hausdok

LOL, I do something similar. I'll ask the wife to extend her forearm and then I'll put the Protimeter on her wrist and the row of red lights comes on and it starts to beep. Then I'll reach over and place it against the hubby's chest wall where most of the time it's too far from the heart to pick up that mass of moisture and it won't show anything. Then I say, Oh fer crying out loud; another one. You've married one of those pod people!" Gets a pretty good laugh every time (although it did freak out one kid). ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Phew, I couldn't disagree with you more. I actually think that being in "the trades" really doesn't prepare you for this gig at all. Hell, years after I started this gig my old man still didn't "get it." If anyone should have been the perfect former trades guy to enter this profession effortlessly, I should have been. I grew up the son of a custom builder. I began working for my father at the age of 11 (not my choice) and spent every afternoon, weekend, holiday, and summer vacation working for him until I'd graduated high school. By the time I'd graduated high school I'd learned construction so well that I could do any job on a residential construction project as well as an adult. On top of that, my last two years of high school, I attended a trade school course in auto mechanics. After I'd graduated high school and turned 18 I got my freedom back. After that, I bounced in and out of auto-mechanics and construction jobs until I was 24 when I went into the military. I joined the military to be a cop and eventually became an MPI investigator - a detective - and spent 10 years of the nearly 21 I spent in the military doing investigations - basically doing what we do, observing critically and then writing reports about what I'd observed. Along with that, I attended schools that taught me how to train, lead, write and speak a foreign language. At one point I got a burr under my butt and wanted to be all that I could be so I attended the Special Forced Q course for 18C (Engineer/Demolition) Sergeants where I learned all over again how to build wood frame structures along with building bridges, roads and airfields, and learned masonry, electrical systems, heating systems, plumbing and sanitation systems. Then, on top of all of that, I learned how to blow all of that stuff up. So you see, by the time I 'd retired from the military I'd had a long and solid background in construction, investigations, crime scene processing, crime scene photography, interpersonal communications and had been extensively trained in a lot of the stuff that we look at. Using your logic, I shouldn't have required any training and should have known how to do this job from day/minute/hour 1. Well, I didn't and neither did you. I certainly thought that it would be an effortless transition but I soon learned differently. There's more to this than just looking at stuff and ticking off check boxes; one has to know a lot of building science to do this job right and then you've got to be able to look at just about any system anywhere and immediately understand it. After nearly 13 years in the gig I still don't know it all and I'm sure that I never will - so I simply don't understand, or agree, with anyone that thinks that this gig is just a minor transition from working in the construction trades. Maybe that's what's been holding this gig back from becoming a true profession all these years; the idea in the minds of so many that it's a simple trade and doesn't require any more skill than knowing how to knock nails and saw wood. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I would say you lost $175[]. This whole thing sounds a bit weird to me. I really don't see how Barry can make any judgment if he doesn't know any more than he presents in the column. Sometimes I think he makes up these questions. First, I would assume it must be a gas water heater if the inspector "should have been able" to see the bottom of the tank. I don't know of any electric water heaters where you can see any part of the tank. For what its worth, almost every gas water heater has rust on the bottom of the tank from condensation, seeing rust doesn't tell you a thing. I don't know how it is in other parts of the country, but gas water heaters routinely last 20 years here, and the water is very hard. I agree, it was stupid to give them any idea of expected life, but not negligent. Any thoughts that maybe the water heater was fine but leaking at a fitting and really didn't need to be replaced? IMO, there is not enough info to make any call about liability. From my point of view, when I refund a client's fee because they are unhappy, for whatever reason, I'm not losing anything except my time because it's only my fee when they are a a happy customer. If they are unhappy, I'm not entitled to it so I'm just giving them back their own money. I could have takena more stubborn stance, told her that she wasn't entitled to a refund of her fee because I didn't do anything wrong, and that would have been the real truth. However, why go through that over a measly $175 dollars and end up wasting an afternoon in small claims court when I could nip it in the bud? This way, I was only out my time, she got her money back, and I got my hold harmless agreement and will never have to deal with that nutcase. I don't know about you, but avoiding nutcases is priceless in my book. I think Barry, and anyone else, can judge it any way they want to. In my opinion, the bottom line is that, if the person writing Barry is being entirely truthful, the inspector screwed up 'cuz he never should have made such a boneheaded statement. That's the sure sign of a rookie or a suckup artist. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Sure, there's no question that she took advantage of me. Was she entitled to the refund because I failed to perform my job? No she wasn't. She got her fee back because she expessed dissatisfaction with the process based on an unrealistic expectation that I should have told her what it would cost to rebuild those counters, even though she'd never even asked me what it would cost. The second it became apparent to me that I was either dealing with a looney or a crook, I decided to cut my losses and told her that I'd refund her fee, based on my refund policy. I made it absolutely clear to her that signing the hold harmless in order to get her refund was a take it or leave it proposition. She knew she wasn't going to win in small claims court so she took it and I avoided having to spend an afternoon wasting my time. So, yeah I lost the fee but I lived up to my pledge and I made darned sure that she couldn't attempt it in the future over something else. From my point of view, she really lost 'cuz after all of that she still ended up shelling out more than she'd gotten back from the refund. Me, I lost the few hours it took to do the inspection and report. It comes with the territory. When you have your own business you need to expect that there's always going to be some people who're going to try and take advantage of you and to try and get something for nothing. She won't hire me again or refer me? Oh, well, thank goodness for small favors. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I once refunded a lady her fee because of a water heater. It was the first or second year I was in business. The home was a 15-year old condominium and the water heater was one of those squat types that fits under a countertop. The cabinet has been literally built around it with no way to get to it to flush it, reset it, change the stat or even turn off the water to it; no removable panel, no screws - literally built in. I told the lady that there was no way to get to it, that water heaters around here generally last about 10 to 15 years and, that one was obviously original to the house. I then recommended that she replace it as soon as possible. I also told her that when she did replace it she'd need to have that kitchen counter altered so that one could access the damned thing. That's exactly what was written in the report as well. Weeks later she called me up and told me I owed her, if memory serves, $575. I asked why and she answered that the water heater had failed two weeks after she'd moved in. I pointed out that I had warned her that could happen and I even pulled the report and read it back to her over the phone. She acknowledged that but complained that I hadn't told her it was going to cost her nearly $600 to have her kitchen counter rebuilt. At that point I asked her to look at the contract and see if there was anything in there that required me to give her cost quotes on anything. The phone got quiet for a minute or two and then she came back on the line and acknowledged that there wasn't. I then told her I'd be over in an hour with a check for $175, which was my cost for a small condo inspection at that time. I told her I was bringing a hold harmless agreement and that I was going to refund her fee, but only on the condition that she sign the hold harmless agreement. She groused that I should pay for it all because I hadn't told her that the water heater would fail within two weeks of her moving in and wanted to know why she had to sign the hold harmless. I told her that it was clear to me that, despite a very careful explanation of the terms to her before the inspection, her having signed the contract agreeing to the terms, and then a careful explanation of the water heater issue to her, she'd still had unreasonable expectations of me and that I didn't intend to be her warranty provider and have to deal with her every time something wore out due to old age on her home. She continued to argue that I should pay for the carpentry work but I told her to take it or leave it; I'd refund only her fee and I was only doing that because I felt bad that she was an unhappy customer. I told her that if she didn't want that deal I'd be happy to see her in small claims court and let a judge decide what was fair. An hour later, she got her refund and I got my signed hold harmless. I'm not so convinced that the guy was a suckup artist; he might have simply been clueless. In my opinion, a properly trained and competent inspector would have been able to ascertain that the water heater was 10 years old and that's what should have been reported. If he were competent, and in that region they really do only last a maximum of about 10 years from installation, that's what he should have told the client and he should have recommended it be replaced as soon as possible and warned them the client that, if the client didn't replace it, the client might end up paying for all sorts of unexpected damages. If what's been said about the plumber's observations is true - the inspector was probably just speaking from inexperience and that's what will probably cost him. Over the last 12 years I've seen a marked decrease in the abilities of newer inspectors. It seems like years ago, when one talked to other inspectors about what they'd done before they got into this gig, that most of them came from careers that dovetailed with this profession, and they had a general understanding of homes in general. That's not so anymore; today, I think the number of inspectors that don't come from related professions is far higher and I think that's what's getting inspectors in trouble. One simply can't learn this business in a classroom and then expect to go out there cold, hang out a shingle, and continue to learn the business without getting into trouble while experimenting on other peoples' homes. I think that's the hard lesson that this inspector has learned. One more good reason for why this gig should be taught in a two year college curriculum with construction labs, work-study programs in the profession, and a 1-year internship upon completion of training before sitting down to a tough half day exam in order to earn a credential that certifies one as truly competent. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yep, That were me. All I'm saying is that you guys have waaaay too much time on your hands if you've got time to invent words. OT - OF!!! M.

You guys have got too much time on your hands. OT - OF!!! M.

A home inspector predicted that a 10-year-old water heater would last many more years. Four weeks later when the buyer's move into their new home, they found the basement flooded because the tank had failed. Read Barry Stone's response to the angry buyer in his Ft. Myers, News-Press.com syndicated column.

Actually Scott Patterson told him that in post #5. I tell folks to take the NHIE all the time and I'm not a member of any organization. The NHIE is a test that's not given by a home inspector association, it's psychometrically valid, it's got a long history, it's put together by inspectors from all associations as well as independents, and it's legally defensible. That's all I need to know to recommend it. I've heard that the NAHI CRI exam is supposed to be psychometrically valid but I've never seen any documents to prove it; then too, it's an association's test. Isn't there already too much "mine is bigger than yours" out there? When another test can meet all of that criteria, I'll recommend that one too. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Old oil furnaces often spew a lot of sulphur. It coats the flue tile, gets wet and the mixture saturates the tile. Sulphur + water = ? OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Randy, Save yourself a headache and install a full-length ShingleVentII. Some frieze blocking vents, mesh and baffles and that thing will practically suck cars in off the highway. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The wiring for that breaker is old tinned copper with the cloth insulation. I don't see the AL wiring. Agreed, Blow it waaaay up and you'll be able to clearly see that it's old rubber and cloth-wrapped tin-coated copper. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I've been out all day and just got home. John, you say you'll recommend a basement waterproofing guy. That might work. On the other hand, you might end up causing someone to spend a whole lot of money for stuff that's not even necessary if all that needs to be done is to get the downspout discharge away from the foundation. A few years ago, I was doing a rooftop deck for a guy when he came to me on a rainy January day and asked if I could look at his basement. We went down to look at it; there was a stream of water flowing across the floor and then draining into a floor drain. From there it went out and emptied into the sanitary sewer. He explained that he'd lived there for more than a dozen years and had always had water in his basement. He said that he'd just had an estimate from a basement waterproofing guy for $4600 and he was seeking a separate opinion. We walked outside and I looked at the sides of the house; the drainage was good on all sides but the downspouts were all draining into 60-year old concrete crocks and it was apparent, at least to me, that those were probably broken below grade. I told him I'd take care of it and he left for work. I went down to the big orange box and bought five 4" bubbler pots and about 50' of non-perforated 4" drainpipe and a bag of Sakrete. When I got back to his house it was pouring rain and the water was flowing pretty good in the basement. One-by-one, I disconnected the downspouts from their receivers, plugged the receivers with a really thick mix of mud, dug 8' long trenches about a foot deep away from the downspouts, installed the bubbler pots, connected them to the downspouts with sections of pipe, buried the pipe and replace the sod. It took couple of hours and I got soaking wet. When I was done, I walked into the house and went down into the basement. Despite the pouring rain, the water was dried up and all that was left was a wet stain on the basement floor. I went back to work on the deck and by the time the client came home the basement floor was perfectly dry. If I hadn't just happened to have been there working that day, he might have spent $4600 for one of those fancy in-basement drainage systems with a sump pump. All this to say, again, that you've only given us a small part of the picture. If you ask for help and someone responds and says that it's necessary to provide more information, it's usually a good idea to give them as much additional information as you can. When you do, you might get answers that you'll be happier with. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Kurt, I'm not disagreeing with you; I'm agreeing with you - a good home inspector should be able to look at that and figure it out. However, he's the home inspector and he's asking us who to call, and, without knowing all of the other factors present, there's no way to know which other trade is going to be appropriate to remedy it, whether a landscaper, a gutter guy or a drainage guy, etc. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I recommend specific solutions for this kind of stuff all the time. However, in this instance, without being able to see all fo the factors that are impacting this crawl, I couldn't really settle on any one solution. He's only given us a small part of the puzzle with this picture. What's the exterior topography around the home? How does the lot drain; which direction-away from the home on all sides, toward the home at one side, two sides, three, etc. Does the perforated receiver interconnect to an in-ground drain? If so, is the in-ground drain also perforated? What type of in-ground receivers are there - crocks or plastic? Is that in-ground drain separate from any other drains? If there aren't any in-ground receivers, how far is water from the roof being conveyed away from the house/ Has the overdig settled near the foundation? Lot's more that one needs to know; one picture doesn't do it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Well, I admit I don't know a whole lot about that system, but I doubt that it runs continuously 24/7/365. I suspect that it is "on" 24/7 which only means that his thermostat is set at 70° and he leaves it there and the system starts itself up, comes on and goes off as necessary. OT - OF!!! M.

Click here for a short video.

By Christine Byers, St. Louis Post-Dispatch In thousands of methamphetamine busts each year, drug agents don protective suits and breathe through respirators as they cart away toxic chemicals. But they leave something behind. For years, invisible meth residue remains trapped in ductwork, carpeting and walls. Eighteen states have decided that the residue is so hazardous the homes must be decontaminated. But not Missouri and Illinois — both states among the top five for lab busts in 2007. And that leaves people like Dennis and Tina Kasden feeling vulnerable. They moved into a home on a peaceful lake in Jefferson County six months after it was raided for meth in 2007. Then they started getting sick. And though doctors can't say for sure why, the Kasdens have no doubt. "All I know is, inhalers that used to last me six months now only last me one month," said Dennis Kasden, who suffers from a sinus condition. To read more about this topic from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, click here.

Oohhh! You too funny, G.I.!

[utube] " type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="344">Micro combined heat and power system (MCHP) usage is currently on the rise. In Japan, there are over 50,000 of these units running and there are over 80,000 currently worldwide. Is this a whole new category of expertise that inspectors need to begin looking into?

This is actually solid granite "veneer" approx 4" thick. Site is near Elberton, GA, "Granite Captital of the World". House unoccupied, but permitted in '98. No CO yet. Wonder what the "holdup" is? Thanks to Jim Baird Baird Associates Home Inspectors Comer, GA

Aukland, New Zealand The Weathertight Warranty Company Ltd (WW) is an Auckland-based building inspection company providing warranties for homes, following a comprehensive building inspection to ensure the house’s exterior wall cladding is “moisture freeâ€

By Roy Furchgott, The New York Times Saul Kravitz knew his house was inefficient. The kitchen was cold in the winter and hot in the summer. It was always hotter or colder upstairs than downstairs. And his gas and electric bills were too high. Mr. Kravitz, an engineer at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Md., had conducted his own assessment and concluded that his 41-year-old house was well sealed but probably needed some insulation. “I was convinced I had a pretty tight house,â€

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I like Moe, he sounds kewl. OT - OF!!! M.