hausdok

Hi Randy, When you say "ceiling rafters" I take it to mean the rafters over the sloped ceilings on the upper floor of an older home. With these, the sidewalls, floor of the kneewall attics and the rafter (collar) ties above the flat ceiling in the middle of a second floor are typically insulated too. It sounds like that is what you are describing. However, perhaps the sloped underside of the roof is insulated over the kneewall attics as well and that's what you meant. (Obviously, I'm cornfoosed). If it's as I first described it, I see a couple of issues. The first is going to condensation on those uninsulated kneewalls. If he doesn't want condensation on the interior side of those kneewalls, he needs to either insulate those too, or turn the kneewall attic into conditioned space. That means insulating the roof plane from the eaves to the ridge and that's impossible to do well in any of these older homes as a retrofit using fiberglass. Blown foam, maybe, but fiberglass? No. The next is vapor diffusion from the home into those kneewall attics and the roof plane. Unless he's got an air gap above the insulation all the way from the kneewall attics to the little cavity above the flat ceilings, and damned good upper and lower vents so that convection works well, water vapor from the home is going to pass through the insulation, condense on the underside of that cold roof plane, collect there and eventually rot the roof. It's pretty rare that I see good airflow over those old sloped ceilings, because the builders have usually used blocking at either the top or bottom of the sloped ceiling rafter bays, and it's impossible to get airflow through there without prying out or drilling holes through every single one of the blocks. Now, if he'd used dense-packed cellulose in the sloped ceiling rafter bays, that'd be different. That stuff makes a terrific air barrier when it's packed well, and you won't find condensation problems where it's been used. Warranty problems with a roof due to lack of ventilation, maybe, but no condensation. Tell the guy to go here and study these: Oak Ridge National Laboratories Retrofit Best Practices Guide Oak Ridge National Laboratories Insulation Fact Sheet Oak Ridge National Laboratories Moisture Control Handbook ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Randy, I'm 100% sure that I have a hard copy around here someplace. It's the someplace that's the problem. I'm still unpacking and searching for that other pub too, so if you can wait a little bit and then remind me in another week or so, when more of this stuff is out of the boxes and up on shelves, maybe I can help. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Jim, I think that you're right. The milling head that cut the tongue was set slightly too high and might still be that way for all we know. I've installed some Pergo flooring over foam and didn't have any raised edges. The stuff matched perfectly. However, I see Pergo, Wilsonart and other brands all the time that have gotten a little wet in the joints and they all seem to develop little ridges at the joints and have a washboard appearance. Mostly over slabs but I suppose that you'd get the same thing where they'd been wet-mopped. I remember when they first came out, the big attraction was that you could use them in the kitchen and they wouldn't swell or warp when they got wet. Now I see them all the time where after 8 - 10 years they look awful and lots of people don't like the look of them anymore. OT - Of!!! Mike

Jeez Rich, I thought Jim K. and I were the only ones that stayed up this late on here. Must be a northwest thing. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Jim, I'll have to fall back on my woodworking savvy for this one. I think Chris could be onto something there. If you're going to put down hardwood, you really need to bring it into the house, sticker it and let it acclimate for several weeks while you do other stuff before you lay it. That ensures that it reaches equilibrium with its environment. I remember my Dad doing that when I was a kid but it's pretty rare that I see it done anymore, although there was one new house under construction that I inspected about 5 years ago where the flooring guy had done it and put a big cardboard sign on the stack threatening the builder's crew with maiming if they touched it. I do the same thing when I'm planning a grandfather clock project. Otherwise, I'd end up with unhappy results after I finished my project and several weeks or months later it finally reaches equilibrium. It might have gone in dry but was installed right away and took on some additional moisture that caused it to swell - just enough to force it up at the edges and cause washboarding. Bet if she took a dehumidifier in there and ran it for a week gaps from compression set would start appearing all over the place. If there's a crawl beneath it without a vapor barrier, you can bet installing one will probably have the same result as running a dehumidifier - only it'll be slower. It's had lots of time to acclimate now but the only cure at this point is going to be sanding it flat and refinishing it and she won't be happy with the compression set gaps left behind if it's related to crawl humidity. My two cents - worth the price charged, I suppose. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi James, I set up TIJ so that home inspectors could do exactly as Chad has done - communicate with other inspectors and obtain the information they need for themselves and their clients. I don't have a problem with Chad using information learned here to satisfy the needs of his clients and anyone who posts their thoughts on a topic here does so understanding that other inspectors intend to use what they learn here for that purpose. If Chad learns about something in a book and then imparts what he's learned to a client in writing, using his own words or quoting from text and crediting the author involved, I don't believe he's violated any copyright. Hell, if that were a copyright violation, everything we've ever learned from reading would be a violation. OT - OF!!! M.

