Mark P

About a year ago I spent some time reading all the PIA I could get my hands on, there is not a lot of difference between them.

Hi Justin, Your link did not work. I did e-mail Duro-Last and they sent me a package of info and I agree that this is duro-last. I'm interested in learning as much as I can on other manufactures of PVC roofing so any info you can post or e-mail will be great.

Contact Radalink at 1-800-295-4655

If it was new 6 months ago - is there a warrenty on the home?

Okay, got it. I usd to live on a military installation where the instilled ....

Thanks Kurt, It is granulated modified bitumen, I should have know better, I make that mistake too often because I see very few of these. I'm going to swing back by this evening to take a second look at a few things. This is turning into the report from hell, a real monster of a house. I'm also sure it is haunted, but I'm going to let that be a surprise to the little lady buying the home. So help me out here - so I don't make the same error again how exactely do I tell the difference between rolled asphalt and granulated modified bitumen?

I am looking for the instillation instruction for Rolled Asphalt. I am especially interested on how it should be installed when there are parapets on the house. I understand the covering will trap moisture inside the bricks causing their decay, but how should it be done. Are termination bars used in this case? I’ve already told the buyer the roof was installed unprofessionally and in my opinion will not last very long; that there are repairs that need to be done now. But I want to learn some more on how this should be installed on a house like this. This house is a complete mess from head to toe. Download Attachment: 1.jpg 94.15 KB Download Attachment: 2.jpg 107.01 KB Download Attachment: 3.jpg 92.98 KB Download Attachment: 4.jpg 119.18 KB Download Attachment: 5.jpg 81.85 KB

Black Iron is by far the most common, but copper is not unheard of.

In my area the meters are buried in the front yard near the street, under a steel lid - I never look for them.

This was from this morning’s foreclosure. This is an interior bedroom wall. My guess is that a bird or birds or animal was trapped in this room. It ate through the drywall, the framing and get a load of the bare Romex. Man I feel bad for the animal(s) Every corner of the room was chewed away. Image Insert: 63.11 KB Image Insert: 38.06 KB

Gee Bill once you say it, it makes so much sense and is so simple. Thanks. I was thinking some kind of funky water hammer, but it just did not make sense. I guess they moved the meter down by the road. Being a meter reader back then must have been a pain. Knocking on everyones door to come in and read the meter. They must have had to return to the same house often.

Just for the heck of it I thought I’d post this pic of the condensate drain from the brand new Trane HVAC running directly to the main DWV stack. I’m sure the installer did not go into the crawlspace to see where the hose ran once it went into the floor. Image Insert: 67.84 KB

Is every gas appliance suppose to have a dirt leg? Does it make any difference if the gas line comes up through the floor right next to the equipment? Seems there is no need for one on this water heater, but it got me wondering. Image Insert: 48.15 KB

I've had a strange week with a number of first, but this one peaks my interest the most. This is where the main water line enters the foundation wall. What is with the circle / loop thingy? House is around 50 – 60 years old. Download Attachment: 1.jpg 86.11 KB

"A lunch line" I like that Les

Here is one from today, where they did not even bother to hook power up to it. I'm sure it has been like that since the roof was installed in 2006. Image Insert: 55.96 KB[/size=1

The vapor barrier will float. Last week I was in a crawl space that had 4" of water over 100% of the crawl and the 6mil plastic just floating on top. If you just stuck your head in you might not even know there was water under the plactic.

Try these John, http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/bu ... /34902.pdf http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/you ... pic=11320A https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fu ... ool.atHome

Question: If the partially finished basement of a 1950’s home has been freshly painted and new carpet installed is there any way to find evidence of previous flooding? There is no visible staining, etc, no rust in the furnace cabinet. The reason I ask is we received a lot of rain last week (4-6? and a January customer called saying his basement flooded. He is not upset at me; he is upset with the previous owners who did not disclose, and may have covered up the fact. He wanted to know how he might find evidence / proof that the sellers knew the basement flooded in a heavy rain. I suggested talking with the neighbors, but could think of nothing else. Any ideas?

The Ring

How common is it today to place a vapor barrier under a slab on grade and how long has it been in practice? As a kid growing up in Florida I saw / visited many many slab on grade job sites and they sure never had anything under the cement except florida sand.

15 minutes for the inspection, 15 minutes for the report, 15 minutes for the trip there and 15 minutes back. 1 hour for $50? Not including vehicle fuel and wear and tear. It wouldn't be enough. It would not be enough for what Carl? It added up to over $1400 last year which is enough for a lot of things. If I were to charge more the home owner would not be saving any money on their policy so there would be no point in me doing the insepection. Besides I usually have 2 -3 weeks in which I can schedule the appoitment so it helps fill in the slow days.

It was such a nice day yesterday I sat on my deck with a cup of tea and read the installation instructions for a Lennox gas furnace (G4OUH(X) series). Oh the joys of spring. If you have never read the installation instructions for a furnace I encourage you to do so. I plan on reading some more. They did a good job at explaining combustion air and venting requirements. Much easier to read and understand then the IRC. Anyway a few interesting WARNINGS I did not know and thought were worth sharing. “ Product contains fiberglass wool. Disturbing the insulation….. may cause lung cancer.â€

I do 2 -3 insurance inspections a month for a local company when a customer renews their coverage. It is not an inspection as a HI would think of it – it is really just an independent verification of what the company has on file. They have there own 3 page form to fill out. What percentage of the floors are carpeted, tile, etc? What percentage of the walls are 8’ 9’ 10’? Is the electrical system breakers or fuses and what is the amperage? Really basic stuff. I spend 15 – 20 minutes at an average size house – take a few pictures. Spend another 15+ min filling out the form and I charge $50. The home owner usually is the one that pays me because they receive a % discount on their policy over the next 3 years. On big houses they will save several hundreds of $ a year. Also the insurance agent only sends me to houses she knows are in good condition. This lead to a large insurance company wanting to hire me to perform very very limited inspections on homes upon initial coverage. It would have been hundreds of houses a week at around $15 a house. I turned it down.

A few years ago I blew in cellulose in a house I was renovating. At the time Home Depot loaned me the machine for free if I purchased $200 in insulation.