Jesse

Glad everyone's OK. Did everything stay friendly, or did people start getting pissed?

I'm back to my LCD now, and the colors are pretty nice, so my problem is in the other monitor. The slate grey, as somebody else called it, is pretty sharp with the greens, and the layout is pragmatic and easy. Looks good. Thanks to our hosts.

In the home accidents: top three are falls, falls, falls. Without a doubt. Most common injured are the older folks - kids fall too, but they bounce.

Now I'm on a CRT. Your Kelly green looks black. Your lighter green looks Kelly green. I haven't seen my LCD since yesterday, but I think it was the same. My brother's color blind. Maybe I'm getting it now.

Although, when I choose from upper row ("home," recently," etc), then scroll across "members only" on the way to choose a sub-category, things get a little screwy. Just me?

With Kurt on this. Functionally, sharp. The colors though... kinda freakin' me out.

Is that stick-on vinyl baseboard?

All you Chicagoland folks: Oak Park now allows Romex, "but only if it's new." Do you know of any other suburbs that allow NMC? I, for now, still see a bunch of Romex as Kurt does: foreign, and a little silly. Some day, I'll grow up. Maybe.

Are you sure it wasn't coated copper?

I thought "righting"

The house I grew up in (1890s) had floor framing like that, big-time notches. No problems at all. The steel columns probably replaced the original wood ones after the floors sagged when the columns started to dewoodify. Jesse PS "Dewoodify." Yeah, I know it's not a word. But it should be.

Thanks, everyone. Especially Frank. Still laughing.

What do you call the angled doors that cover the exterior stairs down to a walk-out basement? I can only come up with "bulkhead doors," but I'm not satisfied with that.

Caoimhin - Truly not a challenge, nor a test, nor an attack... At a con ed class last year, somebody taught us all there is to know about radon, in about 90 minutes. The session mostly focused on how this guy's cousin Darell will install a mitigation system in your house to protect us from this awful hidden evil. At one point he mentioned a study in the mid-90's regarding housewives who spent a great deal of time in their homes over a period of at least 20 years. Does this study ring a bell? I did not find it discussed on your site. Did I just miss it? Are you willing to address the validity, or existence, of this study? Again, I stress, this is not a challenge. I seek not a fight, but knowledge. Thanks. Jesse

Kurt, Do you think "tapered" would be more applicable than "corbeled" for the base of the foundation?

Guessing or estimating build-year by foundation type has to be a regional thing - different methods were used at different times in different areas. Just as important will be knowing the neighborhoods, when they were built and methods therein. Not going to get that from a book.

WorkingRE is OREP's magazine. I got the same message. It appears to be fine. My computer is still working anyway.

Well said, Kurt. A very good contribution. Thanks. Lernin good Jesse

I've taken both exams. Certainly anyone out performing inspections should be able to pass them both without a problem. I think the NHIE is a fair test, and an acceptable standard for entry into the profession AS AN APPRENTICE. Beyond that, at a minimum, there should be further jobsite testing/experience. I think you'll agree, Chad, that no written test is enough. It touches on another topic that Mike started about building a curriculum for higher education for inspections. Folks were wondering how other professions(law, medicine, etc.) got their education process so structured. Considering the age of our profession, I think we're on the right track. Many states are licensing/certifying/regulating somehow. That's a start. As that theory gets widely accepted, states will further regulate, requiring more and more of new inspectors. It'll be slow, but it will come, and I'll do what I can to encourage that. I know some guys have been doing this for fifty years, but the INDUSTRY is much younger than that. What makes me a bit anxious: Some orange big-box store figuring out a way to package the realtor, inspector, and lawyer for a buyer. And for that, at a nice low rate, they'll also "help" you find contractors to do the work on your new place, and sell you the materials. If that happens before standards are dramatically improved, those standards will never change. Please, someone put my mind at ease with a "No, no, that'll never happen" argument. Happy Sunday to all, and to all a good night.

In spite of my fear of being hammered-on like those truss members you were talking about, I'll offer my two cents. You are a sharp guy, Chris. I trust your opinion, without asking for pictures or anything else. Regardless of the strength of the members, truss systems fail at bad joints. If the joints are bad, the system is bad. I would call it out. It was done poorly by a clueless "handyman." Not that it would change my answer, but I'm just curious: floor truss or roof truss? The day will be interesting when, as you enter a home, a seller says, "Oh, my husband is SO handy."

Although I don't disagree with anything you said, I'd say a lot less. No big deal, just different styles. I might say: "The basement shower is in a poor location. The current design of the area is hazardous to occupants and will deteriorate the electrical service panel. Remove the shower." Before shipping it out, give it another look for grammar/spelling errors. For example, use "over time" instead of "overtime." Bare-bulb fixture in the shower, easily low enough to be swatted by a user washing one's pits. What are those shower walls made of? In the foreground, what's suspended from the floor joists?

This is not a challenge, but a real question: The reference quoted is a best practice guide, so there's no doubt that the methods described are good stuff. Is there a code reference that states the same? I'm far from a code-geek, but it doesn't ring a bell in my empty cavernous cranium.

Wow. 50 years inspecting in NYC. I generally don't listen to anyone that says "I've seen it all" about anything. But half a century inspecting in New York City, he really has.

Usually either the Building Department or the Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau is resposible for enforcing those rules, and therefore they'd be the best resource on local code. Frankfort Fire Department has a full-time Inspector position. Try him first. At least try to get sprinklers in the common areas and utility rooms. Fire moves wicked-fast in the old buildings.

Chris, I think you said those feet were just screwed into the sheathing. That much weight shouldn't be bearing on plywood. Even they are directly on top of the rafters it seems like a lot of weight to have as a concentrated load on a roof joist, especially considering the low slope of the roof.