

It's all in the delivery, John. [:-eyebrow

I actually stopped fifteen minutes into an inspection, one time to tell a young lady, "As a father of five kids - three girls - I've got to tell you: I hate to take your money today. It's already becoming obvious that this house is perfect for someone with DEEP pockets. The price is great! But, you can't afford to own this house. It will eat you alive. Why don't we call it a day and please call me again when you've found something better."

The Realtor practically dropped to her knees, with prayer hands out in front of her, as she mimed, 'Thank you!" (She'd apparently been trying to tell the young lady the same thing.) [:-thumbu]

The young lady didn't cry, walked from the deal, and did call again. [:-spin]

That's not to say I haven't seen a few tears over the years as a result of inspections, but that's another story. [:-cry]

I'm in... I think. Sherlock Inspection

Marc

SURF'S UP!

Amazing Marc. I'm impressed! As I've already said here. I've gotten a lot of business off FaceBook - not at first, but it's exponential.

People remember you.

I'm increasingly surprised by how many folks will book an inspection via FB message or chat. Who'da thought?

Have fun.

No prob. I haven't used any of those formulas since I left the drawing board. Many moons ago. I was reaching.

I believe we're talking volume - a little geometry ala pi. Richtig?

If memory serves, it's V = 2 pi R

Nah. That can't be right. That's got to be circumfrence.

V = piR squared. I think that's it, but I'll look it up.

Yes pi R squared is correct.

OK,

You know that with my second grade math skills I can't do the math for you but the flue must equal the largest connector plus 50% of all others. Get out a pencil.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

That'll work.

Thanks.

Select your friends carefully and ignore those you don't know.

Learn how to block the apps and websites that want permission to post on your wall.

Learn how to block the Farmville and Horoscopes and other crap.

Post a few things a week.

Then you can enjoy it.

I had it easy. I had my daughter who is into Facebook, show me how to do it and help me with it for awhile.

It can be very intrusive IF you let it. I don't.

Bill: learn how to block the stuff you don't want to see or get a kid to do it for you.

Randy: You're too old to mes with this stuff. Forget it.

Kurt: Not really any more necessary than other forms of advertising. Some work for some people. Others work for other people.

I like the work I get from it.

TIJ is actually a group rather than a business page. (Don't ask me to explain. I don't know the difference)

It's at: https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=191501582781

-

What he said. I have been facebooking for at least a couple years, and I can honestly say that probably 10% of my work gets booked via facebook messages, posts on my wall, etc.

And, it's actually a help for people to have a bit of an idea who you are, what you do, what kind of personality you have, etc.

It's a great passive way to keep your name and business out there...

Good Luck Brian. I sure have missed your perfectly unique sense of humor. When I returned to TIJ, the first thing I did is ask Les where you were. All the best. Stop by now and then and just be you.

Here' one for the brain trust:

A 44,000 btu furnace with a draft inducing blower (right flue)

A 88,000 btu furnace with a draft inducing blower (center flue)

And a 75,000 btu gas water heater - gravity (left flue)

ALL share this flue. It seems to me that it should have stepped up another size after the third flue joined in. Undersized? Any thought?

Click to Enlarge

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And, all three units are crammed into a 6 x 9 unvented room in the finished basement ... hmm....

Yes, John has Rockwool right. It's rather like shredded angel hair that has a lot of gray in it, as if it's been used to polish silver. It always looks exactly the same.

But, then I realize that you'd have to be an old fart to know what angel hair is. I could go on to explain how it was the fine white stuff that was on the angel on the tip top of your Christmas tree when you were a kid, but still you'd have to be an old fart. So, I may not be able to help you, Mark, unless of course you already happen to be an old fart. [:-tophat]

Anybody put the fake snow on tChristmas trees in the 50s and 60s? It was a mix of mica and asbestos!

Nice!

I'm doomed...

As far as my drop-down menu goes, maybe I could have a statement that says, "Your guess is as good as mine, but whatever it is, there's not enough of it. And, since it probably contains something bad for you, it's best to add more insulation." []