hausdok

Hi, I assume you're referring to the requirement for a gap above the head flashings. I suspect the 1/4-inch requirement is simply to ensure that whoever paints the stuff is able to get a good coat of paint on that edge above the flashings. When you think about it, slathering a lot of paint into a 1/4-inch gap could end up sealing the flashings to the edge of the siding instead of allowing drainage. I think it's just important to ensure that there is an uncaulked gap of some sort above them and that the edge is painted. I don't know that having a 1/4-inch gap is going to be any more beneficial than a 1/8-inch gap. With Hardi products, the biggest ommission I see is the lack of any mounting/trim blocks, flashings or gap of any sort behind/over exterior lights, receptacles, crawlspace vents, exhaust fan outlets, furnace/water heater exhaust vents, combustion air inlets, etc.. It's not uncommon to find that the siding and trim has been perfectly installed and flashed around windows and doors and then find these other items done completely wrong. The week before last I had a house up in Issaquah that was the first house I'd seen in 16 years where the Hardiplank detailing was textbook. It actually looked like whoever the siding sub was had been standing there with the installation instructions in one hand and the best practices manual in the other because it was beautifully done - which I've never been able to say before. Hope the folks at James Hardie find that sub and send him around the country giving classes on how to put the stuff on correctly. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Exactly what I said - what you end up with on the screen is a "blob" with no detail that's almost useless according to the best IR guys. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

120 by 120 resolution is what the IR guys call a "blob" camera. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I missed it too or I would have told you not to turn off the power to a water heater. Once the elements are off and the water cools down it takes about two or three days for the chlorine in the water to become ineffective. At that point, bacteria in the water begins reacting with the anode rod and produces a byproduct - hydrogen sulfide gas. The gas will form a bubble in the top of the tank and when you turn on the hot water after someone moves in again the place will literally smell like someone took a shit on the floor for a couple of hours. Not a good way for renters to be introduced to their new home or the landlord. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Three words Watts FloodSafe Connectors They're not only stainless steel braided; they automatically shutoff water flow when they sense a burst hose. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Correct, No requirement per IRC. Around here, some builders put them in as part of their package, some will do it as an option and some flat out say they aren't going to do it and if the buyer wants one they can put it in after closing at their own cost. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Way Kewl, Duuuuuude! ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

When you got the first call from the client demanding you pony up cash, did you go out to the house and look at the issue and discuss it in person with the customer or did you simply contact your specialists first? Does your contract have language that says that before someone hires a contractor to make repairs of something they think you erred at, or something that they claim you missed, they are required to notify you in writing and give you an opportunity to go back out and see the issue in person and attempt to resolve it before they can go to anyone else or sik a bunch of lawyers on you? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Considering the fact that about a dozen seasoned inspectors put their businesses on hold, and then lose out on business revenue, while they go to Chicago or someplace else and hole up in a hotel for about three days, doing the best they can do to provide us with the most current and relevant test that they can, in order for this profession to maintain some semblance of credibility - and they aren't compensated for it - spending sixty minutes to help them focus their efforts a little better on behalf of all of us doesn't seem like such a large sacrifice. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Speaking of AC systems, They've come a long way. When I was a mechanic back in the 70's it was a pain to recharge an automotive AC system. When mine went out on my car a few weeks ago, I went over to the auto parts store and bought a charging kit for less than fifty bucks and re-charged and resealed my own system in less than ten minutes. She's working like a champ now. That would have cost one a couple of hours and lots of money thirty years ago. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

That flue is likely oversized and has been causing flue gases to condense on its sides for decades. Being acidic, those gases trash the clay liner. Of course, the gas burns at a lower temperature so those gases will cool sooner. Also, if it's a gas appliance with a 24/7 pilot those gases from the pilot will be condensing all the time. It happens with both oil and gas flues so I wouldn't peg it to just mixing the two so much as I would to an oversized flue. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

EBPHI isn't determining our role; you are by your answers. For instance, if a significant number of you were to report that they routinely inspect swimming pools as part of a normal home inspection, the EBPHI panel would need to include questions about swimming pools in the NHIE. As technology changes, new stuff gets added. If a significant portion of inspectors were to report that they routinely inspect radiant heating system controls where there used to only be a very small percentage that reported that in previous studies, the team would probably add questions about radiant heating system controls to the test. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

