hausdok

Looked at the pics. That roof is toast. According to your own measurements, you've got a 3.8:12 pitch with a 5-inch exposure in a place where your roof gets baked at 90 to 100 degrees most of the year. Since it's under 4:12 pitch it needed to have the underlayment doubled up and the reveal reduced to 3-inches instead of five when it was installed, and have every shingle hand-sealed, or it needed to be installed over a layer of ice and water shield so wind-driven rain blown under that low-pitched cover wouldn't end up inside. You've got extreme sunlight in Florida. There is severe granule loss. Sunlight is what kills the roof once you lose the protective granule coating and you've got almost no granules left. Don't even bother dinking around with it. It's not worth it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I do the same. I tell folks that there isn't just one way to skin a cat and not to think that whatever I suggest is the only solution, I point out that if you ask 20 contractors to do a job you might end up with at least ten solutions. How well the solution works depends on the contractor's experience; so they need to vet their contractors closely and ask for references. It's worked for me forever. Over 17 years in, no arbitrations, no lawsuits. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

This place if full of insults. Why don't you guys have a pow wow and deal with the insults at home first? Uh, wait a minute, John, you just came over here from the iNACHI board and you say that this place is full of insults? Seriously? You should think on that for a minute or two. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, You need the WSEC Builder's Field Guide 3rd Edition that was published by WSU. The answer depends on where the home is since there are 8 climate zones with different insulation requirements in this state. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yes, Right now, the world of home inspections and arguing with you is probably the last thing on Kurt's mind, Nick. Give him some space and when he's taken care of what he needs to take care of, he'll be back. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Technically, a retaining wall bordering a property that's not connected to a home, and the failure of which has nothing to do with the structural integrity of the home, wouldn't be something that a home inspector would be concerned with anyway. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

As a matter of fact, I brought home Dragon Naturally Speaking yesterday. I'm going to try it and see if it's better than the crap that came with Windows whatever it is on my computer. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I don't participate in these kinds of discussions here much because the advice I'd give you would probably be considered a little nutty by most. All the folks spending thousands for marketing and advertising and party favors would brand me a heretic. I have a simply philosophy; I inspect my way and write a report like one that I'd like to receive if I were getting a home inspected. Nothing more, nothing less. The older I get, the longer it takes to write the report because I have arthritis and can't type as fast as I used to be able to type. Some days it might take me 3 - 4 hours to complete the report and on others, on a similar house with similar issues, it might take 10 to 12 hours. It really depends on how my hands are working and how well I can remain focused on the writing task without allowing myself to get distracted. It sucks but so what. Aging is what it is, and bitching about it doesn't seem to make it any easier (Although I do like to bitch and toss a good rant around from time to time.). I have two speeds, slow and careful. I write a narrative type report that most here would be aghast at because it goes beyond what the SOP's define as normal and is contrary to most of the advice tossed out there about what to write and what not to write in a report if you don't want to get sued. I don't give a sh*t; I've never been sued and have never been to arbitration in nearly 18 years; so maybe I'm doing something right....for me. I don't do any marketing and I don't advertise. Other than the cost of the cardstock and printer ink I purchase to print my own business cards, I haven't spent even a dollar on marketing or advertising in more than a decade. In the past year I've probably only given out about 150 business cards - I don't need to pass out more because I'm not pressing flesh with the real estate trade in order to get my work. Former clients are all the advertising I need. I'm not getting rich - never thought I would be - but I have enough folks referring me by word-of-mouth and via their internal websites that I'm managing to keep my head above water and be as busy as I want to be without the need to try and impress or ingratiate myself to those in real estate. I don't think there is a set number for what constitutes reasonable time on site to do an inspection or time to write the report afterward; it is whatever it ends up being - or it should be; and if you're letting someone else dictate to you what's acceptable I think you're just allowing them to make your life more difficult. Find a niche, make it work and inspect and report the way you'd expect someone to inspect and report for you. It doesn't matter if your methods don't fit the accepted H.I. mold; all that counts is whether it works to produce happy satisfied customers who're raving about your work to their family, friends and co-workers. Figure out what works for you, do it, stick to it and don't give a crap about what anyone else in this gig thinks about the way you are doing it. It's what works for me; others' mileage may vary. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

It's like I always say to callers who want to know if I'm going to be looking for "Toxic Mold" I say to them, "No, I'm not going to be looking for toxic mold because there's no such thing. There is mold ubiquitous in the environment though and it's already in that house and is in the house you are living in now, and is all over the telephone you're using to call me, and is dtuck to your eyeballs, and is in your lungs already, etc.. Sometimes they hang up 'cuz they're angry that I think their fears are pretty baseless. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

No wonder, it's way too close to grade. Agree 100% with the part about keeping it primed and painted. Don't know a thing about Texas; but even regular wood siding installed that close to grade deteriorates around here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Uh, no it's not, Marc. Smart Side panels are made by Louisiana-Pacific. Not sure if "steam cooked wood fiber" is a proper description of oriented stand board (OSB) but it is infused throughout with zinc borate. He'll want the "Precision" collection of the product. The "Foundations" and "Architectural" series are not rated for structural use. He can find out more at the L-P Smart Side Storage Shed Solutions Site. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Agreed, They're cheap. Heck, you can get one from Harbor Freight for free just by buying a 99 cent V-hanger for your garage wall. Just watch the Sunday Parade supplement to the newspaper for a "7-function multimeter free with any purchase" coupon. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

G.P.S. - Gull Positioning System OT - OF!!! M.

Isn't the white object center left edge in the bottom photo a roof access hatch? I find those locked with padlocks sometimes. Sometimes, a judicious tap with a ballpeen in just the right spot and they pop right open. Later on the hatch can be relocked with the same lock. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Detlef, Thanks, but you aren't liable to get a lot of takers in the home inspection community here in the US because the inspection software market is already saturated with report systems that don't require inspectors to create a format or structure - they just go with what comes out of the box and most avoid narrative formats like they'd avoid someone claiming to be their long-lost love child. Kurt will probably love to check it out. I think he uses a program like that for his reports. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Looks like EPDM to me. If it's not wet they at least used something pretty crappy beneath that cover. I would have called it. Who's the best flat roof guy in your area? I know who it is in mine; I once called both Goodyear and Firestone looking for help with a torch-down issue and the tech folks at both companies referred me to one guy in my area they said was the best in the area. That was over 15 years ago; I've referred him to quite a few clients over the years for a second opinion from a flat roof specialist. I was right most of the time. When I wasn't, he made me smarter. Find out who the guy is in your area, invite him out for a coffee, get to know him and learn from him. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Might just as well; you've attended more meetings than some of the board members. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Reprinted from the Washington State Real Estate Home Inspectors list serve: Are you interested in licensing quality home inspection professional throughout Washington State? Are you interested in the content of pre-licensing and continuing education for home inspector licensees? Are you interested in helping to create positive outcomes for home inspector consumers and home inspector practitioners in dealing with current and future home inspector practices. If your answer to these questions is yes, then consider applying to be a member of the Home Inspector Licensing Advisory Board. Home Inspector Licensing Advisory Board members are appointed by the Director to act as advisors to the Home Inspector Program on behalf of the Director of the Department of Licensing. They are appointed for a three year term. They attend four scheduled board meetings per year. They serve on subcommittees which meet throughout the year, sometimes via teleconferencing. Board members advise the Director on current practices and recommendations on rules. There is now one position available on the six member board. Applicants may be from anywhere in Washington. They must have at least five years experience in performing home inspection services in Washington. If serving the citizens of Washington and the members of your profession interests you, please contact Rhonda Myers at rmyers@dol.wa.gov and leave your message of interest.

Google bathfitter. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, I always thought the bald face hornets were those wasps with the battleship blue-grey coloring that are aggressive as hell. I've never been able to get closer than 10 ft. to one of their nests without them coming out in force to drive me away. If they aren't bald-faced hornets, what the heck are they? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

It's not a flex line, it's a bendable connector. Out here in earthquake country, it's the only way those things are connected. There's nothing wrong with them. They work fine when they are done correctly. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

If that's a Craftsman he can take the piece back to the store and get a new wrench for his toolbox. OT - OF!!! M.

I ask them, "Why would I look for it. It's already all over the house you want me to inspect, and it's all over your house, my house, your mother's house and everyone elses'. It's all over my body right now, and yours and it's all over your kids this very instant. It's in your hair and your lungs and it's stuck to your eyes. The very same molds the media calls "toxic" are ubiquitous in the environment and you've been breathing them everyday all day for your entire life. If they were "toxic" how is it that me, you or anyone else is alive?" That freaks them out a little. Then I tell 'em, "My job isn't to look for mold; it's to look for those things that can cause enough moisture infiltration for the mold that's already in the home, and in every other home, to grow out of control and reproduce faster than it dies off. When that happens, visible mold appears. It's not any more "toxic" than it was before it grew out of control, but the media tells you it is, you believe them and so you freak out over "toxic mold." My job is to find the loose, improperly installed flashings in the roof. The siding that's not installed properly, the improperly flashed windows and wall penetrations, the poor drainage outside that will allow water to drain into the crawlspace or the basement, the ventilation system that's malfunctioning, the drain leaks under sinks and the appliances that are leaking water out of loose connections - stuff like that. Those things put more moisture into the home and that moisture, combined with the organic materials this home is built out of, produces various forms of fungi. If I find that happening. I'll make you smart about those kinds of issues. If you then want to follow up with one of these so-called "mold specialist" that's your business but I'm advising you of one thing right now; if you go that route don't hire one of me. There isn't a home inspector on the planet that should be dabbling in mold. We aren't medically trained and the only training available for home inspectors on the topic seems to be a bunch of two or three day mold seminars that are put on by labs that want inspectors to send them samples for testing. More likely than not, anyone that goes through one of those shake-n-bake mold "inspector" courses will come out here, charge you $300 to tell you what I already told you for free - that there is mold in the air of the house - and you won't know anything more valuable then than you know now. IF I find something like that, or I find some kind of fungi growing because of issues like that, you'll be told about it. IF you then want to spend your hard-earned money paying someone else to conduct further "inspections" I recommend you contact Dr. so-and-so over at so-and-so in Redmond. Those guys are real scientists and Dr. so-and-so has a PHD and has been researching mold since well before this whole mold is gold idiocy began. He at least can give you the straight scoop and won't fill your head with a bunch of nonsense like one of these home inspectors that does so-called "mold inspections." That's practically rote. I've repeated it so many times I could probably say it with my eyes closed and not have a single word that is different. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, 97 year old home wouldn't have been insulated; it's the perfect candidate for a slow-cure polyicynene retro. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I'm with Scott, It's probably slow-cure icynene. You can shoot that into a wall cavity and it will take hours to fully expand and cure. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike