hspinnler

Most decks with beams not bearing directly over support don't even get this cleat treatment. Screws or not, how severely overloaded would this deck have to be before it failed? Have you ever seen carriage or through-bolts fail where beams are clamped to the sides of posts? Me either. Sure it's wrong and I would write it up in accordance with the deck guide. However, if you screw enough "Deck Mate" screws for the cleats on either side of those posts, is anyone going to fret during their next BBQ event?

Hi Kurt, Help me understand. Why are the new real estate attorneys going to be evaluating HI's? It sounds like they are evaluating HI's during the inspection process. Is this for potential future litigation against HI's, is this for referrals, or something else? If this is about litigation against HI's, I would not want to participate in helping you help them. 2) What is a competent inspection? Is the inspector moving around, observing and touching everything within reach, digging, probing and getting a workout, or is he having a brisk stroll through the home? Does the report contain a noticeable amount of filler and list mostly cosmetic items, or does it contain well-written and descriptive content of actual defects. Does the report contain clear and well-planned pictures with arrows for the sake of illustrating those defects? Should inspectors pull the lid off the toilet tank? Once I started doing it I never stopped. Everything from tree frogs, to rigged flush kits to rust on the tank bolts. I put that in the category of being a digger. You are holding firm on walking every roof. I disagree. I received a call from a client last week who asked if I walked her roof. I looked up the report and related that I did not walk the asphalt portion of the roof, but did walk the metal roof and used a ladder on the rest. To paraphrase her response, she said something like: "Good, because my insurance company is concerned about any damage that may have been caused by someone (me) walking the roof." I try to walk any roof deemed safe to do so. I want to be clear, I have found many defects that I would have otherwise missed if I had not walked a roof. However, if I cannot for safety reasons, I have ladders, binoculars and a camera with a telephoto lens. One time, I damaged a soft and sticky roof with my boots during the hot summer. I may pony up for a drone to do the grunt work. I've seen some excellent results where only eagles dare to fly. On 3), I think Bruce Ramsey offered something about Georgia Association of Home Inspectors requiring R-5 ICC Code Certification to become a full member. I believe this should be the minimum requirement should state licensing be required. That's what "Certified" means to me. Every inspector on the planet claims he's "Certified", right? [:-propell[:-propell

I think this is a "BFD" and I think it is a step in the right direction. "In a news release, Brownback said he found little evidence of unscrupulous home inspectors to warrant government involvement and fees on private industry. He said the state attorney general's office is better equipped than the board for investigations and assistance." Too bad, so sad for Realtor Association and inspection schools.

LOL. Reminds me of the Pace Picante salsa commercials where they declare another character's sauce is made in New York City:

Texas Pete Hot Sauce? They sprayed that metal duct to the left but not the mastic to the duct on the right.

I have a used Home Inspection Exam Prep paperback edition. Helped me pass the NHIE. It's selling for approximately $250 on-line. There is normal wear on the cover, but spine intact and no markings or tears on pages. I will sell it for $100.00 including shipping in U.S. Click to Enlarge 42.34 KB

I will critique the background a little. My curiosity centers around the classic? car that your text box is blocking. The color of the house is a bit unusual for my neck of the woods and the day looks blah. I would want a better example taken on a sunny blue sky day. Consider a link to a sample report.

Nice pic. Late 1950's from the big three is all I could guess. I stumbled upon a revealing crash test comparison on Youtube with a '59 Bel Air against a late model Chevy. I mistakenly thought all that sheetmetal of the classic car would have provided more cushion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJrXViFfMGk

Hi Erby, I found in a 2006 IRC 1803.3. "Connectors shall be as short and straight as possible..." Other than the required minimum 1/4" slope per foot and the requirement of offsets for inlets for multiple appliances, I did not find anything.

Hi Scott, I've had one for not quite a year. I have worn out the SD card slot so I have to put a sliver of Post-it note inside to "shim" it. LOL Like Kurt, I get some blurry pics but have no problem like I did with the retractable lenses freezing up due to grit, etc. It's nice and slim but not too ergonomic when one-handing it and trying to zoom in and out. Macro feature is a nuisance focusing and I can get closer to the nameplate, and a better shot, in standard shooting mode. None of these Nikon cameras I've owned focus or meter too well when shooting wood in an attic or crawlspace. Video feature is great. Wearing the white off the buttons. I beat the $hit out of cameras.

Hi Egbert, Combination push button and wall outlets. Where the outlets switched? Here, they usually are in residential construction where the grounding plug faces up.

Homeowner reported he did it the day before the inspection. This is more commonly done around vent boot registers in attic ceilings.

Photo depicts silver paint over "Great Stuff" expandable foam. Says on the safety sheet not to use around heaters or furnaces where foam may come into contact with heat-conductive surfaces. This foam was applied around air ducts and boxes adjacent to an electric heat pump. Any issues I may not be aware of? Click to Enlarge 57.17 KB

Yes, it could have been dumped there right before the mice dumped some turds.

What have I got here? From a distance, looks kind of like blown cellulose. Up close, those small flex are not newspaper. One fleck has a screen-like pattern on it. 1951 home. Click to Enlarge 56 KB[/size=l

To Steven: Save the message and call the police.

Perfect fit. Nice shot.

Owens Corning provided me with a letter so I would have a backup: Download Attachment: .pdf"] DRIPEDGE_OVERHANG2[1].pdf 46.74 KB

Hi there newbie. I did not see anything on that particular meter being intended for use on concrete. The closest use I saw was for brick & plaster. I would focus more on the visible signs of moisture intrusion and use your senses to detect potential mold, musty areas and moisture stains prior to using a meter on other materials. Dehumidifiers, Damp-rid and (or) plug-in air fresheners placed in an area are red flags for me. You can measure the RH in the areas you suspect have a problem. On your last sentence, don't bet on that. Again, just report on what you can see.

This guy has one of the best explanations of kickout flashing: http://www.kickout.info/irc.html Where the arrow is located in the first picture, I would refer to that flashed location as "diverter" flashing. Further down where the gutter is located, I refer to that location as an area where "kickout" flashing is needed.

Bill, you are the type of inspector I aspire to be one day. Imagine, being booked 3 weeks out and receiving frequent calls from prospective clients who are willing to pay a premium for your services.

Out of courtesy and respect for the gentleman who once offered this quip, I Googled Norm Sage and found some articles including the date of his passing and an article where he was quoted: http://www.ashireporter.org/articles/ar ... spx?id=927 http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-rebinsp ... 4797.story

Not sure who should be credited for this paraphrased version of a quote: "I didn't kill the deal, the house committed suicide," but I've always liked it. I e-mailed him directly to share my thoughts about the title of his column.

Check out the links and videos on this site: http://www.icynene.com/residential I have limited experience in seeing this stuff in attics and walls, however, an easy way to identify closed cell vs. open cell is that open sell is soft and flexible while the closed cell is rigid.

No replies yet so I am just copying the website for ASHI Certified Inspectors in the area: http://www.ashi.org/find/results.aspx?s ... hoodID=444 A starting place before confirming the individual inspector's status as a "Residential Combination Inspector": http://www.iccsafe.org/certsearch