If you're referring to drip edge flashing, nearly all roofers up here don't use it. Up until last year, if I were lucky, I'd see it on less than one out of every 100 houses. It's not required by the IRC and most roofers here say it's not necessary because we don't get a lot of snow (phooey!). Their answer here is to extend the edge of the roof about two to three inches into the gutter and let the heat from sunlight sort of bend the edge of the roof into the gutter and they call that a drip edge. I've written it up for more than 16 years and have been the butt of many jokes over it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Sure, why not? Why not the entire complex. Your client buys the unit but inherits all of the stuff going on with the entire complex. If the roof of the building is trashed and nobody has identified it as an issue to the HOA, and the client buys the house, the buyer will probably get slammed with an assessment unless the HOA has been managing their maintenance funds well - and most don't. If the landscaping contractor is piling dirt against the outer walls and they are rotting out and nobody has identified it as an issue sooner or later the client gets hit with that assessment. If the exteriors, walks and ground aren't being properly maintained and nobody has made an issue of it your client eventually gets hit with an assessment. Do the unit, look at the roof, attic and crawl of that building if they are accessible and walk the grounds. Then warn the client about all of the stuff going on that could cost him/her money down the road. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

"These questions should be answered by the RE Agent. " "The buyer should consult with the agent as to who is responsible for the repair." No. Wrong. The buyer's attorney has to answer these questions. Might be the way it goes in Chicago but out here lawyers aren't routinely involved in the real estate transaction. I agree it is an HOA responsibility. I'd still tell the client that there is a strong likelihood that the frame behind that spot is rotten and that if it's that way with one unit it will probably be that way with all of 'em and that nobody can really know for certain unless/until someone removes that stoop and opens that area up. I'd then tell him to make sure the HOA has lots of funds in its reserve and determine whether they'd already budgeted for repair of this item; cuz, if they hadn't he and everyone else will be hit with a nice fat assessment somewhere down the road. Then I'd step out of the way so that the realtor didn't slam into me as she feinted. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Is that a narrow gap I see just behind the fascia at the outer edge of that soffit sheathing? Is it possible that gap extends around the entire house and air is flowing in through that? Why no attic access? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I agree, the opening is for combustion air and that's the air inlet pipe in the flue. I doubt that you'll get much water in there. We have chimneys wide open here without covers on them in arguably one of the rainiest places in the country and we don't see a lot of water getting in wide open flues. I doubt much rain will get in there and what little does will probably evaporate very quickly - even if it doesn't, it will drain through the floor of the original fireplace into the ash sump. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Start off with something like: The electrical system is a mess: This electrical system is a prime example of jackleg work. It.........etc.. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi David, It's entirely possible that he's got an ant nest under a slab and that they aren't even "moisture" ants. They like it under slabs where it's dry and they're safe. Any unsealed openings up into a house from the slab and you'd have them transiting in all directions. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yep, You're right. I corrected it; 'cep'n that danged grave accent mark you've got there is in the wrong position. I know how to do it right in windows, it's alt 0224 but this danged TIJ software interprets it as something else.

Hi David, If it's really moisture ants they are attracted to rot. They'll be somewhere where water is getting in and nobody realizes it. A couple of months ago I had one of those homes with the nice glass kitchen wall-roof. Everything looked great inside and out but I didn't like the way the thing was installed and I suspected water was getting in around it. I smacked my open hand on the claps below the window and the siding moved around and dark residue, and moisture ants, started falling out of the wall. A few more smacks and pieces of saturated felt that had disintegrated, along with flakes of OSB started falling out of the wall and I started smelling the rot. Took the EIFS probes I have for my Protimeter, pushed them through one of those claps and the meter went off the scale. By then the ants were swarming all over the place. Look for a place where water can get in and go unnoticed for a long time. Framing and sheathing behind cornerboards would be a good candidate. Walls around windows that have been poorly flashed. Walls around leaking bathroom fixtures, etc.. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Pretty sure you mean voil`a. I tried to put the grave accent over the a but this software misinterprets it when I type it correctly. OT - OF!!! M.

The silver one in the first picture and the two in the last picture are for some kind of Category IV devices. The others look like plumbing vents. The owner, or his metal roofing guy, must have experienced some kind of nightmare with trying to flash plumbing vents that pass up through a metal roof and decided against it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Or the panel enclosure was in and the SEC hooked up but no breakers installed in the panel yet and the idjit contractor used a set of jumper cables to power up his gear. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

With respect, Gary, As I said, I had one. Once you've done it once, It takes exactly the same amount of time to measure, clamp and cut a straightedge to the piece as it does to measure and clamp your jig to the piece. Heck, even with my lousy math skills I can add 3-3/4 inches to a cut to get my clamp tics in the same time as I'd measure out for the jig. I agree with you, it's a neat jig. I made mine based on an article in Woodworker's Journal sometime back in the 90's, but it just kept taking up space in the corner of the garage so it had to go. I have a nice thick aluminum drywall straightedge and it works just as well. You say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike