hausdok

Speak for yourself. I was up at the BX at the Navy Support Center last week and saw a Samsung 3D TV on sale. Checked it out and thought, "What's the big deal? Why should this be so expensive?" The wife, on the other hand, put on the glasses, watched it for 15 seconds and was begging me to buy one. I was like, "Ain't no way I'm going to pay such an outrageous price to purchase one of those, just to watch a limited range of programs and CD's when every set we have at home works just fine - especially when a year from now it will sell for half that price and two years from now a quarter of that price. Ain't gonna happen!" ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Sooo.... did you cave yet Mike? [] Heeeelllllll No! ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

From the EIFS Inspection Maintenance and Repair Guide by Robert G. Thomas Jr. Thomas was with Dryvit for a couple of decades before he opened his own company TMD Associates an EIFS consulting firm. He was - don't know if he still is - chairman of the ASTM committee E6.58 on EIFS and he's a contributing editor to Walls & Ceiling Magazine. In his book, Thomas says, "EIFS is not a below-grade insulation system and does not perform well as such. It is not sufficiently robust to keep water out, and it will deteriorate if left in damp soil. Also, bugs can get into the EIFS and use the EIFS as a freeway to get into the framing above. This is especially a problem in termite areas. The solution is that the EIFS must be held above the grade. The correct distance is in the 4" to 8" range." I split the difference. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Depends on whether it's a barrier system or a water-managed system. If you've got a wood-frame house on a block foundation and have applied the EIFS all the way to grade, there can be a water-managed system used over the frame portion and then a barrier system can be used on the block portion. You'd need to have a weep screed where the water-managed system ends and the barrier system begins; otherwise, you risk water backing up into the water managed system in the event some sealant fails somewhere around a window or door penetration. If it's a water-managed system over both the frame and the block foundation and that system extends all the way to the base of the wall, there needs to be a weep screed at the bottom of the wall and there needs to be two inches of clearance between the bottom of the EIFS and any hardscaping and six inches of clearance between the bottom of the EIFS and grade. If it's a block structure from eave to grade that's been covered with a barrier type system I don't think there's an issue. If it's a block structure from eave to grade with a water-managed system covering it, it needs to have a way for water to leave the lamina as Marc has explained above. Bottom line, water-managed systems need a way to drain, barrier systems should only be used over non-organic and where the two are mixed the water-managed system must still be able to drain. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I didn't do an attic today because of the heat. Just under 140° Normally, I don't worry about attic heat because I can get in and out pretty fast; however, today's inspection had 12-inches of clearance from the top of the ceiling joists to the underside of the rafters where they were nailed to the ridge board. I normally do those, because I only need 10-inches of clearance to get in; however, it was tight enough to slow me way down and the house was large enough that I probably would have been in there on my belly for 45-minutes; too long in a 140° attic. By the time that I'd gotten in and worked my way the entire length of that space and gotten turned around, I probably would have passed out from heat exhaustion. The thought of being the guy that they talk about the 911 guys rescuing can be a powerful motivation damper. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah right. Hee, hee, If you come out here to poke around looking at home prices and what it costs to build stuff out here, make sure you stop by your Doctor's office first and have him prescribe something that will take the edge off; otherwise, the first time you look at what it costs to do something out here you're liable to blow a gasket. I know one company that will clean up and line a 1500 sf crawlspace for about $2300. If you can get a foundation put in for that where you are, more power to you, because it can't be done for 10 times that cost here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, There isn't anything that old here. I've been in the oldest still-existing home built by the white settlers in this state - it belongs to a friend of mine - and it was built in 1855. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Well, that's just it, I'm not losing money and I'm not in the middle of an area where I'm losing business 'cuz I don't do radon. In fact, when I go out to do work that way I invariable lose money. Most of what you see on that map is a whole lot of desert, mountains or woods and a helluva long ways away from here - hundreds and hundreds of miles. Except for Clark County where Vancouver is and Spokane county where Spokane is, there aren't any significant populations in those areas. Skamania county is the west end of the Columbia gorge and has a lot of little towns so it's probably #3 in that lineup; but, hell, it's almost cheaper to fly to Spokane than drive. One could fly to Spokane, rent a car, do the inspection and fly back in the time it takes to just get there from here by car. Well, maybe that's an exageration, but, believe me, after driving it one way you're not going to feel much like inspecting - kicking back for a nap maybe, but inspecting? If I had to, I guess I'd point them to Jim or Brandon for Clark or Skamania counties but I don't even know if they even go that far or even do radon. If they don't, I guess they'd punt 'em. For Spokane county, I'd point them to the guy who bought Bill Meyer's firm out there in Spokane. Other than that, I wouldn't have a clue who would even be willing to do inspections in most of those northern counties - I know I'm sure not willing to go out there unless I'm going to combine it with a camping trip or something else, 'cuz getting out there is a serious chore. Looking for a place to hide? Go out there. Okanagan, Perry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties are so sparsely populated that a home inspecting boy out there, even if he was covering all of those counties - and that would involve a lot of highway face time - better have a full-time job doing something else or be collecting a retirement check; because inspection pickings out there are gonna be pretty slim. That's great country for camping and critters; but you're talking major wilderness, grow op country and a whole lot of nothing besides trees. Hell, Okanagan, Perry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties might not even have a single Starbucks between them - way too uncivilized, don't ya think? [:-eyebrow ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Neal, Are you sure it was stucco? The reason I ask is that I don't see any accessory joints or termination beads anywhere there; and every once in a while I run into a house here that's got wood claps that have been top-coated with a stucco-like cementitious coating that looks so much like stucco that it can fool you. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Speak for yourself. I was up at the BX at the Navy Support Center last week and saw a Samsung 3D TV on sale. Checked it out and thought, "What's the big deal? Why should this be so expensive?" The wife, on the other hand, put on the glasses, watched it for 15 seconds and was begging me to buy one. I was like, "Ain't no way I'm going to pay such an outrageous price to purchase one of those, just to watch a limited range of programs and CD's when every set we have at home works just fine - especially when a year from now it will sell for half that price and two years from now a quarter of that price. Ain't gonna happen!" ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Looks like it; except, around here, subs wouldn't be an issue unless that house is in West Seattle. Don't ask me why - haven't a clue; I think it's got something to do with the lack of sub-ter exit visas or something. Around here, one has to keep an eye out for carpenter ants, dampwood termites and deathwatch beetles - none of which constructs mud tubes. I think they've got lots of subs down Robert's way though. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, There are, according to the one guy in Olympia who the state employs to deal with the question of radiation, only two "hot" spots in the state of Washington - Vancouver, WA and Spokane. The only time I've ever heard of anyone around here testing for radon it was a result of "up selling" their services, which I think was borderline dishonest, and when someone from back east moved out here and insisted on it. Randy, Richard, Robert - any of you do radon testing? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I saw plenty of these old homes when I was stationed in Germany - especially in Norddeutschland (Northern Germany) where the terrain is as flat as an airfield and less was destroyed during the war. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

It's only a guess on my part, but I think it's probably something like the Extreme Home Makeover model where the producer combs through reams of applications from homeowners that want Holmes to work on their homes. They narrow down the list to a manageable number of likely candidates; and then they go out and look at the houses closely to see whether the particular house and the problem will make "good television." If it does, the owners are forewarned to be available for all of the shooting and asked to participate in the work to a certain degree; and in exchange for all of that they get the whole thing done gratis. Like I said, it's a guess. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Around here, water heaters seem to last about 10 to 15 years before they go. I too, however, have found them older. I remember once finding two of them over in Coupeville that were made the same year I was born and were still going strong. I told the clients in each case that if the tank failed as I was backing out of the driveway I wouldn't be the least bit surprised and recommended a preemptive strike to avoid all-out utility room Armageddon. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi John, I'll let the ex-plumbers here answer the technical questions more directly but I think it would be wise to go to a larger drain than the old 1-1/2-inch pipe. I remember an article a few years ago in Plumbing and Mechanical magazine that was written by one of their regular monthly columnists; wherein he mentioned a home that had been flooded when one of the new high-capacity washing machines with the fast pump-out feature had been installed on some old 1-1/2-inch pipe. The premise of the article was to warn other plumbers to be aware that the volume of water pumped out per minute in new washers was far beyond what the old systems were designed for and they needed to take that into account when doing remodeling work. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, The crawlspace cleanup and rat mitigation business around here is busy enough that a place just down the street has a fleet of about 8 trucks. Jeff Tooley has been advocating sealed crawlspaces in various JLC articles since the early 90's. He started a company on the east coast (NC, I think) where that's all they do. I think it's a great idea and have been considering the business model myself. For me, it seems like the perfect side business because there isn't really any kind of standard; I can basically set my own, hire unskilled labor and then train them to do it my way. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Before I start googling it, I guess I'll ask here; does anyone know why water should be pouring out of the vacuum breaker cap on a frost-free bib when a hose is connected and it's turned on? I'm guessing that something is jammed inside but I've never run into this before. Anyone ever run into this? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Guys like that are easy to deal with. Just say, "Look, there are Lexus inspectors out there and there are Yugo inspectors out there. I'm a Lexus inspector and I charge Chevrolet inspection fees. Now you want me to charge a Yugo fee? Nah, ain't going to happen; if paying a Yugo fee is so important to you, go with the Yugo inspector - just keep in mind that what he or she misses is liable to one day cost you the price of a Lexus. Now, would you like to book an inspection or continue price shopping?" Most of the time there is a pregnant pause and then they book the inspection. There have been a few that didn't and I'm sure they were miffed. They'll get over it; I hope my prediction of things missed on their houses never comes true, but it is what it is. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, Just curious. It's been nearly a year since the grandfathering deadline for experienced inspectors passed. We'd heard such dire predictions about how requiring licenses was going to "level the playing field" and seriously harm the veteran inspector and cause him or her to lose substantial chunks of business to newbies who came into the business yesterday. Have any of you experienced that? I haven't; if anything, I've noticed more questions from consumers. Now that everyone is licensed, instead of making price their primary concern as it used to be, they seem to be asking more about the length of time I've been in the business, how many inspections I've done and how long I'll be onsite. I don't think consumers are stupid. Even though everyone is licensed and on the rolls, they still seem to be doing their due diligence as they were before licensing - the only thing that's different is they perhaps have a little more confidence that after passing the required exam even a relatively inexperienced inspector at least knows which end of a house is the attic and which end is the crawlspace. I could be wrong, but I don't sense that I'm losing work to any newbies and I don't think the licensing fee "harmed" me that much either; hell, it costs about .73 cents a day - a cost I easily covered when I raised my prices as soon as licensing kicked in last summer. For me, business has been rock steady for months; if I am losing business, it's probably mostly to other long-time inspectors. Washington-licensed inspectors - thoughts, your own experiences? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

That is gained through experience. Begin with a referral from a friend or relative or just search through this forum for someone from your area and read his posts. You can often gauge an inspector's ability through his writings. The inspector can help you by monitoring the installation and using his knowledge of proper building practices to confirm that the work is being completed properly. Like I said...I have very seldom seen a shingle roof that was properly installed. Marc Every once in a while, I'll google "home inspector" and then spend a few hours perusing web sites of inspectors all over the country and looking at their report formats and how they write their reports. Based on the majority of the sample reports I read on websites, I'd say that the majority of home inspectors who have websites don't know much more about roofs than what the average consumer sees on This Old House; I think some even know less about roofs than the average consumer. OP, talk to your friends and co-workers and find a roofer who they've used and recommend and who is willing to provide you references. Same for an inspector. If they are unwilling to provide references and show you examples of their work, don't hire them. Roof maintenance is simple; keep the roof free of tree debris and moss or algae but DO NOT PRESSURE WASH THE ROOF USING HIGH PRESSURE or you'll either take years off it's service life or ruin it. Keep your gutters clean and properly pitched and aligned and your downspouts clear. Inspect the cover annually (stay off the roof when it's wet, icy or it's extremely hot outside), ensure that the fasteners holding the flashings in place haven't backed out, rusted out or been damaged and touchup any sealant on exposed nailheads with a sealant that's compatible with the roofing material. If you've got neoprene rubber plumbing vent bibs, periodically spray some rubber lubricant/protectant on them to shield them from UV and slow down weather rot. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike P.S. If some guy shows up at your door offering to pressure-wash your roof for $XXX.XX, yell, "Marty, one of them roof cleaning guys is here. Bring the shotgun, NOW!"

Look at the water heater again; it's a State brand direct vent unit. See the cover with the window in it? It has a thick foam rubber gasket that seals that cover to the side of the unit and sandwiches the gas and thermocouple lines where they go into the burner pan area at the bottom. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The Handyman Connection and House Doctors do something similar. A homeowner calls them and needs work done and they field it out to folks that they've already vetted. I think it would be just as effective to sign up for Angie's list for your city and then read on that list which company has its collective head screwed on straight and which to avoid. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Take another look at that water heater. It's a direct vent water heater and the burner area is completely sealed away from the atmosphere of the crawlspace. It gets it's combustion air via a combi vent that goes through the cripple wall of the foundation. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The extended warranty is a sales tool. Certainteed shingles can be installed with extended warranties if the roofer meets certain installation requirements. For instance, a drip edge flashing is recommended but not required by Certainteed for an architectural-grade shingle installed with a 25 or 30 year warranty but if you install the same cover with a 40-year warranty the roofer must install drip edge flashings and must do everything that Certainteed requires as well as everything that they recommend for the warranty to be in force. Around here it's very rare to see drip edge flashings installed; and, since they aren't required by code, builders can't be compelled to install them, unless one can determine the make and series of shingles, the length of the warranty and can determine through the manufacturer's specifications that drip edge flashings are required for the installation in question. Even if you've done all that, most builders around here laugh say there is no way they're going to install them. An extended warranty will do you absolutely no good if you don't know how to properly maintain your roof. Why not just tell the roofer that you want the 25 year product installed in accordance with all of Certainteed's best practice recommendations and then take really good care of it? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, FVIR don't require elevation but some municipalities are still nonetheless requiring that the water heaters be elevated and there are some builders I've run into that are taking a belt and suspenders approach and are elevating them even when they don't have to. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike