hausdok

Someone's modern version of an eyebrow dormer. That should extend at least 18" out from that sucker or have some ice and weather shield installed out to about 18inches around dthe perimeter. OT - OF!!! M.

"I love it when a plan comes together." the late great George Peppard

Scott is absolutely right. Every time you drive through that dust devil on the interstate or walk through a part of town that might have once had old buildings full of the stuff that had been torn down, you're taking a chance that you're breathing it. Worrying about it won't do you much good, 'cuz if you've been exposed to it they say it can take 20 to 25 years for you to begin experiencing symptoms - how will you ever know where you picked up the fiber? Answer - You probably won't. Get your home checked out by an indoor air quality firm. If they find something, get the home cleaned and move on with your life. The good news is that maybe there will be a cure for asbestosis or mesothelioma in another 25 years - or maybe not. I'm convinced that getting sick from this stuff has more to do with individual susceptibility more than anything else. My father smoked 2- 3 packs of cigarette a day from age 16 till about age 45 before he quit. Plus, he was exposed to all sorts of asbestos on the job - as I was as a kid working for him - from the building products made in the 50's, 60's and 70's that contained the stuff. In 1998 he came down with colon cancer and beat it. Last year, at the age of 81, he came down with pancreatic cancer and lost. Both times, they checked his lungs and said that his lungs were very clear and unscarred from any asbestos or other materials. Yet, lung cancer took my little sister and she was a smoker. I'm convinced that it all boils down to an individual's system and that it's sort of like the way allergies work where most people can handle something just fine and for those who are allergic it's a really bad thing - kind of like how some folks can't eat a peanut without going into shock and dying. No point on dwelling on it now. Take precautions but don't beat yourself up over it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

It sounds like they might not have nipped off the corners and maybe didn't have consistent headlap. With one, you'll see the corners jutting up and with the other you'll see an uneven ridgeline. That's why the accessory shingles are marked so one can't screw up the alignment. They might look better when the sun heats them up if they activate and adhere but I guess my question is whether they'll adhere. It's still too early here to expect them to activate properly, even on a sunny day. What are your daytime temps there right now? If what they're doing today looks fine, find out if they'd used the accessory shingles that came out of the bundle for those and then point out now much better that ridge looks than the other and tell him how unhappy you are with the sloppy ridge and ask them to do it properly. If they strip the ridge cap off and put another one on properly the holes should not be an issue because they'll be covered up. Glad to see that you're learning something from the home inspectors you've met. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Ah So, das ArtHouse. ausgeseichnet! ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Again, Here is the technical data sheet: http://www.cornerstoneroofing.com/files ... s_data.pdf And here are the instructions for Landmark Premium Series - Look specifically at pages 117 and 119 thru 121. http://aoewv.certainteed.com/resources/ ... nstall.pdf ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, The Certainteed Master Shingle Applicator says to use accessory shingles for those or cut caps from shingles with tab cutouts (3-tab) - not laminated shingles - the manual points out that the accessory shingles are far easier to use than cutting up tabbed shingles, which requires a total of 8 cuts per shingle to yield only 3 caps. There are supposed to be 24 scored accessory shingles in each bundle that will produce a total of 72 cap accessory shingles. They're easier to use because they're marked for alignment and positioning so it's hard to get them off-center or use too little or too much headlap. You say they were cut on site; the accessory shingles come as a full shingle that's scored into thirds with the bottom edges notched so that when the three sections are separated from one another the corners are already nipped off and the tabs don't need to be trimmed. If he cut those from laminated shingles, tell him he should go to the proctologist and get his eyes, ears and nose checked. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Depends on the shingle series. Do you know what it is? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Gun? Oh, you mean the M4? I was, uh, focused on some other, uh,...attributes. Hadn't even noticed the carbine until you'd mentioned it. There's just something about a Latina with long tresses, bangle earrings, and a sidearm. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Call Ghost Hunters - it sounds like it's a poltergeist messin' wit' yer head. [:-ghost] ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Maybe. According to this article, a South Carolina court ruled in favor of the seller after a homeowner tried to sue a seller for non-disclosure of mold. A home inspection had found evidence of water intrusion and the inspector had warned his client, the homeowner. The client didn't listen and purchased anyway. You pays you money - you takes you chances. To read more, click here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Ho Hum, http://www.king5.com/localnews/consumer ... d1be1.html ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Richard, Down at #1400 Hubbell Place - the Elektra? I thought they were kind of cool until I'd seen how rumpled everything was that came out of one. You own one of those, you'd better have an ironing board. OT - OF!!! M.

Suddenly, I'm wishing I was 25-years younger and back on the job in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. http://www2.ljworld.com/photos/2009/mar/05/165962/ ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I'll bet it's a masceration pump that's being used as a sump pump. One pipe is the vent and the other is the outlet. It sure sounds like you've got a broken receiver drain. Anything that comes off the roof, plus what you pump into it is going to return to the basement. Eventually, you'll undermine the danged drain by removing so much soil around it that it will get worse. Or, it might be that they didn't bother to install a check valve on it and what's left in the line simply washes back into the sump well again. They need to have a drainage guy check the pump to ensure water isn't draining back into it from the line because there is no check valve and install one if necessary (You should have seen it); if there is a check valve, he'll need to dig up the drain to check it and ensure it's not broken below grade and make repairs if necessary. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, Here's some more on this drywall issue: http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... 2428765229 ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Man, You must sit up awfully straight or have some kind of recliner. Me, I usually get my keyboard all gunked up when I spew like that. Just picture a gnome with a hunchback crouched over his keyboard. [:-gnasher ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I'd say that fuse boxes haven't been used for main panelboards in most residences for more than 40 years and that those are obsolete and will be more trouble than their worth. Also, if Mr. Electric is reading this I bet he comes on here and will tell you that a panelboard that's 40 years old, regardless of fuses or breakers is obsolete and should be replaced. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

If memory serves, there have already been at least two and possibly even three shows about home inspectors that have failed. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yep. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, That fellow and his brother are practically artists with that thing. Good work for a fair price. If you're an inspector in King and Snohomish Counties, those are the guys you can safely refer your clients to and be confident they won't try and upsell a hugely expensive and unnecessary job. Hydrophysics Pipe Inspection Rick Delemare 425-775-8445 www.hydrophysics-wa.com ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Owning your first home is a dream come true for most young families. It can represent the accomplishment of goals, the start of a new life and countless other mile-markers. For the Wildauer family of DuBois, their dream home has become a nightmare. Jennifer Wildauer enthusiastically greets the family's four cats, whom she hasn't seen in about two weeks. "We're not trying to get rich, we're not looking for pain and suffering or any of that," she said. "All we want is our home back." Jennifer, her husband, Gabriel, who is an Iraqi War veteran, purchased their first home on Robinson Street. His status as a military veteran qualified the family for a VA guaranteed loan for their new home. To read more, click here.

Hi Again, You know, I followed up on this at the RetroFoam site and looked at the product data sheets on that site. According to the site, there isn't any formaldahyde in RetroFoam and it's all water-cured exactly like Icynene. Then I went to the RetroFoam Canada site where I found a January 2009 Lab report on the product. So, either the lawuit is bogus or someone's lying - either the manufacturer or the installer. This should be interesting. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Are you talking about architectural-grade shingles that have cut up into smaller pieces to cap the ridge or are you talking about the shingles going straight up and over the ridge without ridge cap shingles? Did you take any pictures? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Nah, don't sweat it; this happens whenever the walking on roof topic comes up. It'll help folks blow off steam. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike