Erby

Ya know, another one that bugs me is the "Don't test during bad weather. It can inflate the average because the hourly readings go up." What, are you gonna abandon your house during bad weather. Which cigarette is going to kill you. Which day that you run that stop sign are you gonna have an accident. Which day that you breath high radon levels is gonna get you. I've known a couple of people that put in radon mitigation systems just because they wanted to lower the humidity seeping out of the ground in their basement. Life goes on! -

I"ve seen two Manual J calculations but they were for large shopping malls in a past life. No one wants to make that effort for a house unless it's one of them multi-million things. And it's likely gotta be a large house before anyone would suggests a variable air volume system. Plug in two units and be done with it is the prevailing theory around here.

Y'all are too hung up on the 4.0 "Action Level" The EPA's website at: http://www.epa.gov/radon/healthrisks.html , states: "The average radon concentration in the indoor air of America's homes is about 1.3 pCi/L. It is upon this level that EPA based its estimate of 20,000 radon-related lung cancers a year upon. It is for this simple reason that EPA recommends that Americans consider fixing their homes when the radon level is between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L. " "Unfortunately, many Americans presume that because the action level is 4 pCi/L, a radon level of less than 4 pCi/L is "safe". This perception is altogether too common in the residential real estate market. In managing any risk, we should be concerned with the greatest risk. For most Americans, their greatest exposure to radon is in their homes; especially in rooms that are below grade (e.g., basements), rooms that are in contact with the ground and those rooms immediately above them." The EPA's " Home Buyer's & Seller's Guide to Radon" states "Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk and, in many cases, may be reduced." "Short-term tests can be used to decide whether to reduce the home's high radon levels. However, the closer the short-term testing result is to 4 pCi/L, the less certainty there is about whether the home's year-round average is above or below that level. Keep in mind that radon levels below 4 pCi/L still pose some risk and that radon levels can be reduced to 2 pCi/L or below in most homes."

Terry, if you're using FireFox with a wheel mouse, hold down the Ctrl Key and roll the wheel forward or use Ctrl + to enlarge and Ctrl- to reduce. In Internet Explorer, just use the percentage at the lower right corner to enlarge. -

Screw em. I call it every time anyway, even in Fayette County. ======= There is no roofing paper installed under the shingles at the low edge of the roof in some areas. Generally accepted nationwide building practices and most shingle manufacturers' installation instructions call for roofing paper to be installed all the way to the edge of the roof, OVER the metal drip edge at the bottom edge of the roof and UNDER the metal drip edge on rake edges. Consult shingle manufacturer for exact installation instructions and the effect this may have on the manufacturer's warranty. I recommend that roofing paper be installed in accordance with the shingle manufacturer's instructions. ====== Click to Enlarge 26.23 KB

Kama Sutra!

I know several guys around here who live in travel trailers. Some are truckers and don't need much of a home. Gone most of the time hauling cars or car parts to and from the local Toyota factory. Others just prefer the extremely low maintenance lifestyle. Click to Enlarge 46.05 KB Or you can get a spot to park it by working as a camp host in one of the National Park Systems through companies like Recreation Resource Managment. http://www.camphost.org/ Just remember to teach your friends that old adage about "If the trailer's a rockin, DON'T come a knockin!" -

Jon, where do you get that no underlayment is "totally permissible." Doesn't the Kentucky Building Code call for underlayment "STARTING AT THE EAVE". What am I missing. ========== R905.2.7 Underlayment application. For roof slopes from two units vertical in 12 units horizontal (17-percent slope), up to four units vertical in 12 units horizontal (33-percent slope), underlayment shall be two layers applied in the following manner. Apply a 19-inch (483 mm) strip of underlayment felt parallel with and starting at the eaves, fastened sufficiently to hold in place. Starting at the eave, apply 36-inch-wide (914 mm) sheets of underlayment, overlapping successive sheets 19 inches (483 mm), and fastened sufficiently to hold in place. For roof slopes of four units vertical in 12 units horizontal (33-percent slope) or greater, underlayment shall be one layer applied in the following manner. Underlayment shall be applied shingle fashion, parallel to and starting from the eave and lapped 2 inches (51mm), fastened sufficiently to hold in place. End laps shall be offset by 6 feet (1829 mm). ========== Click to Enlarge 79.86 KB

Not sure what HomeGauge has to do with it but try dumping the SN data into an Excel worksheet to create your report and graph, print to PDF and attach it to your report. I don't want to keep up with the calibration and record keeping so I just use RadaLink and pay them to do that for me. I dump the data to them, they e-mail the report back, and keep all the calibration, worker exposer, quality control, etc, records for me.

A Shooting gallery would certainly be a more exciting and entertaining story than just that's how they made em back then.

Do you really mean 15 - 20 FEET deep? Certainly not a typical sump setup.

Try this for some guidance, Terry. http://culturedstone.com/literature/doc ... ctions.pdf

I don't think they were brushed off and painted over, John. More like they ate their way through the drywall paper behind the paint.

Not too many around here, Jim. But quite a few in Texas.

Hanging down from the top of the kitchen window. Click to Enlarge 40.68 KB Coming up out of the floor trim. Click to Enlarge 28.75 KB Depressed paint over the window. Click to Enlarge 27 KB Yeah, I know but I wanted too share. There was LOTS more. Inspection for a flipper. Invasive inspection of the structural framing recommended along with WDI Treatment. -

Rookie!

Well covered on the interior.

before putting it up for sale. Click to Enlarge 67.31 KB

I hate that "further evaluation" crap and stay as far away from it as I can. They hired ME to evaluate it. Like above, it's flat. Fix it or run on a flat tire. Like these two pictures. No need for further evaluation. Just have the damn roof fixed. Click to Enlarge 118.4 KB Click to Enlarge 71.49 KB When I have to it's: Here's the problems I see. Here's why they are a problem Talk with a xxxxxx contractor to determine all necessary repairs & best repair method, to estimate costs, and to perform any repairs deemed necessary. -

Puns flowing like water!

Ran into this in two separate AHJ approved 5 year old houses today. Single hung double pane window with no safety glazing with the bottom of the window 12 inches off the floor. Click to Enlarge 46.11 KB Click to Enlarge 44.21 KB I'm thinking it needs safety glazing as it's less than 18 inches from the floor to the bottom of the windows. Your thoughts. -

Stand closer. It's shorter than you think!

The infamous Norwegian Roof Beaver!

It's a plastic ridge vent covered with cap shingles. On another note, I've gone back to re-inspect this type of thing once before. The person that got the job of sawing out the gap for the ridge vent either forgot or didn't know to limit the depth of his cut to just cut the sheathing. He cut it full blade depth, cutting each of the rafters, on each side of the ridge board, a good two or three inches into the rafter. Didn't hear back what the results of that ooops was.

Sometimes, all you can do is shake your head and wonder.