hausdok

http://advancedenergy.org/buildings/kno ... wl_spaces/

A quibble, Heat doesn't rise. Heat radiates equally in all directions from its source - heated air rises. I wouldn't make such a fine point of it, except that I frequently see folks misunderstanding radiant heating systems because they have this idea that radiant heat doesn't work unless it's placed directly underneath one's feet so that one will be in the path of what they believe to be "rising" heat. Some folks quibble about water heater versus hot water heater; I quibble about heat rising versus heated air rising. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Before anyone can tell you that, you need to tell us exactly what a Pier-and-beam foundation is in your neck of the woods because the term seems to mean different things in different parts of the country. Describe the way it's constructed. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, It really depends on your climate and what your state's energy code says - if you have one - and that's a moving target. Our 2006 Energy code had specific requirements shown at the table on page 8-5 of the code (http://www.energy.wsu.edu/Documents/Bui ... e-2006.pdf) but the new 2010 code, which went into effect on January 1st, has been gutted of those requirements. If any of you Washington State inspectors would like to download a copy of the 2010 Builder's Field Guide to the code, click here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The ground near the foundation probably didn't drain well, froze, expanded and pushed in on the foundation wall. OT - OF!!! M.

It tastes like Tums.Heh, That reminds me. When I shone my flashlight on a bunch of rat droppings in the corner of a basement the other day the client asked me if I could tell if they were fresh. I answered, "Not really, but you're welcome to taste one if you think it will help you determine that." He laughed but I'm not sure if he knew I was joking or thought I was serious. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Jeez, I almost forgot. The house next door was a classic remuddler's dream. A small simple bungalow, 93 years old and less than 900 sf with a massive carbuncle of a contemporary addition cobbled onto the back. Click to Enlarge 65.05 KB ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Ouch! [:-paperba OT - OF!!! M.

May 15, 2011/Kenmore, WA The news this week, at least for home inspectors operating in Alberta, is that they are now regulated. According to an article in The Edmonton Journal, the new rules only apply to inspectors doing inspection on resale homes. In a nutshell, the new rules state: licensed inspectors must carry $1 million in E & O and post a $10,000 bond to cover consumer losses if they "fail to do a their jobs." limits of liability in contracts are banned inspectors must meet specific minimum educational requirements inspectors can be prosecuted under the Fair Trading Act, with a maximum fine of $100,000 inspection of structure, electrical system, heating, insulation and plumbing are required but "building envelopes" are excluded. Consumers must hire a "qualified engineer" to inspect those. inspectors who already hold the Registered Home Inspector credential or Certified Master Inspector designation are grandfathered, as are graduates of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. inspectors who don't qualify for grandfathering may apply for a conditional license while they are working to become qualified. That conditional license is valid through March 2013. According to a government official that was quoted, the Alberta government had consulted on the issue for two years. The article is entitled "Home Buyers Get More Protection." One has to wonder who is protecting the hapless inspector from home buyers that have a dollar sign agenda. To read more, click here.

Discussion on Contractor Talk. Discussion on The Family Handyman./url] OT - OF!!! M.

GAF's take on racking and a uTube video below that discourages it. [utube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0_FYB0j2aI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="344"> OT - OF!!! M.

Hi All, I couldn't find that exact article in JLC, so I suppose it might have been in another publication such as Professional Roofing or something similar. I did find a pretty good article in the JLC archives from July of 2009 by Jim Bennette. Those of you who are JLCOnline Plus members should check it out. The article covers some of the stuff we've discussed/debated here before. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Kurt, I actually like ship's ladders. What I took issue with here was the location of these. Look at the dearth of vents in picture #6 in the second set of photos. Tear off 3-4 decades of comp and a cedar shingle deck, slap a plywood deck on top and then shove a bunch of fiberglass tightly against the underside of a roof and then a bunch of drywall, without a means to dry out of the roof plane and what might you eventually get? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I should have taken photos of the 270°view I had from that roof, the Olympics, the Cascades and Mt. Rainier all at the same time. Too bad he couldn't get the view from the house. What did I see? Sometimes one sees more, sometimes less. In this case, a little bit of damage done by some numbnuts who doesn't know how to stand on a roof, a chimneystack that's taking on water because it doesn't have a proper crown, some debris, some moss/algae, and some trees abrading the edges of the roof. All pretty educational for a homeowner that had no idea what the consequences of some things done and not done on a roof can be. Click to Enlarge 66.41 KB Click to Enlarge 51.65 KB Click to Enlarge 100.68 KB Click to Enlarge 199.54 KB Click to Enlarge 70.78 KB Click to Enlarge 65.99 KB Click to Enlarge 71.14 KB Click to Enlarge 48.67 KB ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

You guys will love this (NOT!!): 101-year old bungalow. The guy that lived there wanted a playroom for the kids and he wanted a sauna but there was nowhere to put them...except up in the attic (??!!!) Click to Enlarge 26.62 KB Click to Enlarge 54.76 KB Click to Enlarge 35.77 KB Click to Enlarge 37.3 KB Click to Enlarge 33.5 KB Click to Enlarge 33.11 KB Click to Enlarge 33.67 KB Click to Enlarge 50.15 KB Click to Enlarge 35.32 KB Click to Enlarge 36.91 KB Click to Enlarge 36.43 KB I suppose if you feel a little light-headed when you step out of this sauna that it would be a good idea to sit down and drink some fluids and get your senses back before attempting to climb back down this ladder. Steep roof. Just about wore me out getting up there and moving along that ridge. I'm not getting any younger. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Uh, repudiated or remediated? OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Well, you can't exactly pick one up and move it within moments like you can with an RV, but I suppose it might be possible to erect one of these with threaded fasteners so that it could be quickly broken down and transported to another location by a 1-1/2 ton flatbed or on a trailer pulled behind your car. Hell, a patch of land way out in the stix and a bundle of ten of these and one could establish a really secluded destination camping motel for get-away-from-it-all-ers. Something like these appeals to me more than a vehicle sitting there with months of algae and dirt covering it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Not convection - vapor drive. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Don't assume that at all. Not everything in them is pablum. I've been accumulating books from folks around the country to build a TIJ lending library. If you really want to unload them, send them to me. Which reminds me, if I get some time this weekend I need to compile a list of all of these books and post it to TIJ so that you guys can start taking advantage of this knowledge base. If I don't get it up by Sunday morning, someone post a kick-in-the-ass reminder here for me. Chad, Marc and Douglas, thanks for your contributions for the common good. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, If you haven't read the links yet, just understand that vapor moves from where it's more humid and warm to where it's cooler and drier. In NC in the summer months, the humidity outdoors exceeds that in the crawlspaces and all of that humid exterior air wants to get into that cool crawlspace. Once in there, it condenses on every surface cool enough to take it down to dewpoint. Close the crawlspace vents and make sure that you have 100% tight coverage of the soil under the home. With any luck, your crawl will reach equilibrium with the outdoors and the vapor drive will stop and things will more or less dry out. Advanced Energy Corp. is right there in NC and they have a better understanding of crawlspaces, especially eastern seaboard crawlspace, than anyone else on the planet - even Dr. Joe. Visit their crawlspace knowledge website at: http://www.advancedenergy.org/buildings ... wl_spaces/ If you can't solve it yourself, give them a call and see what they recommend. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I remember an article in JLC about a decade ago where a contractor explained how he uses that method and what he does to ensure it remains leak-free. I don't have time to do it now, but if I have time and remember it this evening, I'll see what I can dig up tonight. If any of you are JLCOnline members or have the JLC Archive CD that encompasses the last decade, you can probably find it before I can. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yes, they can be used in both orientations. Pass your cursor over "Library" on the menu bar above to reveal the library sub-menu and then choose "downloads" on the far left. Scroll all the way down until you find the document entitled FM5-428 US Army Concrete and Masonry Field Manual. This is a 323 page manual full of old school methods and instructions for concrete and masonry. Choose that, wait for your computer to open the entire document - it will take a while if you don't have a fast processor - and then scroll down to page 297 - the Chapter on Structural Clay Tile - where you'll find methods and instructions for working with that material. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

If it's masonry veneer made with manufactured stone, it's supposed to have a drainage plane behind it and weep screed at the bottom. Here are the web and print versions of the MVMA guidelines. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Richard, I've actually run into that several hundred times over the years. Was there a valve with a pipe ending near the floor on the tank? I usually find that those ones that are mounted high are 125psi valves vs. the typical 150psi valve that's also mounted on the side of the tank. I think it is someone's way of getting away without a pipe that goes directly outside from the higher-rated TPR with the idea being that the 125psi valve will open long before the one on the tank would be needed. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Most of us have heard stories about how millions have been spent trying to preserve Falling Water, Frank Lloyd Wright's so-called masterpiece in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and how building science was pretty much ignored and the consequences of that negligence have shown up time and again. From the WSJ, here's someone else's take on the lessons of Fallingwater. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike