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This article in the November 2006 issue of Popular Mechanics addresses the topic of unwanted house guests such as rats, mice, raccoons, bats, etc.. To read more click here.

The recent earthquake in Hawaii was a boon to home inspectors there. As a result of that quake, home sales transactions came to a screeching halt, forcing realtors and inspectors to hustle in order to be able to see home transactions completed. To read more click here.

Hi Lewis, Thanks. I've added the Structural Pest IPM home page to our links library under the Termites and Wood Boring Pests category. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Sometimes a home inspector is asked by clients to explain all of the pros/cons of various types of replacement windows. While many of us would love to be able to take the time to give our clients a tutorial, we all know that, most of the time, it's impossible. However, the folks at HGTVPro.com have teamed up with Fine Homebuilding to provide a series of articles via the internet about various aspects of building and remodeling. One of these articles, reprinted from the October 2004 issue of FHB was written by Daniel Morrison, and will provide your clients with enough basic information about replacement windows to allow them to make a more informed decision about what they intend to purchase when they finally get around to replacing those windows you've recommended that they replace. At the same time, there are probably quite a few home inspectors that can learn a thing or two from this article. To read more click here.

Hi Brandon, I don't have time to find diagrams for you but this search string should put you in the ballpark: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Oa ... gle+Search ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Brian, Yes, that's exactly what I do. I do a PIA, fill in the amount as Zero and then explain the whole thing to the person who's going to be living in the house and is the actual homeowner and I have that person sign it. There are a few realtors who refer clients to me who always pay for the home inspection as part of their "service." That's fine with me, but the person purchasing the home, not the realtor, is the client, and I don't cut the realtor any slack for referring the client to me. Do that once, and before too long they'll think that they oughta get a buy X and get X free type of deal. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Randy, Here's an article about inspecting AC systems adapted from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide, 2000. Download Attachment: InspectingACsystems.doc 141.24 KB ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Traditional Stucco Basics for the Architectural Specifier is a free on-line course available at Residential Architect Online's distance learning site. the course includes the basics of stucco assemblies, the benefits and limitations, reviews the building code standards driving stucco specifications and the types of stucco finishes available. There is a test available after the completion of the course. To learn more, click here. Members of professional home inspector organizations wishing to receive credit for this course should contact their respective organanizations and have those organizations review the course, in order to see whether they will award credits, before taking the course.

According to a September article in Residential Architect Online, more and more US architects are beginning to specify ventilated facades - basically a complex multilayer system (similar to a rainscreen) that creates a 3-inch to 7-inch air space around a building - for new construction. This is a system that home inspectors are going to need to become familiar with, in order to address it competently. To learn more click here.

A new, self-paced online training course - Codes 101 - is is now available online at the U.S. Department of Energy's energy codes website. The course provides a basic understanding of energy codes and standards; development processes of each; historical timelines; adoption, implementation, and enforcement of energy codes and standards; and voluntary energy efficiency programs. Codes 101 joins two other self-paced tools that already are available - REScheckTM 101 and COMcheckTM 101. All are accessible at http://www.energycodes.gov/training/onl ... aining.stm. A fourth self-paced training tool on Area Takeoffs will be available soon. DOE has also supported ASHRAE in the development of its 90.1-2004 course materials. The ASHRAE courses, which are fee based, can be found at http://www.ashrae.org. Continuing education credits are available for the USDOE course. Inspectors should contact their professional association to determine how many credits will be awarded before taking this course.

CINCINNATI, OH - October 10, 2006 Packaged Home Solutions, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: PKGH) www.packagedhomesolutions.com -- ("PHS" or "The Company"), has formed PHS Home Services, Inc. (www.PHSHomeServices.com) as a subsidiary. This subsidiary has introduced an innovative "Designed to Sell" (DTS) package of services for selling homeowners to increase the value on sale and time to sell their homes. PHS Home Services has completed a 6-month test market on a package of services targeted to assist homeowners to properly prepare their homes to sell faster and at a higher price based on the current soft market conditions. Today, PHS Home Services is unveiling its "Designed to Sell" (DTS) Inspection & Consultation Services to professional Real Estate Agents, Brokers and the For Sale by Owner (FSBO) community. The "Designed to Sell" Inspection & Consultation Service is FREE to qualifying homeowners. However, the innovative DTS package of services generates substantial fees to PHS Home Services when the homeowner implements the recommendations targeted to sell the home faster and for more money. In addition, a significant number of kitchen & bath updates will be generated for Packaged Home Solutions' Interior division, since the remodeling of kitchens and baths have historically proven to be the best improvements to help sell a house faster and create a higher resale value. The new subsidiary associates itself with the leading home inspection companies in each market, as well as the leading real estate brokerage firms in order to offer a complete free DTS home analysis and evaluation. The DTS includes a pre sale home inspection to a selling homeowner as a prelude to marketing their home. Since normally, only a buyer orders a home inspection when the house is under contract, the free home inspection for the seller, prior to contract, is a quantum leap in services provided to homeowners. Furthermore, the Designed to Sell package of services is transportable to every market that PHS expands into -- and offers a value added service to generate core business for PHS -- with virtually no competition. Brad Cousino, President of PHS Home Services Inc., stated: "When we started Packaged Home Solutions three years ago, our desire was not only to be the first national home improvement services company, but also to introduce totally unique approaches to the market. This is the first such program we are announcing, but it certainly will not be the last. There is a void in the market, which is the preparation of a home for sale, as opposed to reacting to a home inspection report commissioned by the buyer. In a soft real estate market, which we are presently in, our DTS program will inform each selling homeowner what they must do to make sure that their house sells at the highest value and in the shortest period of time. The DTS program also creates a marketing relationship in each market with seasoned home inspectors, real estate brokers and quality preferred service providers who provide repairs and improvements that are beyond the scope of the services provided by PHS. The DTS package of services allows us to penetrate each new market quicker and more effectively, which is vitally important to us, as we expand into 30 markets." The Designed to Sell package of services is comprised of the following components: -- Professional Home Inspection Companies: PHS Home Services interviews and then contracts with experienced, local home inspection companies in each market. Each inspection company signs a marketing agreement to provide Pre Sale Home Inspections, a detailed written report and consultative service on behalf of PHS Home Services. The 10 to 25 page written report & evaluation includes professional recommendations, which if implemented, would position a home to sell faster and at a higher price resulting in a net gain to the homeowner. -- Real Estate Professionals (Real Estate Agents / Brokerage Houses): Meetings are set with local real estate agents to explain the "Designed to Sell" program. The real estate agents recognize the value of the Designed to Sell Inspections & Evaluations (DTS) especially now that it is a "buyers" market. -- Zero "Out-of-Pocket" Financing Program Provided: Homeowners who have positive equity qualify to have the recommended DTS improvements made on their home and not pay anything until the home sells. If the house does not sell in the 120 to 180 day period after the improvements have been completed, the loan is then amortized over three to five years. -- Preferred Service Providers: 98% of buyers' home inspections come back with various items that need to be corrected. PHS Home Services, with the assistance of local home inspectors, assembles a "swat team" of local Preferred Service Providers (PSPs) so that homeowners have a list of PSPs to choose from to assist in getting their houses ready to sell. PSPs cover the following categories; Roof, Chimney & Brick Repair, Gutters, Windows & Siding, Entry Doors, Landscaping, Electricians, Plumbers, HVAC, Handymen, Foundations, Carpet, Flooring, etc. The PSP pays a Referral Marketing Fee to PHS Home Services, thereby generating additional bottom line income for PHS. This mutual relationship generates "cross marketing" opportunities with PSPs who have customers that want kitchen & bathroom remodeling work. -- Packaged Home Solutions Kitchen & Bath: A targeted "client" base for Packaged Home Solutions' concept is "remove & replace" kitchens and baths in older homes that were built prior to 1995 with a value of greater than $100,000. The ultimate reason the "Designed to Sell" package of services was created because it targets an ideal customer base for PHS. PHS directly benefits when the DTS program involves a home that is in good condition, but due to age of the home, has dated kitchen or bathrooms. It is proven that a new kitchen or bathroom will help sell a home better than any other improvement -- and often get 100% of the money back. These demographics also represent tens of thousands of homes that are either on the market, or soon to be on the market to be sold. -- Professional Home Staging Option: If the recommended Designed to Sell work is completed by PHS Home Services Preferred Service Providers or Packaged Home Solutions, then PHS Home Services will provide a professional home stager that will make final preparations to prepare the home for the sale process. About Packaged Home Solutions Packaged Home Solutions, Inc., formed in 2004, has created a systematized approach that makes remodeling fast and as "customer-friendly" as possible. The Company's executives have over 138 years of experience in the home improvement business, including senior positions with several of the largest retail home improvement chains in the US. The Company was established to provide consumers with reliable, attractive home improvement solutions, including kitchens, bathrooms, basement and exterior improvements that provide the best in product selection and installation services. The Company focuses on the middle market home in range of $100,000 to $500,000, specializing in improvements to increase the value of the home, and maximizing value of the home for sale in a softening real estate market. PHS currently has seven offices located in Cincinnati and Dayton Ohio, Indianapolis, Indiana, Louisville, Kentucky, Jacksonville (2) and Miami, Florida. The Company's intention is to open a regional office in Tampa, Florida prior to the year's end, as well opening additional satellite offices in Cincinnati and Miami. The Company will be opening regional offices in 2007 in Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix, Denver and Southern California. These regional offices will then open satellite offices as each market matures. By the end of 2007, the Company plans to have 30 operational offices, making it one, if not the largest home improvement services company in the United States. At that the time, the management of the Company will consider various options to maximize shareholders' value, including a sale to an industry participant. Stay up to date with current events by joining Packaged Home Solutions' E-Mail Alert List. Join by clicking the link below: http://www.b21.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1446&to=ea&s=0 FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Statements about Packaged Home Solutions, Inc.'s expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as the term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Packaged Home Solutions' actual results could differ materially from expected results. Packaged Home Solutions undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances. Should events occur which materially affect any comments made within this press release; Packaged Home Solutions will appropriately inform the public. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contacts: Investor Relations Contact: Gerald Kieft Ryan Audin Wall Street Resources, Inc. 2646 SW Mapp Road, Suite 303 Palm City, Florida 34990 772-219-7525 http://www.wallstreetresources.net Packaged Home Solutions: Mike Klieber 513-733-1800 888-818-4172 SOURCE: Packaged Home Solutions, Inc.

Hi, I don't think you have to go to that extent for a hearth extension. the whole purpose of a hearth extension is to prevent sparks that jump out of a woodstove insert from igniting a surface. They sell them at fireplace/woodstore dealers here and they aren't anything more than a piece of plywood with tile bonded to the face and a piece of trim at the edges. OT - OF!!! M.

Yeah, You have dig a little. Remember, home inspection wasn't a trade back then. On the first link, go to "home and family" and then click on "housing" then pick the home inspection guide. Ignore the place in shopping cart thing for $1, click on view pdf copy and print it off. On the other one, everything on that page is the Public Health Service's guide for housing inspection. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, There's this: Electric water heaters require an in-sight or lockable disconnect [iRC T4001.5/NEC422-31b] OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, What do you mean "crowns"? How can you tell from that angle that there isn't a wash cap crown on the top of each of those stacks? Or are you referring to spark arrestors? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Whoops, My bad. Sorry John. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Barry, Thanks, I just archived that link in our downloads library. To get to it and other cool downloads, pass your cursor over "resources" on the menu bar above and then click on 'downloads'. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, I think so. I don't think I've ever seen one, but the question has been asked a lot here, on the ASHI forum, on Inspection News and on the NAHI and NACHI forums, and I think the answer has always been that it's okay. If I'm wrong, Jim Katen or someone from a more lightning-prone area will chime in and correct me. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

What plumbing code is in use where you are? That's what you have to refer to - that, and the manufacturer's instructions. I have installation instructions for 5 or 6 different brands of PEX and they're not all identical with respect to the issue of how the pipe is to be supported inside walls. I think you need to look specifically at what your local code says, to see whether the code guy is making stuff up or not, and then you need to look at the brand of PEX being used and check the connections and support methods being used against the manufacturer's instructions. The instruction manuals are easy to obtain. Just go online, google PEX pipe and then go to each manufacturer's site and search around for their on-line manuals. The only one I couldn't get an online manual from was Wirsbo (now Uponor) and that was a couple of years ago. They told me then that they intended to put an on-line manual up on their site, so they might have one there by now. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I'm not sure of the exact terminology but it's some kind of lightning arrestor, which, in essence, is a surge protector. OT - OF!!! M.

I think that one would normally refer to that as a chimney "pot" and the cementitious coating is a parge coat or "parging" used to protect the brickwork behind. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Regardless of who pays, the homeowner is the client. That's my position. If a mother is paying for her daughter's inspection, the daughter, who is buying the house and will be making all of the payments is still the client. I don't see the agent any differently. Even with the agent paying, I always get the client's signature on the pre-inspection, fill out the amount of the fee as $0. and then provide the agent a receipt in his/her own name. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Ask the builder to show the homeowner one illustration in any framing book where it shows rafters not bearing fully on a ridge board with full contact. He won't be able to. It's not a joint unless there is full contact. If the builder is defending that kind of workmanship, he's an idiot and an incompetent hack. Better yet, tell him to pose that question on my building science forum on JLC and I'll tell him that personally. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Ummm, Well, lemme see. Fight traffic for an hour or more to get 20 miles to spend the next 3-5 hours walking and talking with clients and then fight traffic all the way home and then spend a bunch of time writing my report before sending it off. Then carrying a ton of liability im perpetuity. All of that for not much more than laborer's wages after taxes and overhead, versus Charging between $4000 and $5000 for two days work with two laborer-wage helpers at a material cost of probably less than $300, unless there's a sump pump installed, plus some tipping fees, cost of fuel, etc. Gosh, it's so hard to decide. OT - OF!!! M.

Yep, A landing is required at the top and bottom of the stairs (IRC 312.1/UBC1003.3.3.5)unless it's 2 or fewer risers (IRC311.4.3). OT - OF!!! M.