Nope, You're correct. WDI is wood destroying insects and WDO is organisms. Rot is not an insect and is a wood-destroying organism. Does your state regulate only insects and not rot. In our state, we can't even comment about rot unless we have an SPI (structural pest inspector) license and there's no way one can do a home inspection without it crossing into the realm of a WDO inspection as defined by our state'd dept. of agriculture. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Martin, Got some trouble with builders tripping on ecstasy while their working in your parts? OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Absolutely. 1. Purchase Electrical Inspection of Existing Dwellings by Douglas Hansen. Get it, read it, read it again, read it again and live it. When Douglas is presenting at an H.I. convention that you're attending, or teaching somewhere in your vicinity, rearrange your schedule - hell, cancel an appointment if you have to - and attend the training. 2. Go over and hang out on the Mike Holt's forum at http://www.mikeholt.com (Douglas hangs out there too.) and soak up as much as you can. 3. Read through the electrical systems archive here on TIJ and pay attention to Jim Katen. He's the sharpest tack on this bulletin board and has been sufficiently Hansenized to be considered exteremly credible when it comes to electrical issues (He's also probably the best writer here and pretty smart about just about everything else home inspection related.) 4. Never, ever, never believe much of what I say about electricity, unless it's a direct quote from somewhere else (with the exception of these 4 recommendations). When I first got into this business, I too hadn't learned much about it. I was so afraid of it that I used to take the covers off panels while standing about 4ft. from the wall, leaning in to the wall and supporting myself with one hand. I was convinced that if I got zapped because of my ignorance that as I passed out and fell to the ground this would save my life by pulling my hand free from the panel. Yeah, I know, pretty ludicrous mental image, but there it is. That's why anything I saw should be considered suspect. 'lectricity is like math to me - I just don't get it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I tell them that when I inspect and make recommendations I'm thinking 'best case' repair, but that's not the real world and they need to recognize that reality. I tell them that if I put 30 contractors in a room and give them one task to do that I'd fully expect to see it done at least half a dozen different ways - some better than others - but that, if I'm reinspecting it, I'm not looking to see if it's been done the way that I'd do it, only whether it'll work. If they want to polish bolts, that's up to them, I'm not going to do it for them. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Gary, you aren't alone in your thinking. There are many of us in the profession that believe it's time to start pushing the profession toward a higher education requirement. We're populated primarily with old farts like Les, Kurt and I who have backed into this from somewhere else. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks and many - the majority, I would expect - don't want to be taught new tricks. Most are not in it for the long haul because they're already upward of 50. They're aim is to salt away as much as they can for as long as they can still physically do the work, and then maybe, if they're lucky, pull the plug and be able to live comfortably on that. So, learning to write better is not a high priority - doing as many inspections as possible for as long as they can is the priority. Every possible line of work there is had to evolve from something. It's usually a group of folks who've learned something by trial and error and have passed on those skills to one or two folks who they'd mentored. Over time, as the skill became more and more developed, these folks met others who had learned generally the same skills by trial and error. This gave them a chance to compare notes and share ideas in order to further refine their skills. Eventually, enough folks had learned the skill that they organized for their mutual benefit and decided that it was finally time to begin teaching the skill to succeeding generations. When that happened, educational requirements were set in place and curricula were developed. Then, as younger people began learning in those institutions and entered the profession, that older class of folks faded away, until normal entry into the profession was as a young person and through an apprenticeship or college program. At this point in our evolution, home inspectors are still sharing notes. The home inspection "schools" that you see are largely staffed by folks who are, technically, not professional educators and whose only qualification to teach is that they've worked in this business for a number of years and are able to stand up in front of a room full of people and impart some of what they've learned through their own experience, research and through sharing notes with others, such as here on TIJ. Les says, "You can't run 10,000 inspectors out of business because they can't write," but the fact is that, sooner or later that's going to happen anyway, if this profession evolves the way that others have. The time is going to come when some of us in this profession will have the moral courage to start true institutions of higher learning for home inspectors. The demographic these are going to target will be young kids in high schools, fresh out of high schools or in junior colleges. These schools will offer a full range of courses designed to teach their students more than just the basics of how to inspect homes, as today's crop of inspector mills does. These schools will teach the basics of construction and the building sciences; business fundamentals; light engineering; construction math; report writing; mechanical drawing and topics that will provide the student a full arsenal with which to meet this business head on. Students from those courses will be able to enter inspection firms as low man on the totem pole and work their way up, just like other professions do now, or, they'll be able to start their own businesses and be able to stay in business, instead of folding in a year or two, as so many do now. The idea isn't going to be to put 10,000 home inspectors out of business. It's going to be to allow them to gradually phase out of business by hiring these younger people as second and third inspectors in successful companies and then, as they mature, allowing them more and more responsibility, until they, one day, are the business. When that time comes, there will be a whole generation of inspectors who grew up in this profession, not some other. When it does, I'm betting the way we do business and inspect homes will be a whole lot different than the way we do it today. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, The only reference to a laundry tray in the IRC pertains to allowing a laundry tray to be connected to a washing machine standpipe. I can't find any other reference to it, so I don't think they're required. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, How's this? OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Personally, I think it's a great way to protect that pipe from becoming damaged by someone carelessly climbing around up there. Unless there's a prohibition against it that someone can show me, I don't think I'd be concerned about it. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, I don't do any city or county property history research for the clients unless they intend to pay me hourly for it, including my travel time to and from the records repository and the time it takes to review the material and write up whatever I find. With the traffic snarls around here, that could easily run more than in inspection. Our state requires that sellers fill out a property disclosure form. The client sometimes has that in hand - mosttimes not. If you intend to do it, I'd recommend that you do it as an optional/added-cost service. Otherwise, you'll find yourself running ragged trying to split your time between doing inspections and writing up reports and driving to various records repositories, standing in gueue waiting to be served, making copies, etc.. It's better, in my opinion, to just advise the client up-front that it's outside the standards of practice, that it costs extra, and that they, as part of their due diligence, would be well advised to undertake that portion of their pre-purchase investigation. Just being curmudgeonly here. I've got a reputation to uphold, you know. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Randy, Is it real stone or cast stone? It kind of looks like cast stone to me but the photos have been taken at an oblique angle that prevents me from seeing whether any of them are identical. If it's cast (faux) stone, it does not need a brick ledge. Think of it more as a very rough and blocky stucco coat. It is bonded to mortar laid over an extruded metal lath that's attached to the exterior. It has to drain just like stucco and the same clearance for drainage rules apply to the bottom of the veneer at the exterior. It shouldn't be any closer than 2-inches to flatwork or about 4 inches to grade. The perimeter of the windows should be sealed with backer rod (Backerseal works best) and the surface of the joints tooled with butyl. If it's faux stone, just think of it and inspect it like you're inspecting a stucco exterior and you won't have a problem making the right calls. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Your photo didn't post because you named it with special symbols. Go to your picture folder, right click it and choose rename and then give it a name without any spaces or special symbols such as the parenthesis. P1030213_Medium will work fine. Editor

Hi, Some guys do it, but it's generally discouraged within the profession. You'd be better off to market to the realtors. They're the one's who are usually looking for contractors to fix stuff after the home inspectors have pointed out issues. Be warned though, the work needs to be done right or you could end up with an inspector who's been called back to reinspect an issue telling his/her client that the work is sub-par. If that happens, it could seriously screw up a transaction and that would kill your realtor referrals. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, They get pretty hot. When I was really small, we lived in a home with one that blew up through a grate in the floor of the central hallway. I used to perch next to the grill and sit and stare at the red hot heat exchanger below. The dust burning off in the fall when the heat was first turned on was really rank and just about everything that hit the floor could end up on top of that exchanger. I really caught it for dropping one of my toy soldiers through that grate in order to see what it would be like to "toast in hell". It was pretty grousome watching that little fellow catch fire and melt. Then came the burning plastic smell and my mother with that paddle board and then....ouch! ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in cooperation with Maytag Corp., of Newton, Iowa, announced a voluntary recall of approximately 2.3 million Maytag¢Ãƒ§ and Jenn-Air¢Ãƒ§ under-counter or portable plastic tub dishwashers due to a defect that constitutes a fire hazard. According to the manufacturer, the liquid rinse dispenser can allow rinse-aid to leak and come into contact with the dishwasher's internal wiring and cause it to short-circuit and ignite. Maytag reports that it has received 135 reports of dishwasher fires, resulting in product and/or property damage. Four injuries have been reported, including three reports of smoke inhalation and one serious hand laceration when operating a fire extinguisher to put out a fire in the dishwasher. The dishwashers involved were manufactured in the U.S. and sold through department and appliance stores and homebuilders nationwide from July 1997 through June 2001 for between $370 and $800. They have black, white, almond, bisque and stainless steel front panels. The model and serial numbers are printed on a label located on the dishwasher's plastic frame on top of, or to the left of, the door opening. Consumers should immediately stop using these dishwashers, disconnect the electric supply, by shutting off the fuse or circuit breaker controlling it, and inform all users of the dishwasher about the risk of fire. Consumers can contact Maytag for either a free in-home repair, or a $75 cash back reimbursement following the purchase of a new Maytag®, Jenn-Air¢Ãƒ§, Whirlpool® or KitchenAid¢Ãƒ§ dishwasher. Consumers should not return the dishwasher to the retailer where it was purchased, as retailers are not prepared to take units back. For more information, contact Maytag Corporation at (800) 675-0535 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at www.repair.maytag.com. For a list of model numbers and serial numbers involved, as well as pictures of the recalled products, click here. Editor's note: This tip courtesy of Terence McCann, Harbor Light Inspection Services, Sagamore Hills, OH.

I wouldn't recommend further evaluation. I'd recommend an electrician fix 'em, period. OT - OF!!! M.

Hmmm, What ever happened to Ellen? Brian G. was flirting with her pretty good for a while. Guess he scared her off. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Randy, You're just the fellow I've been looking for. Contact me today by phone 425-806-4875. OT - OF!!! M.

Guess not, since he made that post 8-1/2 months ago. OT - OF!!! M.

You'll see those in all brands of panels. They're not uncommon at all in anything before 1984. OT - OF!!! M.