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Yeah, Go to the "resources" tab above, and choose 'downloads' from the dropdown and then scroll down to the document you want and download it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, I'm curious about PB pipe. Every once in a while someone will post about how terrible the stuff is, but around here nobody even raises an eyebrow over it. In over 10 years I've never had a case of PB plumbing leakage that wasn't related to poor installation practices. I know all about the lawsuit and have all of the sites bookmarked, I'm just curious about what parts of the country seem to have had, or have had, problems with it and what kind of water is found in those areas. Here in Western Washington we apparently have few of the issues that some folks have. Would anyone from areas affected care to elaborate on the peculiarities of your water that have caused the product to fail? OT - OF!!! Mike

Belly band, belly board, both the same. Around here it's normally a 2 by 10 applied horizontally between floors of a house with a piece of z-flashing along the top edge. It helps to make a house look a little wider and lower. OT - OF!!! M.

Nope, The semi-checklist is what you get. I used InspectIt for about a year after I left the franchise. The program was, in my opinion too restrictive and seemed to crash a lot. Whenever I called Gary Robertson to complain about something and to get one of their personnel to help me straighten out some bug, they would blame the glitch on my not using Word correctly. I began looking around for a better program and eventually found IE. That was 4 years ago. I bet I've had fewer total glitches and bugs in 4 years with IE than I had in 6 months with InspectIt and I'm not restricted to how much I'm allowed to write or how I want to customize my program. Best of all, it's narrative based. Oh yeah, and it runs in Word, just like InspectIt, so I know that it wasn't me that was screwing up the InspectIt program. I've never tried Mark's product, so I honestly can't compare. However, I sent one of the Beta panels to some of the folks on the ASHI message board when DevWave was working on reformatting the way the program worked nearly 4 years ago. They played with it and someone, I think it was Walt Jowers, said it kind of worked like Mark's product. My thought at the time? "Like Cramer's stuff? Way kewl!" OT - OF!!! M.

Jeez Kurt, thanks a lot! Imagine if that damned thing decides to go down across the highway and dislodges the house from the foundation. The way the world is today, I'm liable to receive notice that I'm being sued for not predicting such an event when I inspected the home for him. [:-headach

Hi All, About two miles from my place there's a little brick ranch on a side street just up from Lake Washington with a 150 tall fir growing about 3ft. from the corner of the foundation. Across the street and up the hill are about 5 or 6 homes that can't get a view of the lake because of that fir. When I inspected it, I crawled underneath it and found a root about 5 inches in diameter had cracked the uphill corner of the foundation and was growing into the crawlspace and had lifted the house and sills about an inch off that foundation at that corner. During the inspection, a couple of the neighbors came down from up the hill. They were eager to meet the client. Seems they'd been trying to get the occupant to cut down that tree for years but he refused. My client, a young fellow in his twenties, told them to talk to his agent. I figured that, knowing about the foundation, he'd be happy to get that damned tree out of there. A couple of years later I bumped into him waiting to be seated in a local restaurant. Since the tree was still there, I asked him what was up with the tree. He explained that the neighbors regularly come down off the hill and offer him a little more each time to remove the tree. I asked him why he didn't - pointing out that it's damaged his foundation and is actually stressing the house. His answer: He's waiting until their figure is high enough to both remove the tree and repair the home. That was about 6-7 years ago. That damned tree just keeps getting bigger and I bet it's blocking the view of at least 7 or 8 neighbors now. Why he hasn't removed it is beyond me, but I sometimes worry that the danged thing might, since the roots are obviously not gripping as well as they should on the foundation side, one day fall into the street and, in the process, knock that house partly off the foundation. I'd love to be able to get into that crawl and see what things look like today in there. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Nope, SIPS homes are not vented. To get around the need for roof ventilation they sometimes use vented nailbase insulation over the SIPS. The technology has been around since the 80's but didn't really start taking off until the 90's. Some folks living in SIPS homes - in heating climates especially - have experienced problems with the envelope rotting due to poorly sealed joints between panels. Warm-humid inside air moves up through poorly sealed joints and then condenses inside the joint near the outside face of the membrane and the moisture soaks into the outer face of the panels and causes them to rot. A bunch of folks up in Alaska had serious problems with that back around 2000. The situation was so bad that the SIPS industry association had to get involved in diagnosing and helping to design fixes. That's neither here nor there though until you determine whether it actually is a SIPS house. For all you know at this point, it could be a conventionally built home with fiberglass in the roof plane and no ventilation at all, in which case, I'd be very interested to see what the condition is of the roof decking. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Mark, Is there a possibility that this is a SIPS (Structural Insulated Panel System) house or are there definitely rafters with the OSB attached? A SIPS structure has the insulation between inner and outer OSB panels, so you wouldn't be able to see any insulation and there wouldn't be any on the ceilings below the attic space. OT - OF!!! M.

by J.D. Grewell Having performed framing (pre-drywall or close-in) inspections for 30 years, I recently became aware of confusion regarding the newer floor framing systems. It appears some of it can be traced to foremen and site superintendents who are tasked to the maximum, have limited authority on the job site, and often have only minimal understanding of architectural plans, especially related to the floor framing systems. Another factor may be a practice that is commonplace in my area. Often builders have one approved master plan for each floor plan they sell, and do not change the plan or correct it to as built after rooms are added or made larger to please the client. This practice creates a problem for those who are trying to build the structure, as well for those hired to evaluate it. THE BASICS OF FRAMING As a youngster, my grandfather taught me what I needed to know about framing. I learned a point load is the concentration of the weight of the structure above an area. For instance, consider the framing above a wide doorway. Generally there will be two 2" x 10" headers. The ends of the headers must be supported. In most cases there will be a minimum of two 2" x 4" studs. What lies below these stress points? To understand the load in relation to roofs and walls, step back and ask; “What holds this up and where does all the weight (load) end up?â€

All engineered wood components are manufactured in a relatively "dry" state. The moisture content of engineered wood products at the time of manufacture ranges from approximately 4 to 12%. During the manufacturing process, the wood-based resource must be dried to these levels to insure that a good glue-bond is developed. A range of values is given because some adhesive systems used in some products have different moisture requirements. It is also important to realize that these are not average moisture contents as traditionally measured. If a certain adhesive system requires a maximum 6% moisture content to develop an adequate glue bond, then every piece must meet that maximum during fabrication. A traditional average where 50% are above the maximum and 50% are below just doesn't work. Only those pieces that were at or below the maximum will ever get to the market place. Traditional "dry" lumber on the other hand is dried to a much higher moisture content, typically 19%, although some lumber is dried to 16%. Because of natural variability, the range of moisture content of the lumber pieces in a given bundle may vary widely. A given lumber element may even have moisture gradients along the length or across the width. In service, however, such as in a residential structure, after 4 to 8 months of drying, all wood elements will reach an equilibrium moisture content of from 6-10%, depending on the season and location of the structure. As the engineered wood products are very close to this normal equilibrium moisture content as manufactured, and because they are typically shipped in a waterproof protective wrapping, they take on little or no additional moisture and their dimensions vary imperceptibly during this period. The sawn lumber, however, during this period dries down through a relatively large range of moisture content. Along with drying comes an equally significant shrinkage. A 14" deep sawn lumber element can shrink as much as ¾" in its depth as it cycles from the as-dried to in-service equilibrium moisture content. This difference in behavior between solid sawn lumber and engineered wood can lead to structural failure if the designer is not careful. APA EWS I-joists and APA EWS Rim Board products are manufactured in 9-1/2", 11-7/8", 14", and 16" depths. It is no accident that these sizes are not compatible with, and are larger than, traditional lumber net depths for 2x10's, 2x12's, 2x14's, and 2x16's. There are many applications in roofing systems and especially residential floors, where other elements are used in conjunction with the I-joists for the express purpose of transferring load through the floor system without overloading the floor joists. Some examples of these other elements are blocking panels over an interior bearing wall and rim or starter joists. In these cases, the vertical load from the structure above the plane of the floor is transferred through the floor into the structure/foundation below by way of direct bearing on the blocking panels, rim or starter joist. Because the load is transferred in direct bearing, it is essential that the blocking panels, rim or starter joist be the same height as the floor joist. Solid sawn lumber cannot be used in applications like these because of the very likely potential for shrinkage. Shrinkage by as little as 1/8 of an inch (3 mm) can be enough to transfer the vertical loads from the walls above directly to the floor joists, thus inducing possible bearing or reaction overload conditions at these locations. The solution to the problem is to use engineered wood products for these applications. They are manufactured in the correct depths and have the same dimensional stability properties. While the previous discussion concerns vertical loads, the same is true of lateral loads such as those caused by wind and seismic events. The small gap between the floor sheathing above and the sawn lumber rim joist or blocking panel below resulting from shrinkage of the lumber members can have a small but negative impact on the performance of the structure during the design event. Even greater however, will be the impact on the deformation of the structure caused by the potential slip at this location under design lateral loads. While not necessarily life threatening, these greater deformations can result in increased damage to the non-structural components of the building, such as drywall, windows and doors, cabinets and interior and exterior finishes. If the deformations are excessive, they can cause the structure to be irreparable. Every application where solid sawn lumber is used in conjunction with engineered wood must be looked at very carefully with respect to the different moisture states of materials at the time of construction. The safest alternative is to not mix engineered wood with solid sawn lumber in any situation where load sharing might be an issue. For more information, visit: http://www.APAwood.org http://www.SouthernPine.com http://www.SIPS.org TIJ wishes to thank Mr. Ray Clark, Product Support Specialist, APA Help Desk, for a very enlightening and useful contribution. Mr. Clark can be reached by phone at: 253-620-7400; via fax at: 253-565-7265 or via e-mail at: ray.clark@apawood.org. For a printer-friendly, MS Word version of this document, click the link below.[/b] Download Attachment: Mixing Engineered and Dimensional Lumber.doc Disclaimer APA, the Southern Pine Council, the Structural Insulated Panel Association nor their members make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the use, application of, and/or reference to opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations included in this communication. Consult your local jurisdiction or design professional to assure compliance with code, construction, and performance requirements. Because APA and the Southern Pine Council have no control over quality of workmanship or the conditions under which wood products are used, they cannot accept responsibility of product performance or designs as actually constructed.

The next time a potential client calls you up and wants to know whether it’s worth the expense, once a certificate of occupancy has been issued, to have a brand new home inspected, refer hime or her to this story from The Wilmington Morning Star. They’re sure to call you back to book an inspection. Read more...

Need to get more up-to-speed on hydronic heating systems? Lochinvar Corp. has a mobile hydronic heating van touring the mid-western states and Canada right now to demonstrate their new Knightâ„¢ hydronic heating system. According to Mike Lahti, VP of Sales at Lochinvar, “Lochinvar’s Demonstration Van is traveling the United States and Canada to give contractors and distributors a first hand look at the products they sell and install.â€

Do you regularly recommend that customers who’re buying a home with a forced air heating system have their ducts cleaned? If so, you might be surprised to learn that EPA says that it isn’t always necessary or advisable. Click here for a new EPA brochure that you can use as a handout for your clients and let them to make up their own minds.

According to a recent piece in Radiant & Hydronics E-Newsweek, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials and the International Code Council have agreed to jointly develop one plumbing code and one mechanical code for use throughout the country. Both organizations intend to hold meetings throughout the country, after additional details have been worked out, in order to educate their members about their new relationship and the new codes. The codes are expected to be available for use by 2009.

A.O. Smith Corporation, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Energy, has developed a new type of 50-gallon, power-vented gas water heater that operates at better than 90% efficiency. According to A.O. Smith, their new Vertex water heater delivers unlimited hot water and has the performance equivalent of a 75-gallon water heater, yet fits in the footprint of a standard 50-gallon water heater, without any major plumbing retrofits. To learn more, click here.

When’s the last time you took the time to catch up on the latest school of thought in regard to indoor air quality? With the proliferation of new building materials that are making homes tighter and media-fed fears of “toxicâ€

As home inspectors, we need to be up-to-date on all of the latest technologies being used in today’s construction. This is especially true in regard to the building sciences and what construction practices are best suited to various climates across this large continent. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy (USDOE) Efficiency and Renewable Energy Building America website is an invaluable resource for home inspectors looking to learn more about research into the latest building practices. USDOE is now offering, free, via this site, its Building America’s Best Practices guides for construction professionals. There are four volumes in this series and each is keyed to climate and shows the best building practices being used in each. Volume 1 is for hot humid climates; Volume 2 is hot-dry and mixed-dry climates; Volume 3 is cold and very-cold climates; and Volume 4 is for those in mixed-humid climates. Download a free copy of the guide best suited for your area here.

According to a posting on MPI News, this fall, HGTV will debut a new show entitled The Great Home Give Away, in which three couples compete in each episode to win a house by guessing its value. The winning couple is the one that comes closest to the price. How are they going to accomplish this amazing feat? The couples will go through the house with a home inspector and attempt to identify issues that will affect the value of the house. Are shows like this liable to be good or bad for the home inspection profession? Let's hear your comments below.

PRESS RELEASE MINNEAPOLIS, April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Pillar To Post, the industry leader in home inspection services and Environmental Data Resources, Inc (EDR), the leading national provider of environmental risk information, jointly announced today that they will make environmental reports available to the Minnesota residential real estate market. Starting immediately, home buyers and sellers in Minnesota who use Pillar to Post professionals for their home inspections will have access to a EDR Neighborhood Environmental Report, which provides important information on known and potential contamination that exists on or in the vicinity of a property. "Pillar To Post is very excited to work with EDR to be the first to provide this valuable service to real estate professionals, home buyers and home sellers in Minnesota," said Dan Steward, CEO of Pillar To Post. "While the reports often give neighborhoods a clean bill of health, real estate professionals and home buyers are always much better-off to uncover any potential environmental issues up front, as opposed to retroactively addressing a problem after a sale has been completed." Compiling data from federal, state, local and private databases, Neighborhood Environmental Reports provide records of contamination that could cause serious health problems as well as property devaluation. Homes that are contaminated often show no visible signs of the dangers they pose to residents through toxic air, water or soil problems. Examples of contaminates the report screens for include leaking underground storage tanks, hazardous waste sites, Superfund sites or even if a property was previously used as a methamphetamine ("meth") drug laboratory. "For over fifteen years, environmental information has been a part of commercial real estate transactions. EDR created this report in response to the growing trend of residential buyers wanting or even expecting increasing amounts of information before making important decisions; whether for purchasing a car, making a health related decision or investing in a home," said Robert Barber, CEO of EDR. "Part of this 'due diligence' trend is an increasing demand for expertly prepared environmental information. MEDIA CONTACT: On Behalf of EDR Jesse Danzig 212-279-3115 x213 Jesse@cjpcom.com On Behalf of Pillar To Post Margaret Kunkel 530-550-7578 Margaret.kunkel@dibollandassociates.com

According to this article on NaplesNews.com, the public isn’t showing a lot of interest in hiring expensive mold detection dog companies and some of these dogs, which can cost as much as $14,000 each, are semi-retired from the mold detection business. Read more...

HGTVPro.com has launched several new green building technology sites dealing with HVAC, Windows and Air Sealing and Insulation. These sites are excellent for the rookie home inspector looking for easy-to-understand explanations of technical topics. A quick review of the HVAC site found such topics as energy recovery ventilators, air filters for allergy sufferers, Ventilation Standards for Comfort, Safety and Efficiency and more. These are sites well worth a few hours of an inspector’s time. Read more... To go to the HGTVPro site to review other construction-related topics or visit their message boards Click here...

According to an article in Radiant and Hydronic E-News, the Europeans are experimenting with heat pump systems that derive their heat from sewage in much the same way that a water source heat pump derives its heat from water. Apparently, there’s a new heat pump in Oslo, Norway that costs nearly $14M and uses fridge technology to extract heat from the sewage in a 300-meter long tunnel. The heat is then transferred via a heat exchanger to hot water pipes that supply hot water to thousands of radiators and taps throughout the city. The heat pump is supposed to provide the equivalent of 18 megawatts of power and reduces consumption of oil by nearly 6,000 tons a year. Obviously, it’ll be a while before this concept gets scaled down for residential use. Who knows? In the not-to-far-distant future, we may need a whole new set of disclaimers for our reports.

The Radiant Panel Association has just launched its new online education source RPA Campus where students can sign up to take basic and precision radiant heating courses either online or at 1-day seminars held around the country. For those who are determined to become subject matter experts on radiant panel systems, RPA is also offering, at the same site, a path to certification as a true radiant panel expert. Read more...

By Ross Herlands, ESQ Probably the single most important thing a home inspector can do to protect him or herself in the event of a lawsuit is to obtain a signed pre-inspection agreement prior to the inspection. Furthermore, one of the key provisions in such a contract is a limitation of liability clause. Such a clause seeks to limit the amount recoverable from the inspector, if liability is proven, regardless of the actual damages caused. In many cases, such a provision means the difference between a quick resolution of a claim- via a return of the inspection fee, and protracted litigation. Real World Examples In one lawsuit against a home inspector, the inspector did not obtain a signed agreement because he had been misinformed that the limitation of liability provision was not enforceable in his jurisdiction. Although the inspector provided a thorough report, which contained references to all of the problem conditions that were allegedly missed, the lack of a signed pre-inspection agreement containing a limitation of liability clause prevented a quick resolution to the claim. Interestingly, a second claim in the same jurisdiction was withdrawn and the inspection fee returned based on the limitation of liability clause. Do your Homework It is important to note that some states proscribe the details of an enforceable limitation of liability clause via statute or case law. Inspectors should verify with an attorney or other knowledgeable resource whether a limitation of liability clause is enforceable in the state in which they do business and if so, whether there are specific elements that need to be included for the provision to be enforceable. For example, Connecticut, Maryland and Ohio cases have been handled favorably based on the limitation of liability clause. However, in Maryland, the state requires that the limitation be in writing to be enforceable. Additionally, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the limitation of liability clause is enforceable provided that the provision specifies that the type of liability being limited is negligence. In Pennsylvania, by statute, a home inspector cannot limit his liability with respect to gross negligence. Experience makes it clear that the difference between forestalling unnecessarily prolonged claims or lawsuits and becoming embroiled in a claim or legal action that can consume considerable amounts of time and energy, rests in obtaining a signed pre-inspection agreement which contains an enforceable limitation of liability clause. About the Author Ross D. Herlands, Esq. is Counsel and President of Insurance Services for a large claims settlement firm in Connecticut. He served as Chief Underwriting Officer and Claims Counsel for a large home inspector E&O insurance program on behalf of Lloyd’s where he oversaw underwriting and claims management ($20 million in gross premium). Herlands has practiced insurance law for over 16 years. He can be reached at rherlands@comcast.net. This story is excerpted from Working RE Magazine, published by OREP, providing low-cost errors and omissions insurance for home inspectors (www.orep.org or 888-347-5273 toll free).

A Littleton Colorado woman is conducting holistic home inspections and is allegedly cleansing homes of spirits. Yeah, you read that right....spirits. What's next? Exorcisms? Read more...