StevenT

I've seen mold that requires professional/specialists to remove and mold that a handyman can clean up. If it's a handyman job, then it's probably not that bad. Correcting the cause and a little clean up and paint should be enough. I believe contractors that specialize in mold removal are not necessarily qualified to test mold, even if they are certified to do so. Besides being the product of a two or three day course, I honestly feel that whatever they find, it will be presented in a way that will be a sales pitch. If it is important to test mold, an industrial hygenist or a micologist has to be brought in. Mold is everywhere and there are thousands of different types of mold, of which only a few that are toxic. Some people may be more sensitive to mold than others, but I do not panic just because I see a little mold. I am more concerned with the cause than the symptom.

So the instead of arguing code, in your report, describe/mention that the room is not for the purpose of a bedroom; because.... You can also include the number of bedrooms, in the house description. Of course do not include this room in the count. Now you have informed your client, you have done your job.

You stated your case. If the realtor disagrees, just look at the approved plans... or look at the ML listing.

I like Brad's idea.

By the way, I don't particularly care for using EMT as a ground. I can't count how many times I've come across disconected EMT.

In my neck of the woods, the commercial work I deal with is EMT and BX. Unless an isolated ground is necessary and/or a neutral is necessary for an appliance that needs 240 & 120, we only run 2 wires.

The 4th conductor is not necessary because everything is wired for 220 and there is no neutral, just two hots and a ground. So long as no 120 appliances are being fed from this panel, a neutral is not needed. The whites should be taped black (or red) I do not know how that relates to the specific code you mention.

I live in New York and don't know of anyrequired rental inspections... EXCEPT those done by certain gov't agencies that subsidize rent. They look for safety items such as window guards, exposed wiring, missing outlet/switch plates, peeling paint, smoke/CO2 detectors, size of rooms. Each bedroom must have a closet, window, heating source. they check doors, hardware, hot water. I recently had one of my rentals inspected. They failed it because there was no hot water. It did not matter that the gas was shut off until a new tenant would have the service turned on. Same situation if there are no lights. Window guards must be installed with "one way" screws. They also checked exhaust fan in bathroom, look for floor surface problems and anything else that is wrong. Refrigerator, stove. Windows must lock, etc, etc.

Sorta similar to castrafornication. This is usually performed by a castrafornicologist. Divorce lawyers are experts at this.

He's been spending too much time with the sheep.

Well, I rewrote my intro a few more times, its nice to get a few different styles to look at and compare. I ended up with a little bit from each, and a little of my own. - Moe

Hi Mike, Please don't be sorry, I did ask and I do want to hear. This is an introduction letter at the beginning of a report. The report itself specifies all of the faults and causes I'm not sure about the passive voice, I think I understand what you guys mean. "Don't beat around the bush, it either is or isn't." Anyway, I made my second (really 100th) draft prior to reading your comment. I hope it is better. Steve

OK, how's this? Dear Mrs. XXX, Thank you for the opportunity to assist you with the assessment of the maintenance issues at your home. It was a pleasure to meet you and I thank you for your hospitality. The greatest enemy that a house has to endure are the elements. This translates to water, wind and the sun. When you add in the human element, items such as poor design and/or installation errors, you can begin to see that its not easy being a house. Because your home is built so close to the ocean and is the first house from the beach, it is going to absorb the full brunt of a very severe environment. Consideration in design and maintenance must be given to withstand erosion, weathering and the effects of high winds, wind driven rain, wind driven sand, and salt. Any system or component of the building envelope, whether it be the facade, flashing, roof covering, etc. must be carefully selected and designed for its application. Of course, the best materials installed wrong are going to fail and proper maintenance is an important factor. The EIFS system on your home is a "Barrier" type system, dependant upon keeping the water out. It does not breath and any water trapped behind it will damage the wooden structure below. The type of system that would have been better suited is a "Water Managed" EIFS system. When installed properly, a "Water Managed" system allows water that enters the system to drain. I recommend completely removing the existing system and replacing it with a system that is better suited. Whether you replace the system with water managed EIFS or decide on a different medium, proper preparation, installation and maintenance is important. The leaking window frames is not an EIFS failure, they were not installed properly. The leaking sashes are due to sealant failure and is a maintenance issue. Failure of insulated glass units is common and it is not unusual to replace an "i.g. unit occasionally. The windows are repairable and can be salvaged. It is important to contact the manufacturer of any system you consider and discuss its application prior to making any final decisions. Recommendations should be in writing, including installation and maintenance specifications. The installer/contractor should be made aware of these recommendations and precautions should be taken that they have been followed. If you have any questions or need my assistance during the repairs or renovations, feel free to contact me at any time. Sincerely, Steven Turetsky

Thank you Walter, I do not wish to be indirect, roundabout or passive. I'll also try to shorten the whole thing.

Please critique. Dear Mrs. XXXX, Thank you for the opportunity to assist you with the assessment of the maintenance issues at your home. It was a pleasure to meet you and I thank you for your hospitality. Before I get into the specific issues that I am going to be reporting on, I would like to discuss buildings in general, as I believe it will help you understand some of the conditions at your home. In general, the most frequent problems that a house/building has to endure are the elements. In most cases, this simply translates to water, wind and the harmful rays of the Sun. Yes, there are other factors in nature that can create issues, and of course there is the human element. Since your home is built on the beach and so close to the salt water, and given the fact that it is the first house from the beach, it is going to absorb the full brunt of a very severe environment. Consideration in design and maintenance must be given to withstand erosion, weathering and effects due to high winds, wind driven rain, wind driven sand, and salt. Any system or component of the building envelope, whether it be the facade, flashing, roof covering, door or window, must be carefully selected and designed for its application. Once properly installed everything must be properly maintained, otherwise a shortened life expectancy and/or failure is to be expected. Please understand, I am not suggesting that the failures in the exterior of your home are all due to the elements. There are multiple installation errors, combined with lack of maintenance and design flaws. These reasons, along with the harsh environment have had an intensified effect on each other. The EIFS system that was installed on your home is a "Barrier" type system, which is dependant upon keeping water out. It does not breath and any water that gets behind it is trapped and will do damage to the wooden structure below. The type of system that would have been better suited is a "Water Managed" system. When installed properly, a "Water Managed" system has provisions for any water that enters behind the system to drain. At this point, it is impossible to convert the existing system, so even if you were to repair the existing installation and correct whatever flaws are accessible, it would still be a "Barrier" system. It would still be a potential problem. Because of this, my recommendation is to completely remove the existing system and replace it with a system that is better suited for the application. Whether you decide to replace the system with water managed EIFS, or decide to utilize a different medium, I cannot put enough emphasis on how important it is to prepare the structure properly. Regarding the windows, I feel that the window frames would not have leaked had they been sealed and flashed properly prior to the EIFS installation. This is not an EIFS failure, these leaks would have occurred regardless of whatever facade you would have installed. The failure of the sashes are due to a combination of sealant failure and environment, this is a maintenance issue. The failure of the insulated glass units is a common occurence and it is not unusual to have to replace an "i.g. unit occasionally. The windows are repairable and can be salvaged. I suggest contacting the manufacturer of any system you consider and discussing its application prior to making any final decisions. Any recommendations should be in writing, including installation and maintenance specifications. Any installer/contractor should be made aware of these recommendations and precautions should be taken to ensure that the manufacturer's instructions have been followed. The following report will highlight the faults that were noted during my visit. Should you have any questions regarding my findings, or if you need my assistance during the repairs or renovations, please feel free to contact me at any time. Sincerely, Steven Turetsky

The best advice is to call in a licensed electrician to do whatever work is necessary. If you are not sure about what the electrician is telling you or the price, call in three electricians. By the time you have done this, you should have a pretty good idea about what they are trying to sell you. By what you have described, you are going to need a new (larger) service installed. That means new (larger) wires feeding into your home/garage. Simply adding more panels to feed off the 100amps will not give you a "bigger" service, and inceasing the size of the main breaker is dangerous and wrong. Be smart... call a real electrician in. This is not the work for a "handyman."

I've never used Vue, but agree with all that state boilers that are not easily understood are horrible. Jeremy, it just so happens that two of the best report systems available (in my opinion), are regular sponsors/advertisers right here at TIJ. Personally, I use Homeinspectorpro and am very happy with it. I can make my reports look like whatever I need to fit the circumstances, and once past the learning curve, it's very easy to use. If ever I was to switch (which I doubt), the only system I would consider would be IE. By the way, whichever system you choose, make sure to consider the support that comes with it. Once again, I have nothing but praise for Dom over at HIPro, and as far as IE goes, Mike has stepped in and helped me out when I had computer problems. I thought that was especially considerate of him, since I'm not even using his system. Of course, beware. All will promise you the best support, but few will deliver.

LOL, all my guys said the same thing. Hey man, I didn't design it, I just built it. The sinks came with a "salad bowl" that had a large o ring on the bottom so it wouldn't slide, it sat on the sink if you wanted a bowl of water.

Porn is kinda like fishing, even when it's bad it's good.[:-paperba

Yes, everything got framed out after the plumbing was done. The trickiest part was shifting the vent stack. This was on the 10th floor of a 20 story building. It was converted from commercial to residential in the 70's. Alot of payola, there were open fire penetrations from the basement to the roof. The plumber was afraid to cut the stack, I had to support it for him... no problem. It's hard to tell in the picture, but to save space, the walls were framed with 1-5/8" metal studs, I supported the frame with kindorf. It is a nice toilet, I dont like the flushing system, the push buttons are kinda chinsy. Image Insert: 42.86 KB Image Insert: 52.13 KB Image Insert: 47.9 KB

I agree with the folks, I'm sure it could be rewritten to be a bit more reader friendy and with less "fill". I would also like to see it broken down into smaller paragraphs that would allow someone to read and absorb everything, one thought at a time. My golden rule for writing is to always consider that although I may know what I am trying to get across, the person reading my work may have absolutly no idea what I am trying to describe. It is important to make things as simple and easy to read and understand.

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Ditto Chad.

The only thing I can think of is that the person that installed the siding went out of his way to do a very good job. When I install gypsum board, I prefer 5/8" board. On a ceiling, since the board is heavier and especially if I plan on installing mirror on it (even on 1/2") I double screw it. Maybe that is what you are looking at.

The GFI's do have line and load terminals. Unless someone tells me different, there is nothing wrong (illegal) with them being wired in parellel. All it means is that if one outlet trips, there is nothing down wire that will trip... the other outlet will be uneffected. But yet all (or both) of the outlets are still protected. Some folks might prefer it that way. I think that the only reason to have one GFI with everything else wired into it is to save money. If this is your home and you are only talking about one outlet, the extra dollar or two should not be an issue. If you are building multiple homes or are an electrician and wire hundreds of outlets, yes, the dollars will add up. Now if you are calling someone in to rewire it, don't you think that will cost more than the difference in price of one GFI? I guess it is just a matter of preferance. I would really like Jim Katen's input as far as the illegality or disadvantage of wiring the outlets this way. I realize there may be no good reason to wire something this way. But, since it is already wired, it there a good reason to "unwire it?" By the way, they are wired parellel. If you want to prove it, First trip #1 GFI, if the other is still alive, trip the circuit breaker. If they are both off it is wired parellel.