Erby

Very early 1800's. Used in the slave trade to hold runaway slaves until they could be returned. The Grange, Paris, KY Download Attachment: The Grange 82.24 KB Download Attachment: Slave quarters out back. 215.52 KB

Tech Note #7 is a very handy resource to hand to masons and builders when they question your call for weep holes. Most of them have never seen it. I regularly see lintels with no flashing or weeps along with the brick down to the ledge and no weep holes. Some put weep holes at the ledge (below ground level) and claim that's good enough. I just give my client (and the mason - builder if appropriate) a copy of the tech note. Pictures are great. Sometimes its fixed and sometimes everybody just blows it off. But hey, my job is to provide information. Theirs is to act (or not) on that information.

Just yesterday, I inspected a home in which the basement had been complete finished into a three bedroom, 1 bath home with kitchen, living room and laundry room. Gee, not a single bedroom in the basement had proper emergency egress, ventilation, or minimum daylighting. None, nada, zip. one door to the bedroom period. I think the buyer is going to be grossly dissapointed when I talk with them. (Out of state, didn't attend inspection.) And of course, the seller will be PO'd becasue he bought it five years ago already finished and counted on it being the two house under one roof it looks like. Oh well, Its a wonderful day. I woke up this morning. The rest of it is just crap to deal with.

I do em, but I charge full price. If they want it bad enough, or can't locate a cheapie, they'll pay. If they don't, I don't.

My report on high or low temperatures: ==================== The water temperature was set at: I recommend that water heaters be set to 120 degrees. I recommend measuring the temperature, at the faucet closest to the water heater, using a meat thermometer for accuracy. Ensure that enough water is ran, before measuring, to measure the temperature of the water directly from the water heater. Then make necessary adjustments The following information is from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Tap Water Scalding Alert Each year, approximately 3,800 injuries and 34 deaths occur in the home due to scalding from excessively hot tap water. The majority of these accidents involve the elderly and children under the age of five. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges all users to lower their water heaters to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to preventing accidents, this decrease in temperature will conserve energy and save money. Most adults will suffer third-degree burns if exposed to 150 degree water for two seconds. Burns will also occur with a six-second exposure to 140 degree water or with a 30 second exposure to 130 degree water. Even if the temperature is 120 degrees, a five minute exposure could result in third-degree burns. Never take hot water temperature for granted. Always hand-test before using, especially when bathing children and infants. Leaving a child unsupervised in the bathroom, even if only for a second, could cause serious injuries. Your presence at all times is the best defense against accidents and scaldings to infants and young children. Visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission website at: http://www.cpsc.gov/ For more information. ============================ Hmm,Guess I oughta add something about the dangers of bacteria at low temperatures too.

Most of the construction draw reports I've done, the company and/or bank supplied the form they wanted used. Here's a sample in PDF Format. http://b4uclose.tripod.com/Reports/consdraw.pdf It's actually an Excel worksheet. Each of the percentage cells has a drop down menu to select percentages. If you want the actual Excel worksheet that you can play with (adapt) send me an e-mail at erby@b4uclose.com

Google and other search engines read it also so these helps improve your website ranking. Yes, Mike. I'm guilty of bookmarking the All Forums page and seldom see the home page. I'll have to look more often.

Isn't that ITA's choice. Don't you have to chose to apply for approval?

Not I. With the pressure on it, it ususally leaks a LOT sooner than 14 months. Weird.

No, but the next step is to start tracing the wire and the circuit. You may want to try one of the "tone generators" available at local hardware stores. They are useful in tracing circuits.

If you can read the instructions on the label without standing on your head, it's installed right, as a temporary means of support only, not meant as a permanent means of support. Follow the manufacturer's instructions is the best bet. Arlene's research says it doesn't matter up or down because they're not supposed to be used as permanent support at all. Not that it doesn't matter period.

A thorough interior examination of the chimney and flue is beyond the scope of a normal home inspection. This report identifies and comments on those items that were able to be inspected. It further identifies those areas that were not readily accessible for inspection such as a complete view of the chimney and flue interior. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and B4U Close Home Inspections, recommend that each chimney receive a Level II inspection each time a residence is sold. I also recommend that this inspection be conducted by a chimney sweep certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) (www.csia.org).

My apologies![:-ashamed

Stolen. Let me know if you want it back! (Returned) [lesson learned]

Wish I had a Star Inspector. I'm envious, but there is no emoticon to show it.

Google "Joe Lstiburek" for a whole bunch of information on this topic. But note the correct spelling (as in the quotes).

Introduce some powered ventilation, i.e. fans, to help move the condensed water out of the crawl space for a couple of weeks.

Poor unswept widow!

Short, sweet, and factual. Sometimes, I guess I just talk to much by giving reasons my client can understand in addition to the factual.

====== The outside temperature is below 60 degrees so I didn't test the operation of the air conditioner. When the temperature is below 60 degrees the gases in the air conditioning system can turn to liquid. Turning on the Air Conditioner, when the gas is a liquid, can cause the liquid to "slug the compressor". (Think of throwing a bird into a jet engine.) I recommend that you get the service records from the owner or the company servicing the air conditioner. I recommend that you have a qualified air conditioning contractor test the unit IF the weather gets above 60 degrees for a couple of days sometime before closing. I also recommend that you purchase a home warranty that covers the air conditioner. Some don't. You can search the internet for information and providers of home warranties. In any case, don't wait until you need it before making sure it will work. ==================

You mean this one! B4U Close Cockamamie Photos Click on the picture for a larger version that you can see easier.

Ya mean a hose, like this. Download Attachment: Hosed 65.48 KB

Wires shorted out. Breaker failed to trip. Wire insulation burning in the conduit. Heat causes expansion of the air. Air pressure increases in conduit. Heat rises. Air forces its way thru the seal on the light fixture. Smoke bubbles to the surface of the pool. Bubble pops. Smoke on the water. Sometimes you just can't resist!

I use Palm-Tech running Windows CE on an HP Jornada. If I had to do it over again, I'd just go with the desk top software and a full sized laptop.

"No warranty for units installed outside of specs" See: http://www.alpinehomeair.com/related/Go ... 20Inst.pdf See pages 4 & 10 Extract: Over current protection less than that recommended on the unit's "Specification Sheet" could result in unnecessary fuse failure and service call. The manufacturer bears no responsibility for damage caused to the equipment as a result of not using the recommended size for the protective devices as listed on the unit's rating plate. === NOTE the second sentence. === This is just the first installation instructions that came up in a quick search. Bet you most of the others say the same thing. Ask the local yokel "expert" if he's going to warranty the unit after he voids the manufacturer's warranty by not following the installation instructions, because the manufacturer won't!